Radiolab

Radiolab is a science and philosophy radio show and podcast produced by WNYC Studios that began in 2002. Jad Abumrad created the series on WNYC in New York, and science reporter Robert Krulwich joined as regular co-host in 2004. Staff members Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser assumed hosting duties in 2020.

Episodes investigate biology, psychology, physics, and historical events through layered sound design, archival audio, and philosophical interviews. Audio editors assemble multiple overlapping interviews with composed musical textures to illustrate abstract scientific questions. Field reporting tracks researchers into remote laboratories, criminal courts, and geological expeditions. The program moved from local radio broadcasts to national public syndication across hundreds of stations through NPR and PRX in 2005. Early seasons examined topics such as animal communication, optical limits, sleep cycles, and the mathematical patterns of memory.

National stage tours brought live scientific demonstrations and musical performances into theaters, starting with the tour titled In the Dark in 2012. Another stage show called Apocalyptical toured 21 cities in 2013 to examine prehistoric mass extinctions. Specialized spinoff series expanded production, starting in 2016 with More Perfect to examine landmark decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. Spinoff series Dolly Parton's America explored cultural politics across nine episodes in 2019, winning a Peabody Award in 2020.

Institutional recognition arrived in 2007 when the Peabody Awards selected the series for innovative sound engineering and investigative storytelling. A second Peabody Award arrived in 2014 for ongoing excellence in radio production. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation granted Abumrad a fellowship award in 2011 for his acoustic mixing techniques. Krulwich announced his retirement from broadcasting in February 2020, and Abumrad departed the program in January 2022. Miller and Nasser led the release of new investigative projects on evolutionary biology in 2023.