Episodes 136
Avg. Duration 53m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.8 (4,643)
Since Mar 2022
Latest Episode May 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
60%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small. Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

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Recent Episodes

Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund?

May 29, 2026 43m

The President has created a 1.776 billion dollar fund of taxpayer money he can direct to whoever he wants. Huh? How did this happen, and what might happen next? We talk to Pro Publica’s Jesse…

Presenting: Family Lore

May 27, 2026 38m Bonus

Presenting an episode of Family Lore, a new show on the Audacy network. The granddaughter of a prolific Jewish art collector who fled Europe during World War II embarks on a quest to recover the…

The many lives of Taiwan

May 22, 2026 1h 10m

We go deep into the story of Taiwan. How a tiny island escaped demise, chartered a course from colonial subjugation through mass Barbie production and into the technological powerhouse it is…

Why are people excited about nuclear power again?

May 08, 2026 52m

Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers for Google and Microsoft. What does new nuclear technology look like, and why do the nuclear optimists…

What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)

May 01, 2026 52m

We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the…

Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?

Apr 24, 2026 42m

An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results.  Read Caity Weaver’s…

The Cost of War

Apr 17, 2026 51m

The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public does not understand. One question we can try to answer: how much is this conflict costing us? The surprising…

What we got wrong about GLP-1s

Apr 10, 2026 49m

Search Engine is breaking its cowardly three-year silence on GLP-1s. We have been curious about them. We have been afraid of getting in trouble. We are no longer afraid. A conversation with Dr.…

The Trial of the Driverless Car

Mar 26, 2026 1h 6m

In blue cities throughout the country, unions and politicians are fighting to ban driverless cars. We travel to Boston, where the fight has reached a fever pitch, and where the cars themselves will…

Are you a good driver?

Mar 23, 2026 1h 10m

The story of how a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. And, an answer to the question: are the robots actually safer drivers than we are?  Driven: The Race to Create…

Odd Lots x Search Engine

Mar 06, 2026 51m Bonus

This week, we’re sharing an episode from Odd Lots. An interview with The Economist's Mike Bird about how Chinese real estate became the biggest bubble in history. You can find more episodes from Odd…

Mysteries of Claude

Feb 27, 2026 52m

Anthropic hired philosophers to teach its AI to be good. In their tests, the AI blackmailed a human to keep itself alive. Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus went inside the company to figure out what's going…

Why don’t we eat people? (classic)

Feb 20, 2026 1h

A question from a four-year-old tips us into an investigation of one of our most fundamental taboos: cannibalism. With help from New Yorker food critic Hannah Goldfield and writer Kelefa Sanneh. To…

How Peptides Conquered the Internet

Feb 13, 2026 48m

Two decades ago, bodybuilders on niche internet forums started injecting peptides. Now they're in the secret mini-fridges of some teenage boys. How did they get there? We track their crooked path…

Are flushable wipes actually flushable?

Jan 30, 2026 59m

A simple question leads us on a journey from the bowels of New York City through the courtrooms of South Carolina to the disgusting truth. Support Search Engine! To learn more about listener data…

The Venezuelan Curse (Part 2)

Jan 20, 2026 1h 2m

The conclusion to our story about Venezuela. How a country goes from a prosperous democracy to a poverty-ravaged dictatorship. The End (our 2022 episode on Greenland) The Many Faces of Chavismo -…

The Venezuelan Curse (Part 1)

Jan 16, 2026 1h 9m

For the past year, there's been a steady drumbeat of headlines about Venezuela. Now the US has invaded, arrested its president, and installed itself in charge. To understand how we got here, we…

The Fediverse Experiment

Jan 09, 2026 41m

Our present version of the internet is arguably the worst it’s ever been. Which means – any shot at changing things, even an unlikely one – is worth trying out. Three podcasters who’ve spent years…

Heavyweight x Search Engine

Dec 26, 2025 39m

As a very special holiday treat, we are sharing a story from one of our favorite podcasts, Heavyweight. Gregor's parents are pushing 90. Gregor wants to move them out of their big Victorian home.…

A Perfectly Average Anomaly

Dec 19, 2025 59m

A man walks into an airport body scanner, and with eerie consistency, the machine flags the exact same part of his body. What could be going on? Search Engine investigates a Bermuda…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Search Engine have?

Search Engine has published 136 episodes since March 2022, covering topics in Business, Society & Culture.

Is Search Engine still active?

Search Engine is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 53m.

How do I contact Search Engine for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Search Engine, including email and social media links.

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