Freakonomics Radio
Thursday at 3pm and Sunday at Noon
Freakonomics Radio ferrets out connections between seemingly unrelated things. The program explores the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature-from cheating and crime to parenting and sports-using the tools of economics to explore real-world behavior.
Booksavers of Virginia and Gift and Thrift are proud to sponsor Freakonomics Radio on WMRA.
Credit Audrey S. Bernstein
Host Stephen J. Dubner discovers the hidden side of everything in interviews with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs-and with his "Freakonomics" co-author Steve Levitt.
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Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 3 of an updated series originally published in 2023.) The post Season 16, Episode 2 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It’s not. (Part 2 of an updated series originally published in 2023.) The post Season 16, Episode 1 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.) The post Season 15, Episode 52 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.” The post Season 15, Episode 51 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part series.) The post Season 15, Episode 50 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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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. infrastructure off the planet. (Part one of a two-part series.) To find out more, check out the podcast from which this hour was drawn: “Should A.I. Move to Space?“ The post Season 15, Episode 49 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode. The post Season 15, Episode 48 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master, Dick Cavett. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person is live on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. The post Season 15, Episode 47 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure! The post Season 15, Episode 46 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges. The post Season 15, Episode 45 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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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 win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”) The post Season 15, Episode 44 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong. The post Season 15, Episode 43 appeared first on Freakonomics.