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In April, 2010 — 13 years ago this month — we did a segment on the concept of the “mesofact,” a certain kind of data point that feels fixed even though it’s actually always slowly changing. (I’d add a link to that show, but our archive doesn’t actually go back that far.) And we’ve gone back to the idea every now and again ever since.

Think about things like the world population or the Periodic Table of the Elements. Or think about our understanding of the health and nutritional value of red wine. Or coffee. Or how Brussels sprouts are supposed to taste. Or what dinosaurs are supposed to look like.

This hour, an update on a bunch of mesofacts that we’d probably all lost track of, including the myth of the alpha wolf and the misconceptions around white gloves and antique books.

GUESTS:
Samuel Arbesman: A scientist and writer; he is the author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension and The Half-Life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date
Jennifer Schuessler: A culture reporter covering intellectual life and the world of ideas for The New York Times
Maddy Witt: An educator at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota

In April, 2010 — 13 years ago this month — we did a segment on the concept of the “mesofact,” a certain kind of data point that feels fixed even though it’s actually always slowly changing. (I’d add a link to that show, but our archive doesn’t actually go back that far.) And we’ve gone back to the idea every now and again ever since.
Think about things like the world population or the Periodic Table of the Elements. Or think about our understanding of the health and nutritional value of red wine. Or coffee. Or how Brussels sprouts <a href="https://www.lifesavvy.com/162796/yes-brussels-sprouts-taste-better-now-heres-why/">are supposed to taste</a>. Or what dinosaurs are supposed to look like.
This hour, an update on a bunch of mesofacts that we’d probably all lost track of, including <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/">the myth of the alpha wolf</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/arts/rare-books-white-gloves.html">the misconceptions around white gloves and antique books</a>.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Samuel Arbesman: A scientist and writer; he is the author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317781/overcomplicated-by-samuel-arbesman/">Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension</a> and <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/309825/the-half-life-of-facts-by-samuel-arbesman/">The Half-Life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date</a></li>
<li>Jennifer Schuessler: A culture reporter covering intellectual life and the world of ideas for The New York Times</li>
<li>Maddy Witt: An educator at the <a href="https://wolf.org/">International Wolf Center</a> in Ely, Minnesota</li>
</ul>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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