Twins are used to fielding all sorts of questions, like "Can you read each other's minds?" or "Can you feel each other's pain?" Two of our Planet Money reporters are twins, and they have heard them all.

But it's not just strangers on the street who are fascinated by twins. Scientists have been studying twins since the 1800s, trying to get at one of humanity's biggest questions: How much of what we do and how we are is encoded in our genes? The answer to this has all kinds of implications, for everything from healthcare to education, criminal justice and government spending.

Today on the show, we look at the history of twin studies. We ask what decades of studying twins has taught us. We look back at a twin study that asked whether genes influence antisocial behavior and rule-breaking. One of our reporters was a subject in it. And we find out: are twin studies still important for science?

(Note: This episode originally ran in 2019.)

Our show today was hosted by Sally Helm and Karen Duffin. It was produced by Darian Woods and Nick Fountain. It was edited by Bryant Urstadt.

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Prices go up. Occasionally, prices go down. But for 70 years, the price of a bottle of Coca-Cola didn't change. From 1886 until the late 1950s, a bottle of coke cost just a nickel.

On today's show, we find out why. The answer includes a half a million vending machines, a 7.5 cent coin, and a company president who just wanted to get a couple of lawyers out of his office.

This episode originally ran in 2012.

This episode was hosted by David Kestenbaum. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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Earlier this fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a high-stakes lawsuit against Amazon.

In that suit, the FTC claims Amazon is a monopoly, and it accuses the company of using anti-competitive tactics to hold onto its market power. It's a big case, with implications for consumers and businesses and digital marketplaces, and for antitrust law itself. That is the highly important but somewhat obscure body of law that deals with competition and big business.

And so, this week on Planet Money, we are doing a deep dive on the history of antitrust. It begins with today's episode, a Planet Money double feature. Two classic episodes that tell the story of how the U.S. government's approach to big business and competition has changed over time.

First, the story of a moment more than 100 years ago, when the government stepped into the free market in a big way to make competition work. It's the story of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, and a muckraking journalist named Ida Tarbell.

Then, we fast forward to a turning point that took antitrust in the other direction. This is the story of a lawyer named Robert Bork, who transformed the way courts would interpret antitrust law.

These episodes were produced by Sally Helm with help from Alexi Horowitz Ghazi. They were edited by Bryant Urdstadt. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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Note: This episode originally ran in 2015.

German families in the 60s loved tasty, cheap American-raised chicken that was suddenly coming in after the war. And Americans were loving fun, cheap Volkswagen Beetles. This arrangement was too good to last.

Today on the show, how a trade dispute over frozen chicken parts changed the American auto industry as we know it.

This episode was reported by Robert Smith and Sonari Glinton. It was produced by Frances Harlow.

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This episode originally ran in 2015.

About one hundred years ago, a scientist and statistician named Francis Galston came upon an opportunity to test how well regular people were at answering a question. He was at a fair where lots of people were guessing the weight of an ox, so he decided to take the average of all their guesses and compare it to the correct answer.

What he found shocked him. The average of their guesses was almost exactly accurate. The crowd was off by just one pound.

This eerie phenomenon—this idea that the crowd is right—drives everything from the stock market to the price of orange juice.

So, we decided to test it for ourselves. We asked Planet Money listeners to guess the weight of a cow.

Spoiler: You can see the results here.

This episode was hosted by David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein. It was produced by Nadia Wilson and edited by Bryant Urstadt. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last month at just over $2,400 per troy ounce.

Gold has long had a shiny quality to it, literally and in the marketplace. And we wondered, why is that?

Today on the show, we revisit a Planet Money classic episode: Why Gold? Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum will peruse the periodic table of the elements with one goal in mind: to learn which element would really make the best money.

This classic Planet Money episode was part of the Planet Money Buys Gold series, and was hosted by Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum.

This rerun was hosted by Sally Helm, produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Keith Romer, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

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For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This is not as romantic as it sounds. You had to get a cow, raise the cow, feed the cow, kill the cow, get the fat out of the cow, cook the fat, dip wicks into the fat. All that--for not very much light. Now, if we want to light a whole room, we just flip a switch.

The history of light explains why the world today is the way it is. It explains why we aren't all subsistence farmers, and why we can afford to have artists and massage therapists and plumbers. (And, yes, people who make podcasts about the history of light.) The history of light is the history of economic growth--of things getting faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

On today's show: How we got from dim little candles made out of cow fat, to as much light as we want at the flick of a switch.

Today's show was hosted by Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum. It was originally produced by Caitlin Kenney and Damiano Marchetti. Today's rerun was produced by James Sneed, and edited by Jenny Lawton. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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Maybe you got a boring slip of paper in the mail. Maybe you got a spammy-looking email promising you money. Surprise! You're in a class action. If you've done any commerce in the last decade, there's a good chance that someone somewhere was suing on your behalf and you have real money coming your way... if you know what to do.

Class action settlements are on the rise. And, on today's show, we're helping decipher the class action from the perspective of the average class member. How do class actions work? Why are these notices sometimes undecipherable? And, what do you stand to gain (or lose) by responding?

This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Nick Fountain. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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The five-year project aims to deepen the university’s impact — on campus, in the broader community and around the globe.

Students welcomed the giant puppet and her message of empathy for refugees fleeing war, famine and persecution around the globe.

In a report released today, more than 20 researchers provide strategies that center equity and justice in LADWP’s transition.

The series, which highlights the city’s past through current library collections, kicks off with an episode on Los Angeles labor history.

Wong was recognized for his work bringing people together “to stand up for social justice, fair wages, and humane working conditions.”

The Prison Education Program recently hosted a special campus performance for participants in its innovative prison-based spoken-word course.

UCLA Arts and UCLA Film & Television Archive bring seven projects to “Art & Science Collide” from July through May 2025.

Winning projects in the Health Equity Challenge support mental health and treating people experiencing homelessness.

Bruin Founders will advance goal 1 of UCLA’s Strategic Plan: to deepen the university’s engagement with Los Angeles.

Practices to protect public health, including high-risk groups, are featured in an expansive program.

They aim to provide agricultural therapy and create a space for veterans to find a sense of community and safety.

The program is co-led by the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Pasadena City College.

Students in the Tribal Legal Development Clinic work on behalf of Indian Country to advance tribal sovereignty and secure Indigenous rights.

Co-producer Veena Hampapur discusses the project presented by Re:Work, the center’s women-led podcast.

Shapiro, who for more than half a century played an immense role in the life of campus as a donor, volunteer, mentor and advisor, died Aug. 14.

The plan focuses on safety and well-being, engagement across differences, free speech and internal improvement.

Frenk is among 17 trailblazers recognized for their contributions to politics, business, culture, entertainment and other fields.

Fifteen of the campus’s academic programs and specialties were also ranked in the top 10 nationwide.

The unfortunate result on the field couldn’t quash the newfound camaraderie between Bruins and Indiana Hoosiers fans.

The agreement further positions UCLA at the forefront of artificial intelligence advancements in support of its academic, administrative and research communities.

UCLA’s stellar reputation is built on the quality and impact of its academic, research, health care, cultural, service, continuing education and athletics programs.

With another top ranking from U.S. News & World Report, the campus continues to redefine what it means to be a great public institution.

More than $856 million in donor support accelerates excellence in education, research and service in 2023–24.

The newly constructed six-story, 62-unit apartment building in West Los Angeles adds 142 beds to UCLA’s inventory. Move-in begins Oct. 1.

UCLAの人文科学部への寄付として過去最高額。

The executive and philanthropist’s gift, which will support the Japan Past & Present initiative, is the largest in the history of the Humanities Division.

La donación es más grande jamás otorgada a UCLA Division of Humanities.

Newsroom is highlighting Bruins who are creating the future at UCLA by advancing the strategic plan’s goals and priorities.

With AI-generated text-to-speech and translation options, Newsroom will reach new audiences while continuing to tell UCLA’s stories in bold new ways.

The report finds an arts teacher shortage, gaps in public involvement and capacity issues holding back the full potential of the arts education measure.

Highlights from Washington Post, CalMatters, KCAL-TV and others.

The Indigenous rights activist was honored for her grassroots leadership and policy advocacy in the Ecuadorian Amazon and beyond.

Highlights from The Conversation, New York Times, National Public Radio and others.

The outreach program connects Los Angeles-area students to scientists’ work in medicine and disease treatment.

Highlights from Politico, HuffPost, The Independent and others.

From Nov. 18–22, units across campus will host events highlighting global issues and international opportunities for students.

Highlights from The Hill, LAist, USA Today and others.

Since its inception, UCLA has been supporting those who have served and benefiting from their talents, experience and commitment to the common good.

During Election Day and in the days following, media have cited UCLA research and turned to UCLA faculty for expert insight on a range of election-related topics.

Pure Water LA/Operation Next would increase the resiliency of drinking water supplies to future costs, earthquakes and climate-induced drought.

The ocean-based carbon removal technology he helped develop could provide an affordable way to mitigate climate change.

Highlights from the Associated Press, the Atlantic, CNN and others.