Black Box
Radiolab

Black Box

Feb 27, 2026 · 1h 5m

About this episode

<p>In this episode, first aired in 2014, we examine three very different kinds of black boxes—spaces where we know what’s going in, we know what’s coming out, but can’t see what happens in-between.</p> <p>From the darkest parts of metamorphosis to a sixty-year-old secret among magicians, and the nature of consciousness itself, we shine some light on three questions. But for each, we contend with an answerless space, leaving just enough room for the mystery and magic, always wondering what’s inside the Black Box.</p> <p><strong>EPISODE CREDITS: </strong><br> Reported by Tim Howard and Molly Webster<br> Produced by Tim Howard and Molly Webster</p> <p><strong>EPISODE CITATIONS:</strong><br> Radio Show: ABC's Keep Them Guessing (https://tinyurl.com/9r9zmftr)<br><br><strong>LATERAL CUTS:</strong><br> Last year we shared a story on our feed about butterfly researcher Dr. Martha Weiss, and how she befriended a little boy on the other side of the world who wanted to do his own caterpillar memory study.</p> <p>Martha’s daughter Annie Rosenthal captured the whole adventure on tape and produced a gorgeous audio feature, “Caterpillar Roadshow,” which was first published in the audio magazine <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1k8e1cqpzsCX6NS54KXzPE" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signal Hill</a>. <br><br> You can find it on our <a href="https://zpr.io/xPdAYXFUMr4s" rel="noopener noreferrer">feed</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/xPdAYXFUMr4s" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/xPdAYXFUMr4s</a>)<br> –or on <a href="https://zpr.io/a4bjPKeXJQWK" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signal Hill’s website</a>. (<a href="https://zpr.io/a4bjPKeXJQWK" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/a4bjPKeXJQWK</a>) <br>  </p> <p><i>Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. </i><a href="https://radiolab.org/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Sign up</i></a><i> (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!</i></p> <p><i>Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of </i><a href="http://members.radiolab.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>The Lab</i></a><i> (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.</i></p> <p><i>Follow our show on </i><a href="http://instagram.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Instagram</i></a><i>, </i><a href="http://twitter.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Twitter</i></a><i> and </i><a href="http://facebook.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Facebook</i></a><i> @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing </i><a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>radiolab@wnyc.org</i></a><i>.</i></p> <p><br><i>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.</i></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>