Let’s kick off Spooktober with… RATS: They love pizza. They invade taquerias at midnight. They scurry. They cuddle. They outsmart. They inspire movies that inspire musicals. Proving that not just woodsy megafauna can be charismatic, rats have lives we would never suspect. Globally-lauded Urban Rodentologist Dr. Robert Corrigan, or Bobby if you like, has been ... Show More
Yesterday
Paleohistology (WHY TEETH EXIST) with Yara Haridy
Excuse me, why do you have teeth? How did they get in your mouth and where did they come from? Let’s ask researcher, tooth enthusiast, and Paleohistologist Dr. Yara Haridy. She opened up the archives at Chicago’s Field Museum to chat about ancient skulls, drawers of bones, and th ... Show More
1h 24m
Jan 14
Marmotology (GROUNDHOGS) with Daniel Blumstein
Tongue twisters. Frosty holidays. Scandals. Big ol’ rodent butts. Let’s talk groundhogs with UCLA conservationist, field biologist, professor and Marmotologist, Dr. Daniel Blumstein. We cover what broadly is a marmot, the Buddhism and paganism of the midwinter slump, marmot paren ... Show More
1h 15m
Feb 2025
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?
<p>Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two of <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/sympathy-for-the-rat/">a three-part series</a>, “Sympathy for the Rat.”)</p><p> ... Show More
50m 23s
Mar 2021
E330 Mid-Sized Animal Control Man
Theo sits down with mid-sized animal control man, Marty Voiers, to learn what a day in the life of a wild animal wrangler is like. Marty tells us insane stories of being face-to-face with bobcats, just how sneaky these raccoons truly are and his thoughts on being the middle man b ... Show More
2h 2m
Nov 2024
The Rat King - Chapter 16
Vinnie goes to warn the cats while Susan and Tucker follow Julian to open the gate for the rats. Susan carries Tucker, and Julian tries his best to keep them from talking as he growls at the rats around him. When the rocks start to fall, and Susan and Tucker get separated, she do ... Show More
9m 4s
Mar 2024
Connor & Noah Barthe by Serial Napper
It was the summer of 2013 in Campbelltown, New Brunswick, Canada. Noah and Connor Barthe, who were 4 and 6 years old, had spent the day having a blast with family friends at a farm. That evening, they had a sleepover at their best friend's house, which was located just above an e ... Show More
40m 35s