Latest Episodes
-
How Did Montreal Get So Good at Plowing Snow?
Put aside your space savers, and take a look up north: Montreal Gazette transportation reporter Jason Magder describes his city's ingenious method of removing snow from city streets. Then, historian Sara Morrison from Westfield State describes the long history of methods Boston has tried for managing snow here. Things were much more chaotic in Boston of yore. And our monthly look at the most-searched words in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. Editor at large Peter Sokolowski shows us how word searches reveal trends in what's on people minds. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos. -
Are We Wimps in Snow?
As we all dig out from the blizzard, we talk to meteorologist Dave Epstein about this storm and this winter generally compare to the historical record. The essential question, have several mild winters made us lose our edge when it comes to serious cold and snow? And librarians from the GBH Archives plow through (ahem...) decades of GBH tape to share gems from wintry television and radio from years past. -
Snow Day Special!
Massachusetts is getting pummeled with wind and snow in a genuine blizzard today, so we have a snow-themed special to keep you company.Under the ice: Jason Stolarski & Julie Wood explaining everything that goes on under the ice when the Charles River freezes over. Jason is a project leader for the MassWildlife Watershed Project, and Julie’s Climate Resilience Director for the Charles River Watershed Association. (Originally aired Feb 9, 2026.) "Sneckdown": a funny term for a familiar phenomenon, the natural pathways people make through freshly fallen snow. Jean-Luc Pierite explains the concept . Pierite is Board President of the Native American Indian Center of Boston and a former visiting scholar for MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. (Originally aired Feb 11, 2026.)And a snow day history class: school is out, but Daniel Berger-Jones from the Boston History Company joins as part of our America 250 coverage. He tells us about some of the under-explored battles that took place around Boston during the revolution. (Originally aired Feb 9, 2026.) -
Why Are You Backing Into That Parking Spot?
In a parking lot, everyone has a go-to method -- you either pull into a parking space, or back into it. Practitioners of each method tend to outrage the other. We ask Daniel Findley and Bryan Northrop help settle – once and for all – which is more efficient. Findley’s a civil engineer at NC State's Institute for Transportation Research and Education, and Northrop is vice president at Skanska, a construction management firm that builds parking garage and parking lots. Then, controversy policy moves have brought mRNA vaccines back into the headlines. Stirling Churchman helps us refamiliarize ourselves with how an mRNA vaccines works, why they're particularly useful for quickly mutating viruses, and how the potential mRNA technology compares to previous major breakthroughs in health science. Churchman is an associate professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. -
Could a Figure Skater Land FIVE Turns?
First up, President Trump's proposed “Board of Peace” has its first meeting today. We ask Abiodun Williams to explain the traditional structures of international diplomacy. Williams is a professor of the practice of international politics at Tufts. And, with figure skating fans in awe of the quadruple jump, we ask what ARE the limits for figure skating? Anette “Peko” Hosoi and Jerry Lu from the MIT Sports Lab talk physics of spinning and jumping, and new technology to push skaters forward. -
Why Don't We Have More Saunas?
It's National Sauna Week, and we stoke the fires of sauna envy in a conversation with Mark Babson, owner of Got Sauna, and Saana McDaniels, former president of the Finlandia Foundation.Plus, what ever happened to Smell-O-Vision?! Sandeep Robert Datta is a neurobiologist at Harvard, and he explains why it’s so hard to authentically replicate the sensation of smell. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos. -
Why Does an International Border Go Through This Library?
Winter Olympics has us hooked, and today we spotlight the one sport the US has never won an Olympic medal in: biathlon. Susan Dunklee is a multi-Olympian biathlete and coach based in Vermont. She explains how to excel at both cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.By listener request, we take a look at small town library that has an international border running right through the children's book collection. The Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec faces new challenges under the Trump administration. Board chair Sylvie Boudreau tells us how.And it's time for "The Secret Ingredient". Today chefs Irene Li and Yin Guan teach us how to appreciate artisan Chinese tea, as we kick off Lunar New Year. Guan is the founder of Broken Cup Teahouse in Kendall Square. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos. -
What About Teddy Roosevelt?
It's President's Day and we're all about Americana and the executive branch today. First up, a musical spin on our America 250 series with a listen back to De La Soul's 1989 album "Three Feet High and Rising." Writer and historian Dart Adams makes a strong argument for why the rap album was truly revolutionary.Then, we give some attention to lesser-told stories about the American presidency. Megan McCarthy, former editor in chief of Mental Floss, explains why the one and only Theodore Roosevelt is by far her favorite president, plus a few curious tales about Calvin Coolidge.And Merriam Webster editor Peter Sokolowski talks us through the origins of words like “president” and “citizen.” ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos. -
How Do You Avoid Bad Luck?
Valentine's Day isn't just for people - coyotes are getting it on this time of year too. Meghan Crawford is a biologist with Mass Wildlife and talks us through coyote mating season. And then, don't step on cracks, don't break mirrors, don't let the evil eye notice your good fortune: today is Friday the 13th! Folklore and mythology scholar Kerry Noonan from Champlain College explores the cultural origins of Friday the 13th and what separates superstition from faith. (Bonus: Noonan played the role of Paula Mott in the Friday the 13th Part IV.)---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos. -
How Close Are We to Curing Ovarian Cancer?
Our 'How Close We Are We?' series looks at big-picture problems and the people moving us towards solutions. Today, Sangeeta Bhatia and Angela Belcher -- both researchers at MIT -- explain the advances in treatment for ovarian cancer. And, your DIY questions and conundrums are solved by Mark Philben. Mark writes the “Ask the Remodeler” column for the Boston Globe, and takes your calls on ice dams and other winter home repairs.---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.
