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Radiolab

G: Relative Genius

Radiolab

WNYC Studios

History, Science, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Society & Culture

4.644.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 June 2019

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Albert Einstein asked that when he died, his body be cremated and his ashes be scattered in a secret location. He didn’t want his grave, or his body, becoming a shrine to his genius. When he passed away in the early morning hours of April, 18, 1955, his family knew his wishes. There was only one problem: the pathologist who did the autopsy had different plans. In the third episode of “G”, Radiolab’s miniseries on intelligence, we go on one of the strangest scavenger hunts for genius the world has ever seen. We follow Einstein’s stolen brain from that Princeton autopsy table, to a cider box in Wichita, Kansas, to labs all across the country. And eventually, beyond the brain itself entirely. All the while wondering, where exactly is the genius of a man who changed the way we view the world?    This episode was reported by Rachael Cusick and Pat Walters, and produced by Bethel Habte, Rachael Cusick, and Pat Walters. Music by Alex Overington and Jad Abumrad.  Special thanks to: Elanor Taylor, Claudia Kalb, Dustin O’Halloran, Tim Huson, The Einstein Papers Project, and all the physics for (us) dummies Youtube videos that accomplished the near-impossible feat of helping us understand relativity. Radiolab’s “G” is supported in part by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science. Support Radiolab today at Radiolab.org/donate.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Wait, you're listening.

0:03.1

Okay.

0:04.4

All right.

0:05.6

Okay.

0:07.0

All right.

0:08.5

You're listening to Radio Lab.

0:11.4

Radio Lab.

0:11.9

From W. N. Y.

0:13.9

See?

0:14.9

Yeah.

0:19.2

Hey, this is G.

0:20.4

G.

0:27.0

A Radio Lab miniseries.

0:28.5

I'm Pat Walters.

0:29.8

And I'm Rachel Kuzik.

0:37.6

And today we're going to go looking for intelligence in what might seem like one of the more obvious places.

0:39.3

Right over here.

0:39.7

Okay.

0:42.3

Do you need water to go in the other? Yeah, water's okay.

0:43.5

And the story starts with this guy.

0:45.4

My name is Stephen Levy.

0:46.8

I'm editor large at Wired Magazine.

...

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