Radio Lab
By Mark Flegg
Over the past few years, while I was commuting back and forth to MSU in East Lansing, I came to rely on audiobooks and podcasts to keep me awake on the road. One of the very best I’ve found is RadioLab, from New York Public Radio. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, each episode covers a single scientific idea. What makes the RadioLab podcast different (and great, in my opinion) is the way the material is covered. They’re presenting some really difficult concepts and very detailed information, but it doesn’t get bogged down. Rather than just drone on about complex theories and facts, they intertwine interviews, stories, sound effects and music to produce an experience that is more than the sum of its parts. There’s actually some art here in the way they put the show together. I highly recommend you check it out (click the logo to go to their website, where you’ll find complete archives of all the previous seasons).