WNYC's Matt Katz Uncovers Family Secrets in New Podcast

Summary

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Podcast Summary: All Of It

Episode: WNYC's Matt Katz Uncovers Family Secrets in New Podcast
Date: April 4, 2024
Host: Koosha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Matt Katz (WNYC reporter and host of "Inconceivable Truth")

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Main Theme

This episode explores journalist Matt Katz’s deeply personal journey into his family history, as uncovered in his new podcast, Inconceivable Truth. Katz shares how a DNA test led to the unraveling of long-hidden family secrets, prompting him to question his identity and understanding of family, while delving into themes of paternity, genetics, medical ethics, and what truly defines kinship.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Catalyst: Estrangement and Curiosity

• Matt’s Childhood:
  • Katz’s father, Warren, was inconsiderate and inconsistent; did not do “normal dad stuff”, often missed visits, and kept his address secret ([01:55]).
  • Childhood longing: Matt was always searching for his father, even checking phone books and tracking him down at age 16 ([04:05]).
  • Katz describes his search for his father as “an innate urge” and links his public storytelling to both his identity as a journalist and a hope to help others feel less alone in such experiences ([05:04]).

“It just feels like something that's always been in me, searching for him, searching for this father figure, searching for my paternity. It's almost been an innate urge.” —Matt Katz [05:04]

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2. A DNA Test Upends Identity

• Katz takes an Ancestry.com DNA test expecting to confirm his 100% Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, only to discover he was 50% Irish ([06:12]).
• His mother’s test reconfirms that she is fully Jewish and is indeed his biological mother, deepening the mystery around his paternity.
• Matt’s personal theories evolve, including speculation about his father’s possible secret Irish background ([06:27]).

“I was 50% Jewish... and it has since confirmed that I’m 50% fully Irish. This made no sense.” —Matt Katz [06:45]

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3. Serendipity on Live Radio & Community Response

• While guest-hosting a live radio show, a no-show guest leads Matt to share his DNA revelation on air, sparking a flood of listener stories about ancestry surprises ([08:08] to [10:19]).
• Feeling connected: Hearing others’ stories inspires Matt and drives home the universality of family secrets ([11:08]).

“It made me feel not alone. A lot of people are on this journey to figure out where they’re from… And it was inspiring.” —Matt Katz [11:08]

• A listener named Lou suggests Matt join a private “Jewish genealogy nerd” Facebook group, leading to rapid breakthroughs via “search angels” — amateur genealogists who help solve DNA mysteries ([11:39]).

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4. Unraveling Hidden Family Connections

• Within hours, Matt learns from a search angel that he has a half-sister, Tara Collins, who is two and a half weeks younger than him ([13:07]).
• A second DNA test, 23andMe, confirms both the Irish heritage and yet another half-sister.
• The eventual discovery: All were conceived using the same sperm donor—a fact that was unknown to his mother ([15:08]).

“We all have the same father, obviously, and that father was a sperm donor. And that was news to my mother.” —Matt Katz [15:21]

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5. Navigating Intimacy, Identity, and Family Definitions

• Personal Encounters:
  • Matt documents intimate conversations with his mother, adoptive father, wife, and friends, which he describes as deepening his bonds with each ([15:23]).
• Impact on Identity:
  • Katz wrestles with seeing himself—physically and culturally—in new ways, blending Irish and Jewish identities but ultimately affirming that culture and belonging stem most from upbringing ([17:37]).

“I really don’t feel any less Jewish... my cultural and ethnic identity is so tied to the family that I know and grew up with.” —Matt Katz [18:30]

• Continuity of Tradition: Despite genetic revelations, Katz continues family traditions like his daughter’s bat mitzvah, highlighting the importance of chosen ritual and connection ([20:21]).

• Conversations with His Children: The truth about his conception prompts early and frank conversations with his children about reproduction and family history, giving them a unique perspective among their peers ([20:43]).

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6. Universal Resonance: Callers & Listeners

• Listener texts and calls highlight how common DNA surprises are.
• Caller Larry (Easton, PA) shares a nearly identical experience, finding out as an adult he was half-Italian through genetic and adoption records ([22:32]).
• Matt reflects on the social implications of widespread DNA testing, with many discovering long-hidden family dynamics and the resulting need for connection and support ([23:34]).

“These consumer DNA tests have triggered absolute social upheaval and have overturned people’s lives in so many ways... And they’re not alone.” —Matt Katz [23:34]

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7. Broadening the Definition of Family

• Katz describes the joy and richness of discovering and connecting with his half-siblings:
  • They keep a group text chain with a DNA strand as their icon and have formed close personal relationships ([24:43]).
  • Embraces an “expansive view of family,” including non-biological parents.

“I have an expansive view of family now, obviously.” —Matt Katz [24:43]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• On Searching for His Father:
  “It just feels like something that's always been in me, searching for him, searching for this father figure, searching for my paternity.” —Matt Katz [05:04]

• On the Power of Taking His Story Public:
  “People will relate to it because... some of it is a new phenomenon, and some an ancient phenomenon... I’m hoping some people might find some degree of support.” —Matt Katz [05:25]

• On His Identity Post-Discovery:
  “I literally now see a half Irish, half Jewish guy when I look in the mirror.” —Matt Katz [17:37]

• On Family Traditions:
  “My daughter’s getting bat mitzvahed this year, even though we now know she’s only... well, 3/4 Jewish, a quarter Irish.” —Matt Katz [20:21]

• On Community and Connection:
  “These consumer DNA tests have triggered absolute social upheaval... they’re finding out halfway through life their parents aren’t the people they thought they were.” —Matt Katz [23:34]

• On Redefining Family:
  “The best piece of what I’ve gotten out of this whole thing... I have an expansive view of family now, obviously.” —Matt Katz [24:43]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:55 — Introduction to Matt Katz’s personal journey.
• 06:12 — DNA test and shocking ancestry results.
• 08:08 — Matt shares story live on-air, listeners respond.
• 11:39 — Joining Facebook group, “search angels,” and discovery of half-sibling.
• 13:07 — First realization of new half-sibling, age revelation.
• 15:08 — Piecing together the sperm donor truth.
• 17:37 — Matt on identity and integrating Irish and Jewish heritage.
• 20:21 — Continuing family traditions/post-discovery.
• 22:32 — Caller Larry’s similar story.
• 23:34 — Katz’s reflections on DNA tests, secrecy, and community.
• 24:43 — Redefining and expanding the meaning of family.

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Conclusion

Matt Katz’s revealing journey, chronicled in both his conversation on All Of It and in Inconceivable Truth, resonates far beyond one man's experience. Through candid storytelling, he illuminates questions of identity, belonging, and family in the era of consumer DNA testing. His vulnerability, openness with loved ones, and the universal response from listeners all serve to remind us that the definition of family can be both unexpected and beautifully expansive.

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Transcript

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[Koosha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar in for Alison Stewart Listeners, you probably know Matt Katz from the WNYC newsroom. He's reported on topics like immigration, public safety, politics. But what you may not know is that Matt has spent years investigating a really personal story. And it's a story about his father. It wasn't a journey he expected. Matt's parents divorced before he turned 2. His dad, Warren was a part of his life for a while, but his parents presence was inconsistent at best. I mean, Warren didn't do normal dad stuff like give Matt birthday presents or even tell Matt where he Warren lived. He'd be late for visits or wouldn't show up at all. And when Matt did see his dad, they do things like go to bedding parlors or crawl under a fence to skip out on paying admission to a zoo. Warren was a cipher who eventually dropped off the grid. And while Matt didn't understand who he was, he thought he knew who he was, his dad. But this is until he took a DNA test and the results upended Matt's sense of identity and raised questions about fatherhood, medical ethics, and what family really means. And Matt tells the story in a new podcast called Inconceivable Truth. The first two episodes dropped today, and I'm really delighted to welcome Matt here in studio to talk about it. Hey, Matt.

[Matt Katz]

Hi, Koosha. This is amazing. Thank you for doing this.

[Koosha Navadar]

It was wonderful to listen. I listened to the first two episodes. So many questions. I find remarkable and I think admirable is your willingness to be vulnerable and open. Like you. You talk about how you learned to read a clock at a young age because your dad was always late, how his gambling affected your mom, and just how abandoned you felt by him. Honestly, it's hard to listen to, especially knowing you and not feeling sad and enraged on your behalf. And I imagine that some people who had an experience like yours might just want to close the door on their dad and move on. But for you, it spurred a lifelong quest to lear more about him. What do you think it was that made you react that way?

[Matt Katz]

You know, I think as a kid, since he was such an in and out of my life presence, or lack of a presence, I was always wondering about him and searching for him. I'd be a little kid and there'd be those old phone books somewhere, and I'd look up his last name and see if I could figure out where he might be living. I ended up tracking him down when I was 16, like a budding journalist. It was innate in me to search for him and to wonder where he was. And I continued doing that throughout into my adulthood as he came into my life again as an adult and then disappeared from my life. And then in telling this whole story, it just feels like something that's always been in me, searching for him, searching for this father figure, searching for my paternity. It's almost been a innate urge. And I wanted to tell this publicly because a, you know, I'm reporter, and this is how I process the world around me. I ask a lot of questions and then try to, you know, interpret it as accurately as possible. And second of all, a lot of the things I experienced over the course of this, and we'll get into some of the specifics, people will relate to it because a lot of it is. Is. Is something of a new phenomenon, and some of it is an ancient phenomenon because. So it's about medical technology, as you mentioned. It's about family relations and paternity. And I'm hoping that in sharing my story, some people might find some degree of support in knowing that whatever they're experiencing in their lives, they're not alone.

[Koosha Navadar]

There are so many pieces of the story along the way that somebody could relate to just ideas of identity in general, I think. And it's important for us maybe not to get into the TikTok of the timeline, because listeners, you should listen to the podcast for that.

[Matt Katz]

Sure.

[Koosha Navadar]

But what I wanted to talk about is maybe the first big twist that comes after you take a DNA test for Ancestry.com so you assumed you were going to be 100% Ashkenazi Jewish from Eastern Europe, but it didn't turn out that way. What did you find out?

[Matt Katz]

Right. I didn't never even question my 100% Jewish identity. My mom is Jewish. My father, I had actually at one point when I was in contact with him, I interviewed his parents, my grandparents, and found out they were Russian Jews and came over in the early 20th century. So I had no question about my identity. But I took this ancestry Tuskegee's, I was interested in, in history. I'm interested in, you know, which shtetl my people might have been kicked out of in the old country. I didn't know exactly where they were from. And, yeah, the results were shocking. I mean, I was 50% Jewish. And then at the time it said I was 50% British or Scottish or Irish. It has since confirmed that I'm 50% fully Irish. This made no sense. More than a year goes by, my mother takes the test, she comes back as my mom and as 100% Jew. So we know that that's taken care of. So then I'm coming up with all these theories about my birth father. Was he adopted by the Jewish family down the street when he grew up in Queens? Maybe the Irish family down the road, you know, sent him off to the Jewish family, and he was really an Irish guy. I couldn't make any sense of it. That was a theory that I came up with, and it was kicking around in my life for a couple years, until July of 2018. I am in your seat, Kusha. I am Guest hosting, the precursor to all of it, it was called midday on WNYC. And our guest canceled or didn't show up. The 1pm guest just didn't show up.

[Koosha Navadar]

And what time was it?

[Matt Katz]

This is one o' clock and it's.

[Koosha Navadar]

One o' clock right now. So I want to point that out.

[Matt Katz]

And you can appreciate the anxiety that that results in when you're hosting and your live radio show. So the producers at the time, they're like, just go to callers. Let's do a call in segment. I'm like, well, what am I going to talk about? So this, this guest was an actress who wrote about her family's immigration experience in a book for young people and her because her family had been deported. So I'm like, okay, immigration, immigration. What do I, what can I talk about that would be good for callers? I'm like, oh, I have a strange immigration anecdote to share.

[Koosha Navadar]

What's the name of that, that actor name? And shame. I know, I'm just kidding.

[Matt Katz]

Go on, go on, go on. I purposely, I actually forget, but I also avoiding mentioning it because it turns out I'm very grateful to her because what happened next was amazing. First of all, I told my spiel on the air. I said, listen, folks, you're back. You're listening to wnyc. And turns out I, you know, went to a little story. I took an ancestry test, a genealogy test. Turns out I'm half Jewish. I always thought I was 100% Jewish. I'm trying to figure out why. Do you have any interesting stories about your ancestry, about your genealogy? And, you know, this being New York City, we had a wonderful segment. I mean, callers were, they were from all over the world and they were great. It was a great segment.

[Koosha Navadar]

We have a clip of exactly what you're talking about. Let's listen to what Matt experienced right now together.

[Caller/Listener]

Through some of the census records, I found out that my father had a brother that died as an infant but was never spoken about. I found out that I was actually descended from an illegal immigrant who came in through Ellis Island.

[Matt Katz]

Let's talk to Tony over in Brooklyn. Hey, Tony, are you there?

[Caller/Listener]

I am there.

[Matt Katz]

Some of these stories were nuts. One guy called in saying he's got a family tree of 1300 names. I couldn't believe it. I had like 10 people on my family tree. I was jealous.

[Caller/Listener]

It's an amazing thing and I'm so happy that you guys are doing this little segment.

[Matt Katz]

I'm so glad you called.

[Caller/Listener]

Get it across to People, they have to ask their relatives where they're from. There's so much to learn out there.

[Koosha Navadar]

We're talking with Matt Katz, who is the writer and host of the new podcast Inconceivable Truth. You also might know him from WNYC as the public safety reporter. And listeners, we just heard almost six years ago, his experience hearing from you, that set off new part of his life, finding out who his father really was. And listeners, if you want to join the conversation with us right now, we're here for you yet again. If you've had any ancestry surprises, call us or text us at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Or you can always DM us on Instagram. We're all of it WNYC. Matt, it is amazing to listen almost six years ago to those clips. What did it feel like to have all those people calling in?

[Matt Katz]

It made me feel not alone. It made me feel like a lot of people are on this journey to figure out where they're from. And a lot of people are finding out surprises when they take DNA tests or they uncover records from their ancestors. And it was inspiring. It felt like I could find out more. And then right after that, I found out so much because a listener to that segment, his name is Louis. Lou. I will never forget you, Lou. If you're out there, give us a call.

[Koosha Navadar]

Shout out.

[Matt Katz]

Lou emails me after the show, and he says, listen, if you want to know why you're not fully Jewish, you have to join this Facebook group, this private Facebook group. It's for essentially Jewish genealogy nerds, for people who have researched their Jewish genealogy and have, you know, been able to figure it out. And they, they, they discuss how to do this. So a few days later, I'm like, all right, I'll join this group. And I again say my spiel, Hey, I thought I was 100% Jewish. Took an ancestry test, turns out I'm half Jewish. And the responses come in pretty immediately. And a woman writes, and she says, it's probably your father. That's all she says. I'm like, what? So I message her. She's like, I can help you. And there are these people online, they're called search angels, and they research other people's ancestry. They help them through this. So I give this woman, this stranger, access to my ancestry.com test so she can see my DNA results. And it was less than two hours later when she writes me a note, and she's like, I figured Something out. You have a half sister, and her name is Tara Collins. And I'm like, a half sister. That doesn't make any sense. I was just signing up for this to figure out, like, why I'm half Jewish, and all of a sudden I have a half sister. So I checked this woman's work. She was totally right. It was a little confusing on the DNA site because they don't really know how to account for half siblings. It was somewhere. We had, like, the DNA. Centimorgans were close enough. We're somewhere between, like, a first cousin and a full sibling. So it just said close relative. It just had initials. So I never had clicked on the profile. I finally do. I check her work. There was an obituary that the search angel was able to use to figure out her name. And I immediately Google her. Obviously, Tara Collins. And she looks like me. I mean, I'm just. I feel like I'm staring back in a mirror. And I message her on her website. She's an energy healer in Venice Beach, California. And I don't hear back. And then I message her on Instagram. I find her Instagram profile. I don't hear back, but I'm, like, checking her profile every day. I'm, like, consumed by this. And I had just celebrated Kusha, my 40th birthday days earlier. Days earlier. And I look one, you know, I'm looking at her Instagram profile, and she posts something about her 40th birthday party. She's two and a half weeks younger than me. How in the world do I have a half sibling who's two and a half weeks younger than me? What happened after that is I'm like, you know what? I got to get the other DNA test. I got to get every DNA test available. I get a 23andMe account, which is the other main consumer DNA kit out there. And on Yom Kippur of 2018, I'm coming back from my my in laws house, and I get a message from 23andMe. Your results are in. I look, I'm half Irish again, half Jewish. So it confirms what Ancestry.com says. And then I get a message, you have a half sister. I'm like, oh, I guess this is the same Tara Collins. It is not. It is another half sister. And that's when she revealed the big reveal to me.

[Koosha Navadar]

And that is where we go into the first episode. And it is from there a chronicling of many close relationships in your life, trying to figure out what's real, what have you misunderstood? And what are other people's perspectives on this. I'd love to touch into that a little bit. You talk to your mom, you talk to your adoptive father, you talk to your friend, your wife in very intimate settings. What was it like capturing those moments on tape for you?

[Matt Katz]

It was really wonderful. I mean, I feel like I'm closer to my mom. I'm closer to my dad. My man I call my dad, who my mom remarried after she divorced the man I thought was my birth father, and he adopted me. I changed my last name to his. I feel closer to my kids, even. And I decided to tell this story over eight episodes in a series of conversations, really. I mean, I wanted to have conversations with the people closest to me, my oldest friends from grade school to my, you know, little kids today. And listeners can, like, learn my story as I talk it through with all of these people and my siblings. I now have three half siblings. And it turns out, and this is one reveal, there's many more. Turns out we all have the same father, obviously, and that father was a sperm donor. And that was news to my mother. And that is confusing to people, obviously. And that's something I sort through. In this podcast.

[Koosha Navadar]

We're talking to Matt Katz, the writer and host of the new podcast Inconceivable Truth. He's also the public safety reporter for WNYC and the Gothamist. The first two episodes of Inconceivable Truth are out today, and there are eight episodes total, which will be released weekly today. Matt, we just got a text that I want to read that I think you'll enjoy. It says, I remember Matt telling part of his story on Hillary Frank's beloved yet retired podcast, Longest, Shortest Time. Then I remember hearing Matt on that 2019 segment. It was a great look into Matt as a person and all the kids out there, myself included, who overcome trauma and thrive in life like Matt has done. He is an asset to wnyc, proud of his courage. Matt, it's clear that a story like this resonates with a lot of people. And I. A question out there is about identity. I mean, you thought that you were 100% Ashkenazi Jew from Eastern Europe. You find out you're 50% Irish. In those moments, did you feel less Jewish? How did it impact your own identity?

[Matt Katz]

It impacted the way I see myself in the mirror was the first thing I felt. I literally now see a half Irish, half Jewish guy when I look in the mirror. You know, I never felt like I really looked like the other kids at Hebrew school. I felt like my. My face was A little redder. My hair was a little lighter. Straighter. My hair was straighter. It just felt like a little bit different. And now I sort of make sense to myself physically, which is a, you know, a small thing, but sort of a significant thing. As far as my ethnic identity, I'm associating and learning this world of being an Irishman. Took my family to Ireland, started reading Irish poetry and some Irish novels. I'm starting to identify with some of the cultural elements, but I really don't feel any less Jewish. And I think. And I've thought a lot about this, and I think that comes down to the. The, you know, a. A perception of this identity that is really related to the family I came up with. And my cultural and ethnic identity is so tied to the family that I know and grew up with. And that is a Jewish family who would, you know, have Passover Seder every year and go to Shabbat services. I had a bris for my son before I knew any of this. And the reason why I did that is because bris is the oldest covenant with God in the Jewish tradition, and you get circumcised at eight days. And I love the idea that I had this done and everybody on our male side of the family had this done for generations, maybe thousands of years. Now, I know that's not true. Nobody on the male biological side of my family had this done beyond me, because everybody was Irish Catholic. And yet I still look back on that moment, that bris with. With very warm feelings because it was just a way of connecting with future, with. With past generations and passing something along to my son. And it didn't matter the specifics of the tradition or the religious nature of the tradition. It was just the idea of bringing our family together, having this bris, having this circumcision, having some nosh together. That's what felt important. That's what me to other generations, regardless of what religion was tagged on.

[Koosha Navadar]

So it sounds like for you, a lot of this is about finding connection. It almost does sound like you would have had the bris even if you knew what you knew. Now, is that fair to say?

[Matt Katz]

Absolutely. My daughter's getting bat mitzvahed this year, even though we now know she's only, I guess, a quarter Irish.

[Koosha Navadar]

Well, how does it change?

[Matt Katz]

Sorry, she's 3/4 Jewish quarter Irish.

[Koosha Navadar]

Listeners with math degrees, hit us up. Call us 212-433-WNYC. Matt, how does it influence your relationship with your kids?

[Matt Katz]

You know, first of all, it has helped ease the Awkwardness of having the birds and the bees conversation. Because when you tell your six year old daughter that you were conceived by a sperm donor, you have to, you know, go through the mechanics of what that means. And my kids, I feel like now know a lot more about all that stuff than the, than their, than their friends and I think it gives them. My son did a project, he had to do a project about his family genealogy and he now knows far more about his ancestry than most other kids. Just because I've done so much research to try to figure out where my people were from. I mean, the arc of this podcast that I did, inconceivable Truth, eight episodes, is me trying to find my, the identity of my real birth father. And to do that I had to dig into my distant, distant relatives. I had to figure out who my cousins were that I was connected to via DNA on the ancestry sites. I went to Ireland and went to my great, great grandfather's farm to try to see if anybody knew of this family. And I got some amazing clues. When I did, I recorded it all. So I think my, my kids have a, have a larger sense of how we all fit into the world across generations.

[Koosha Navadar]

So many people listening right now are texting us and I just want to point out a funny text. We got a text that somebody called you, Matt McCatz, which, you know, it's good, pretty good one a lot of folks struggle with maybe not exactly this or maybe exactly this or, or a version of this, this, this idea of where you come from, who you are. We have a caller that I'd love to get to, Larry in Easton, Pennsylvania. Hey Larry, welcome to the show.

[Caller/Listener]

Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I have a similar story. I thought it was 100% Jewish. I found that. I did an ancestry test. I also found documents. My mother was going into a nursing home and she kept the adoption, the original adoption documents. So I found out that way as well. And through ancestry I connected with some of my relatives. Turns out that I'm 50% Italian, Sicilian and 50% Jewish.

[Koosha Navadar]

Larry, thank you so much for that call and listen callers. We would love for you to send us your stories. We are getting more calls than we have time for, unfortunately. So if you want you can DM us on Instagram of it. Wnyc. Matt, you hear stories like Larry, there are so many stories that maybe aren't easily talked about, which is part of the reason why what you've made could make a big difference in folks lives. What do you hope folks walk away with or discover through hearing your story.

[Matt Katz]

I mean, they're not alone. These consumer DNA tests have triggered absolute social upheaval and have overturned people's lives in so many ways because they reveal for the breadth of humanity, if there was adultery, if there was infidelity, if there was adoption, children would never know. And now there's a scientific way of knowing, and there's a lot of people finding these things out. They're finding out halfway through life their parents aren't the people they thought they were. And they're not alone. And I hope when people listen to this, listen to this show, they will understand that and know that there's some sort of way of feeling whole again by going through the process of this discovery.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah. You know, you talk about being alone and not being alone, and that's so interesting to think about with what you experienced because you were born with a mother and a person you thought was your father. Then you had an adopted father, then you didn't have aunts and uncles, but you found half siblings. And for you, I gotta ask, how do you define family?

[Matt Katz]

I mean, these half siblings are the best piece of what I've gotten out of this whole thing. I mean, I have an expansive view of family now, obviously, and I have this text chain with these siblings. We have a, the picture on the text chain is a DNA strand. We went, we've, we spent a lot of time together. We've bonded. And I feel enriched by having more and more biological family in my life and, you know, non biological family like my adopted father. So I have an expansive view of family. And I think in this crazy world, crazy mixed up world we're in, I think that's, that's how a lot of people view these things and view life and family and love.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah, it's expansive and it's your journey to define it. And if you would like to hear that story, you can listen to Inconceivable Truth. It's a podcast. We've been joined by Matt Katz, the writer. The host sits just across the window about 13ft away from here. He's the public safety reporter for WNYC and the Gothamist. The first two episodes of Inconceivable Truth are out today. Every week after that for the next six weeks, we'll have another one out there. Matt, thank you so much for joining us.

[Matt Katz]

I'm so appreciative. Kisha, thanks so much.

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This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.