Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: How hidden hormones, oracular visions and nuclear submarine tech keeps our food fresh.
We eat apples in the summer and enjoy bananas in the winter. When we do this, we go against the natural order of life, which is towards death and decay. What gives? In this episode, Latif Nasser spoke with Nicola Twilley, the author of "Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves." Twilley spent more than a decade reporting about how we keep food alive as it makes its way from the farm to our table. This conversation explores the science of cold, how fruits hold a secret to eternal youth, and how the salad bag, of all things, is our local grocery store’s unsung hero.
Special thanks to Jim Lugg and Jeff Wooster.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser and Nicola Twilley with help from Maria Paz Gutiérrez.
Produced by Maria Paz Gutiérrez.
Original music from Jeremy Bloom.
Sound design contributed by Jeremy Bloom with mixing help from Arianne Wack.
Fact-checking by Emily Krieger.
Edited by Alex Neason.
EPISODE CITATIONS:
"How the Fridge Changed Flavor" by Nicola Twilley: newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/how-the-fridge-changed-flavor
"Africa’s Cold Rush and the Promise of Refrigeration" by Nicola Twilley: newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/africas-cold-rush-and-the-promise-of-refrigeration
"Frostbite" by Nicola Twilley: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/551601/frostbite-by-nicola-twilley
Gastropod podcast: link.chtbl.com/ndCzgCHU
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Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: How hidden hormones, oracular visions and nuclear submarine tech keeps our food fresh.
We eat apples in the summer and enjoy bananas in the winter. When we do this, we go against the natural order of life, which is towards death and decay. What gives? In this episode, Latif Nasser spoke with Nicola Twilley, the author of "Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves." Twilley spent more than a decade reporting about how we keep food alive as it makes its way from the farm to our table. This conversation explores the science of cold, how fruits hold a secret to eternal youth, and how the salad bag, of all things, is our local grocery store’s unsung hero.
Special thanks to Jim Lugg and Jeff Wooster.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser and Nicola Twilley with help from Maria Paz Gutiérrez.
Produced by Maria Paz Gutiérrez.
Original music from Jeremy Bloom.
Sound design contributed by Jeremy Bloom with mixing help from Arianne Wack.
Fact-checking by Emily Krieger.
Edited by Alex Neason.
EPISODE CITATIONS:
"How the Fridge Changed Flavor" by Nicola Twilley: newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/how-the-fridge-changed-flavor
"Africa’s Cold Rush and the Promise of Refrigeration" by Nicola Twilley: newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/africas-cold-rush-and-the-promise-of-refrigeration
"Frostbite" by Nicola Twilley: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/551601/frostbite-by-nicola-twilley
Gastropod podcast: link.chtbl.com/ndCzgCHU
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — instagram.com/radiolab
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
