Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: What can a caterpillar pass on to the next generation? What can we?
A couple years ago, an entomologist named Martha Weiss got a letter from a little boy in Japan saying he wanted to replicate a famous study of hers. We covered that original study on Radiolab more than a decade ago in an episode called Goo and You, and in addition to revealing some fascinating secrets of insect life, it also raises big questions about memory, permanence and transformation. The letter Martha received about building on this study set in motion a series of spectacular events that advance her original science and show how science works when a 12-year-old boy is the one doing it. Martha’s daughter, reporter Annie Rosenthal, captured all of it and turned it into a beautiful audio story called “Caterpillar Roadshow.” It was originally published in a brand new independent audio magazine called Signal Hill, which happens to have been created in part by two former Radiolab interns (Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach, both of whom worked on this piece), and we loved it, so we’re presenting an excerpt for you here.
Special thanks to Annie Rosenthal, Liza Yeager, Jackson Roach, Leo Wong, Omar Etman, the whole team at Signal Hill, Carlos Morales, John Lill, Marfa Public Radio and Emma Garschagen.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Annie Rosenthal
Produced by Annie Rosenthal
with help from Leo Wong and Omar Etman
Sound design contributed by Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach
Fact-checking by Alan Dean
and Edited by Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Audio:
Listen to the original Radiolab episode, Goo and You, here (zpr.io/qh9xqpkXzk7j).
Or the Signal Hill podcast here (zpr.io/CDfwyK7Zkrva).
Guests:
And if you want to learn more about Martha Weiss, and her work, head over here (zpr.io/aBw2YsqWB6NZ).
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🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
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Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: What can a caterpillar pass on to the next generation? What can we?
A couple years ago, an entomologist named Martha Weiss got a letter from a little boy in Japan saying he wanted to replicate a famous study of hers. We covered that original study on Radiolab more than a decade ago in an episode called Goo and You, and in addition to revealing some fascinating secrets of insect life, it also raises big questions about memory, permanence and transformation. The letter Martha received about building on this study set in motion a series of spectacular events that advance her original science and show how science works when a 12-year-old boy is the one doing it. Martha’s daughter, reporter Annie Rosenthal, captured all of it and turned it into a beautiful audio story called “Caterpillar Roadshow.” It was originally published in a brand new independent audio magazine called Signal Hill, which happens to have been created in part by two former Radiolab interns (Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach, both of whom worked on this piece), and we loved it, so we’re presenting an excerpt for you here.
Special thanks to Annie Rosenthal, Liza Yeager, Jackson Roach, Leo Wong, Omar Etman, the whole team at Signal Hill, Carlos Morales, John Lill, Marfa Public Radio and Emma Garschagen.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Annie Rosenthal
Produced by Annie Rosenthal
with help from Leo Wong and Omar Etman
Sound design contributed by Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach
Fact-checking by Alan Dean
and Edited by Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Audio:
Listen to the original Radiolab episode, Goo and You, here (zpr.io/qh9xqpkXzk7j).
Or the Signal Hill podcast here (zpr.io/CDfwyK7Zkrva).
Guests:
And if you want to learn more about Martha Weiss, and her work, head over here (zpr.io/aBw2YsqWB6NZ).
🎧 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
