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Radiolab

This American Roach

29 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What sparked Alex Neason's fear of cockroaches?

0.031 - 10.628 Latif Nasser

Hello, friends. We're doing something new and fun, a show not just for your ears, but also for your eyes and your skin and your tongues.

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11.93 - 23.929 Alex Neason

That sounds a little weird. What we are doing is a live show where we give the full Radiolab treatment to other senses, not just hearing, but now taste and touch.

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23.909 - 31.997 Latif Nasser

We're taking to the stage as part of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, one night only, June 9th, to explore pleasure.

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32.177 - 38.183 Alex Neason

You're going to be literally tasting things and feeling things that hopefully you have never tasted or felt before.

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38.544 - 52.077 Latif Nasser

And with the help of friends, musicians, science writers, foodies, we're going to try to blow out your senses, to give you a new understanding of how you taste and feel this world.

52.057 - 58.489 Alex Neason

We would love if you join us. Make us your Tuesday night date, June 9th at 6 p.m. in Tribeca.

58.52 - 62.024 Latif Nasser

I love that it's Tuesday night. Like, we're not asking for a Friday night.

62.044 - 63.185 Alex Neason

We're not a Friday night date.

63.345 - 66.148 Latif Nasser

Sure. But Tuesday night, you know, you can spare one of those.

Chapter 2: How does Alex's experience with roaches affect her daily life?

360.61 - 364.217 Alex Neason

I'm a science reporter. This has to stop.

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364.237 - 370.549 Latif Nasser

Okay, so is what we're doing here, it's like how Alex learned to stop worrying and love the roach?

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372.332 - 396.715 Alex Neason

Not really. I'm not really trying to get cozy with roaches, but... I just want to figure out how to get to a place where I'm not terrified of them. And obviously, I know this is something that a lot of people are afraid of. And I wanted to figure out, is there something I can do so that the next time I see one, I don't completely lose my mind?

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397.69 - 404.559 Alex Neason

So I figured I'd go hang out with people who face basically the worst version of this every single day.

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404.579 - 405.22 Lakeisha Fulcher

Okay.

405.461 - 408.645 Alex Neason

Which is how I ended up at the after party.

408.845 - 420.402 Lakeisha Fulcher

One of the finest expos in New York, probably in the nation. For the New York City Pest Expo. And we get top-notch pest control companies and exterminators from all over. There was like a roach ball?

420.422 - 433.307 Alex Neason

Yeah, it's like the social part. Like there's food, there's drinks, there was a DJ, like there's music. And also... Oh yeah, I've seen roaches drop off the ceiling. A ton of people who have been in straight up nightmare scenarios.

433.828 - 437.535 Lakeisha Fulcher

I've knocked on doors and seen them running up and down the doors.

Chapter 3: What insights do pest control experts provide about cockroaches?

1282.818 - 1304.304 Alex Neason

which is exactly how I feel about roaches. And she sort of proposes that we should do away with the category of pest altogether. Wait, that's fascinating. And, you know, the wheels in my head just like start spinning. And I just kept thinking like, huh, this is how I want to be in the world. What I want my politic to be.

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1304.384 - 1312.936 Alex Neason

Like I'm going to make a t-shirt that says abolish pests and let people ask me about it. Like I'm down. And I really want to not hate the roach. Yes. But how?

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1313.117 - 1322.241 Angela Flournoy

Well, so a lot of the way we respond to animals and the anger we feel and the frustration arises out of our own ignorance.

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1326.845 - 1332.9 Latif Nasser

Sounds like you need to, you know, walk a mile in their little weird, disgusting feet.

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1333.422 - 1342.525 Alex Neason

I know. I think it's time to learn about these revolting, repulsive, nauseating, offensive, terrible animals.

1346.234 - 1351.206 Sammy Ramsey

Okay, so let's chat a little bit about the disgust response.

1351.327 - 1356.098 Alex Neason

So I called up entomologist Sammy Ramsey, professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

1356.319 - 1360.008 Sammy Ramsey

Okay, I needed you to see what is happening on this tree. Look at this.

1360.028 - 1375.18 Alex Neason

Because this guy... Somebody look at this. Really? How cute is this bird? This bug loves bugs. This bug, how cute is this bug? He even has a YouTube channel where he sometimes sings to bugs.

Chapter 4: How do cultural perceptions shape our views on pests?

2251.953 - 2288.079 Gabby

Our managing editor is Pat Walters. Dylan Keefe is our director of sound design. Our staff includes with help from Gabby Santus. Our fact checkers are Diane Kelly, Emily Krieger, Natalie Middleton, Anjali Mercado, and Sophie Samayi.

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2292.065 - 2307.37 Angela Flournoy

Hi, I'm Aubrey calling from Salt Lake City, Utah. Leadership support for Radiolab's science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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