What are the odds? When Laura Buxton of Staffordshire, England, wrote “Please return to Laura Buxton” on a helium balloon before setting it free in her yard, she never expected it to reach another human being, much less one also named Laura Buxton. In "A Very Lucky Wind," the first segment of our Stochasticity episode, we marvel at the coincidence the two Lauras represent, and wrestle with the science of chance.

Now, we are happy to announce that ‘A Very Lucky Wind’ (produced by Jad and Soren Wheeler) has won Honorable Mention for Best Documentary at Chicago Public Radio’s 2009 Third Coast International Audio Festival! To check out more of the winners, including Ira Glass, Nancy Updike and more of the This American Life team, and to hear clips, go to http://thirdcoastfestival.org/.

And you can listen to "A Very Lucky Wind" and the whole Stochasticity episode here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Mav