Parts of the South are facing severe weather. Experts have new theories about what brought down an Azerbaijan Airlines plane. Sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died at the age of 78.
Did you know that flies fly in rectangles, fish hide by lighting themselves up and the moon is lifting the ground underneath your feet? Anand Jagatia quizzes members of the CrowdScience team on the moments from the past year that had them scratching their heads in amazement.
We hear Dr Erica McAlister’s attempts to calculate how many flies have ever existed, and about flies’ mating choreography, courtesy of Prof Jochen Zeil. We learn how to tell a mosquito’s sex thanks to Eggrey Aisha Kambewa and Dr Steve Gowelo.
Astronomer Dr Darren Baskill describes tides not of water but of land; Dr Edie Widder paints a vivid picture of a camouflaged creature of the deep; and we explore starfishes’ five-fold symmetry with Dr Imran Rahman.
Khimlal Gautam, Mountaineer and Chief Survey Officer for the Government of Nepal, tells us of the near-death experience he had when checking the height of Mount Everest.
And finally, axolotl expert Dr Elly Tanaka is astonished at the dedication of CrowdScience presenter Alex Lathbridge to the subject of her research.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia
Producer: Ben Motley
Editor: Cathy Edwards
Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Studio Managers: Donald MacDonald and Giles Aspen
(Photo: Lost in formulas Credit: Cimmerian via Getty Images)
After the gift exchange comes another great holiday tradition: returns season. Once again, we are joining the fun in our own Planet Money way. We are returning to stories from years past to see what's changed since we last reported them. It's an episode we call The Rest of the Story.
We have updates on zombie mortgages, student loan forgiveness, Argentina's economy under its self-described anarcho-capitalist president, and the best place in the world to give birth to twins. Plus, a return to... returns.
So while you're looking for that holiday sweater in a better size, or waiting in line to trade in your Dutch oven for an air fryer, take a listen to all our latest little audio gifts. And see you in 2025!
This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and edited by Keith Romer and Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
All during this holiday week, enjoy some of our favorite Reset conversations of 2024 – like this one, from Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco.
Lupe Fiasco is a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist, rapper and producer, known for his rhymes, lyrics and storytelling with albums like his 2006 debut Food & Liquor, his 2007 project The Cool and his highly anticipated 2011 album Lasers, which features hit song “The Show Goes On.”
Now, Fiasco is back with his latest record Samurai. Fiasco was introduced to martial arts by his father, Sensei Gregory Jaco. When Fiasco stopped by Reset to talk about Samurai, he also dived into the significant role Japanese culture and martial arts have played in his life on Chicago’s South Side.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the original interview here:
Lupe Fiasco on Black martial arts movement, hip-hop and his 'Samurai' tour - WBEZ Chicago (Nov. 14, 2024)
You can also WATCH our interview with Lupe Fiasco here: Lupe Fiasco on Black martial arts movement, hip-hop and his 'Samurai' tour
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Academic, author, & ordained minister Michael Eric Dyson joins Bad Faith to debate the merits of voting for Kamala Harris specifically -- and Democrats more broadly -- as increasing numbers of the party membership acknowledge that they require significant reform after their 2024 electoral defeat. Are those claiming that "Bernie would have won" in 2016 and 2020 right? Or is there a case to be made for the more centrist Democratic Party approach -- even now? Rarely is someone with as large a platform as Dr. Dyson willing to join a progressive podcast for a rich debate on progressive strategy, so this one is a real treat.
Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling again.
Do you have to pick a side in politics? That was the question Reason Magazine, the flagship publication of the libertarian movement, invited The Bulwark to debate. In a panel moderated by Reason features editor and Across the Movie Aisleco-host Peter Suderman, Sarah and Tim debated picking sides with Reason editors-at-large Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie.
The debate was sharp, occasionally heated, enlightening, and definitely amusing. The results were . . . resounding. Watch for yourself.