Picking up where our favorite weekly radio shows got us started in years past (Splendid Table, This American Life, RadioLab), podcasts give us a chance to learn or be amused, on our time, at our convenience. I like to listen to them when I’m cooking or driving or taking a walk, and the wide range of options means that I can pick a topic or a theme that suits my mood or inclination at the time.

Invisibilia was released at the start of 2015, with six episodes that were each an hour long. This is an NPR podcast, and here’s their description of it: Invisibilia (Latin for invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions.

Speaking of invisible things: I spotted this astounding fact on a bench at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science last week in Dallas.

Like the very best of Radiolab segments (such as Darwinvaganza), this podcast mixes scientific research with story telling. Though all six episodes continue to be available and are worth a listen, Entanglement was one of my favorites. If you have an hour to spare and you’re interested in stretching your brain in a few directions, I very much recommend it. First, there’s a brief physics lesson, then a tale of a seemingly impossible human condition, and finally a visit with comedian Maria Bamford (who is touchingly hilarious and happens to be from Minnesota). True to the theme, each of the topics touches on entanglement. More than a year after I initially listened to it, the concepts and ideas that were introduced to me here continue to bounce around in my head.

A new season of Invisibilia is starting June 17, and I expect it to be thought provoking. If you listen to it, let me know. I’m sure there will be much to discuss.

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