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This episode was recorded on April 19th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, John Pizzarelli, Peter Case, Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore, Jedd Hughes. https://bit.ly/4wLZPMh

A couple summers ago, Radiolab reporter Alex Neason got out of the shower and almost stepped on her worst nightmare: an American Cockroach. It was flipped onto its back, struggling, and for a split second, Alex swears she felt the spiny tickle of its legs on the underside of her bare foot. And, like every other time she has come into contact with a roach, this sent her into a debilitating spiral of fear, anger, and disgust.  This week, Alex tries to understand what might be behind her fear, in the hopes she can overcome it. And in doing so, Alex learns more about these so-called pests than she could have ever wanted to.Special thanks to Jessica Ware, Timothy Marzullo, Alexandra Bell, and Changlu WangEPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by – Alex Neason Produced by – Jessica Yung and Annie McEwen with mixing help from – Jeremy Bloom Fact-checking by – Sophie Samiee and Edited by  – Pat Walters EPISODE CITATIONS: Articles –  American Cockroaches, Racism, and the Ecology of the Slave Ship (https://zpr.io/UNKsMz7ZaLvb) by Lindsay Garcia, Arcadia Books –   Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains (https://zpr.io/6E5wJBM4Kvcv) by Bethany Brookshire The Cockroach Papers (https://zpr.io/CvKePYxEMEAW) by Richard Schweid Cockroach (https://zpr.io/UuEAjmfqKccQ)  by Marion Copeland Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are joined by returning guest and favorite music writer Jimmy McDonough. Jimmy recently released a biography 40 years in the making, Gary Stewart: I Am From the Honky-Tonks, and joins the show to help Jim and Greg run down five essential tracks from the cult country artist. The hosts also review new albums from Jill Scott, Mandy, Indiana, and Aldous Harding.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3RuYwkSMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Gary Stewart, "Honky Tonk Man," Honky Tonk Man (Single), RCA, 1981The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Jill Scott, "Offadaback," To Whom This May Concern, Blues Babe, 2026Jill Scott, "Liftin' Me Up," To Whom This May Concern, Blues Babe, 2026Jill Scott, "Pay U on Tuesday," To Whom This May Concern, Blues Babe, 2026Mandy, Indiana, "Sevastopol," URGH, Sacred Bones, 2026Mandy, Indiana, "Magazine," URGH, Sacred Bones, 2026Mandy, Indiana, "I'll Ask Her," URGH, Sacred Bones, 2026Aldous Harding, "Venus in the Zinnia," Train On The Island, 4AD, 2026Aldous Harding, "Train on the Island," Train On The Island, 4AD, 2026Aldous Harding, "I Ate the Most," Train On The Island, 4AD, 2026Aldous Harding, "Coats," Train On The Island, 4AD, 2026Aldous Harding, "One Stop," Train On The Island, 4AD, 2026Gary Stewart, "Sweet Tater and Cisco," You're Not The Woman You Used To Be, MCA, 1975Gary Stewart, "Drinkin' Thing," Out of Hand, RCA, 1975Gary Stewart, "Flat Natural Born Good-Timin' Man," Steppin' Out, RCA, 1976Gary Stewart, "Pretend I Never Happened," Your Place or Mine, RCA, 1977Courtney Barnett, "Scotty Says (Live on Sound Opinions)," Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Mom + Pop Music, 2015See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thousands of New Yorkers and visitors will crowd the major east-west streets of Manhattan the next couple of afternoons – all to watch the setting Sun. Weather permitting, the Sun will be perfectly framed by the island’s urban canyons as it descends over the Hudson River. The event is known as Manhattanhenge. It’s named for Stonehenge, the ancient monument in England. Its stones appear to have been aligned with key sunrise and sunset points, and other events. Manhattan produces its own alignments. The island is laid out in a perfect grid, and there are no obstructions along the horizon to block the Sun. The special sunset alignment occurs twice per year, about three weeks before and after the summer solstice, in June. Today, the Sun will be half above and half below the horizon at the peak viewing time. Tomorrow, the full solar disk will stand directly atop the horizon. That sequence is reversed on the nights of July 12th and 13th. Manhattanhenge has become a popular tourist attraction. The streets are clogged by a half hour before sunset. And some venues hold special events to celebrate the view. New York isn’t the only city where you can see the Sun setting between the buildings. But few offer the same alignment of streets and the open horizon provided by Manhattan. Script by Damond Benningfield

This week is an exploration of Blues music, Latino style.  Featured artists include Santana, Los Lonely Boys, Diamante Electrico, Bunbury, Andres Calamaro and many more.

Adults telling kids who they are, and kids wondering — are they right? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Host Ira talks with comedian Gary Gulman about his transformation from high school nobody to football star. (8 minutes)Act One: Gary puts on a tough guy costume, but will it turn him into a tough guy? Ira continues Gary Gulman’s story. (17 minutes)Act Two: Eleanor Gordon-Smith tells the story of a woman who wants to know why she was taken away from her mom as a kid. A version of this story is in Eleanor’s book Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really Change Our Minds. (30 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.