Radio in Progress: Napoleon's War on Rotting Food
…some respects it was, yes, became a lot more sophisticated later on, but I think the major need at the time was really to feed the army. And finally, there’s…
Bestselling author James Nestor believes that we can improve our lives by changing the way we breathe. He’s persuasive enough to get Steve taping his mouth shut at night. He…
We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. But can a smart policy be simply transplanted into a country as culturally unusual (and as…
Also: how can we stop confusing correlation with causation?
The dogs we know best live as pets: indoors, wearing bespoke collars, and sleeping on our sofas. But the majority of the world’s dogs are stray, or “free-ranging” dogs. What…
The pandemic has hit America’s biggest city particularly hard. Amidst a deep fiscal hole, rising homicides, and a flight to the suburbs, some people think the city is heading back…
Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they’re using behavioral economics to get even better.
…some respects it was, yes, became a lot more sophisticated later on, but I think the major need at the time was really to feed the army. And finally, there’s…
Why do millions of people pay to have one of the world’s deadliest toxins injected into their faces? Zachary Crockett looks surprised….
Innovation experts have long overlooked where a lot of innovation actually happens. The personal computer, the mountain bike, the artificial pancreas — none of these came from some big R&D…
Pro footballer and star podcaster Jason Kelce is ubiquitous right now (almost as ubiquitous as his brother and co-host Travis, who’s been in the limelight for his relationship with Taylor…
Podcast Freakonomics Radio Two Book Authors and a Microphone: Levitt, Dubner and other future guests help preview the new Freakonomics Radio. Download/Subscribe at iTunes » Subscribe to RSS feed Listen…
Also: do we overestimate or underestimate our significance in other people’s lives?…
…used as animal feed because of aesthetic defects — they weren’t straight or orange enough to pass what someone’s idealized view of the perfect Peter Cottontail carrot should look like….
The Berlin dance mecca Berghain is known for its eight-hour line and inscrutable door policy. PJ Vogt, host of the podcast Search Engine, joins us to crack the code. It…
…(Download/subscribe at iTunes, get the RSS feed, listen via the media player above, or read the transcript.) The risks of driving drunk are well-established; it’s an incredibly dangerous thing to…
When you need a ride to the hospital, who should you call? Bapu talks with economist David Slusky about how ridesharing services are increasingly replacing ambulances. Plus, an unexpected reason…
Is it enough to toss a soda can in the recycling? Why is Maria obsessed with Nobel Prize lectures? And wait — is that a news alert or a tiger?…
[omny:https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/aaea4e69-af51-495e-afc9-a9760146922b/14a43378-edb2-49be-8511-ab0d000a7030/396acd49-47b5-4462-93db-ab0d001bc1d9/audio.mp3] (Photo: Scott Davidson) Our latest Freakonomics Radio on Marketplace podcast is called “The Hidden Cost of False Alarms.” (You can download/subscribe at iTunes, get the RSS feed, listen via…
…The chicken business has always been a high-volume, low-margin industry. So a few years ago when costs started to rise, mostly due to competition for feed corn from the ethanol…
Patrick Smith, the author of Cockpit Confidential, answers every question we can throw at him about what really happens up in the air. Just don’t get him started on pilotless…
Americans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it can be — as well as costly, time-wasting, and polluting. Is it time to embrace…
…iTunes, get the RSS feed, listen via the media player above, or read the transcript here.) I recently had the good fortune to go for a ridealong in a self-driving…
Whether it’s a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it’ll inevitably take way too long and cost way too much. That’s because you suffer from “the planning fallacy.”…
…major sins of commission. Making any of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent this year would be a mistake – we can’t afford it and it would feed the…
Last week, the board upheld the ban of former President Donald Trump’s social media accounts. Sudhir talks to Noah Feldman, the constitutional law scholar who helped design this “supreme court”…
You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says … Are you sure?…
…get the RSS feed, listen via the media player above, or read the transcript.) It features a conversation with the University of British Columbia economist Paul Beaudry, one of the…
How does a fresh tuna get from Japan to Nebraska before it goes bad? And how does its journey show up in the price of your spicy tuna rolls? Zachary…
Stephen Dubner, live on stage, mixes it up with outbound mayor London Breed, and asks economists whether A.I. can be “human-centered” and if Tang is a gateway drug….
