Freakonomics Radio

673. What Is Money?

That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series [https://freakonomics.com/david-langs-the-wealth-of-nations/].)   * SOURCES: * Fleur Barron [https://www.fleurbarron.com/], opera singer and mezzo-soprano. * David Lang [https://davidlangmusic.com/about/], composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.   * RESOURCES: * "Finally, an Opera About Economics [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-20/gustavo-dudamel-s-the-wealth-of-nations-melds-opera-and-economics?embedded-checkout=true]," by Stacey Vanek Smith (Bloomberg, 2026). * "The Little Match Girl Passion [https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-little-match-girl-passion]," by David Lang (2023). * The Wealth of Nations [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.207956/page/n3/mode/2up], by Adam Smith (1776).   * EXTRAS: * "In Search of the Real Adam Smith [https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/in-search-of-the-real-adam-smith/]," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

672. What Makes Judy Faulkner Run?

Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse.   * SOURCES: * Judy Faulkner [https://www.epic.com/about/], C.E.O. and founder of Epic Systems. * Seth Howard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethhoward/], executive vice president of research and development at Epic Systems.   * RESOURCES: * "Epic Systems (MyChart) [https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/epic-systems-mychart]," by Acquired (2025). * "Federal antitrust lawsuit against Wisconsin-based Epic Systems will move forward [https://www.wpr.org/news/federal-antitrust-lawsuit-against-epic-systems-move-forward]," by Joe Schulz (Wisconsin Public Radio, 2025). * "Bill Gates meets Willy Wonka: How Epic’s 82-year-old billionaire CEO, Judy Faulkner, built her software factory [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/16/how-epics-82-year-old-ceo-judy-faulkner-built-her-software-factory.html]," by Ashley Capoot (CNBC, 2025). * "Epic: The Future of Health Information Technology [https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=66399]," by Regina Herzlinger and Brian Walker (Harvard Business School, 2024).   * EXTRAS: * "Can A.I. Save Your Life? [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-a-i-save-your-life/]" by Freakonomics Radio (2026). * "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-fix-the-hot-mess-of-u-s-healthcare-ep-456/]," by Freakonomics Radio (2021). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us?   * SOURCES: * Bethany Brookshire [https://bethanybrookshire.com/], author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. * Kathy Corradi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-corradi-0678514a/], senior vice president of resident services, partnerships, and initiatives at the New York City Housing Authority. * Ed Glaeser [https://scholar.harvard.edu/glaeser/home], professor of economics at Harvard University. * Nils Stenseth [https://www.mn.uio.no/english/people/adm/fac/research/nilsst/], professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Oslo.   * RESOURCES: * "On Patrol With the Rat Czar, [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/rat-czar-kathleen-corradi-eric-adams.html]" by Mark Chiusano (Intelligencer, 2024). * "How Rats Took Over North America, [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-rats-took-over-north-america/]" by Allison Parshall (Scientific American, 2024). * "Where Are the Rats in New York City, [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/realestate/rats-nyc-boroughs-study.html]" by Matt Yan (New York Times, 2024). * Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains [https://amzn.to/4hQ725I] by Bethany Brookshire (2022). * "Human ectoparasites and the spread of plague in Europe during the Second Pandemic, [https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1715640115]" by Nils Stenseth, Katharine Dean, Fabienne Krauer, Lars Walløe, Ole Christian Lingjærde, Barbara Bramanti, and Boris Schmid (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018).   * EXTRAS:  * "Freakonomics Radio Live: 'Jesus Could Have Been a Pigeon.' [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/freakonomics-radio-live-jesus-could-have-been-a-pigeon/]" by Freakonomics Radio (2018). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?

One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle.   * SOURCES: * Charles Piller [https://www.science.org/content/author/charles-piller], investigative journalist for Science, author of Doctored. * Matthew Schrag [https://www.vumc.org/vmac/person/matthew-s-schrag-md-phd], associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.   * RESOURCES: * Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's [https://amzn.to/4tgz7t3], by Charles Piller (2025). * "The brain makes a lot of waste. Now scientists think they know where it goes [https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/06/26/g-s1-6177/brain-waste-removal-system-amyloid-alzheimer-toxins]," by Jon Hamilton (NPR, 2024). * "The history of Alzheimer’s disease [https://www.nature.com/immersive/alzheimers-disease-history/index.html]," by Lisa Kiani and Richard Hodson (Nature, 2024).   * EXTRAS: * "Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.? [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-marty-makary-fix-the-f-d-a/]" by Freakonomics Radio (2026). * "Are You Ready for the Elder Swell? [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/are-you-ready-for-the-elder-swell/]" by Freakonomics Radio (2025). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

670. Beeconomics 101

How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind.   * SOURCES: * Alex Sapoznik [https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/alexandra-sapoznik], historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London. * Chris Hiatt [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hiatt-689a91a/], past president of the American Honey Producers Association, owner of Hiatt Honey Company. * Michael Roberts [https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/michael-t-roberts], founding executive director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at U.C.L.A. Law School. * Walter "Wally" Thurman [https://cals.ncsu.edu/agricultural-and-resource-economics/people/wthurman/], professor emeritus of agricultural economics at North Carolina State University.   * RESOURCES: * "U.S. honey is increasingly supplied through imports [https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=89167]," by David Olsen (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018). * "Economic Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health [https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/88117/ERR-246.pdf?v=41171]," by Peyton Ferrier, Randal Rucker, Walter Thurman, and Michael Burgett (USDA Economic Research Service, 2018). * "The Fable of the Bees: An Economic Investigation [https://gwern.net/doc/economics/mechanism-design/1973-cheung.pdf]," by Steven Cheung (The Journal of Law and Economics, 1973). * "Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook Tables - Visualization: Meeting honey demand in the United States [https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/sugar-and-sweeteners-yearbook-tables/visualization-meeting-honey-demand-in-the-united-states]," (USDA Economic Research Service). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.