Freakonomics Radio

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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 2 of 2)   SOURCES:…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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.   SOURCE: Cat Bohannon,…