Programs

This episode was recorded on August 24th, 2025 at the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center in Clarksburg, WV. The lineup includes Robert Randolph, Carolyn Wonderland, Patty Larkin, and Nellie McKay. https://bit.ly/472AlQd

Over the past five years TikTok has radically changed the online world. But trust us when we say, it’s not how you’d expect.Today we continue our yearslong exploration of what you can and can’t post online. We look at how Facebook’s approach to free speech has evolved since Trump’s victory. How TikTok upended everything we see. And what all this means for the future of our political and digital lives.Special thanks to Kate KlonickEPISODE CREDITS: Reported by – Simon AdlerProduced by – Simon AdlerOriginal music from – Simon Adlerwith mixing help from – Jeremy BloomeFact-checking by – Anna Pujol-MazziniLateral Cuts:The Trust EngineersFacebook’s Supreme CourtSignup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with Rough Trade collaborators Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee about their contributions to the music industry and their new label River Lea, which focuses on Irish folk music. The hosts also review the buzzy new album from indie rockers, Geese.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Lankum, "Cold Old Fire," Cold Old Fire, Self Released, 2014The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Geese, "Taxes," Getting Killed, Partisan, 2025Geese, "Islands of Men," Getting Killed, Partisan, 2025Geese, "Trinidad," Getting Killed, Partisan, 2025Geese, "Half Real," Getting Killed, Partisan, 2025Brighde Chaimbeul, "An Léimras / Harris Dance," The Reeling, River Lea, 2019Raw Bar Collective, "Baile Mhúirne (feat. Nell Ní Chróinín)," Ag Fogairt an Lae, Self Released, 2016The Wolfe Tones, "Come Out Ye Black & Tans," Let The People Sing, Dolphin, 1972Lankum, "Go Dig My Grave," False Lankum, Rough Trade, 2023Lisa O'Neill, "All the Tired Horses," All the Tired Horses (Single), Rough Trade, 2022John Francis Flynn, "Mole in The Ground," Look Over the Wall, See the Sky, River Lea, 2023Poor Creature, "The Whole Town Knows," All Smiles Tonight, River Lea, 2025Poor Creature, "All Smiles Tonight," All Smiles Tonight, River Lea, 2025Ye Vagabonds, "An Island," Nine Waves, River Lea, 2022Poor Creature, "Adieu Lovely Eireann," All Smiles Tonight, River Lea, 2025Public Image Ltd, "Flowers of Romance," Flowers of Romance, Virgin, 1981ANOHNI, "It Must Change," My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross, Rough Trade, 2023Robert Wyatt, "The Age of Self," Old Rottenhat, Rough Trade, 1985The Smiths, "Frankly, Mr. Shankly," The Queen Is Dead, Rough Trade, 1986John Fogerty, "Zanz Kant Danz," Centerfield, Warner Bros, 1984Swell Maps, "The Helicopter Spies," Jane from Occupied Europe, Rough Trade, 1980See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Xi Persei doesn’t look all that imposing. The star shines at fourth magnitude, so it’s visible under dark skies, but not from cities and towns. But that’s only because it’s a long way off – about 1200 light-years. In reality, it’s one of the most impressive stars visible to the human eye. Perseus climbs the eastern sky on autumn evenings. It consists of a couple of ribbons of stars that join at Mirfak, the constellation’s leading light. And it contains the most famous variable star in the sky: Algol, the Demon Star, which fades and brightens every three days. Yet neither can compare with Xi Persei, which is near the bottom of the longer ribbon. At visible wavelengths, it’s about 13,000 times brighter than the Sun. But it’s tens of thousands of degrees hotter than the Sun, so it emits most of its light in the ultraviolet. When you add that in, Xi Persei is a quarter of a million times the Sun’s brightness. The key to that showiness is the star’s mass – roughly 30 times the Sun’s mass. At that great heft, gravity squeezes its core tightly, revving up its nuclear engine. Energy works its way to the surface, making Xi Persei hot and bright. Before long, it’ll get even hotter and brighter. It’ll explode as a supernova, briefly shining brighter than billions of normal stars – a brilliant demise for an impressive star. Xi Persei energizes a nearby cloud of gas, and we’ll have more about that tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a new music episode featuring the latest and greatest from Kinky, Amigas!, The Warning, Nonpalidece & Fito Paez, Angélica Garcia, Systema Solar, Di Wav & Casa de Kello and more!

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