Radiolab

Cheating Death


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In this episode, Maria Paz Gutiérrez does battle against the one absolute truth of human existence and all life… death. After getting a team of scientists to stand in for death (the grim reaper wasn’t available), we parry and thrust our way through the myriad ways that death comes for us - from falling pianos to evolution’s disinterest in longevity. In the process, we see if we can find a satisfying answer to the question “why do we have to die” and find ourselves face to face with the bitter end of everything that ever existed.

Special thanks to Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Steven Nadler, Beth Jarosz, Anjana Badrinarayanan, Shaon Chakrabarti, Bob Horvitz, John K. Davis, Jessica Brand, Chandan K. Sen, Cole Imperi, Carl Bergstrom, Erin Gentry -Lam, and Jared Silvia. 

This episode was made in loving memory of Dali Rodriguez.

EPISODE CREDITS - 
Reported by - Maria Paz Gutiérrez
Produced by - Maria Paz Gutiérrez
with help from - Alyssa Jeong Perry and Timmy Broderick
Original music and sound design contributed by - Maria Paz Gutiérrez and Jeremy Bloom
with mixing help from - Arianne Wack
Fact-checking by - Emily Krieger

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