WNYC

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Channel • 21 Shows

Life Sciences

Life Sciences

Updated daily
Comedy Interviews

Comedy Interviews

Updated 23/10/2019
Politics

Politics

Updated daily
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated twice weekly
Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Documentary

Documentary

Updated weekly
Comedy Interviews

Comedy Interviews

Updated 21/05/2019

04/07/2025

The Seafaring Life Of ‘Modern-Day Captain Nemo,’ Robert Ballard

In excerpts of two conversations from the Science Friday archives (originally recorded in 2000 and 2009), oceanographer Robert Ballard joins Host Ira Flatow to discuss the 1985 expedition in which he discovered the wreck of the Titanic. He also emphasizes the value of combining the efforts of oceanographers, engineers, and social scientists to study the world’s deep oceans. Guest: Robert Ballard is a National Geographic Explorer-at-Large and a Professor of Oceanography in the Center for Ocean Exploration at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

04/07/2025

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30 min
22/09/2025

Raising A New Generation Of Bat Conservationists In West Africa

Nigeria is home to 100 known species of bats—about a third of Africa’s bat species—but scientists don’t know much about them. Ecologists Iroro Tanshi and Benneth Obitte, collaborators and life partners, are trying to change that. In addition to studying and protecting the bats of their homeland, they’re also working to raise up a whole network of bat scientists across West Africa. Host Flora Lichtman talks with them about how they started their work, what they’ve learned, and how they’re paving the way for other bat conservationists. Guests: Dr. Iroro Tanshi is an ecologist at the University of Washington and cofounder of the Small Mammal Conservation Organization. Dr. Benneth Obitte is a conservation ecologist at Texas Tech University and cofounder of the Small Mammal Conservation Organization. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

22/09/2025

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19 min
15/05/2025

Tracking The Hidden Dangers Of Fighting Fires

Firefighting is a career with an inherent cancer risk, but a full understanding of what those risks are has been elusive. An important registry designed to help understand the link between firefighters and cancer was taken offline on April 1 because of federal cuts, then restored six weeks later. Host Flora Lichtman discusses this with firefighter health researcher Sara Jahnke and reporter Murphy Woodhouse from Boise State Public Radio and the Mountain West News Bureau. Plus, pests and pathogens are ravaging keystone tree species in forests across the country. Flora discusses the innovative science behind breeding pest-resistant trees with Leigh Greenwood from The Nature Conservancy. Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

15/05/2025

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19 min
27/05/2025

The Leap: This Is Going To Kill Your Career

Betül Kaçar started her scientific career as a biochemist, working on an enzyme found in zebrafish. But then she found her calling: investigating some of the hardest questions in evolutionary biology by resurrecting ancient life forms. NASA administrator Melissa Kirven-Brooks recalls the fellowship application that put Betül on her radar. And evolutionary biologist and geneticist Harmit Malik weighs in on what makes Betül's project so hard, and why he’s kind of jealous he didn’t think of it first. Betül previously received a Hypothesis Fund Award for her research. Guest: Dr. Betül Kaçar, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and leader of a NASA-funded multi-institutional research center focusing on life’s early evolution “The Leap” is a 10-episode audio series that profiles scientists willing to take big risks to push the boundaries of discovery. It premieres on Science Friday’s podcast feed every Monday until July 21. “The Leap” is a production of the Hypothesis Fund, brought to you in partnership with Science Friday. Transcript will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

27/05/2025

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24 min
19/08/2024

How Greek Life and HBCUs shaped Kamala Harris and a Generation of Black Students

The Vice President came of age inside collegiate institutions that have shaped Black, middle-class culture for generations. She says they imprinted deeply upon her as well. Kamala Harris's story is remarkable in numerous ways. If elected president, she’ll be the first coming from several life experiences, including one that many Black commentators have noticed: She’d be the first president who’s a graduate of an HBCU, and a member of one of the “Divine Nine” Black sororities and fraternities. She called her time at Howard University, and her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, an important part of her journey. So what can we learn about the would-be president by looking at those institutions? In this episode, host Kai Wright discusses who the “Divine Nine” are and why they were created with Lawrence Ross, and then chats with historian Dr. Natalie Hopkinson. Political analyst Dr. Christina Greer gives us cultural context on how HBCUs like Howard shaped not only Harris, but a whole generation of Black university students. She talks about the influence of Black Greek life, and the nuanced politics of the 1980s. Every summer we crowdsource a Spotify playlist with our listeners built around a particular theme. This year, for the third edition of our seasonal soundtrack, we are asking you to contribute a song that represents your political identity or political priorities in 2024. See how the collection is shaping up so far , and add yours to the mix by leaving a message at 844-745-8255. Be sure to share your first name, where you’re calling from and a little bit about what the song represents for you in the context of the 2024 election. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

19/08/2024

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49 min
05/10/2024

Writer Siri Hustvedt on James Baldwin’s Complexity

In the third episode of “Notes on a Native Son,” host Razia Iqbal sits down with the celebrated writer of novels and essays, Siri Hustvedt. When Hustvedt was invited to record a conversation for the podcast about her favorite passage from the work of James Baldwin, the timing in so many ways couldn’t have been worse — it turned out to be the last few weeks of life for her husband, writer Paul Auster. However, a few weeks after his passing, Hustvedt reached out to say that she was ready. She felt that re-reading and talking about Baldwin would somehow be a balm for her grief. Hustvedt describes how Baldwin’s novels “possessed” her as a young reader and discusses his intricate ability to recognize the oppressor within, even as he gave a voice to the oppressed. Notes from America is a 2024 Signal Awards finalist! Community voting is now open for the show to earn a Listener’s Choice honor for Best Live Podcast Recording, and we would be honored for you to take a minute to cast a vote our way. Click here to vote through October 17, and thank you for listening and supporting Notes from America! Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

05/10/2024

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31 min
25/06/2025

How Scientists Made The First Gene-Editing Treatment For A Baby

Last month, scientists reported a historic first: they gave the first personalized gene-editing treatment to a baby who was born with a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Before the treatment, his prognosis was grim. But after three doses, the baby’s health improved. So how does it work? What are the risks? And what could this breakthrough mean for the 30 million people in the US who have a rare genetic disease with no available treatments? To help get some answers, Host Flora Lichtman is joined by the physician-scientists who led this research: geneticist Dr. Kiran Musunuru and pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas. Guests: Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas is an assistant professor of pediatrics and genetics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kiran Musunuru is a professor of translational research at the University of Pennsylvania. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

25/06/2025

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19 min
30/12/2024

Not Just Forgotten, but Erased From History: A Final Note from Notes from America

This is the last episode of Notes from America with Kai Wright. If you’ve been with the show through its multi-year history and iterations as a NYC-based narrative podcast and local call-in show called The United States of Anxiety before becoming a nationally distributed program, then you may remember the conversation in this finale. It’s with cultural historian, Columbia University professor and MacArthur fellow Saidiya Hartman, who introduces host Kai Wright to young women whose lives were obscured by respectability politics. Hartman is the author of "Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals," which offers an intimate look into some of the Black people that have been seemingly erased from the history books. Through a series of readings, they explore the complicated role of Black intellectuals like W.E.B DuBois, the Black family and how a damaging moralism continues to inform the policing of marginalized communities, public space and American cultural politics today. This episode was originally published as “The ‘Beautiful Experiments’ Left Out of Black History” on February 8, 2021. Find Notes From America’s archive of episodes here, including the following companion listening for this episode: “Faith Ringgold Creates Space for Black Americans” (1/5/2023) Faith Ringgold’s art is an intimate dialogue and debate between generations of Black women, stretching from the formerly enslaved to today. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

30/12/2024

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53 min
09/07/2025

The Goo In Your Home Could Help Science Address Climate Change

We live in a world filled with microbes—they’re inside our bodies, in soil, in deep sea hydrothermal vents, and in your window AC unit. Some microbiologists are hopeful that finding more of these tiny organisms could help us address the climate crisis. Joining Host Flora Lichtman to talk about how are microbiologists James Henriksen and Lisa Stein. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

09/07/2025

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18 min
23/10/2019 · BONUS

Introducing Scattered with Chris Garcia

Comedian Chris Garcia returns to WNYC Studios with his new podcast Scattered, which was inspired by his first appearance on 2 Dope Queens. Chris’s dad, Andres, was the centerpiece of his comedy act, and when he died two years ago, he had one dying wish: That his family scatter his ashes off the coast of Cuba -- the country he was born in, and the country that would break him. Chris Garcia’s mom? She doesn’t give a crap about dying wishes. She’s vowed to never go back to Cuba again. So for now, the ashes are sitting on a shelf in Chris’s closet, between a Paul McCartney record and a Gizmo Halloween mask. As Chris tries to do right by his dad, he sets out to uncover the truth about a man he barely knew, who survived Castro’s labor camps only to lose his way all over again in search of the American dream.

23/10/2019 · Bonus

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31 min

WNYC is New York's public radio podcast home, producing award-winning shows like Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Science Friday, and more. Our podcasts bring groundbreaking journalism, unforgettable storytelling, and essential conversations to millions of listeners across the city and around the world.