Search Engine

Episoder

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  What’s in your cocaine and the questions Search Engine CAN’T answer 24.07.2026 1t 1min

  An interview with a cocaine salesman about cocaine adulterants, plus – questions Search Engine can’t answer, with special guest Kelefa Sanneh. Become a premium subscriber!
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  How to pursue excellence … in noodles (unlocked bonus) 17.07.2026 47min

  The world right now, seems tilted towards the good enough. The AI-written wedding toast, the half-assed attempt. Despite this, a handmade noodle shop is trying to make perfect noodles. Trying so hard that they have signs admonishing their customers to ONLY EAT THEIR SPICY NOODLES THE CORRECT WAY, DO NOT TAKE THEM TO-GO, THE EXPERIENCE WILL BE RUINED.Why do some people still want to do small things perfectly, even at the expense of profits? An interview with Jason Wang, of Xi'an Famous Foods.Become a premium member!
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  Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 2 (classic) 10.07.2026 1t 10min

  We travel to Germany to trace techno’s history from Detroit to Berlin. The story of how, after the Wall fell, Berlin exorcised its brutal past with a very strange, decade-long party. A mission that takes us all the way to the gates of Berghain.Music Credits: Original composition in this episode by Armen Bazarian. Additional Tracks: Game One - Infiniti, Dead Man Watches The Clock - Marcel Dettmann & Ben Klock, The Call - Marcel Dettmann & Norman Nodge, Quicksand - Marcel Dettmann. Full playlist here.Sven von Thüle: https://soundcloud.com/svt // Der Klang der FamilieGesine Kühne: https://soundcloud.com/wannadosomething Become a premium member!
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  Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 1 (classic) 03.07.2026 52min

  Two Americans embark on a quest: fly across an ocean to try to get into the most exclusive nightclub in the world – Berghain. A German techno palace where the line outside can last 8 hours, and the bouncers are merciless in their judgments. The club does not explain how it makes its decisions about who can enter, but one foolish podcaster will try to explain anyway.Become a premium member!
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  A Strange Voyage 25.06.2026 1t

  This month, SpaceX had the largest IPO  in all of human history. In a mission to understand a bewildering moment, we trace the story of the stock market itself. From its very beginnings in the Netherlands, to its supersizing in America, through the prism of crypto and widespread speculation that has led to this moment with SpaceX. What happened? ⁠The World's First Stock Exchange⁠ by Lodewijk Petram⁠The Wisdom of Finance⁠ by Mihir Desai⁠Liftoff⁠ and ⁠Reentry⁠ by Eric BergerSearch Engine's earlier reporting on Elon Musk’s controversial data centers: ⁠Colossus 1⁠ & ⁠Colossus 2⁠⁠⁠Sign up to be a premium subscriber!⁠
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  Why doesn’t anybody come to my parties? 15.06.2026 47min

  Claire Haber-Harris has a question. When she sends out an invitation, why does she get a tidal wave of excuses and no's? How could someone claim to have had the same stomach virus three times in a row? Search Engine investigates why a random American mom might be annoying people in her community. Cartoons Hate Her on SubstackBecome a premium member!
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  Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret? (classic) 05.06.2026 1t 8min

  An investigation into a mysterious room. A room that the most famous family in England apparently does not want you to see.Support the show!
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  Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund? 29.05.2026 40min

  The President has created a 1.776 billion dollar fund of taxpayer money he can direct to whoever he wants. Huh? How did this happen, and what might happen next? We talk to Pro Publica’s Jesse Eisinger, an investigative reporter who has played a strange role in this whole story.   Listen to our series with Jesse: Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1) and (Part 2) Check out the new ProPublica podcast Paper Trail. Support the show!
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  Presenting: Family Lore 27.05.2026 34min

  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.
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  The many lives of Taiwan 22.05.2026 1t 6min

  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
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  Why are people excited about nuclear power again? 08.05.2026 49min

  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!
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  What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic) 01.05.2026 49min

  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
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  Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America? 24.04.2026 38min

  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!
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  The Cost of War 17.04.2026 48min

  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!
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  What we got wrong about GLP-1s 10.04.2026 46min

  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!
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  The Trial of the Driverless Car 26.03.2026 1t 3min

  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!
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  Are you a good driver? 23.03.2026 1t 6min

  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!
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  Odd Lots x Search Engine 06.03.2026 48min

  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.
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  Mysteries of Claude 27.02.2026 48min

  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!
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  Why don’t we eat people? (classic) 20.02.2026 57min

  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.