Freakonomics Radio

He started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it.
 

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Gina Raimondo, a former commerce secretary and governor, thinks A.I. will create plenty of jobs in the long run. She also thinks a poorly managed transition could tear the country apart. So she came up with a plan.
 

•  SOURCES:
  • Gina Raimondo, co-chair and C.E.O. of RAISE US.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Makes New Work Different from More Work?," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (NBER, 2026).
  • "$500 million AI jobs push launches with bipartisan backing," by Christine Mui (POLITICO, 2026).
  • "Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb Launch RAISE US, Uniting the Nation’s Leading Employers and Bipartisan Governors Behind American Workers," (RAISE US, 2026).
  • "Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years," (New York Times, 2026).
  • "Why AI Giants Are Investing $500 Million To Retrain American Workforce," by Jon Markman (Forbes, 2026).
  • "Wicker Praises Research, STEM Education Provisions in New CHIPS Act," (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2022).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can A.I. Save Your Life?," by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "How Do You Reopen a Country?," by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
  • "How to Be a Modern Democrat — and Win," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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Anne Pasternak (Brooklyn Museum) and Michael Roth (Wesleyan University) tell Stephen Dubner how they keep the peace in the middle of a culture war.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 3 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Patricia Allan, museum consultant, former curator of world cultures for the Glasgow Museums.
  • Andrea Bayer, deputy director for collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
  • Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
  • Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist.
  • Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law.
  • Tom Wilkening, professor of economics at the University of Melbourne.

• RESOURCES:
  • "After Seizures, the Met Sets a Plan to Scour Collections for Looted Art," by Robin Pogrebin and Graham Bowley (The New York Times, 2023).
  • "Nigeria Benin Bronzes: Buhari Declaration 'Blindsides' Museum Officials," by Barnaby Phillips (B.B.C., 2023).
  • "Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy," by the Smithsonian Ethical Returns Working Group (2022).
  • "Protecting Antiquities: A Role for Long-Term Leases?" by Michael Kremer and Tom Wilkening (Working Paper, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts to get to the finish line.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It's not. (Part 2 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
  • Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum.
  • Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist.
  • David Frum, staff writer at The Atlantic.
  • Dan Hicks, professor of contemporary archaeology at the University of Oxford and curator of world archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum.
  • Bénédicte Savoy, professor of art history at the Technical University in Berlin.

• RESOURCES:
  • "These Looted Treasures Are Home. What Now?," by Alex Marshall (New York Times, 2025).
  • "France's Long-Awaited Restitution Policy Is Finally Here," by Vincent Noce (The Art Newspaper, 2023).
  • Africa’s Struggle for Its Art: History of a Postcolonial Defeat, by Bénédicte Savoy (2022).
  • "Who Benefits When Western Museums Return Looted Art?" by David Frum (The Atlantic, 2022).
  • "Museums in England and Wales to Gain Powers to Dispose of Objects on Moral Grounds," by Dalya Alberge (The Guardian, 2022).
  • The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution, by Dan Hicks (2020).
  • "The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics," by Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr (2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can a Museum Be the Conscience of a Nation?," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

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When he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books on Springsteen and Tom Petty? 

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Andrea Bayer, deputy director of collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  • Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
  • Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law.
  • Jim Marrone, staff data scientist at StubHub.
  • Victoria Reed, Bettina Burr chair for provenance at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes?" by Kathleen Sharp (ProPublica, 2023).
  • "More Than 1,000 Artifacts in Metropolitan Museum of Art Catalog Linked to Alleged Looting and Trafficking Figures," by Spencer Woodman, Malia Politzer, Delphine Reuter, and Namrata Sharma (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2023).
  • "The Art Market 2022: An Art Basel & UBS Report," by Clare McAndrew (2022).
  • "The Tomb Raiders of the Upper East Side," by Ariel Sabar (The Atlantic, 2021).
  • "Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala Photo Helped Solve Looted Gold Egyptian Coffin Case," by Samantha Ibrahim (New York Post, 2021).
  • "Tracking and Disrupting the Illicit Antiquities Trade With Open-Source Data," by Matthew Sargent, James V. Marrone, Alexandra Evans, Bilyana Lilly, Erik Nemeth, and Stephen Dalzell (RAND Corporation, 2020).
  • "Provenience and Provenance Intersecting with International Law in the Market for Antiquities," by Patty G. Gerstenblith (North Carolina Journal of International Law, 2020).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," series by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

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Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be a good Jew without believing in God. 

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.”
 

• SOURCES:
  • Gary Gensler, professor of the practice of global economics, management, and finance at M.I.T.

• RESOURCES:
  • This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff (2011).

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Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part series.)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society.
  • Rosanna Hoffman, head of space law, policy, and sustainability at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
  • Alex Macdonald, former first chief economist at NASA, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
  • Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The mission to create a searchable database of Earth's surface," by Will Marshall (TED, 2018).
  • The Long Space Age, by Alex Macdonald (2017).
  • Planet Labs A.I. 

• EXTRAS:
  • "Should A.I. Move to Space?," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).

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Gary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. infrastructure off the planet. Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society.
  • Travis Beals, senior director of product management at Google, Project Suncatcher lead.
  • Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.

• RESOURCES:
  • What Is Intelligence?, by Blaise Agüera y Arcas (2025).
  • "Towards a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design," by Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Travis Beals, Maria Biggs, Jessica V. Bloom, Thomas Fischbacher, Konstantin Gromov, Urs Köster, Rishiraj Pravahan, and James Manyika (Google, 2025).
  • Reason, by Isaac Asimov (1941).

• EXTRAS: 
  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

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Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of Better in Person.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic.
  • Theresa MacPhail, associate professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology.
  • Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia.
  • Elena Resnick, allergist and immunologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

• RESOURCES:
  • Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, by Theresa MacPhail (2023).
  • "Evaluation and Management of Penicillin Allergy: A Review," by Erica S. Shenoy, Eric Macy, and Theresa Rowe (JAMA, 2019).
  • "The Allergy Epidemics: 1870–2010," by Thomas Platts-Mills (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2016).
  • "Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy," by George Du Toit, Graham Roberts, et al. (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "Doctors Know They Prescribe Too Many Antibiotics. Why Don’t They Stop?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).

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Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room.

If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

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Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host.

• RESOURCES:
  • Eye on Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1983).
  • Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1974).
  • "The Dick Cavett Show" YouTube Channel.
  • "Better in Person" Trailer.

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Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure!
 

• SOURCES:
  • Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Growing share of Americans say the U.S. higher education system is headed in the wrong direction," by Kim Parker (Pew Research Center, 2025).
  • "Standardized Test Scores and Academic Performance at Ivy-Plus Colleges," by John N. Friedman, Bruce Sacerdote, Douglas O. Staiger, and Michele Tine (NBER, 2025).
  • "Americans’ Trust in One Another," by Laura Silver, Scott Keeter, Stephanie Kramer, Jordan Lippert, Sofia Hernandez Ramones, Alan Cooperman, Chris Baronavski, and Bill Webster (Pew Research Center, 2025).
  • Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To, by Sian Beilock (2011)

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Why We Choke Under Pressure (and How Not To)," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Higher Ed’s New Crisis Managers," by Lee Gardner (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2026).
  • "Professors Need to Diversify What They Teach," by Jon Shields, Yuval Avnur, and Stephanie Muravchik (Persuasion, 2025).
  • "A Call for Constructive Engagement," (American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2025).
  • "2020 Statement on Anthropology and Human Rights," (American Anthropological Association, 2020).
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander (2010).
  • "Kalven Committee: Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action," (The University of Chicago, 1967).

• EXTRAS:
  • Sign up here to pre-screen our new video show.
  • "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Do Boycotts Work?" by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

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Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge comes from — and how much it’s costing us.

• SOURCES:
  • Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
  • Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
  • Richard Thaler, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Selling Subscriptions," by Liran Einav, Ben Klopack, and Neale Mahoney (Stanford University, 2023).
  • "The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok," by Cory Doctorow (WIRED, 2023).
  • "Dominated Options in Health Insurance Plans," by Chenyuan Liu and Justin Sydnor (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022).
  • Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
  • "Frictions or Mental Gaps: What’s Behind the Information We (Don’t) Use and When Do We Care?" by Benjamin Handel and Joshua Schwartzstein (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2018).
  • "Adverse Selection and Switching Costs in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts," by Benjamin Handel (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Sludge," series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • "People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "All You Need is Nudge," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).

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New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Kathy Hochul, governor of New York.
  • Suzanne O'Brien, death doula, founder of Doulagivers Institute.
  • Al Roth, economist at Stanford University.
  • Daniel Sulmasy, physician, philosopher, director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work, by Al Roth (2026).
  • "New York Moves to Allow Terminally Ill People to Die on Their Own Terms," by Grace Ashford (New York Times, 2025).
  • The Good Death: A Guide for Supporting Your Loved One through the End of Life, by Suzanne O'Brien (2025).
  • The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, by Neil Gorsuch (2009).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Make Me a Match (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • Sign up here to pre-screen our new video show.

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It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
 

• SOURCES: 
  • Remington Davenport, founder of NYC Backgammon Club.
  • Frank Frigo, game strategy expert & two-time world backgammon champion.
  • Masayuki "Mochy" Mochizuki, professional backgammon player.
  • Marc Olsen, C.E.O. of Backgammon Galaxy.
  • Robert Wachtel, author and professional backgammon player.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Backgammon Chronicles: A Pro's Adventures on Tour Volume 1, by Robert Wachtel (2019).
  • In the Game Until the End, by Robert Wachtel (1993)
  • "Tric Trac, Clic Clac," (The New Yorker, 1930).

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As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.

• SOURCES:
  • Angela Duckworth, psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Michael Greenstone, economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab.
  • Stephan Heblich, economist at the University of Toronto.
  • Andrea La Nauze, economist at Deakin University.
  • Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Edson Severnini, economist at Boston College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Most Polluted Cities," (American Lung Association, 2026).
  • "Air Pollution and Adult Cognition: Evidence from Brain Training," by Andrea La Nauze and Edson Severnini (Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2025).
  • "Air Pollution and Student Performance in the U.S.," by Michael Gilraine and Angela Zheng (NBER Working Papers, 2022).
  • "Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data," (World Health Organization, 2022).
  • "Evolution of the Clean Air Act," by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2020).
  • "The Death of U.K. Coal in Five Charts," by Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data, 2019).
  • "The Colour of Pollution," (The Economist, 2014).

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Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. It’s enough to make you think the U.S. is in a steep decline — but Fareed Zakaria thinks otherwise.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Iran is an imperial trap. America walked right in." by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2026).
  • "‘Bomb and hope’ is not a strategy," by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2026).
  • Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, by Fareed Zakaria (2024).
  • The Accidental Superpower: The Next Generation of American Preeminence and the Coming Global Disorder, by Peter Zeihan (2014).
  • The Affluent Society, by Jonathan Galbraith (1958).

• EXTRAS: 
  • "Fareed Zakaria on What Just Happened, and What Comes Next," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The Folly of Prediction," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

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In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) 

• SOURCES: 
  • Alan Alda, actor and screenwriter.
  • Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman.
  • Helen Czerski, physicist and oceanographer at University College London.
  • Michelle Feynman, photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman.
  • Cheryl Haley, friend of Richard Feynman.
  • Debby Harlow, friend of Richard Feynman.
  • Ralph Leighton, biographer and film producer.
  • Charles Mann, science journalist and author.
  • John Preskill, professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.
  • Lisa Randall, professor of theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University.
  • Christopher Sykes, documentary filmmaker.
  • Stephen Wolfram, founder and C.E.O. of Wolfram Research; creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language.

• RESOURCES: 
  • I Love My Wife..., directed by Ian Tierney (2020).
  • Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science, by Lawrence M. Krauss (2011).
  • Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: Selected Letters of Richard P. Feynman, edited by Michelle Feynman (2005).
  • The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, by Richard Feynman (1999).
  • The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan (1995).
  • Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman, by James Gleick (1992).
  • The Quest for Tannu Tuva, by Christopher Sykes (1988)
  • “What Do You Care What Other People Think?” by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1988).
  • The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-century Physics, by Robert Crease and Charles Mann (1986).
  • Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1985).
  • Fun to Imagine, BBC docuseries (1983).

• EXTRAS: 
  • “The Curious, Brilliant, Vanishing Mr. Feynman,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)

• SOURCES:
  • Seamus Blackley, video game designer and creator of the Xbox.
  • Carl Feynman, computer scientist and son of Richard Feynman.
  • Michelle Feynman, photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman.
  • Ralph Leighton, biographer and film producer.
  • Charles Mann, science journalist and author.
  • John Preskill, professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.
  • Lisa Randall, professor of theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University.
  • Christopher Sykes, documentary filmmaker.
  • Stephen Wolfram, founder and C.E.O. of Wolfram Research; creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language.
  • Alan Zorthian, architect.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Love After Life: Nobel-Winning Physicist Richard Feynman’s Extraordinary Letter to His Departed Wife," by Maria Popova (The Marginalian, 2017).
  • Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science, by Lawrence M. Krauss (2011).
  • The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, by Richard Feynman (1999).
  • Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman, by James Gleick (1992).
  • "G. Feynman; Landscape Expert, Physicist’s Widow," (Los Angeles Times, 1990).
  • "Nobel Physicist R. P. Feynman of Caltech Dies," by Lee Dye (Los Angeles Times, 1988).
  • The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-century Physics, by Robert Crease and Charles Mann (1986).
  • Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1985).
  • Fun to Imagine, BBC docuseries (1983).
  • "Richard P. Feynman: Nobel Prize Winner," by Tim Hendrickson, Stuart Galley, and Fred Lamb (Engineering and Science, 1965).
  • F.B.I. files on Richard Feynman.

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Curious Mr. Feynman," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)

• SOURCES:
  • Helen Czerski, physicist and oceanographer at University College London.
  • Michelle Feynman, photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman.
  • Ralph Leighton, biographer and film producer.
  • Charles Mann, science journalist and author.
  • John Preskill, professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.
  • Stephen Wolfram, founder and C.E.O. of Wolfram Research; creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Legendary Physicist Richard Feynman Helped Crack the Case on the Challenger Disaster," by Kevin Cook (Literary Hub, 2021).
  • Challenger: The Final Flight, docuseries (2020).
  • Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: Selected Letters of Richard P. Feynman, edited by Michelle Feynman (2005).
  • The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, by Richard Feynman (1999).
  • Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman, by James Gleick (1992).
  • “What Do You Care What Other People Think?” by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1988).
  • "Mr. Feynman Goes to Washington," by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (Engineering & Science, 1987).
  • The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-century Physics, by Robert Crease and Charles Mann (1986).
  • Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1985).
  • "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out," (Horizon S18.E9, 1981).
  • "Los Alamos From Below," by Richard Feynman (UC Santa Barbara lecture, 1975).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Exploring Physics, from Eggshells to Oceans," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).

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Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Hardiman, chief product officer at The New York Times.
  • Jonathan Knight, S.V.P. and general manager for New York Times Games.
  • Eric Zimmerman, game designer, professor of game design at the N.Y.U. Game Center.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Wordle Is a Love Story," by Daniel Victor (New York Times, 2022).
  • The Rules We Break: Lessons in Play, Thinking, and Design, by Eric Zimmerman (2022).
  • Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them, by Adrienne Raphel (2020).
  • The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia, by Bernard Suits (2005).
  • Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, by Katie Salen Tekinbas and Eric Zimmerman (2003).

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Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of wealth of nations. (Part two of a series.)

• SOURCES:
  • David Lang, composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.
  • Matías Tarnopolsky, president and C.E.O. of the New York Philharmonic.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Finally, an Opera About Economics," by Stacey Vanek Smith (Bloomberg, 2026).
  • "The Little Match Girl Passion," by David Lang (2023).
  • The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776).

• EXTRAS:
  • "David Lang’s the wealth of nations," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "In Search of the Real Adam Smith," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war.

• SOURCES:
  • Eamonn Butler, co-founder and director of the Adam Smith Institute.
  • Glory Liu, a political scientist and Adam Smith scholar at Georgetown University.
  • Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the economics of innovation and public value at University College London.
  • Dennis Rasmussen, a professor of political science at Syracuse University.
  • Russ Roberts, president of Shalem College in in Jerusalem; host of the EconTalk podcast; and author.
  • Craig Smith, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in the Scottish Enlightenment at the University of Glasgow.

• RESOURCES:
  • Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism, by Gloria Liu (2022).
  • "Henry and Adam: A Deep and Special Friendship," by Benny Higgins (Adam Smith Panmure House Perspective, 2020).
  • "Rescuing Adam Smith From Myth and Misrepresentation," (The Economist, 2018).
  • The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, by Dennis C. Rasmussen (2017).
  • How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness, by Russ Roberts (2014).
  • "British Privatization — Taking Capitalism to the People," by John Moore (Harvard Business Review, 1992).
  • Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman (1990).
  • The Essential Adam Smith, edited by Robert L. Heilbroner (1986).
  • An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776).
  • The Theory of Moral Sentiments, by Adam Smith (1759).

• EXTRAS:
  • "In Search of the Real Adam Smith," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Fleur Barron, opera singer and mezzo-soprano.
  • David Lang, composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Finally, an Opera About Economics," by Stacey Vanek Smith (Bloomberg, 2026).
  • "The Little Match Girl Passion," by David Lang (2023).
  • The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776).

• EXTRAS:
  • "In Search of the Real Adam Smith," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse.

• SOURCES:
  • Judy Faulkner, C.E.O. and founder of Epic Systems.
  • Seth Howard, executive vice president of research and development at Epic Systems.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Epic Systems (MyChart)," by Acquired (2025).
  • "Federal antitrust lawsuit against Wisconsin-based Epic Systems will move forward," by Joe Schulz (Wisconsin Public Radio, 2025).
  • "Bill Gates meets Willy Wonka: How Epic’s 82-year-old billionaire CEO, Judy Faulkner, built her software factory," by Ashley Capoot (CNBC, 2025).
  • "Epic: The Future of Health Information Technology," by Regina Herzlinger and Brian Walker (Harvard Business School, 2024).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can A.I. Save Your Life?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

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New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us?

• SOURCES:
  • Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains.
  • Kathy Corradi, senior vice president of resident services, partnerships, and initiatives at the New York City Housing Authority.
  • Ed Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University.
  • Nils Stenseth, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Oslo.

• RESOURCES:
  • "On Patrol With the Rat Czar," by Mark Chiusano (Intelligencer, 2024).
  • "How Rats Took Over North America," by Allison Parshall (Scientific American, 2024).
  • "Where Are the Rats in New York City," by Matt Yan (New York Times, 2024).
  • Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire (2022).
  • "Human ectoparasites and the spread of plague in Europe during the Second Pandemic," by Nils Stenseth, Katharine Dean, Fabienne Krauer, Lars Walløe, Ole Christian Lingjærde, Barbara Bramanti, and Boris Schmid (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018).

• EXTRAS: 
  • "Freakonomics Radio Live: 'Jesus Could Have Been a Pigeon.'" by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle.

• SOURCES:
  • Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, author of Doctored.
  • Matthew Schrag, associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

• RESOURCES:
  • Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's, by Charles Piller (2025).
  • "The brain makes a lot of waste. Now scientists think they know where it goes," by Jon Hamilton (NPR, 2024).
  • "The history of Alzheimer’s disease," by Lisa Kiani and Richard Hodson (Nature, 2024).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
  • "Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).

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How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind.

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Sapoznik, historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London.
  • Chris Hiatt, past president of the American Honey Producers Association, owner of Hiatt Honey Company.
  • Michael Roberts, founding executive director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at U.C.L.A. Law School.
  • Walter "Wally" Thurman, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at North Carolina State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "U.S. honey is increasingly supplied through imports," by David Olsen (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018).
  • "Economic Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health," by Peyton Ferrier, Randal Rucker, Walter Thurman, and Michael Burgett (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018).
  • "The Fable of the Bees: An Economic Investigation," by Steven Cheung (The Journal of Law and Economics, 1973).
  • "Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook Tables - Visualization: Meeting honey demand in the United States," (USDA Economic Research Service).

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Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. In this update of an episode from 2025, Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think.

• SOURCES:
  • Jessica Riedl, budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?" by Emily Badger, David Fahrenthold, Alicia Parlapiano, and Margot Sanger-Katz (New York Times, 2025).
  • "Correcting the Top 10 Tax Myths," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "Spending, Taxes, and Deficits: A Book of Charts," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?" by Jessica Riedl (Reason, 2024).
  • "A Comprehensive Federal Budget Plan to Avert a Debt Crisis," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "When Does Federal Debt Reach Unsustainable Levels?" by Jagadeesh Gokhale, Kent Smetters, and Mariko Paulson (The Wharton School of Business, 2023).
  • "The Limits of Taxing the Rich," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2023).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Farewell to a Generational Talent," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut?

• SOURCES:
  • Andrew Muhammad, agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee.
  • Brad Patrick, executive in residence and lecturer at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, bourbon fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits.
  • Danny Kahn, master distiller and distillation and aging operations director at Sazerac.
  • Ken Troske, labor economist and chair of the economics department at the University of Kentucky.

• RESOURCES:
  • "America's Bourbon Boom Is Over. Now the Hangover Is Here," by Aaron Tilley and Sadie Gurman (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey, by Reid Mitenbuler (2015).
  • "Code of Federal Regulations: Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits," (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).

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As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is also the one we use to listen to music in the car." A new study tries to measure the cost.

• SOURCES:
  • Bapu Jena, economist, physician, and professor at Harvard Medical School.
  • Chris Worsham, pulmonary and critical-care physician at Mass General Hospital, health-policy and public-health researcher at Harvard Medical School.
  • Vishal Patel, surgery resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital, researcher at Harvard Medical School.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities," by Vishal Patel, Christopher Worsham, Michael Liu, and Bapu Jena (NBER, 2026).
  • Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health, by Anupam Jena and Christopher Worsham (2023).
  • "Mortality and treatment patterns among patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular conditions during dates of national cardiology meetings," by Bapu Jena, Vinay Prasad, Dana Goldman, and John Romley (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015).
  • "Road Crash Fatalities on US Income Tax Days," by Donald Redelmeier and Christopher Yarnell (JAMA, 2012).
  • "Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial," by Donald Redelmeier, Joel Katz, and Daniel Kahneman (PAIN, 2003).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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In blue cities across the country, unions and politicians want to ban self-driving cars. In this episode from the Search Engine podcast, PJ Vogt visits Boston to sort the facts from the propaganda. (Part two of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Carl Richardson, ADA coordinator for the Massachusetts State House, president of the Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts.
  • Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Boston City councilor from District 1.
  • Julia Mejia, Boston City councilor at-large.
  • Timothy B. Lee, author of Understanding AI newsletter.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Waymo Hits a Rough Patch in Washington, DC," by Aarian Marshall (WIRED, 2026).
  • "New York drops plan to legalize robotaxis in setback for Waymo," by Andrew J. Hawkins (The Verge, 2026).
  • "Waymo’s next five cities are all in red states," by Timothy B. Lee and Kai Williams (Understanding AI, 2025).
  • "What Waymo could mean for Bostonians with disabilities: independence at their fingertips," by Carl Richardson (Boston Globe, 2025).
  • "Planning, Development and Transportation on July 24, 2025," (Boston City Council, 2025).
  • "Ride-Hailing Drivers in Massachusetts Win Right to Unionize," by Eli Tan (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "East Coast Longshore Workers May Soon Strike," by Joe Demanuelle-Hall (Jacobin, 2024).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Fascinatingly Mundane Secrets of the World’s Most Exclusive Nightclub," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • Search Engine, podcast by PJ Vogt.

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How a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. 

Freakonomics Radio shares a story from our friends at Search Engine. (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Davies, author of Driven: The Race To Create the Autonomous Car.
  • Chris Urmson, co-founder and C.E.O. of Aurora.
  • Don Burnette, founder and C.E.O. of Kodiak AI.
  • PJ Vogt, reporter, writer, and host of the Search Engine podcast.
  • Sebastian Thrun, roboticist, C.E.O. of Sage AI Labs, adjunct faculty at Stanford University.
  • Timothy B. Lee, author of Understanding AI newsletter.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Very few of Waymo’s most serious crashes were Waymo’s fault," by Kai Williams (Understand AI, 2025).
  • Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car, by Alex Davies (2021).
  • "An Oral History of the Darpa Grand Challenge, the Grueling Robot Race That Launched the Self-Driving Car," by Alex Davies (WIRED, 2017).
  • Understanding AI, newsletter on Substack.
  • Waymo Safety Dashboard.

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Fascinatingly Mundane Secrets of the World’s Most Exclusive Nightclub," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • Search Engine, podcast by PJ Vogt.

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A ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s oldest behaviors. We look at how the industry works, and ask the scam-fighters what they’re doing about it.

• SOURCES:
  • Kati Daffan, former assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Marketing Practices.
  • Marti DeLiema, assistant professor of social work at the University of Minnesota.
  • Mark Frank, professor of communications at the University at Buffalo.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Cambodian Scam Tycoon Wanted by U.S. Extradited to China," by Gabriele Steinhauser (Wall Street Journal, 2026).
  • "The Rise and Fall Of Accused Cambodian Scam Kingpin Chen Zhi," by Low De Wei (Bloomberg, 2026).
  • "Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025," by the Federal Trade Commission (2025).
  • "Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show," by Jeff Horwitz (Reuters, 2025).
  • "Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-victims?," by Marti DeLiema, Emma Fletcher, Christine Kieffer, Gary Mottola, Rubens Pessanha, and Melissa Trumpower (Stanford Center on Longevity, 2019).
  • "Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?," by Cormac Herley (Microsoft Research, 2016).
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (2013).
  • FTC Fraud Reporting Portal.

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Economists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize committee agreed. Stephen Dubner sits down for a thousand-year conversation (including advice!) with the new Nobel laureate.

• SOURCES:
  • Joel Mokyr, economic historian at Northwestern University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Two Paths to Prosperity: Culture and Institutions in Europe and China, 1000–2000, by Avner Greif, Joel Mokyr, and, Guido Tabellini (2025).
  • "The Outsize Role of Immigrants in US Innovation," by Shai Bernstein, Rebecca Diamond, Abhisit Jiranaphawiboon, Timothy McQuade, and Beatriz Pousada (NBER, 2023).
  • A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy, by Joel Mokyr (2016).
  • Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (2012).
  • "The Economics of Being Jewish," by Joel Mokyr (Critical Review, 2011).

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Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. In this updated episode from 2025, journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders.

• SOURCES:
  • Javier Blas, opinion columnist at Bloomberg News.
  • Jack Farchy, energy and commodities senior reporter at Bloomberg News.
• RESOURCES:
  • The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources, by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (2021)
  • The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich, by Daniel Ammann (2010).
• EXTRAS:
  • "How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The First Great American Industry," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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... of bad reviews, meager financing, or artificial intelligence. But he is worried that the world is full of sloppy thinkers who mistake facts for the truth.

• SOURCES:
  • Werner Herzog, writer, filmmaker, and actor.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Future of Truth, by Werner Herzog (2025).
  • Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir, by Werner Herzog (2023).

• EXTRAS:
  • "When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • "Werner Herzog Thinks His Films Are a Distraction," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).

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Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle.

• SOURCES:
  • Chris Snyder, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.
  • David Fajgenbaum, co-founder and president of Every Cure, physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Heather Stone, health science policy analyst at the Food & Drug Administration.
  • Sarrin Chethik, senior policy analyst at the Market Shaping Accelerator.

• RESOURCES:
  • Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action; A Memoir, by David Fajgenbaum (2019).
  • Strong Medicine: Creating Incentives for Pharmaceutical Research on Neglected Diseases, by Michael Kremer and Rachel Glennerster (2016).
  • Market Shaping Accelerator.
  • CURE ID Registry.

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When Richard Thaler first published Nudge, the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 episode, we ask: How has nudge theory held up in the face of a global financial meltdown, a pandemic, and other existential crises?

• SOURCES:
  • Richard Thaler, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
  • Sludge: What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It, by Cass Sunstein (2021).
  • "Sludge: Americans Spend 11.4 Billion Hours Filling Out Federal Paperwork," by Cass Sunstein (Big Think, 2021).
  • "Carbon Taxation in Sweden," by Government Offices of Sweden Ministry of Finance (2021).
  • "The Climate Club: How to Fix a Failing Global Effort," by William Nordhaus (Foreign Affairs, 2020).
  • "Organ Donation: Presumed Consent and Focusing on What Matters," by Rebecca Brown (The Journal of Medical Ethics Blog, 2017).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Sludge," series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • “People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Ep. 340 Rebroadcast),” by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. star Ricky Williams. He says athletes should consider cannabis a healing drug, not a party drug. Even the N.F.L. is starting to agree. (Part two of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Angela Bryan, professor, associate chair for faculty development in the department of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
  • Ricky Williams, former N.F.L. running back, founder of Highsman.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Using A Lab On Wheels To Study Weed From Dispensaries," by Science Friday (2024).
  • "Exercise-induced euphoria and anxiolysis do not depend on endogenous opioids in humans," by Michael Siebers, Sarah Biedermann, Laura Bindila, Beat Lutz, and Johannes Fuss (Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021).
  • "Endocannabinoids mediate runner’s high," by Sudhakaran Prabakaran (Science Signaling, 2015).
  • "Cannabis and Exercise Science: A Commentary on Existing Studies and Suggestions for Future Directions," by Angela Bryan, Arielle Gilman, and Kent Hutchison (Sports Medicine, 2015).
  • Run Ricky Run, documentary (2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is America Switching from Booze to Weed?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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In sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is super-slippery. (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • April Henning, associate professor of international sport management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • Aron D'Souza, founder of the Enhanced Games.
  • Floyd Landis, former professional cyclist, founder of Floyd's of Leadville.
  • Louisa Thomas, staff writer at The New Yorker.

• RESOURCES:
  • Doping: A Sporting History, by April Henning and Paul Dimeo (2022).
  • "The Man Who Brought Down Lance Armstrong," by Matt Hart (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong, by Juliet Macur (2014).
  • Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France, by Floyd Landis (2007).
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll (1865).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Has Lance Armstrong Finally Come Clean?" by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. In this updated episode from 2025, we speak with an analytics guru, an agent, an economist, and some former running backs to understand why.

• SOURCES:
  • Brian Burke, sports data scientist at ESPN.
  • Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard University.
  • LeSean McCoy, former running back in the N.F.L., co-host for Fox's daily studio show, "The Facility."
  • Robert Smith, former running back for the Minnesota Vikings, N.F.L. analyst.
  • Robert Turbin, former running back, N.F.L. analyst for CBS Sports HQ, college football announcer.
  • Jeffery Whitney, founder and president at The Sports & Entertainment Group.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Economics of Running Backs," by Roland Fryer (Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper, by Stephen Dubner (2007).
  • The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider’s View on the World of Sports and Celebrity, by Robert Smith (2004).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Roland Fryer Refuses to Lie to Black America," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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