542. Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case?

New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? SOURCE ...  Show more

One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle. SOURCES: Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, auth ...  Show more

Cela fait longtemps que Christophe Chabouté ne nous laisse plus indifférents. Depuis « Purgatoire », depuis son « Landru », mais surtout depuis « Construire un feu », « Tour Seul », « Moby Dick », « Terre-Neuvas », « Un peu de bois et d‘acier » ou encore « Yellow Cab », les al ...

David Reid delves into the debate around the repatriation of problematic art and treasures. He visits one museum in the north-west of England attempting to decolonise its collection by returning thousands of items to the countries and communities they were taken from. In this epi ...  Show more

This week, we go to one of the world’s largest museums, so a former guard can teach us new ways to appreciate art. Patrick Bringley was a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a decade. He recently wrote a memoir about his time there titled All the Beauty in the World. He t ...  Show more

ShownotesElk museum heeft het wel een keer meegemaakt. Een onhandige bezoeker die struikelt, een selfiestick die door een schilderij prikt, of een onderzoekende vinger die iets omduwt. In deze zaak de meest tenenkrommende ongelukjes van museumbezoekers. Een kleine zaak over vazen ...  Show more