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Search Engine

PJ Vogt

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small.

Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

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32 episodes
weekly
Avg 52 min
English

Episodes 32

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May 27 · 34 min
Presenting: Family Lore
Presenting an episode of Family Lore, a new show on the Audacy network. The granddaughter of a prolific Jewish art collector who fled Europe during World War II embarks on a quest to recover the looted art.
#141
May 22 · 1 hr 6 min
The many lives of Taiwan
We go deep into the story of Taiwan. How a tiny island escaped demise, chartered a course from colonial subjugation through mass Barbie production and into the technological powerhouse it is today. The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China's Economic Rise by Shelley Rigger Get tickets to hear PJ read live! Friends With Words at Roulette
#140
May 8 · 49 min
Why are people excited about nuclear power again?
Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers for Google and Microsoft. What does new nuclear technology look like, and why do the nuclear optimists believe this new tech is superior? Meltdowns, reactors that can fit in your backyard, and one podcaster’s heroic attempt to describe nuclear fission. Rachel Slaybaugh Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (check out her book Atomic Dreams) Adam Stein Search Engine’s episodes on data centers: Colossus 1 & Colossus 2 Support the show!
May 1 · 49 min
What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)
We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the place we go where we die and an answer to what happens when it runs out of money. Is the Cemetery Dead? by David Charles Sloane Support the show at searchengine.show
#139
April 24 · 38 min
Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?
An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results. Read Caity Weaver’s story. Support the show!
#138
April 17 · 48 min
The Cost of War
The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public does not understand. One question we can try to answer: how much is this conflict costing us? The surprising story of how the government learned to hide the costs of war, and how someone learned to get to the bottom of those costs anyway. Check out Professor Bilmes’ work. Additional listening: our episode on ballooning national debt and why it's a big deal Support the show!
#137
April 10 · 46 min
What we got wrong about GLP-1s
Search Engine is breaking its cowardly three-year silence on GLP-1s. We have been curious about them. We have been afraid of getting in trouble. We are no longer afraid. A conversation with Dr. Rachael Bedard about the many mistakes in how the media covered these drugs and what the research shows about their surprising effects. Dr. Bedard’s story on the rise of Ozempic Support the show!
#136
March 26 · 1 hr 3 min
The Trial of the Driverless Car
In blue cities throughout the country, unions and politicians are fighting to ban driverless cars. We travel to Boston, where the fight has reached a fever pitch, and where the cars themselves will create some very unusual political alliances. (This is part two of a two part series, listen to the beginning here.) ⁠⁠Support Search Engine!
#135
March 23 · 1 hr 6 min
Are you a good driver?
The story of how a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. And, an answer to the question: are the robots actually safer drivers than we are? Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car , Alex Davies ⁠Support Search Engine!
March 6 · 48 min
Odd Lots x Search Engine
This week, we’re sharing an episode from Odd Lots. An interview with The Economist's Mike Bird about how Chinese real estate became the biggest bubble in history. You can find more episodes from Odd Lots here.
#134
February 27 · 48 min
Mysteries of Claude
Anthropic hired philosophers to teach its AI to be good. In their tests, the AI blackmailed a human to keep itself alive. Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus went inside the company to figure out what's going on with Claude, and whether anyone can actually control it. Read Gideon's story here Support Search Engine!
February 20 · 57 min
Why don’t we eat people? (classic)
A question from a four-year-old tips us into an investigation of one of our most fundamental taboos: cannibalism. With help from New Yorker food critic Hannah Goldfield and writer Kelefa Sanneh.

Showing 21–32 of 32 episodes