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This episode was recorded on June 14th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Brandy Clark, Steep Canyon Rangers, Tristan, and Philip Bowen. https://bit.ly/4hjzCPF

In this short episode, first aired in 2011, a neurologist issues a dare to a ragtime piano player and a famous conductor. When the two men face off in an fMRI machine, the challenge is so unimaginably difficult that one man instantly gives up. But the other achieves a musical feat that ought to be impossible.Reporter Jessica Benko went to Michigan to visit Bob Milne, one of the best ragtime piano players in the world, and a preternaturally talented musician. Usually, Bob sticks to playing piano for small groups of ragtime enthusiasts, but he recently caught the attention of Penn State neuroscientist Kerstin Betterman, who had heard that Bob had a rare talent: He can play technically challenging pieces of music on demand while carrying on a conversation and cracking jokes. According to Kerstin, our brains just aren't wired for that. So she decided to investigate Bob's brain, and along the way she discovered that Bob has an even more amazing ability … one that we could hardly believe and science can't explain.Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. 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 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, 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 welcome their old colleague and former Sound Opinions host Bill Wyman back to discuss his new book, Bill Wyman’s Rock & Roll Lists, in which he ranks every song by some of rock’s biggest artists.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:The Beatles, "Good Day Sunshine," Revolver, Parlophone, 1966The Beatles, "With a Little Help from My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967The Eagles, "Lyin' Eyes," One of These Nights, Asylum, 1975Pink Floyd, "Atom Heart Mother," Atom Heart Mother, Harvest, 1970Led Zeppelin, "Ramble On," Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic, 1969Led Zeppelin, "Moby Dick," Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic, 1969The Eagles, "Hotel California," Hotel California, Asylum, 1976The Eagles, "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture," Long Road out of Eden, Eagles, 2007Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nevermind, DGC and Sub Pop, 1991Nirvana, "Something in the Way," Nevermind, DGC and Sub Pop, 1991Bruce Springsteen, "Outlaw Pete," Working on a Dream, Columbia, 2009Pink Floyd, "Mother," The Wall, Columbia, 1979Bob Dylan, "Shelter from the Storm," Blood on the Tracks, Columbia, 1975Bob Dylan, "Tangled Up in Blue," Blood on the Tracks, Columbia, 1975John Prine, "Angel from Montgomery," John Prine, Atlantic, 1971See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To borrow from “Alice in Wonderland,” the case for life on Mars keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. Two rovers have discovered organic compounds there – the chemical building blocks of life – in locations that are thousands of miles apart. And some recent looks at results from the Viking landers of the 1970s suggests they, too, might have found organics. So it’s possible that microbes might have inhabited Mars in the past – and might do so even today. Some of the best evidence comes from the Perseverance rover. In 2024, it studied a formation known as Bright Angel – layers of sediment deposited at the bottom of a river perhaps three and a half billion years ago. A rock named Cheyava Falls contained a lot of organics. And a study earlier this year confirmed the finding. The compounds could have been produced by microscopic life. But there are several other possible explanations, including chemical reactions in the rocks themselves. Perseverance stored a sample of Cheyava Falls for return to Earth. Laboratory analysis could tell us for sure how the organics were formed. But NASA has nixed a planned sample-return mission. So we’re a long way from satisfying our curiosity about life on Mars. Look for Mars quite near the Moon early tomorrow. It looks like a bright star. They’re especially close as they climb into good view, around 2:30 or 3. We’ll talk about the Moon and another companion tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield

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

Sayre Quevedo’s invented a way to do a podcast that feels completely new. He’s been recording nearly all his conversations for years, and the result is something that captures a person’s life in a raw and complicated way that’s rarely heard. His new show Reaching Out also documents his mutually judge-y relationship with his twin brother as they set out to find their long-lost birth father. Want to watch our live show this Friday? Use free trial code LIVESTREAM when you sign up as a Life Partner.(00:00:00) Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Reaching Out, a podcast that feels like it invented something completely new — an ambitious way of capturing a life in a way we'd never heard before. (1 minute)(00:02:39) Part One: Sayre Quevedo and his brother start the search for their birth father, and they discover that this whole time he’s been a few minutes away from where Sayre lives. (20 minutes)(00:21:49) Part Two: The twins try reaching out in a variety of ways before taking more direct action. Sayre tries to continue life as normal. (12 minutes)(00:34:50) Part Three: Sayre and Connor go in person to face their dad. (24 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.