Invisibilia was a radio program and podcast from National Public Radio, which debuted in early 2015 and "explores the intangible forces that shape human behavior—things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions." The program's title comes from Latin, meaning "the invisible things."[1] The Guardian ranked Invisibilia among "the 10 best new podcasts of 2015."[2] As of their seventh season, the program is hosted by Kia Miakka Natisse and Yowei Shaw;[3] previous seasons were also hosted by Lulu Miller, Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin.
Running time | approximately 60 minutes |
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Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Syndicates | National Public Radio |
Hosted by | Kia Miakka Natisse Yowei Shaw Alix Spiegel (former) Hanna Rosin (former) Lulu Miller (former) |
Produced by | Abby Wendel Andrew Mambo Ariana Gharib Lee |
Edited by | Neena Pathak |
Senior editor(s) | Anne Gudenkauf |
Original release | 2015 – 2023 |
No. of series | 9 |
No. of episodes | 62 |
Audio format | Stereophonic |
Website | www |
Podcast | Invisibilia Podcast Directory |
Alix Spiegel was a founding producer of This American Life and freelanced for NPR's Science Desk covering psychology and human behavior.[4] At Chicago's Third Coast International Audio Festival, Spiegel met former Radiolab producer Lulu Miller and asked her to co-produce a piece she was working on. The two began collaborating on radio stories and conceived of a new long-form program that would become Invisibilia. The show's first six-episode season aired from January to February 2015, with excerpts occasionally running on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Radiolab and This American Life. This extra exposure and Miller and Spiegel's track record helped Invisibilia debut at #1 on the iTunes podcast chart and to maintain a consistent top-ten ranking in the months following its launch.[5] Hanna Rosin from The Atlantic joined as cohost for the second season, which premiered in June 2016 and ran for seven episodes.[6][7] The third season debuted in June 2017 with Spiegel and Rosin as hosts.[1] The Atlantic included the episode "How to Become Batman" on their list of "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015".[8]
In June 2020, NPR announced that Spiegel and Rosin would relinquish their roles by early 2021, and Kia Miakka Natisse and Yowei Shaw were named the new co-hosts of the program, which aired its seventh season in April 2021.[9] The show aired its eighth season in September 2021.[10]
In March 2023, NPR announced the cancellation of Invisibilia as part of larger effort to cut costs. [11] [12] The final episode titled The Goodbye Show, was released on April 27, 2023.
Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
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Academy of Podcasters Awards | 2017 | Science & Medicine | Finalist | [13] |
2016 | Won | [14] | ||
iHeartRadio Podcast Awards | 2022 | Best Science Podcast | Nominated | [15] |
2021 | Nominated | [16] | ||
2020 | Nominated | [17] | ||
Peabody Awards | 2015 | Podcasts & Radio | Nominated | [18] |