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This episode was recorded on May 18th, 2025 at Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Dan Tyminski, Darrell Scott, I Draw Slow, Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert, and Jacob Jolliff Band. bit.ly/3HLCyoC

Episode one of Swimming with Shadows: A Radiolab Week of Sharks.Rodney Fox went into the ocean one summer day in 1963. He came out barely alive, his body torn apart by a great white shark. At the time, it was one of the worst shark attacks ever survived.After he recovered, he was pulled back into the shadowy world he feared most. Again and again and again. That shark attack left behind a question that still lingers, for Rodney, and for all of us: When you can’t see the thing that scares you, what kind of monster does your mind create? And how do you fight past it?Special thanks to Surekha Davies, Asa Mittman, Scott Poole, and Maria Tatar.EPISODE CREDITS:Reported by – Rachael Cusickwith help from – Pat WaltersProduced by – Rachael Cusick and Pat WaltersSound design contributed by – Jeremy Bloomwith mixing help from – Jeremy BloomFact-checking by – Diane Kellyand Edited by  – Pat WaltersSignup 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 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.

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot pay tribute to the late Sly Stone. They review Sly Stone's documentary and memoir, revisit an interview with Family Stone members Jerry Martini and Cynthia Robinson and share some of their favorite tracks from Sly.–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:Sly and the Family Stone, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Single), Epic, 1969The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967The Stewart Four, "On The Battlefield," (Single), Church of God in Christ, 1952Sly and the Family Stone, "Plastic Jim," Life, , Sly and the Family Stone, "Dance To The Music," Dance To The Music, Epic, 1968Sly and the Family Stone, "I Ain't Got Nobody (For Real)," Dance To The Music, Epic, 1968Sly and the Family Stone, "Advice," A Whole New Thing, Epic, 1967Sly and the Family Stone, "I Hate To Love Her," A Whole New Thing, Epic, 1967Ike and Tina Turner, "Bold Soul Sister," The Hunter, Blue Thumb, 1969The Roots, "Star/Pointro," The Tipping Point, Geffen, 2004Bobby Freeman, "C'mon and Swim," C'mon and Swim (Single), Autumn, 1964Sly and the Family Stone, "Family Affair," There's A Riot Goin' On, Epic, 1971Sly and the Family Stone, "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Hot Fun in the Summertime (Single), Epic, 1969Sly and the Family Stone, "Thank You For Talking To Me Africa," There's A Riot Goin' On, Epic, 1971Sly and the Family Stone, "Brave and Strong," There's A Riot Goin' On, Epic, 1971Sly and the Family Stone, "You Can Make It If You Try (Live)," Stand!, Epic, 1969Sly and the Family Stone, "We Love All," Dance To The Music (2007 version), Epic, 1968Sly and the Family Stone, "Color Me True," Dance To The Music (Single), Epic, 1968FKA Twigs, "Eusexua," Eusexua, Atlantic, 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you sit on a big beachball, it gets mashed down. That makes it a little wider through the middle, and a little narrower from top to bottom. And that makes it look a lot like Alderamin, the brightest star of the constellation Cepheus the king. The star is about a third wider through the equator than through the poles. That’s not because some cosmic giant is sitting on it. Instead, it’s because the star spins like crazy. Alderamin is about 50 light-years away, so it’s a fairly close neighbor. It’s nearing the end of the prime phase of life, even though it’s billions of years younger than the Sun. That’s because it’s twice as massive as the Sun. Heavier stars “burn” through their nuclear fuel much faster than lighter stars. What really stands out about Alderamin, though, is its shape. The star’s equator rotates once every 12 hours, versus almost four weeks for the Sun. That forces gas outward around its middle, making the star look a bit more like a fat lozenge than a ball. As Alderamin continues to age, though, it will puff up to many times its current diameter. That will slow down its high-speed rotation, giving Alderamin a “rounder” appearance. Cepheus is in the north and northeast at nightfall. Under fairly dark skies it’s easy to make out. It looks like a child’s drawing of a house. The peak of the roof is on the left during the evening, with Alderamin marking the top right corner of the sideways house. Script by Damond Benningfield

New música abounds! This week we highlight recent releases from Diamante Electrico, Rafa Pabon, Aczino, The Warning, Mexican Institute of Sound, Dayme Arocena, Hermanos Gutierrez, Eda Diaz and more.

In honor of Father’s Day, stories of sons and daughters finding out the one thing they've always wanted to know about their father. The answers aren't always what they’d hoped for. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: As a kid, Aric Knuth sent cassette tapes to his dad, a merchant marine gone for months at a time. He’d leave one side blank and ask for a reply—but none ever came. Aric talks to Ira Glass about what it was like to finally ask his dad why. (7 minutes)Act One: Lennard Davis was always told to avoid his no-good Uncle Abie. After his father died, Abie claimed he was actually Lenny’s biological father via artificial insemination. At first, the story seemed possible, then doubtful. It took Lenny more than 20 years to sort out whether it was true, and he finds out the answer—definitively—as tape is rolling. (31 minutes)Act Two: Paul Tough’s father was a mild-mannered professor—until he suddenly left the family to pursue a lifelong quest: making contact with extraterrestrial life. For the first time, Paul joins him and asks the questions he’s long kept to himself about his father’s alien pursuits. (18 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.