In the Boston area? Join MuckRock’s JPat Brown, Beryl Lipton, and Michael Morisy this Thursday, April 18, as they discuss their latest book “Scientists Under Surveillance: The FBI Files” at the MIT Press bookstore as part of the Cambridge Science Festival.

From accidental mind control to classified cottage cheese, MuckRock’s most popular articles prove that transparency doesn’t have to be tedious.

Though Arthur H. Rosenfeld would later rise to prominence as the “father of energy efficiency” for his role in creating new global standards for sustainable energy use in the ‘70s, the physicist’s FBI file is focused on a younger Rosenfeld being a high-profile target for Soviet spies. In addition to his coveted “Q” clearance guaranteeing a stash of nuclear secrets, Rosenfeld’s criticism of what he felt was extremism in defense of liberty - including an impassioned political debate that took place entirely on the margins of a table mat - had the Bureau wondering the extent to which Rosenfeld could be trusted at academic conferences held behind the Iron Curtain.

Two hundred pages into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s copious file on the famed physicist Richard Feynman, and the reader is treated to a quite the surprise: A bizarre collage of what appears to be Feynman’s face alongside large swaths of redacted text, with a few cryptic phrases like “doubt everything” and “is a God” left intact. It is unclear if the redaction are original, or are the work of the FBI.

After World War II, the grandfather of the atomic bomb, Hans Bethe, returned to the quiet college town of Ithaca, New York to resume his research. International spies, intent on reshaping the global balance of power, would soon follow.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, MuckRock staff is declassifying their infatuation with figures from our FBI Files project.

Richard Feynman’s sprawling FBI file covers two-thirds of the legendary physicist’s career, from drama over his invitation to speak a Soviet science conference to an unnamed colleague citing his hobby of cracking safes at Los Alamos as evidence he was a “master of deception and enemy of America.” But the file stops abruptly in 1958, and for a very Feynmanian reason: Feynman asked them to.

In Requester’s Voice, I’ve asked dozens of people to share their public records journeys, including how they became interested in requesting and their advice for others. I’ve learned an incredible amount from them. For our sixth anniversary, JPat asked that I turn the tables on myself, and share what I’ve learned since starting MuckRock. Having helped file over 20,000 requests all around the country, hopefully I’ve learned at least something.

In August, we gave you a preview of the MuckRock podcast. Today, we’re happy to launch it — again! — on the Mule Radio network, with new episodes diving into the most interesting government documents we find every two weeks. We hope you join us for the ride.

For the past few months, we’ve taken a small team at MuckRock aside to work on a special project unlike anything we’ve ever done. Today, I’m excited to share the results: The MuckRock podcast, season 1, episode 1.