Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio investigates why Alzheimer's research has stalled despite decades of funding. The episode examines a major scientific fraud at the heart of the leading hypothesis that dominated the field for years, featuring interviews with the scientist who uncovered the misconduct and the journalist who broke the story. This fraud diverted billions in research funding and delayed alternative approaches.

How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind. SOURCES: Alex Sapoznik, historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London.

Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt.

Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut? SOURCES: Andrew Muhammad, agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee.

As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is also the one we use to listen to music in the car." A new study tries to measure the cost. SOURCES: Bapu Jena, economist, physician, and professor at Harvard Medical School.

In blue cities across the country, unions and politicians want to ban self-driving cars. In this episode from the Search Engine podcast, PJ Vogt visits Boston to sort the facts from the propaganda.

How a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. Freakonomics Radio shares a story from our friends at Search Engine. (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES: Alex Davies, author of Driven: The Race To Create the Autonomous Car. Chris Urmson, co-founder and C.E.O. of Aurora.

A ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s oldest behaviors. We look at how the industry works, and ask the scam-fighters what they’re doing about it.

Economists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize committee agreed. Stephen Dubner sits down for a thousand-year conversation (including advice!) with the new Nobel laureate.

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. In this updated episode from 2025, journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders.

... of bad reviews, meager financing, or artificial intelligence. But he is worried that the world is full of sloppy thinkers who mistake facts for the truth. SOURCES: Werner Herzog, writer, filmmaker, and actor. RESOURCES: The Future of Truth, by Werner Herzog (2025).

Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle. SOURCES: Chris Snyder, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.

When Richard Thaler first published Nudge, the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 episode, we ask: How has nudge theory held up in the face of a global financial meltdown, a pandemic, and other existential crises?

The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. star Ricky Williams. He says athletes should consider cannabis a healing drug, not a party drug. Even the N.F.L. is starting to agree.

In sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is super-slippery.

They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. In this updated episode from 2025, we speak with an analytics guru, an agent, an economist, and some former running backs to understand why.

For 50 years, the healthcare industry has been trying (and failing) to harness the power of artificial intelligence. It may finally be ready for prime time. What will this mean for human doctors — and the rest of us?

Zeke Emanuel (a physician, medical ethicist, and policy wonk) has some different ideas for how to lead a healthy and meaningful life. It starts with ice cream.

After five years, Levitt is ending People I (Mostly) Admire, and will start hosting the occasional Freakonomics Radio episode. We couldn’t be happier. SOURCES:Steve Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics and host of People I (Mostly) Admire.

It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver?

We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them?

One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better? We find out, in this update of a 2022 episode. SOURCES:James Choi, professor of finance at the Yale School of Management.Morgan Housel, personal finance author and partner at the Collaborative Fund.

Behavioral scientists have been exploring whether a psychological reset can lead to lasting change.

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to embrace — but is it true? As part of GiveDirectly’s “Pods Fight Poverty” campaign, we revisit a 2017 episode.

All sorts of people have put their mark on Messiah, and it has been a hit for nearly 300 years. How can a single piece of music thrive in so many settings? You could say it’s because Handel really knew how to write a banger.

In the 18th century, Handel relied on royal patronage. Today, it’s donors like Gary Parr who keep the music playing. In this bonus episode of our “Making Messiah” series, Parr breaks down the economics of the New York Philharmonic.

Dubner profiles a rare honest voice in the tax debate: a policy analyst willing to say what both parties won't — that taxes must go up OR spending must be cut dramatically, and neither party has a plan for either.

Economic historian Joel Mokyr discusses how innovation drove long-run economic growth, why the Industrial Revolution happened in Europe, and what the history of technological change tells us about AI's likely economic impact.

Dubner examines the science of presidential prediction: from Allan Lichtman's 13 Keys model to prediction markets to polling aggregation. He asks: can elections be predicted, or is the question itself misleading?

Dubner explores why NFL running backs — once the highest-paid, most celebrated players — now have the shortest careers and lowest salaries relative to their physical sacrifice. A case study in how market forces can make essential work almost worthless.

Dubner revisits the core Freakonomics premise: incentives explain nearly everything. He examines cases where well-designed incentives produced extraordinary results (organ donation in Spain) and where poorly designed incentives produced disasters (Wells Fargo fake accounts).

First episode of a multi-part series on failure. Dubner examines why we fear failure despite evidence that it's the primary mechanism of learning and innovation. He interviews entrepreneurs, athletes, and scientists about their most productive failures.

Steve Levitt guest-hosts an episode on the hidden economics of beekeeping: honey fraud, the economic value of pollination services, and why the bee economy is far stranger than most people imagine.

Dubner examines AI in healthcare: diagnostic algorithms that outperform radiologists, AI that detects cancer earlier than human doctors, and the question of whether patients will trust machine diagnoses. The answer: AI won't replace doctors, but doctors who use AI will replace those who don't.

Dubner investigates the economics of exclusivity: how nightclubs, restaurants, and luxury brands use artificial scarcity to create demand. The story centers on a legendary New York nightclub that charged $50 for drinks that cost $2 — and had a 3-hour line every night.

Dubner revisits Richard Thaler's 'nudge' theory 15 years later. Has nudging — using choice architecture to improve decisions without restricting freedom — lived up to its promise? The answer is complicated: it works, but not as universally as promised.

Dubner tells the story of how Boris Yeltsin visited a Houston supermarket in 1989 and was so stunned by the abundance that he questioned the entire Soviet system. A single grocery store visit helped end the Cold War.

Dubner investigates the epidemic of academic fraud: fabricated data, plagiarized papers, and retracted studies. The incentive structure of academia — publish or perish — systematically rewards quantity over quality and fraud over integrity.

Dubner examines the 'fresh start effect' — the psychological phenomenon where temporal landmarks (New Year, birthdays, Mondays) create perceived fresh starts that motivate behavior change. He asks: do these resets actually work, or do they just feel good?