• New Episodes Coming Soon!
    Oct 17 2018

    We are about to tape new episodes of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. You’ll be able to hear them later this year in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed. Details in this short announcement.

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    2 mins
  • An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguists Walk Into a Bar…
    Nov 18 2017

    Why New York has skinny skyscrapers, how to weaponize water, and what astronauts talk about in space. John McWhorter is co-host; Bari Weiss is live fact-checker.

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    54 mins
  • Extra 7: Corrosive Energy Drinks and Peruvian Cat Stew
    Nov 17 2017

    In this special call-in episode: why some Peruvians eat cats; why operas need repetiteurs; and why we should get rid of prisons. Michael Smerconish (CNN) is co-host; AJ Jacobs (It’s All Relative) checks the facts.

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    49 mins
  • Farming Without Sun or Soil and Eating Manna From Heaven
    Nov 11 2017

    This week, we work on our survival skills: in the desert, on the tundra, and growing food in abandoned warehouses. Actress Sas Goldberg is co-host; A.J. Jacobs (author of It’s All Relative) is live fact-checker.

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    39 mins
  • Mind Games
    Nov 4 2017

    How to make people like you, why you should lick rocks, and what an awkward person is really thinking. Angela Duckworth (Grit author) is co-host; Mike Maughan (Qualtrics) is live fact-checker.

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    48 mins
  • Jon Batiste, Gail Simmons, and Strange Smells
    Oct 28 2017

    Things we learn this week: dogs aren't so great at sniffing, men aren't so lazy, and New York doesn't smell so bad (anymore). Gail Simmons (Top Chef) is co-host; Jon Batiste plays his melodica for us; the live fact-checker is Mike Maughan.

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    56 mins
  • All About Bugs (of the Animal and Computer Varieties)
    Oct 21 2017

    Musical crickets, crop-saving wasps — and why you should pre-bug your software. John McWhorter is co-host; the live fact-checker is Bari Weiss.

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    57 mins
  • School Start Times, Brand Names, and Too Much Ground Beef
    Oct 14 2017

    Alex Wagner (CBS This Morning Saturday, The Atlantic) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. We filled this episode with insights about the true value of ground beef, sleeping in, company names, and more.

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    43 mins