Diksha Sundriyal
‘Radiolab’ is the podcast that nags at the scientist inside your head. This Peabody winning podcast is hosted by Jab Abumrad and Robert Krulwich and has a runtime of thirty to sixty minutes. In this span of time, the hosts indulge you in scientific inquiry by telling it to you in the form of a story with a proper narrative structure. They keep you entertained; sometimes, the stories run like a thriller. And there is always a lesson at the end. It is one of the best educational and science podcasts. If you love ‘Radiolab’, then you must listen to the following podcasts. They’re all equally great, if not better. Here’s the list of best podcasts similar to ‘Radiolab’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these podcasts like ‘Radiolab’ on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or even YouTube for free.
14. Science Vs (2016- present)
The thing with science is that not everyone understands it. But then, people need explanations for various things. Unable to explain it on a scientific ground, they take a different route, which turns into ridiculous theorizing. These theories then gain momentum and soon replace actual scientific reasoning to become a popular opinion. If you want to steer clear of these false reasonings, then you should listen to ‘Science Vs’. From forensics to hypnosis to antidepressants and climate change, a lot of what you think you know is about to change. This podcast breaks your ill-founded facts, one episode at a time. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
13. Science Rules! With Bill Nye (2019- present)
If there is one man who has inspired young people to pursue a career in science, it is Bill Nye. Best known for hosting the children’s science show, ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’, he is a representative of the scientific community to the general people. And in this podcast, he takes the interaction one step further. We might not be scientists, but we are curious about a lot of things. If you have any questions, no matter how weird it might be, ring up Bill Nye and he will answer it for you in ‘Science Rules’. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
12. You Are Not So Smart (2012- present)
Don’t let the title of this podcast offend or intimidate you. It is actually true. You might think that you are smart because you know about a lot of things. But the truth is that there is an exponentially greater number of things that you have absolutely no idea about. So, instead of feeling bad, tune in to this podcast and find out about everything you didn’t know. The topics discussed here are diverse: confabulation, common sense, conspiracy theories and perversion — it will keep you interested at all times. You can listen to all episodes of the podcast here.
11. Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine (2013- present)
Science is a lot about hit and miss. You keep throwing darts in the dark until you finally hear it hit something. And you could be miles off the mark that you wanted to hit, but you get what you get and you have to make your peace with that. All this is fine until it is happening in the field of physics, chemistry, geography, history, whatever. Just not in biology. Try not to hit and miss in biology, because you could seriously hurt people. If you want to have a picture of what has happened when scientists tried to tinker with the human body, you should listen to ‘Sawbones’. You can find all episodes of this podcast here.
10. Quirks and Quarks (2019- present)
Who doesn’t want to be smart! Who doesn’t want to know the secret behind the things that we use on a daily basis but know nothing about? The problem here isn’t our unwillingness to know about things, it is the language that we don’t understand. Talk to us in science lingo and we’ll think you are speaking a completely different language. If you want to explain things to us, speak English! Well, CBC Radio has heard your prayers and has come with a podcast where the strangest scientific phenomenon is explained to you in the simplest of terms. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
9. Curiosity Daily (2018- present)
We are all very busy people. We want to be informed and educated, but there are so many things to be informed and educated about that we can’t dedicate proper time to every single thing. If time is the constraint for you, then here is a solution that will keep you up with the world of science and not take much of your time. ‘Curiosity Daily’ is an award-winning science podcast that brings the most important science news and discussions to you in a matter of not more than ten minutes. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
8. Invisibila (2014- present)
It is easier to understand things when you can touch or see them. You get a picture of your subject; you form a perception and move forward according to that. But what about the things that we cannot see? And come to think of it, the most powerful things, the ones that define our personality and set the course of our lives, are invisible. ‘Invisibilia’ talks about these things. From the history of thoughts to the mirage of personality, the meaning of clothes for human evolution to the importance of a frame of reference, you will get to know all about these things in this podcast. You can listen to all its episodes here.
7. This Podcast Will Kill You (2017- present)
For every cure that we discover, a new problem shows up. In the past one decade, a plethora of new diseases have surfaced and they are even more complicated to crack. There are vaccines and other methods to prevent yourself from falling sick, but they are so many of them that you can easily lose count. In this podcast, Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann tell you about all kinds of diseases — from their history to their current status. When you are equipped with proper knowledge, you’ll be able to find your way around them. You can listen to all episodes of ‘This Podcast Will Kill You’ here.
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6. Science Friday (2015- present)
‘Science Friday’ is your one shop stop to know about everything that even remotely falls into the category of science. You want to know about planktons, or would you rather discuss the future of the human race with artificial intelligence? Does neuroscience interest you or would you rather be informed about the medicinal purposes of marijuana? From video games and the aurora to memory and climate change, it covers all the topics under the sun. You can catch all episodes of this podcast here.
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5. 99% Invisible (2010- present)
Did you know that the atoms that are the basic unit of all matter are 99% space? That means that everything around us, including us, is, for the most part, nothing! Strange, what a different picture we see. But this is not all that is hidden from us. In fact, most of the design of the world constitutes things that remain in the shadows and are only caught when looked for. If you would like to know more about this invisible world around you, then you should listen to this podcast. You can find all its episodes here.
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4. Ologies with Alie Ward (2017- present)
No question is stupid, not really! Unimaginative or bland at worst, but as long as someone is ready to engage their inquiring mind, you can’t call them stupid. Alie Ward goes in with this mentality before inviting pioneering minds in various branches of science to come and have a chat with her, where she asks all sorts of questions from them. ‘Ologies’ is a fun and highly educational podcast. With each episode, you will learn something completely new. You can catch all episodes of this podcast here.
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3. The Skeptics’ Guide to Universe (2005- present)
All the news channels and newspapers and magazines are always full of stuff about politics and movies. Even on our phones, social media apps are full of news about the misuse of power and ill-treatment of people. Thinking about all the strides we have taken, all the scientific advancements we have made, all the drama in the world seems trivial. You wish someone could knock some sense into the world and people would start talking about science and philosophy. If you wish you had a news channel where you could get to know about every single step scientists are taking forward, then you should listen to ‘The Skeptics’ Guide to Universe’. You can listen to its episodes here.
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2. Undiscovered (2019- present)
If you have read the stories of some of the most important discoveries in the world, you would have noticed a pattern. Rarely do scientists actually find what they are looking for. What happens is that they are conducting experiments for something when a mistake or an anomaly leads them to notice something entirely different. Sometimes it seems just a matter of “right place, right time” sort of thing. But this in no way means that we are questioning their genius and hard work. If you are interested in knowing about these “lucky breaks”, then you should listen to ‘Undiscovered’. All its episodes are available here.
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1. The Habitat (2018- present)
Humans have always looked up at the sky and wondered about the things that lie beyond our world. Those twinkling distant lights decorating the night sky have caught the curiosity of scientists and we dream about being able to reach that far. Humans landed on the Moon in 1969, and since then, we have been looking to the next stop – Mars. As we advance technologically, we get one step closer to setting foot on the Red Planet. But before that, we need to prepare ourselves for that environment. On a remote mountain in Hawaii, scientists have found a place that serves as fake Mars where six volunteers live just as they would on the real planet. This podcast covers their audio diaries in which they talk about their experiences. You can listen to all episodes of ‘The Habitat’ here.
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