NHPR Staff

Cruelty, violence, badness... This episode of Radiolab, we wrestle with the dark side of human nature, and ask whether it's something we can ever really understand, or fully escape. We encounter a man who scrambles our notions of good and evil, turn to one of the most famous (and misunderstood) psychology experiments ever, talk to a man who chased one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, then got a chance to ask him the question that had haunted him for years: why?

The greatest mysteries all have a shadowy figure at the center -- someone who sets things in motion and holds the key to how the rest of the story unfolds. In epidemiology, this central character is known as Patient Zero -- the case at the heart of an outbreak. This hour, Radiolab hunts for Patient Zeroes from all over the map, from the origins of a blues legend to the history of the high five, to a race to halt the spread of a deadly disease.

For more information, visit http://www.radiolab.org/.

So much of life is organized by cycles -- seasons, biological rhythms, even our ideas of consciousness. In this episode, Radiolab looks at some of the surprising ways that loops steer our lives, and asks what happens when we disturb them.

For information, visit http://www.radiolab.org/.

A good game -- whether it's a pro football playoff, or a family showdown on the kitchen table -- can make you feel, at least for a little while, like your whole life hangs in the balance. This hour of Radiolab, Jad and Robert wonder why we get so invested in something so trivial. What is it about games that make them feel so pivotal?

For more information, visit http://www.radiolab.org/.

What can machines tell us about being human? This hour of Radiolab, Jad and Robert meet humans and robots who are trying to connect, and blur the line. We talk to the world's most advanced robot, meet a man who fell in love with a chatbot, and argue with the inventor of Furby over whether a toy can ever really be "alive."

For more information, visit http://www.radiolab.org/

A roundup of the top-ten most-read stories on nhpr.org and StateImpact - NH website.

Tune in to Radiolab's new season beginning May 4 at noon. The first episode, Talking to Machines examines what machines can tell us about being human. View all episodes here. For additional information, visit the Radiolab website.

Web extra: Radiolab host Jad Abumrad tells CNN's The Next List about the changing face of radio, dissects the show's unique storytelling methods, and how he felt when he was told he would be named a MacArthur "Genius".

Author James Swan wrote 101 Things I Hate About Your House, and he’s prepared to share.  Join James, Company C and NHPR for a night of home design disaster prevention.  With a keen sense of design and a strong sense of humor, Swan, interviewed by NHPR's Rebecca Lavoie, will explore the many comical design mistakes that we make in our homes. With quick tips on how to brighten up our space and warnings on what to avoid at all costs, h

About 200 people attended New Hampshire's first Immigrant Integration Conference held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester on Saturday April 14. The conference's goal was to highlight the positive benefits immigrants have on New Hampshire’s business and communities. It was also to share ideas on what works well for integrating new comers to the state.  Below are a selection of photos from the conference. The full set will appear on NHPR's flickr channel. 

Photos: Mary-Catherine Jones, you can view her work here.