Programs

This episode was recorded on July 2nd, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes The Jayhawks, Tift Merritt, Tanasi, Candi Jenkins . https://bit.ly/4hKZrXB

In less than four years, mathematician Steve Strogatz watched AI go from flailing at basic arithmetic to solving problems that baffle the world’s best mathematicians. In September of 2026, Open AI announced it had solved a Millennium Prize Problem, one of math’s highest achievements. In short, mathematics is right now on the cusp of a reckoning that may be coming for all of us. In this episode, Steve grapples with the idea that the window might be closing on humanity’s effort to unpuzzle, or learn, or understand the world around us.Special thanks to Ravi Vakil, Alex Kontorovich, Bob Wright.EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by – Maria Paz Gutierrez and Soren WheelerProduced by – Soren Wheeler and Maria Paz GutierrezFact-checking by – Diane Kellyand Edited by  – Pat WaltersEPISODE CITATIONS:Videos –  On deep learning for cancer diagnosis and treatment (https://zpr.io/TPnVfbPH8gTr), by Regina Barzilay (MIT Professor of AI & Health)Articles – Mathematics Isn’t Just a Game to Let A.I. Solve. History Shows Why (https://zpr.io/n67amKFPuiYA), by Steven Strogatz and Alex TownsendOpenAI Releases Findings on 377 Math Problems, Further Roiling Field (https://zpr.io/YDjQXvYfqkvA), by Kenneth Chang and Siobhan Roberts Books – Big Math: The Hidden Codes that rule our World (https://zpr.io/BFuYZ29qt8av), by Steven Strogatz and Alex TownsendSign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot join with the Chicago music community to pay tribute to John Prine on what would have been his 80th birthday. They revisit an interview with the songwriter from 2018 and dissect his debut album with author Erin Osmon. Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4frcVZoMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:John Prine, "How Lucky," Pink Cadillac, Elektra, 1979John Prine, "Illegal Smile," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971John Prine, "Sour Grapes," Diamonds in the Rough, Atlantic, 1972Steve Goodman, "City of New Orleans," Steve Goodman, Buddah, 1971John Prine, "Hello In There," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971New Lost City Ramblers, "No Depression In Heaven," Songs from the Depression , Smithsonian Folkways, 1959The Carter Family, "The Wandering Boy," The Wandering Boy (Single), Victor, 1927John Prine, "Sweet Revenge," Sweet Revenge, Atlantic, 1973John Prine, "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness," German Afternoons, Oh Boy, 1986John Prine, "If You Don't Want My Love," Bruised Orange, Asylum, 1978John Prine, "God Only Knows," The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy, 2018John Prine, "Bad Boy," German Afternoons, Oh Boy, 1986John Prine, "All The Best," The Missing Years, Oh Boy, 1991John Prine, "Lake Marie," Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings, Oh Boy, 1995John Prine, "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971John Prine, "Boundless Love," The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy, 2018John Prine, "Angel From Montgomery," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971John Prine, "Sam Stone," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971John Prine, "Clay Pigeons," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971John Prine, "Summer's End," The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy, 2018John Prine, "When I Get To Heaven," The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy, 2018John Prine, "Caravan of Fools," The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy, 2018John Prine, "Paradise," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971This Is Lorelei, "Billy Came Back," The Singer In My Band, Matador, 2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The stars in a binary system can be quite intimate. One star can pull gas off the surface of its companion, for example. And in extreme cases, the stars can merge to form a single star. Both types of interactions can make the stars look a lot younger than they really are. Many examples of this are found in Messier 10. It’s a globular cluster – hundreds of thousands of stars all packed into a ball a few dozen light-years across. The cluster includes an especially large number of blue stragglers – stars that look a lot younger and bluer than the cluster should contain. M10 itself is billions of years older than the Sun. It probably was born with many hot, blue stars. But such stars burn out quickly. So there’s no way that any of the cluster’s original blue stars could still be around. Instead, the blue stragglers probably were rejuvenated. Some appear to have stolen gas from a companion. The extra material “revs up” the nuclear reactions in the recipient, making it look much younger. Other blue stragglers may be the results of mergers – the stars spiral together. That would increase the rate of nuclear reactions as well – turning two old stars into what looks like a brand new one. Messier 10 is in Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. The cluster is in the southwest as night falls, to the upper right of the teapot of Sagittarius. Through binoculars, the cluster looks like a hazy smudge of light. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a spotlight on our favorite Cuban music!  Featured artists include Orishas, Los Van Van, Los Zafiros and more.  

We discover what we believe might be the original recipe for Coca-Cola…and share it with you! When this episode first aired in 2011, it made international headlines. This, and another story about telling copies from originals. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Act One: The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets in the world. So we were surprised to find a 1979 newspaper article that might contain Coke's original recipe. We were even more surprised to find reasons to believe the recipe is real. (26 minutes)(00:26:23) Act Two: Jake Halpern tells this story about document expert John Reznikoff, who came into possession of some materials which — if authentic — would change history. Then, things got complicated (32 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.