From soap operas to new hobbies, check out these podcasts
This month brings a shower of new podcasts for your playlist. The NPR One team gathered a few returning favorites as well as some fresh releases from across public media.
The podcast episode descriptions below are from podcast webpages and have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Short Wave just released a three-part mini-series on the science of drugs like ketamine and psychedelics. Researchers are studying psychedelics and ketamine for a long list of conditions. But scientists still don’t know exactly how they work. The answer to that question could help inform the future of research and innovation in the field, and how the healthcare industry approaches mental health treatment. Each episode in the series covers a different aspect of the science behind these drugs: Including how some researchers are making new compounds inspired by psychedelics … without a trip.
Start listening to part one, “Why it’s hard to study the neuroscience of psychedelics.”
Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story – GPB
When a chemical fire broke out at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia in 2024, a plume of smoke blanketed the area, triggering evacuations and urgent warnings to stay indoors. But for many residents, this wasn’t just an isolated emergency — it was part of a larger pattern of industrial incidents that raised serious concerns about safety and oversight. In Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story, Pamela Kirkland investigates what led to the fire, how officials and the company responded, and the lingering questions about its impact on the community. Through firsthand accounts, expert analysis and newly uncovered details, this series explores the broader implications of chemical safety, regulation, and corporate responsibility — while giving voice to those living with the consequences.
Start listening to episode one, “Chemical Smoke Everywhere.”
This Is My Thing explores the ways we find and bring joy into our lives. It’s about the things we do not because it’s a job or a necessity, but simply because we love to do them. You’ll meet a guy who finds satisfaction in using his metal detector to find other people’s lost objects and you’ll hear from a group of retired ladies who started a ukulele band just because it sounded fun. And that’s just the start.
Making: Stories Without End – WBEZ
Soap operas are the foundation of American television storytelling. From early radio days in the 1930s to the invention of TV to streaming, soaps have endured by telling intergenerational family stories. Daytime dramas are an important part of American television history and popular culture. It’s been said that television is socially ahead of movies. Soap operas take that social consciousness a step further. Rape, abortion, AIDS, LGBTQ+ storylines — before primetime or even mainstream America was ready. But soaps have been written off as low-brow drivel for women. For decades, soaps routinely pushed serious social issues the general public didn’t even know about because they weren’t paying attention to them. Take this journey to learn the history of soaps, the innovative creators who pushed social impact and how the genre was the moneymaker for networks for decades. This is television’s unique immersive storytelling.
Start listening to, “Meet Irna Phillips: The Queen of Daytime.”
Hey, que onda? Welcome to Hyphenación, a podcast hosted by Xorje Andrés Olivares where conversation and cultura meet. What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life — like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. We love listening to shows about culture and identity like Tamarindo, It’s Been a Minute, Latina to Latina, Vibe Check, Locatora Radio and Dear Millennial. If you like them, too, then you’ll enjoy Hyphenación! So start listening!
This spring, we’re diving into the wonderfully weird. Get ready to meet some of the fiercest, strangest creatures on Earth — from Hawaiian jungle goblins to New York City’s elusive sewer beasts to nine-foot-tall misunderstood snow monsters. When we take a closer look at the creatures we usually fear, we often discover a little magic, wonder, even friendship! Join host Lulu Miller and Songbud Alan Goffinski for our wildest season yet — a nature walk packed with jaw-dropping stories, unforgettable guests, and original music. Listen with your family, or just by yourself. Either way, you’re in for an adventure. New episodes drop every Thursday — keep your eyes on the feed!
Start listening to, “The Shadow Creature: Rats Who Save Human Lives.”
It’s almost impossible to imagine life without the shopping cart today. However, it was invented less than a hundred years ago. Rachel Hopkin explores how it came about, its pervasive impact, and the role that the Oklahoma inventor/entrepreneur/philanthropist Sylvan Goldman played in its success.
NPR’s Jessica Green and Jack Mitchell curated and produced this piece.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
Breaking down Alabama’s CHOOSE Act
It’s been a year since Alabama legislators passed the CHOOSE Act allowing families to apply for state funds to use towards homeschool expenses and tuition for participating private schools. The Alabama Daily News’ education reporter Trisha Powell Crain has been diving into how the funds are being used. WBHM’s Andrew Gelderman sat down with her to talk about what we’re seeing so far.
