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Episode No.
Date
Length
EXTRA

Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views on immigration, nationalism, and borders, from this 2015 interview, are almost strangely appropriate to the present moment.

3/18/24
34:16
PLUS

What Can the Bible Teach Us About Immigration?

Stephen talks with Roger Nam, a professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, about how ancient migrations intersect with today.

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3/15/24
55:34
No. 580

The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series.)

3/13/24
59:25
PLUS

The Suddenly Controversial World of Professional Golf

Sportswriter Karen Crouse talks about the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

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3/8/24
44:06
No. 579

Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape.

3/6/24
47:07
EXTRA

What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event really repair a country’s reputation — or will it trigger the dreaded Streisand Effect? Also: why the major U.S. sports leagues are warming up to the idea of foreign investment.

3/4/24
71:59
PLUS

Puzzle Me This

Stephen Dubner sits down with his friend A.J. Jacobs to play some games on his podcast, The Puzzler.

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3/1/24
25:43
No. 578

Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

What surprises lurk in our sewage? How did racist city planners end up saving Black lives? Why does Arizona grow hay for cows in Saudi Arabia? Three strange stories about the most fundamental substance we all take for granted.

2/28/24
52:36
PLUS

The Musical Mr. Guerra

Stephen Dubner talks to composer Luis Guerra about his score for our series on Richard Feynman.

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2/23/24
49:22
No. 522

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally facing a real rival, in the form of A.I.-powered “answer engines”?

2/21/24
63:26
EXTRA

Mr. Feynman Takes a Trip — But Doesn’t Fall

A wide-open conversation with three women who guided Richard Feynman through some big adventures at the Esalen Institute. (Part of our Feynman series.)

2/19/24
52:31
PLUS

The Keeper of the Feynman Flame

Ralph Leighton reflects on his decades-long friendship with Richard Feynman.

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2/16/24
85:03
No. 577

The Vanishing Mr. Feynman

In his final years, Richard Feynman’s curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series.)

2/14/24
68:27
PLUS

“Apply Thinking to Everything”

Stephen Wolfram remembers his mentor Richard Feynman.

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2/9/24
53:53
No. 576

The Brilliant Mr. Feynman

What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series.)

2/7/24
59:36
EXTRA

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)

They’re heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. But back in 2018, they were coming off a long losing streak — and that’s the year we sat down with 49ers players, coaches, and executives to hear their turnaround plans. It’s probably time to consider the turnaround a success.

2/5/24
69:16
PLUS

Growing Up Feynman

Michelle Feynman remembers her physicist father as the smartest person in the room, and then some.

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2/2/24
62:38
No. 575

The Curious Mr. Feynman

From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series.)

1/31/24
62:22
PLUS

How to Make Better Choices (with Samantha Bee)

Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on the Choice Words podcast.

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1/26/24
47:50
No. 574

“A Low Moment in Higher Education”

Michael Roth of Wesleyan University doesn’t hang out with other university presidents. He also thinks some of them have failed a basic test of good sense and decency. It’s time for a conversation about college, and courage.

1/24/24
54:15
EXTRA

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. But don’t worry — the experts are getting it wrong, too.

1/22/24
56:25
PLUS

Editing Out Fraud

Talking science reform with Psychological Science editor Simine Vazire.

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1/19/24
49:29
No. 573

Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

Probably not — the incentives are too strong. Scholarly publishing is a $28 billion global industry, with misconduct at every level. But a few reformers are gaining ground. (Part two of two-part series on academic fraud)

1/17/24
69:12
PLUS

Going Deeper with the Data Detectives

Uri Simonsohn and Leif Nelson are two-thirds of the blogging collective Data Colada, which has taken the lead in exposing shady research practices in psychology and related fields. They talk to Stephen Dubner about how fraud happens, how they spot it, and what it’s like to face a $25 million lawsuit.

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1/12/24
60:03
No. 572

Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?

Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an astonishing 10,000 research papers were retracted. We talk to whistleblowers, reformers, and a co-author who got caught up in the chaos. (Part one of two-part series on academic fraud)

1/10/24
79:43
PLUS

Piloting the World’s Most Profitable Airline

Delta C.E.O. Ed Bastian explains how flying became safer than crossing the street, why the company bought its own oil refinery, and whether autonomous planes are the future.

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1/5/24
49:31
No. 571

Greeting Cards, Pizza Boxes, and Personal Injury Lawyers

In a special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett explains what millennials do to show they care, how corrugated cardboard keeps your food warm, and why every city has a billboard for a guy who calls himself “The Hammer.”

1/3/24
55:13
PLUS

Is the Supreme Court Dragging Us Down the Slippery Slope?

Legal commentator Dahlia Lithwick wonders whether slippery-slope arguments are sliding into dangerous territory.

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12/29/23
50:33
No. 570

Is Gynecology the Best Innovation Ever?

In a special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt talks to Cat Bohannon about her new book Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.

12/27/23
50:38
PLUS

“Thirty $3 Million Bets Is My Yacht”

Vinod Khosla on how venture capital is like religion, why institutions can’t innovate, and why he wasted an hour talking to us.

Unlock access to this episode, and other exclusive content, by joining the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program. To sign up, visit the Freakonomics Radio show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

12/22/23
56:57
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