Programs

This episode was recorded on December 7th, 2025 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes The Bacon Brothers, Shawn Camp, Rose Cousins, Tessa McCoy & The State Birds, and Mark Erelli. https://bit.ly/4c0FV7X

A strange brew that's hard to resist, even for a modern day microbe. In the war on devilish microbes, our weapons are starting to fail us. The antibiotics we once wielded like miraculous flaming swords seem more like lukewarm butter knives. But in this episode, originally released in 2015, we follow an odd couple, of a sort, to a storied land of elves and dragons. There, they uncover a 1,000-year-old secret that makes us reconsider our most basic assumptions about human progress and wonder: what if the only way forward is backward? Special thanks to Steve Diggle, Professor Roberta Frank, Alexandra Reider and Justin Park (our Old English readers), Gene Murrow from Gotham Early Music Scene, Marcia Young for her performance on the medieval harp and Collin Monro of Tadcaster and the rest of the Barony of Iron Bog. Can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet antibiotic resistance content? Then you’ll be over the moon about next week’s release. It’s the podcast cut of our most recent installment of our live show series called Viscera. This one features executive editor Soren Wheeler and Avir Mitra, and it’s all about how our millenia's-long war against bacteria came to a tipping point in this modern age. Subscribe or follow our show on your favorite streaming platform and you’ll be the first to know when it drops. EPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by – Latif Nasser Produced by – Matt Kielty and Soren Wheeler EPISODE CITATIONS: Articles – Uncovering the multifaceted mechanism of action of a historical antimicrobial (https://zpr.io/mucw6Td6LBxT) by Harrison, F et al, 2026 bioRxv (PREPRINT). In this article Freya and her team describe the mechanisms under which Bald’s Remedy actually works. 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.

Al Green sang some of the most acclaimed soul records of the 1970s. So when he decided to leave it all behind for the church, many questioned why. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot discuss Al Green's life and his pivotal first gospel album, Belle with biographer Jimmy McDonough. Plus, they review the new album from Mitski.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:Al Green, "Belle," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Mitski, "Where's My Phone?," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026Mitski, "That White Cat," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026Mitski, "Lightning," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026Mitski, "Charon's Obol," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026Mitski, "If I Leave," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026Al Green, "I'm Still in Love with You," I'm Still In Love with You, Hi, 1972Jackie Wilson, "Baby Workout," Baby Workout (Single), Brunswick, 1960Al Greene, "Back Up Train," Back Up Train , Hot Line Music Journal, 1967Al Green, "Tired of Being Alone," Al Green Gets Next to You, Hi, 1971Al Green, "Let's Stay Together," Let's Stay Together, Hi, 1971Willie Mitchell, "Groovin'," Solid Soul, Hi, 1967Al Green, "Love and Happiness," I'm Still In Love with You, Hi, 1972Al Green, "Jesus is Waiting," Call Me, Hi, 1973Al Green, "Dream," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green, "I Feel Good," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green, "All 'n' All," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green, "Chariots of Fire," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green featuring Anthony Hamilton, "You've Got the Love I Need," Lay It Down, Blue Note, 2008Al Green, "Georgia Boy," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green , "Feels Like Summer," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977Al Green , "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," I'll Rise Again, The Right Stuff, 1983Niall Connolly, "To Be a Stone," To Be a Stone (Single), self-released, 2025The Cars, "You're All I've Got Tonight," The Cars, Elektra, 1978Buffalo Tom, "Tangerine," Sleepy Eyed, Beggars Banquet, 1995Snow Tha Product, "Alligator," M.a.M.A, self-released, 2025Private Wives, "Haymaker," Three of Swords, Farmer & The Owl, 2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just about every star is born in a cluster – a family of dozens to thousands of stars. Most of these families fall apart, with the individual stars going their own way. The Sun’s cluster, for example, dissipated billions of years ago. One cluster that’s in the process of dissipating is the Hyades, which outlines the face of Taurus, the bull. It’s the nearest cluster, at a distance of about 150 light-years. Today, the Hyades contains several hundred stars – probably less than half its original population. The other stars were pulled away by the gravitational tug of the rest of the galaxy. The cluster’s heaviest stars reside in its tightly packed center. None of them is much more than about twice as massive as the Sun. That’s because of the cluster’s age – 625 million years. All of its heavier stars have already burned out. All that remains is their dead cores. The least-massive stars have migrated to the outskirts of the cluster. Over the next few hundred million years, those stars will all drift away. That will leave only a sad little remnant of this impressive family of stars. The Hyades stands to the lower left of the Moon this evening. Its stars form a “V” shape. The brightest star in the outline is bright orange Aldebaran, the bull’s eye. But it’s not a member of the cluster – it simply lines up in the same direction as the stars of the Hyades. We’ll have more about the Moon and Taurus tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a new music explosion! We highlight the latest releases from Manu Chao, Darumas, Migrant Motel, Orquesta Akokán, Monsieur Perine, Hunters of the Alps, The Warning, Julieta Rada & Juan Campodonico, Diamante Electrico, Sara Valenzuela, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and more.

In the early days of the radio show, Ira did a series of interviews with his parents that completely changed his relationship with them. This week, he returns to those interviews. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira talks about why four conversations reveal how his relationship with his parents changed. (4 minutes)Act One: Ira’s mom, Shirley, is invited to lead a discussion about how to get along with your adult children. Her adult children question her expertise. (9 minutes)Act Two: Ira asks his parents for advice on how he should build the radio show. His parents don’t hold back. (9 minutes)Act Three: Ira talks with his dad, Barry, about Barry’s own brief and doomed career in radio. (21 minutes)Act Four: An interview with Ira’s mom that, to this day, makes Ira’s skin crawl. (13 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.