Programs

This episode was recorded on October 12th, 2025 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness, East Nash Grass, Deb Talan, Nicki Bluhm, and Two Runner. https://bit.ly/3XJq7hP

Qasem Waleed is a 28-year-old physicist who has lived in Gaza his whole life. In 2024, he joined a chorus of Palestinians sharing videos and pictures and writing about the chaos and violence they were living through, as Israel’s military bombardment devastated their lives. But Qasem was trying to describe his reality through the lens of the most notoriously confusing and inscrutable field of science ever, quantum mechanics. We talked to him, from a cafe near the Al-Mawasi section of Gaza, to find out why. And over the course of several conversations, he told us how this reality-breaking corner of science has helped him survive. And how such unspeakable violence actually let him understand, in a visceral way, quantum mechanics’ most counter-intuitive ideas. Special thanks to Katya Rogers, Karim Kattan, Allan Adams, Sarah Qari, Soren Wheeler, and Pat WaltersEPISODE CREDITS: Reported by – Lulu MillerProduced by – Jessica Yungwith mixing help from – Jeremy BloomFact-checking by – Emily Kreigerand Edited by  – Alex NeasonEPISODE CITATIONS:Videos – A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics with Sean Carroll, The Royal Institution (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hVmeOCJjOU)Introduction to Superposition, with MIT’s Allan Adams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ3bPUKo5zc)The Quantum Wavefunction, Explained (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOI4DlWQ_1w)Articles – Read a selection of Qasem’s published essays about his life in Gaza and the quantum world: I am stuck in a box like Schrodinger’s in Gaza (https://zpr.io/ALDVi9E5bRt8) Israel has turned Gaza’s summer into a weapon (https://zpr.io/YS4WK4hVQC5T)The Physics of Death in Gaza (https://zpr.io/hxsgxicVqPAd) 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.

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot revisit a Sound Opinions classic— Songs About Giving Thanks. The hosts will share some of their favorite songs in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, and they'll hear selections from the production staff.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/soundops Featured Songs:Natalie Merchant, "Kind and Generous," Ophelia, Elektra, 1998The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Big Star, "Thank You Friends," Third, PVC, 1977Sister Sledge, "We Are Family," We Are Family, Atlantic, 1979Earth, Wind & Fire, "Gratitude," Gratitude, Columbia, 1975Tyler, The Creator, "GONE, GONE / THANK YOU," IGOR, Columbia, 2019Bonnie Raitt, "Thank You," Bonnie Raitt, Warner Bros., 1971Lucinda Williams, "Stowaway in Your Heart," Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, Highway 20, 2014Led Zeppelin, "Thank You," Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic, 1969Fall Out Boy, "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs," Infinity On High, Island, 2007Chance The Rapper, "Blessing (feat. Jamila Woods)," Coloring Book, Self-Released, 2016 Andrew Gold, "Thank You For Being A Friend," All This and Heaven Too, Asylum, 1978The Kinks, "Days," Days (Single), Pye 7N 17573, 1968Dido, "Thank You," No Angel, Cheeky, 1999Descendants, "Thank You," Everything Sucks, Epitaph, 1996Third Eye Blind, "Thanks a Lot," Third Eye Blind, Elektra, 1997Alanis Morissette, "Thank U," Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Maverick, Reprise, 1998The Flaming Lips, "Do You Realize??," Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Warner, 2002The Intruders, "Be Thankful For What You Got," Energy of Love, TSOP, Philadelphia International, 1974Yes, "Going for the One," Going for the One, Atlantic, 1977See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The planet Uranus has always been an oddball. It lies on its side, so it rolls around the Sun like a giant bowling ball. Its magnetic field is tilted and offset more than any other planet’s. And for the past four decades, it’s seemed that the planet radiated less energy into space than it receives from the Sun. The solar system’s other giant planets all radiate at least twice as much energy as they receive – mainly in the form of heat left over from their formation. But two recent studies have changed that story – at least a little. Most of the earlier estimates were based on observations by Voyager 2, which flew past the planet in 1986. But the new studies found that Voyager might have scanned Uranus at the wrong time. The Sun was especially active then, skewing the readings. The studies combined decades of observations by telescopes on the ground and in space. Researchers then used computer models to analyze the results. They found that Uranus emits up to 15 percent more energy than it gets from the Sun. But that’s still a lot less than the other giants. So Uranus is still an oddball – just not quite as odd as it seemed. Uranus is at its best this week. It’s opposite the Sun, so it’s in view all night. It’s closest to us for the year as well, so it shines at its brightest. Even so, you need binoculars to see it. It’s in the east in early evening, to the lower right of the Pleiades star cluster. Script by Damond Benningfield

This week we visit SPAIN and spotlight the country's vibrant rock, pop and EDM scenes. Featured artists include The Pinker Tones, Adiós Amores, Manu Chao, Arde Bogotá, ambre, Rigoberta Bandini, Jeanette, Vete Vete, Polock, Pecker, Ana Laan and more. 

What’s great about living in a family is that everyone sees everything differently. Also, that’s what’s awful about living in a family. We go behind closed doors with two families.   Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: When Heather Gay started taking steps away from Mormonism, she thought it was her secret. That her daughters had no idea. Until she talked to them about their mismatched memories. (17 minutes)Act One: In every house, behind every closed door, a private drama is unfolding. In the Rivera house, the drama comes in the form of a question: should they stay or should they go? This question winds its way around the house until someone finally answers it. (44 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.