The archive

August 31, 2026

Patient Zero

Radiolab · Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich · 52 min

Why we chose this episode

How a story about the beginning of an outbreak becomes a story about how we assign blame. Radiolab at its most patient and least sensational.

Listen for this question

Who gets blamed when nobody is at fault?

Listen to the full episode

Every link above sends you to the creator’s own platform. We respect the original work, so we never host or summarize it here — we just point you back to the people who made it.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has watched a complicated event get flattened into one name.

Best way to listen

One sitting, with the lights low.

After the episode

Trace one thing you were told back to who first said it.

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