The 13 Best Radiolab Episodes of All Time

1) Colors

Radiolab has changed a lot over the many years it’s been on the air, but there’s something so magical, experimental, and unique about their original style. If you’re looking to understand the spirit of the show, many fans suggest starting with Colors, an episode from 2012 that explores the science — and beauty — behind the hues we see. It’s a sonic experience that pushes the boundaries of what podcasting can do. The episode is only available on Radiolab's website.

2) Alpha Gal

What would you do if you woke up one day and were suddenly allergic to meat? That predicament is becoming a reality for more and more people … but how is that possible? The Radiolab team digs into that question in this episode, falling down a mysterious scientific rabbit hole.

3) Playing God

This is one of those podcast episodes that will stick with you forever. We can debate ethics in seminar rooms, but what happens when push comes to shove and catastrophe strikes? Who should we save? This episode takes us inside a hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina to explore those questions.

4) Post No Evil Redux

This episode is an updated version of the original Radiolab Post No Evil episode, which dove into the complicated world of Facebook content moderation. What constitutes hate speech? What about pornography? These are the questions that Facebook moderators must parse through every day. This episode was a must-listen when it came out in 2018, but as social media’s grip on society continues to tighten, it’s even more poignant today.

5) The Other Latif: Episode 1

Latif Nasser, one of the Radiolab hosts, has become a kind of breakout star, and The Other Latif demonstrates why. In this series, which took three years to report, Latif meets another man who shares his name: Abdul Latif Nasser, detainee 244 at Guantanamo Bay. This “other” Latif is imprisoned for his connection to Osama bin Laden. But as Latif begins to pick away at the evidence against him, he is pulled deeper and deeper into a story that is murkier than he ever imagined.

6) Octomom

Radiolab is often classified as a science podcast, and while many of their episodes stray far from the scientific, they prove how adept they are at science reporting with episodes like Octomom. This story, reported and produced by Annie McEwan, is the beautiful tale of an octopus mother persevering to protect her babies no matter what. As listeners we get to watch this octopus as she broods, and learn about the adaptations that drive this instinct. But we are also treated to a uniquely Radiolab production: an orchestral illustration of the experience of being inside an octopus’s body.

7) The Ceremony

Many crypto-enthusiasts consider this episode to be one of the best podcasts about cryptocurrency. In this piece, a reporter goes behind the scenes at the highly-secretive, elaborate launch of a new cryptocurrency called ZCash. As the process unfolds and they try to avoid hackers, they’re met with a twist that will have you on the edge of your seat.

8) Border Trilogy Part 1: Hole in the Fence

This three-part series illuminates the issues at the Mexican-American border by investigating one Border Patrol policy called “Prevention Through Deterrence”, which has led to a tragic increase in the number of migrant deaths in the surrounding desert. This isn’t an easy series to listen to — there are bones and missing people and families torn apart — but it is masterfully reported and should be essential listening.

9) Breaking News

If you’re looking for podcasts like Reply All, this episode will help satisfy your cravings. In this episode, producer Simon Adler introduces us to a new and deeply troubling technological development: a program that can make audio and video of people saying things they never said. The implications of this invention are staggering, but its creators don’t seem to be very concerned. In the future will we ever know if anything is actually real?

10) Gonads: The Primordial Journey

This series by Molly Webster is another classic Radiolab science story, this time answering the age old question: How are babies made? From sperm to eggs to embryos, these episodes are a lot more fun (and informative) than your high school biology classes.

11) Radiolab Presents: Dolly Parton’s America

This episode is the first in Jad Abumrad’s spinoff series about Dolly Parton’s life, music, relationship with feminism, and ability to unite a divided nation. It contains hours of interviews with Dolly herself, as well as many trips down interesting tangents — and, of course, a lot of Dolly Parton songs. It is a fascinating and touching celebration of an American icon, made with the meticulous production we’ve come to expect from the Radiolab team. This episode, and the rest of the Radiolab Dolly Parton series, is a must-listen.

12) The Gondolier

Alex Hai was seen as a feminist icon: the first ever female Venetian Gondolier in an almost 1,000-year-old tradition. But when reporters from Radiolab speak with Alex, they realize this story is about much more than that — it’s about gender, tradition, the media, and one person’s personal journey.

13) Dispatches from 1918

What can we learn about COVID-19 from the Spanish Flu? In this episode, the Radiolab team tell three stories that illuminate how the Spanish Flu fundamentally changed the course of history. You’ll be left wondering, how has COVID-19 already set a new future into motion?