Radiolab Shorts #12: "Proof" (Aired August 11, 2009)

Episode Overview

This succinct and captivating Radiolab Short, hosted by Jad Abumrad, explores humanity’s enduring desire to find scientific proof of the afterlife. Through a historical tale featuring spiritualist Thomas Lynn Bradford, and with insightful commentary from acclaimed science writer Mary Roach (author of Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife), the episode dissects an extraordinary, tragic attempt to answer: “What happens after you die?” The conversation blends curiosity, skepticism, and empathy, using Roach’s signature wit and thoughtfulness.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction: Science Confronts the Afterlife

• Radiolab begins by posing the classic question: What really happens when you die?
• Host Jad Abumrad reads from a New Scientist article about various scientists—physicians, physicists, psychologists, even two Nobel laureates—who have tried to prove the existence of an afterlife, but notes only one man, Thomas Lynn Bradford, has taken it to the ultimate extreme (00:34–01:08).
  • Notable quote (Jad, 00:37): "What happens after you die? I can name you forty-seven men who have tried to harness the rational horsepower of science to answer this most floaty question."

2. Who Was Thomas Lynn Bradford?

• Mary Roach joins the episode (01:09), introducing Bradford as a spiritualist from the early 1900s, when Spiritualism was a flourishing religion based on the belief in a peaceful afterlife called "Summerland" (01:26–01:55).
  • Notable quote (Mary, 01:34): "Spiritualism was a religion...predicated on this notion that there is no death—that when you die, you just go on to Summerland. A beautiful place beyond."

3. The Quest for Definitive Proof

• Unlike mere believers, Bradford wanted proof—something undeniable and scientific (02:04).
• In 1921, Bradford places an ad in a Detroit newspaper calling for help to prove the existence of an afterlife (02:14–02:30).
  • He is answered by Ruth Moran, a self-described psychic. Together, they devise an audacious plan: one of them would die, and attempt to “communicate” from the afterlife; the other would wait and listen for the message (02:39–02:51).
  • Notable quote (Mary, 02:46): "One person dies, crosses over to the afterlife, and then from the beyond that person would yell back, 'Hey, it worked! I'm here. There's an afterlife.'"

4. The Sacrifice and Aftermath

• Bradford follows through: he takes his own life, leaving notes titled Can the Dead Communicate with the Living? (03:07–03:45).
  • News story voiceover underscores the tragic event (03:35–03:48): "His room at 2500 Howard Street with the gas turned on...Nearby were found several typewritten pages..."
• Across town, Ruth waits in silence, hoping for a message that never comes (03:59–04:23).
  • Notable quote (Mary, 03:59): "There she was...with the lights off as I imagine it. Just waiting, listening."
• Newspapers report: "Dead spirit, dead spiritualist, silent." After 40 hours, Ruth confirms she heard nothing—Bradford’s experiment yields only silence (04:27–04:54).
  • Notable quote (Mary, 04:34): "It was almost like when somebody is lost at sea...they finally say, okay, we're declaring him dead."

5. The Ethics and Honesty of Seekers

• Discussion pivots to skepticism: Why didn’t Ruth simply pretend she’d received a message?
  • Both Mary and Jad reflect on the integrity and vulnerability of Ruth and Bradford as genuine "seekers" who weren’t trying to deceive, but truly wanted proof (05:04–05:20).
  • Notable quote (Mary, 05:13): "They weren’t trying to pull a hoax...they really just wanted to find proof."

6. So, Did Bradford Know?

• Jad queries Mary on her earlier framing—did Bradford “know” the answer after his death? Mary clarifies: "Dead people know. They just can't get the answer back to us." (05:33–05:40)
• Memorable moment (Mary, 05:40): "Billions of people know. They just can’t get the answer back to us."

7. Mary Roach’s Personal Perspective

• Jad closes with a personal question: After all her research, does Mary believe her parents are “somewhere?”
• Mary’s response is bittersweet and honest (06:05–06:51):
  • If forced to bet, she’d wager there is no afterlife, but dislikes admitting it. She envies her mother’s faith, noting that “the people who believe win. The skeptics lose.”
  • Notable quote (Mary, 06:21): "My mother absolutely had faith that when she died she was going to heaven. And even if she’s wrong, she doesn’t know she’s wrong. So she went through her whole life with a calmness and peace of mind that I’ll never have. The people who believe win. The skeptics lose."

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps and Attribution)

• "What happens after you die? I can name you forty-seven men who have tried to harness the rational horsepower of science to answer this most floaty question."
  — Jad Abumrad, 00:37

• "Spiritualism was a religion...predicated on this notion that there is no death—that when you die, you just go on to Summerland. A beautiful place beyond."
  — Mary Roach, 01:34

• "One person dies, crosses over to the afterlife, and then from the beyond that person would yell back, 'Hey, it worked! I'm here. There's an afterlife.'"
  — Mary Roach, 02:46

• "There she was...with the lights off as I imagine it. Just waiting, listening."
  — Mary Roach, 03:59

• "It was almost like when somebody is lost at sea...they finally say, okay, we're declaring him dead."
  — Mary Roach, 04:34

• "They weren’t trying to pull a hoax...they really just wanted to find proof."
  — Mary Roach, 05:13

• "Dead people know. They just can't get the answer back to us."
  — Mary Roach, 05:40

• "My mother absolutely had faith that when she died she was going to heaven. And even if she’s wrong, she doesn’t know she’s wrong. So she went through her whole life with a calmness and peace of mind that I’ll never have. The people who believe win. The skeptics lose."
  — Mary Roach, 06:21

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• 00:34–01:08: Introduction to the quest for scientific proof of the afterlife.
• 01:26–01:55: Mary Roach’s background on Spiritualism and “Summerland.”
• 02:14–02:51: The plan: one dies, one waits for a message from the afterlife.
• 03:07–03:45: Bradford’s suicide to conduct the “experiment.”
• 04:23–04:54: Ruth Moran’s vigil, and the press’ pronouncement of silence.
• 05:04–05:20: Discussion of Ruth and Bradford’s sincerity.
• 05:33–05:40: Mary Roach on the irony of dead people “knowing.”
• 06:05–06:51: Mary Roach’s personal take on belief, skepticism, and peace of mind.

Tone and Language

The episode blends curiosity with skepticism, empathy with dry wit. Jad is warm and fascinated, while Mary Roach is candid, playful, and empathetic—especially as she explores the emotional costs of living with or without faith in the afterlife.

Conclusion

This Radiolab Short uses the poignant story of Bradford and Moran to reflect on our endless yearning for certainty about what happens after death—while showing, with gentle humility, that proof may remain forever out of reach. The conversation is a moving, bittersweet meditation on belief, skepticism, and human longing.

For further reading:

• Mary Roach’s Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
• See Radiolab’s website for more on Mary Roach and related topics.

(All ad breaks, intros, and outros omitted.)