This is episode two of Swimming with Shadows: A Radiolab Week of Sharks.
Jaws spawned a thousand imitators: sharks in tornados, sharks in avalanches, sharks that battle giant octopuses. Hollywood has officially turned sharks into monsters of every shape and size. And yet, somehow, there will always be more.
But drop below the surface, into the cold, quiet ... Show More
Nov 2022
Advocating for Sharks and Other "Scary" Creatures
From a young age, Rachel Graham was interested in all kinds of marginalized animals, from snakes to bats. But when she went on a dive trip and experienced a real-life sharknado, it became clear that her future would be inextricably tied to sharks. This marked the beginning of her ... Show More
52m 50s
Jun 2024
Shark Biomimicry and a SharkMan Mega Soldier
FACT: Many products today are inspired by sharks, from medical research to Olympic swimsuits. FICTION: In the 1940s, the military created a shark-man mega soldier by injecting shark DNA into its bravest recruits. Kasha unpacks biomimicry with the help of her guest, Steve Kessel, ... Show More
18m 27s
Oct 8
Chris Hadfield’s Fictional Universe Is Rooted in Real Space History
What happens when a real-life astronaut turns to fiction? In this episode, Chris Hadfield shares how decades of spaceflight and global diplomacy inspired his latest novel, Final Orbit, a cold war thriller packed with historical intrigue and technical precision. Host Rachel Feltma ... Show More
10m 52s
Jun 2025
Tim Coulson on how predators shape ecosystems and evolution
As a young man, traveling in Africa, Tim Coulson - now Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford - became seriously ill with malaria and was told a second bout would probably kill him. Aged only 20, this brush with his own mortality led him to promise himself he would writ ... Show More
28m 36s