Programs

Five Faves: 2005 Edition Executive producer Adam Harris walks us through some of the most memorable sets and performances from his first season with Mountain Stage, twenty short years ago. Tune in to hear The Del McCoury Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Lizz Wright, Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, Odetta and more! https://bit.ly/4sptuc8

In this episode, we consider a creature we often don’t think much about—the snail. And not just snails, but their sex lives. Which, as it turns out, is epic. There is persuasion and subterfuge, spaghetti penises and co-copulation. And this very surprising habit—erm kink—of making tiny arrows (actually!) and stabbing each other with them. Known as a “love dart,” these limestone daggers aren’t just a strange trick of nature—they have a deep evolutionary purpose.  Special thanks to Menno Schilthuizen and Aaron Chase.EPISODE CREDITS:  Hosted by – Molly Webster Reported by – Molly Webster Produced by – Mona Madgavkar, Annie McEwen, Molly Webster Sound design contributed by – Mona Madgavkar, Annie McEwen Fact-checking by – Diane A. Kelly and Edited by  – Alex Neason EPISODE CITATIONS: Videos –  A love dart being DARTED! (https://zpr.io/rYhLwXhaxQQP)  – Molly has watched this video so many times Articles –  Changes in the reproductive system of the snail Helix aspersa caused by mucus from the love dart. (https://zpr.io/xxjuCcTyiVJV) by Koene JM, Chase R. J Exp Biol. The snail's love-dart delivers mucus to increase paternity. By Chase R, Blanchard KC. Proc Biol Sci. A love-dart at the heart of sexual conflict in snails (https://zpr.io/X2ANHPaEg5sr)  by Foote C  ** This article has an image of eight different love darts, and it’s what Molly shows to Soren in the episode (this image is one of her favorite research finds!)  Books –  “Nature’s Nether Regions: What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves” (https://zpr.io/ktMvJbZciCdD)  by evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen. Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (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.

In this bonus episode, Jim shares a track from an early punk band that imagines what might happen if you received the eyes of a convicted murderer.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundopsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Winter brings out the big dogs – some of the most prominent constellations of all. And one of those really is a dog: Canis Major, the big dog. It’s best known for Sirius, the Dog Star – the brightest star in the night sky. It’s a third of the way up the southern sky at nightfall. But there’s much more to Canis Major than just Sirius. It includes several bright stars, most of which are below or to the right of Sirius. When you link them up, they do form the outline of a dog. Like all constellations, Canis Major consists of more than just a connect-the-dots pattern of stars, though. It covers a patch of sky that includes everything within its borders. And in that area, you can find several deep-sky objects – objects like star clusters, which are far beyond most of the individual stars visible in Canis Major. Perhaps the best known is Messier 41. It’s not far below Sirius, and it’s an easy target for binoculars. It’s about 2300 light-years away, and includes a hundred or more stars. The cluster probably is about 200 million years old. At that age, its biggest, heaviest stars have expired. They’ve left behind small, dense corpses known as white dwarfs. The next-heaviest stars soon will follow the same path. Those stars have puffed up to become red giants. They’re easily visible through binoculars – sparkling red and orange jewels along the “collar” of the big dog. More about Canis Major tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a New Música episode! This week we highlight recent releases from Francisca Valenzuela, Nathy Peluso, The Warning, Bang Data & Santi Mostaffa, Cimafunk & Monsieur Perine, Andres Levin & Atercipelados, El Mató a Un Policia Motorizado, Cheo and more.

Two lawyers who work for ICE step forward and lift the curtain on what is really happening inside our immigration system right now. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Two lawyers dive into the details of what they’ve witnessed behind the scenes in different parts of the immigration system. (2 minutes)Act One: Former ICE attorney Ryan Schwank explains the chaos and dysfunction he observed at an ICE training academy, which led him to whistleblow to Congress two weeks ago. (12 minutes)Act Two: A federal judge orders the government to immediately release a bunch of people from detention. Days pass, and the government doesn’t comply. So the judge calls a hearing to figure out what’s going on. The lawyer's response is not what he or anybody expected. (25 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.