Robert Krulwich

Host Emeritus, Radiolab

Robert Krulwich appears in the following:

Jupiter's Dot And Mine. Why Life Is Unfair

Thursday, May 22, 2014

When I was 9, my dad drew this picture of me. You will notice something on my left cheek — a little brown spot.

That's a mole. The doctor called it "a birthmark." My mom called it "a beauty mark." I was born with it. Having grown up before supermodel ...

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Jupiter's Dot And Mine. Why Life Is Unfair

Thursday, May 22, 2014

When I was 9, my dad drew this picture of me. You will notice something on my left cheek — a little brown spot.

Allen Krulwich

That's a mole. The doctor called it "a birthmark." My mom called it "a beauty mark." I was ...

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So What If It's Ugly? It Just Keeps On Going ...

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Far, far, far away is a great place to be — if you want to stay marvelous. There is a plant, called Welwitschia mirabilis (mirabilis being Latin for marvelous), found only one place on Earth. You can get there, as artist/photographer Rachel Sussman did, by driving through the vast emptiness ...

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So What If It's Ugly? It Just Keeps On Going ...

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Far, far, far away is a great place to be — if you want to stay marvelous. There is a plant, called Welwitschia mirabilis (mirabilis being Latin for marvelous), found only one place on Earth. You can get there, as artist/photographer Rachel Sussman did, by driving through the vast emptiness of the ...

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Comments [3]

Intriguing Lime-Green Blobs Appear In The Andes Mountains. Are They Alive?

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Oops.

Someone dropped lime sherbet on the desert — and it's melting. Who's going to clean this up?

Courtesy of Terrace Lodge

Nobody. Because this — believe it or not — is a plant. It may look like a glob of goo, but it's ...

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Comments [3]

Intriguing Lime-Green Blobs Appear In The Andes Mountains. Are They Alive?

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Oops.

Someone dropped lime sherbet on the desert — and it's melting. Who's going to clean this up?

Nobody. Because this — believe it or not — is a plant. It may look like a glob of goo, but it's not at all gooey. It's solid to the touch — ...

Comment

When Numbers Bleed, Freeze, Starve And Die On A Battlefield: The Dark Poetry Of Data

Friday, May 16, 2014

Vasily Vereshchagin/Wikimedia Commons 

I once read that when Napoleon invaded Russia, he lost most of his army not to the horrible Russian winter, horrible though it was. No, says this legend, Napoleon's army suffered from "button failure." The company that provided the army with ...

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When Numbers Bleed, Freeze, Starve And Die On A Battlefield: The Dark Poetry Of Data

Friday, May 16, 2014

I once read that when Napoleon invaded Russia, he lost most of his army not to the horrible Russian winter, horrible though it was. No, says this legend, Napoleon's army suffered from "button failure." The company that provided the army with coats made the buttons out of tin. Tin ...

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Why The U.S. Shunned The Man Who Will Now Lead India

Friday, May 16, 2014

Until a few months ago, the U.S. government was effectively boycotting Narendra Modi, the man who is virtually certain to be India's next prime minister following the landslide victory by his party in the country's parliamentary elections.

So will the U.S. now warm to Modi as the elected ...

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How To Marry The Right Girl: A Mathematical Solution

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Poor Johannes Kepler. One of the greatest astronomers ever, the man who figured out the laws of planetary motion, a genius, scholar and mathematician — in 1611, he needed a wife. The previous Mrs. Kepler had died of Hungarian spotted fever, so, with kids to raise and a household ...

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Did Homer Simpson Actually Solve Fermat's Last Theorem? Take A Look

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

You don't have to notice, but if you do, it's like a hidden kiss. There have always been popular television shows that sneak bits of arcane learning into their storylines. Star Trek did this. Dr. Who (in Britain) did this. So, back in the day, did Rocky and Bullwinkle, and before them, a cartoon show called Crusader Rabbit. You'd be watching the program, and — hiding in a tossed-off bit of dialogue, a detail on the set, or some signage in the background — there would be a sly reference to a math problem or to a philosopher.

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Comments [9]

Did Homer Simpson Actually Solve Fermat's Last Theorem? Take A Look

Sunday, May 11, 2014

You don't have to notice, but if you do, it's like a hidden kiss. There have always been popular television shows that sneak bits of arcane learning into their storylines. Star Trek did this. Dr. Who (in Britain) did this. So, back in the day, did Rocky and Bullwinkle and ...

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A Question Of Biggitude: What's The Largest Creature On Earth?

Thursday, May 08, 2014

What's the biggest living thing on Earth? I can think of two. I'm not sure which is biggest, but neither of them is a blue whale. These are weirder. Much, much weirder.

One is a tree. The other eats trees.

This is the tree.

Now, I know this looks like ...

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A Question Of Biggitude: What's The Largest Creature On Earth?

Thursday, May 08, 2014

What's the biggest living thing on Earth? I can think of two. I'm not sure which is biggest, but neither of them is a blue whale. These are weirder. Much, much weirder.

One is a tree. The other eats trees.

This is the tree.

J. ...

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Comments [5]

Draw My Left! No, No, My Other Left! A Hidden Bias In Art History Revealed

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Look at this guy.

He is half-smiley, half-frowny. I drew the mouth carefully to make it equal parts sad and happy.

But when you look at him — take him in whole — would you say he's having a good day or a bad day?

Most people would say: good ...

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Draw My Left! No, No, My Other Left! A Hidden Bias In Art History Revealed

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Look at this guy.

He is half-smiley, half-frowny. I drew the mouth carefully to make it equal parts sad and happy.

But when you look at him — take him in whole — would you say he's having a good day or a bad day?

...
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Comments [27]

Listen To These Lovely Cats. No, Actually, Don't

Sunday, May 04, 2014

"Oh, evolution," writes Mara Grunbaum in her new, about-to-come-out book, WTF Evolution, "You were doing so well with the lynx. You made it a fierce and graceful hunter, you gave it a luxurious spotted coat, you gave it pretty yellow eyes and tufted ears — and then you ...

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Listen To These Lovely Cats. No, Actually, Don't

Sunday, May 04, 2014

John Pitcher /iStockphoto

"Oh, evolution," writes Mara Grunbaum in her new, about-to-come-out bookWTF Evolution, "You were doing so well with the lynx. You made it a fierce and graceful hunter, you gave it a luxurious spotted coat, you gave it pretty yellow eyes and tufted ears — and ...

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Comments [9]

'Wassup, Sheep?' He Asked

Friday, May 02, 2014

One man is facing a few hundred sheep. He has questions. When he shouts to them, the sheep — surprisingly — answer back. It's a very lively back and forth, with one obvious problem. I don't trust these sheep. Their answer to his "Are you happy?" question seemed oddly, even ...

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Comments [8]