Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich's music-woven radio show relays the mysteries of science with passion and irreverence
Countless science programmes have sought to attract the layperson, yet few do so with as much passion, irreverence and sheer gusto as Radiolab, the American radio show hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. Abumrad, a composer by training, is largely responsible for giving the show its signature, a total immersion of sounds and music interwoven with interviewees who debate topics as far and wide as the afterlife, coincidences and space travel. The production is polished, and every little sigh, every little note has its place, as if in a symphony. Nor does it condescend to listeners. Nowhere else can you listen to a young woman communicating with her boyfriend for the first time after a long coma, a scientist discussing zombie cockroaches, or an athlete explaining how a devastating brain injury made her one of the best ultra runners in the world. The wonders of our universe have never been relayed so enchantingly.