687. Are Prediction Markets the Best Forecasting Tool Ever — or Just Another Casino?The promise is that they can beat the experts at predicting inflation, elections, […]

How to Be a Double Unicorn, with John Urschel | Better in PersonHe was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now t […]

686. Why Is It So Hard to Find an NFL Quarterback?For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. […]

“I Trust Almost Anyone More Than Myself” | Better in PersonThe Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts […]

Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case? (Update)The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now t […]

Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in PersonWhen he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how t […]

The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin (Update)How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian […]

What if Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower? | Better in PersonAngela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among […]

684. He Helped Clean Up the Last Crash. Does He See Another One Coming?Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and […]

Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories? | Better In PersonHarlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor s […]

683. In the New Space Race, Who Makes the Rules?Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt […]

How Gary Gulman Turned Depression Into Comedy Gold | Better in PersonGary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also […]

682. Should A.I. Move to Space?At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. […]

Why Cooking is Caregiving, with Chef Hillary Sterling | Better in PersonHillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So […]

Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update)Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he […]

How a Great Architect Thinks, with Bjarke Ingels | Better in PersonIs the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this […]

681. How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick CavettStephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. […]

680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust?Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying t […]

679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel D […]

The World Is (Still) Drowning in SludgeInsurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated n […]