622. Why Does Everyone Hate Rats?
14 February - 41 minsNew York City’s mayor calls them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. So is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? (Part one of a three-part series.)
SOURCES:Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains.Kathy Corradi, director of rodent mitigation for New York City.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...
Series Episodes
631. Will "3 Summers of Lincoln" Make It to Broadway?
It’s been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still need to raise another $15 million to bring the show to New York. There really is no business like show business. (Part three of a three-part series.)
46 mins
25 April Finished
Is It a Theater Piece or a Psychological Experiment? (Update)
In an episode from 2012, we looked at what "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment can tell us about who we really are.
37 mins
23 April Finished
630. On Broadway, Nobody Knows Nothing
A hit like "Hamilton" can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game — Sonia Friedman, Jeffrey Seller, Hal Luftig — and learn that there is only one guarantee: the theater owners always win. (Part two of a three-part series.)
1 hour 1 min
18 April Finished
629. How Is Live Theater Still Alive?
It has become fiendishly expensive to produce, and has more competition than ever. And yet the believers still believe. Why? And does the world really want a new musical about ... Abraham Lincoln?! (Part one of a three-part series.)
59 mins
11 April Finished
Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update)
Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?
45 mins
9 April Finished
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
There is no sludgier place in America than Washington, D.C. But there are signs of a change. We’ll hear about this progress — and ask where Elon Musk and DOGE fit in. (Part two of a two-part series.)
48 mins
4 April Finished
