Let's Evolve Together | Freakonomics Radio | Activity

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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, […]

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Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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. […]

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Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:00:00 -0700

“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 […]

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Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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

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Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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. […]

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Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:05:00 -0700

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. […]

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Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0700

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 […]

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Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0700

678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a […]

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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0700

677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams […]

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Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0700

This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update)As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of […]

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Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0700

676. Has America Lost the Plot?Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. […]

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Fri, 29 May 2026 10:00:00 -0700

The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)In his final years, Richard Feynman’s curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he t […]

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Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0700

The Brilliant Mr. Feynman (Update)What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We […]

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Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:00 -0700

The Curious Mr. Feynman (Update)From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy i […]

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Fri, 15 May 2026 10:00:00 -0700

675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 08 May 2026 10:00:00 -0700

674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear […]

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Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 -0700

Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has […]

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Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:00 -0700

673. What Is Money?That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We […]

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Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

672. What Makes Judy Faulkner Run?Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare […]

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Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent […]

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Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science […]

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Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

670. Beeconomics 101How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System (Update)Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the […]

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Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

669. Why Is 95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky?Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a g […]

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Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0700

668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have Blood on Their Hands?As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is als […]

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Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700

In a Driverless World, Who Loses and Who Wins?In blue cities across the country, unions and politicians want to ban self-driving cars. In this episode from the […]

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Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0700

Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?How a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. Freakonomics Radio shares a story from our friends at […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0700

667. Here’s Why You Are Constantly Fighting Off ScammersA ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s o […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:00:00 -0700

666. This Is How Progress HappensEconomists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize com […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:00:00 -0700

The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of (Update)Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

665. Werner Herzog Isn’t Afraid …… of bad reviews, meager financing, or artificial intelligence. But he is worried that the world is full of sloppy thinkers who m […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

664. Are Thousands of Medical Cures Hiding in Plain Sight?Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — an […]

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Wed, 18 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0700

All You Need Is Nudge (Update)When Richard Thaler first published Nudge, the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 […]

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Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

663. Is Weed a Performance-Enhancing Drug?The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. s […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

662. If You’re Not Cheating, You’re Not TryingIn sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore? (Update)They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and t […]

Freakonomics Radio wrote a new post

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0700

661. Can A.I. Save Your Life?For 50 years, the healthcare industry has been trying (and failing) to harness the power of artificial intelligence. It may finally be […]