Time is Honey

from Radiolab · host WNYC Studios

In the early 2000s, Sunil Nakrani felt stuck. Back then, websites crashed all the time. When Sunil noticed this, he decided he was going to fix the internet. But after nearly a year of studying the architecture of the web, he was no closer to an answer. In desperation, Sunil sent out a raft of cold emails to engineering professors. He hoped someone, anyone, could help him figure this out. Eventually, he learned that the internet could only be fixed if he paid attention to the humble honeybee. This is the story of the Honeybee Algorithm: How tech used honeybees to build the internet as we know it.Special thanks to John Bartholdi, John Vande Vate, Sammy Ramsey, James Marshall, Steve Strogatz, Duc Pham, and Heiko Hamann.We found out about this story thanks to our friends at AAAS, who run the one and only Golden Goose Awards. The award goes to government funded science that sounds trivial or bizarre, but goes on to change the world. The Honeybee Algorithm won a Golden Goose Award back in 2016 (https://zpr.io/ePxaaYja6YF4). Thank you to our friends there: Erin Heath, Gwendolyn Bogard, Valeria Sabate, Joanne Padron Carney, and Meredith Asbury. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Latif Nasserwith help from - Maria Paz GutiérrezProduced by - Maria Paz Gutiérrez, Annie McEwen and Pat Waltersand Edited by - Pat WaltersEPISODE CITATIONS:Videos - Golden Goose Award video about 2016 winners (https://zpr.io/eXwTJKGL6F8S)Books -The Wisdom of the Hive: The Social Physiology of Honeybee Colonies (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674953765) by Thomas D. Seeley (1995, Harvard University Press)Piping Hot Bees & Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved (https://zpr.io/tNDqkw372Rhr) by Thomas D. SeeleyAnd, Paths of Pollen (https://zpr.io/cqRPpAdGRwMi) by Stephen Humphrey. One of our former transcribers who we recently learned had hidden talents far beyond the invaluable work they did for us. This book is only tangentially related to the content in the episode, but super cool in its own right. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected] 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.

What this episode covers

In the early 2000s, Sunil Nakrani felt stuck. Back then, websites crashed all the time. When Sunil noticed this, he decided he was going to fix the internet. But after nearly a year of studying the architecture of the web, he was no closer to an answer. In desperation, Sunil sent out a raft of cold emails to engineering professors. He hoped someone, anyone, could help him figure this out. Eventually, he learned that the internet could only be fixed if he paid attention to the humble honeybee. This is the story of the Honeybee Algorithm: How tech used honeybees to build the internet as we know it. Special thanks to John Bartholdi, John Vande Vate, Sammy Ramsey, James Marshall, Steve Strogatz, Duc Pham, and Heiko Hamann. We found out about this story thanks to our friends at AAAS, who run the one and only Golden Goose Awards. The award goes to government funded science that sounds trivial or bizarre, but goes on to change the world. The Honeybee Algorithm won a Golden Goose Award back in 2016 (https://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/honey-bee-algorithm). Thank you to our friends there: Erin Heath, Gwendolyn Bogard, Valeria Sabate, Joanne Padron Carney, and Meredith Asbury. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Latif Nasserwith help from - Maria Paz GutiérrezProduced by - Maria Paz Gutiérrez, Annie McEwen and Pat Waltersand Edited by - Pat Walters EPISODE CITATIONS: Videos - Golden Goose Award video about 2016 winners (https://zpr.io/eXwTJKGL6F8S) Books - The Wisdom of the Hive: The Social Physiology of Honeybee Colonies (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674953765) by Thomas D. Seeley (1995, Harvard University Press) Piping Hot Bees & Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved (https://zpr.io/tNDqkw372Rhr) by Thomas D. Seeley And, Paths of Pollen (https://zpr.io/cqRPpAdGRwMi) by Stephen Humphrey. One of our former transcribers who we recently learned had hidden talents far beyond the invaluable work they did for us. This book is only tangentially related to the content in the episode, but super cool in its own right. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected]. 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.

NOW PLAYING

Time is Honey

0:00 38:31

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Introducing "Paper Trail": A new show from ProPublica about investigative journalism

May 18, 2026 ·4m

The Wicked Smoocha: Anglerfish Break A World Record

May 7, 2026 ·34m

The Forest Fairy: Aphids Reveal Hidden Harmonies

Apr 23, 2026 ·31m

The Greeting: Yo-Yo Ma's Humpback Whale Experiment

Apr 9, 2026 ·39m

The Red-Eyed Mascot: Loon Resilience in Minnesota

Mar 26, 2026 ·30m

The Snowball: Extreme Squirrels in the Arctic (Replay)

Mar 12, 2026 ·25m

Similar Podcasts

Trump, Inc. WNYC Studios He’s the President, yet we’re still trying to answer basic questions about how his business works: What deals are happening, who they’re happening with, and if the President and his family are keeping their promise to separate the Trump Organization from the Trump White House. “Trump, Inc.” is a joint reporting project from WNYC Studios and ProPublica that digs deep into these questions. We’ll be layout out what we know, what we don’t and how you can help us fill in the gaps. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts, including On the Media, Radiolab, Death, Sex & Money, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin, Nancy and many others. ProPublica is a non-profit investigative newsroom.© WNYC Studios Pickle WNYC Studios Is it ever okay to tell a lie? What makes a real friend? And here’s a question: How much is a person’s life worth? Yikes, that’s a tough one! Join the cast of Pickle as we explore life’s stickiest wickets, with the help of curious kids – and the occasional elephant. It’s philosophy, made fun. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of podcasts including Radiolab, Snap Judgment, On the Media, Death, Sex & Money and many others.© WNYC Studios Hunt Gather Talk with Hank Shaw Hank Shaw Wild foods expert and cookbook author Hank Shaw's audio adventures in foraging, fishing, hunting and cooking. You'll hears stories from the field, tips and tricks for working with wild foods, interviews with experts in fishing, foraging, cooking and hunting, as well as occasional "RadioLab" style audio stories. The Filter Podcast with Matt Asher The Filter The Filter is about how we perceive the world, the lenses through which we view our reality.The Filter is like: - Black Mirror but not fiction. - A darker version of Making Sense with Sam Harris - Radiolab minus the cool music and with 50% less storytelling - The Joe Rogan Experience minus stand-up comedians minus MMA minus about 12hrs per week of content - The Portal with Eric Weinstein but with Matt Asher - The Tom Woods Show but with 1600 fewer episodes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Radiolab?

This episode is 38 minutes long.

When was this Radiolab episode published?

This episode was published on February 13, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Radiolab episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!