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Planet Money: The Memecoin Casino Mar 28, 2025

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Reporter Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi has the story of an unusual website you’ve likely never heard of. A website that has been responsible for rapidly making the world of Dogecoin and other memecoins become even more unhinged, all while generating small fortunes for foul-mouthed children.

The Parable of Peanut the Memecoin

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Viruses in the Air Mar 21, 2025

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In the 1930s, two scientists made a very important discovery, but their breakthrough idea failed to spread. In large part because the two were considered so deeply annoying. Reporter Carl Zimmer brings us a story of the scientific process and its very human constraints.

Airborne by Carl Zimmer

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The Puzzle of the All-American BBQ Scrubber Mar 14, 2025

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Why it’s so difficult to manufacture something entirely in America, and what happens if you try anyway.

The Smarter Scrubber Grill Brush

Destin Sandlin’s YouTube Channel: Smarter Every Day

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DOGE and the Mystery of the State Department Teslas Mar 07, 2025

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There’s a new president of America, and he’s doing a lot of things. How do you decide what to pay attention to? A story about reporters focusing on one mysterious line item during the DOGE headline storm, and where that led.

Bobby Allyn

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Does anyone actually like their job? (classic) Feb 28, 2025

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... Or, am I being lied to by a Brooklyn-based musician? At twenty-five, I had a question for The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. This week, I finally got to ask it.

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Can you cure picky eating? Feb 21, 2025

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An adult picky eater, ostracized by his friends, castigated by society, asks the most human question of all: can I change? Our friends Manny, Noah, and Devan, the chicken bone squad, return to answer their own question.

Check out Manny, Noah, and Devan's new podcast, No Such Thing

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What should we do about teens using AI to do their homework? Feb 14, 2025

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A teenager explains why he shouldn’t have to write homework essays anymore. Is there some way for adults to force teens to still do homework? Or to convince them they should want to?

More Than Words - John Warner

Center for Digital Thriving

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What happens when a cemetery goes out of business? Feb 07, 2025

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We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the place we go where we die and an answer to what happens when it runs out of money.

Is the Cemetery Dead? by David Charles Sloane

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What’s it like to fly when you’re fat? Jan 24, 2025

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One of the most routine and uncomfortable miracles many of us experience, flight. Airplanes have gotten increasingly more cramped and less comfortable. What’s it like flying as a fat person, all the invisible negotiations and strategizing. Audio Producer Ronald Young, Jr. reports on the experience, and why it’s been changing.

Check out Weight For It! (We recommend you begin at the beginning, with episode one.)

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The New Zuckerberg Jan 18, 2025

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What’s going on with Mark Zuckerberg? He recently conspicuously pivoted toward MAGA, meeting quietly with incoming Trump officials, and complaining about the Biden administration on Joe Rogan’s podcast. This week, we trace the story of the Meta CEO, and investigate what his new persona means for the 4 billion people who use his products.

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