Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: One of the strangest things ever to hit planet Earth. Maybe.
In 1908, on a sunny, clear, quiet morning in Siberia, witnesses recall seeing a blinding light streak across the sky, and then… the earth shook, a forest was flattened, fish were thrown from streams, and roofs were blown off houses. The “Tunguska event,” as it came to be known, was one of the largest extraterrestrial impact events in Earth’s history. But what kind of impact—what exactly struck the earth in the middle of Siberia?—is still up for debate. Producer Annie McEwen dives into one idea that suggests a culprit so mysterious, so powerful, so… tiny, you won’t believe your ears. And stranger still, it may be in you right now. Or, according to Senior Correspondent Molly Webster, it could be You.
Episode Segments:
00:00 Intro
00:44 The Tunguska Event
18:40 Little Black Hole, the book
28:15 How dark matter comes into the equation
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🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
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🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
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Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Guests in this episode include: Matthew O'Dowd
Photo illustration Jared Bartman
From the Radiolab podcast: One of the strangest things ever to hit planet Earth. Maybe.
In 1908, on a sunny, clear, quiet morning in Siberia, witnesses recall seeing a blinding light streak across the sky, and then… the earth shook, a forest was flattened, fish were thrown from streams, and roofs were blown off houses. The “Tunguska event,” as it came to be known, was one of the largest extraterrestrial impact events in Earth’s history. But what kind of impact—what exactly struck the earth in the middle of Siberia?—is still up for debate. Producer Annie McEwen dives into one idea that suggests a culprit so mysterious, so powerful, so… tiny, you won’t believe your ears. And stranger still, it may be in you right now. Or, according to Senior Correspondent Molly Webster, it could be You.
Episode Segments:
00:00 Intro
00:44 The Tunguska Event
18:40 Little Black Hole, the book
28:15 How dark matter comes into the equation
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: bit.ly/3trXDLe
🔎 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
Twitter — twitter.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Guests in this episode include: Matthew O'Dowd
Photo illustration Jared Bartman
