Podcast
Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner and Stitcher · EN
Journalism wrapped in a game-show package. Host Stephen J. Dubner (of “Freakonomics Radio”) and a celebrity co-host invite guests on stage in front of a live audience to tell us something we don’t know. The co-hosts — a mix of leaders in science, academia, sports, media, and comedy — grill the guests, and by the end we’ve all gotten a bit smarter. Each episode has a new topic, a new co-host, and new guests. There’s also a real-time human fact-checker to keep everyone honest. Think of the most crackling dinner-party conversation you’ve ever heard. Produced in association with Stitcher.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
New Episodes Coming Soon!
Oct 17, 201800:01:31Tap to summarizeWe are about to tape new episodes of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. You’ll be able to hear them later this year in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed. Details in this short announcement.
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An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguists Walk Into a Bar…
Nov 18, 201700:53:32Tap to summarizeWhy New York has skinny skyscrapers, how to weaponize water, and what astronauts talk about in space. John McWhorter is co-host; Bari Weiss is live fact-checker.
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Extra 7: Corrosive Energy Drinks and Peruvian Cat Stew
Nov 17, 201700:48:43Tap to summarizeIn this special call-in episode: why some Peruvians eat cats; why operas need repetiteurs; and why we should get rid of prisons. Michael Smerconish (CNN) is co-host; AJ Jacobs (It’s All Relative) checks the facts.
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Farming Without Sun or Soil and Eating Manna From Heaven
Nov 11, 201700:39:01Tap to summarizeThis week, we work on our survival skills: in the desert, on the tundra, and growing food in abandoned warehouses. Actress Sas Goldberg is co-host; A.J. Jacobs (author of It’s All Relative) is live fact-checker.
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Mind Games
Nov 4, 201700:47:46Tap to summarizeHow to make people like you, why you should lick rocks, and what an awkward person is really thinking. Angela Duckworth (Grit author) is co-host; Mike Maughan (Qualtrics) is live fact-checker.
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Jon Batiste, Gail Simmons, and Strange Smells
Oct 28, 201700:56:00Tap to summarizeThings we learn this week: dogs aren't so great at sniffing, men aren't so lazy, and New York doesn't smell so bad (anymore). Gail Simmons (Top Chef) is co-host; Jon Batiste plays his melodica for us; the live fact-checker is Mike Maughan.
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All About Bugs (of the Animal and Computer Varieties)
Oct 21, 201700:57:05Tap to summarizeMusical crickets, crop-saving wasps — and why you should pre-bug your software. John McWhorter is co-host; the live fact-checker is Bari Weiss.
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School Start Times, Brand Names, and Too Much Ground Beef
Oct 14, 201700:42:30Tap to summarizeAlex Wagner (CBS This Morning Saturday, The Atlantic) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. We filled this episode with insights about the true value of ground beef, sleeping in, company names, and more.
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How to Count to Infinity
Oct 7, 201700:47:30Tap to summarizeMary Roach (author of Stiff, Spook, Bonk, Gulp, and Grunt) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. If the promise of tractor beams doesn't pull you in, our guests also explore robotic fish, counting to infinity, and more.
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The Perfect Potato Chip, the Origin of Seltzer, and Why We Eat “Beef” and Not “Cow”
Sep 30, 201700:56:51Tap to summarizeAlex Guarnaschelli (Iron Chef America and Chopped) is our special guest co-host, with Sean Rameswaram (Radiolab Presents: More Perfect) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK explores the origins of food words, children's menus, and seltzer.
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