Science Friday
-
SciFri: When Great Scientists Got It Wrong
In Brilliant Blunders, Mario Livio explores colossal errors by science's greatest minds.
-
SciFri: Resetting the Theory of Time
Physicist Lee Smolin explains his theory of time, and why the future of physics depends on it.
-
SciFri: Desktop Diaries: Daniel Kahneman
A visit with psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences in 2002.
-
SciFri: Insects May Be the Taste of the Next Generation,...
Can entomophagy, the eating of insects, help improve the world’s food resources?
-
SciFri: Researchers Report Cloning Advance for Producing...
Through cloning techniques, researchers created a source of embryonic stem cells genetically identical to a patient.
-
SciFri: The Myth of Multitasking
Psychologist Clifford Nass says multitasking may be killing our concentration and creativity.
-
SciFri: Microexpressions: More Than Meets the Eye
By studying split-second facial expressions, psychologists hope to uncover hidden emotional cues.
-
SciFri: Experts Percolate on How to Brew Coffee
Brewmasters discuss how to get the most out of your grounds.
-
SciFri: Hello...Is There Anybody Out There?
The SETI Institute’s Jill Tarter talks about her career searching for intelligent life beyond Earth.
-
SciFri: Exploring an Ever-Expanding Universe
Saul Perlmutter discusses his Nobel Prize-winning work measuring the accelerating expansion of the universe.
-
SciFri: To Combat Rising Seas, Why Not Raise Up the Town?
Planning for the next Sandy, a New Jersey mayor has proposed lifting up his town. But at what cost?
-
SciFri: Michael Pollan: You Are What You Cook
Pollan once advised, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Now, he tells us how to cook it.
-
SciFri: Scientists Try to Take Antimatter's Measurements
How can you measure the mass of a particle of antimatter? Might it fall up?
-
SciFri: 17-Year Cicadas Primed to Emerge
After spending 17 years underground, millions of Brood II cicadas are expected to emerge this spring.
-
SciFri: Ancient Earth May Have Smelled Like Rotten Eggs
Bacteria-like creatures living nearly two billion years ago belched hydrogen sulfide, the signature stench of rotten eggs.
-
SciFri: The Bird That Struts Its Stuff
Every year at this time, the greater sage-grouse performs a striking dance routine each morning at dawn.
-
SciFri: James Webb Space Telescope Wings It
The telescope's massive mirror will unfurl on a newly completed set of wings.
-
SciFri: Great Salt Lake Is No 'Dead Sea'
Parts of the giant lake are 10 times saltier than the ocean—but life has found a way to thrive.
-
SciFri: Studying Earth to Learn About Mars
Planetary scientists and future explorers are trying to learn about our neighboring planet without ever leaving Earth.
-
SciFri: Utah’s Fossil Finds Describe an Ancient World
A panel of paleontology experts describes some of Utah’s ancient treasures.
-
SciFri: Monitoring the Monarchs
Monarch expert Lincoln Brower discusses the decline in monarch butterfly populations.
-
SciFri: The Teenage 'Troublemaker' Fighting for Science
Zack Kopplin is campaigning to keep creationism off the science class syllabus.
-
SciFri: Looking to Nature for Antibiotic Inspirations
Microbiologists are learning bacteria-killing tricks by studying phage viruses.
-
SciFri: Poring Over the Science of Coffee
Harold McGee explains the chemistry in your cup of joe.
-
SciFri: Down the Gullet: A Guided Tour of Your Guts
In Gulp., science writer Mary Roach travels through the intestines--and out the other end.
-
SciFri: Red Meat's Heart Risk Goes Beyond the Fat
A chemical in red meat, L-carnitine, may increase the risk of heart disease in people and mice.
-
SciFri: Searching for the Roots of 'Right' and 'Wrong'
Primatologist Frans de Waal explores the origins of morality in The Bonobo and the Atheist.
-
SciFri: Bees Emerging After a Hard Winter
Apiculturist Eric Mussen discusses the plight of the modern honeybee.
-
SciFri: Amyloid Proteins Help Paralyzed Mice Walk Again
Scientists say the proteins, once thought to be enemies of the nervous system, may actually be protective 'guardians.'
-
SciFri: Building Synthetic Tissues from Water Droplets?
Researchers turned tiny water droplets into cooperating networks that can change shape and pass electrical signals.
-
SciFri: President Obama Calls for a ‘BRAIN Initiative’
NIH Director Francis Collins discusses President Obama’s new ‘BRAIN Initiative’ research program.
-
SciFri: ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ Finds Clues to Behavior
In his new book, Adam Alter examines the way labels, symbols, and colors can affect human behavior.
-
SciFri: Tracking a Rise in ADHD Diagnosis
Researchers work to understand what might be behind a surge in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
-
SciFri: Studying Rocks Found on Earth for Clues About...
We'll take a tour of the Center for Meteorite Studies, and learn how meteorites can teach us about the history of the solar system.
-
SciFri: Gripping Science Tales Need Not Be Science...
How can scientists tell compelling stories without hyping or distorting the science?
-
SciFri: How Cosmic Collisions Have Shaped Our Solar...
Some of our solar system's landmarks can trace their origins to massive impacts.
-
SciFri: The Secret Life of the Sonoran Desert
We check in on the Gila monsters, saguaros, and microbial crusts living in the desert Southwest.
-
SciFri: Project Seeks to Bring Extinct Species Back to...
Michael Archer, leader of the ‘Lazarus Project,’ describes early efforts to bring a frog species back from extinction.
-
SciFri: Scientists Search for Gulf War Illness Answers
More than 20 years later, many Gulf War veterans still suffer from an array of unexplained ailments.
-
SciFri: Birds Evolve Shorter Wings to Escape Traffic...
Cliff swallows with shorter wings appear better suited to avoid becoming roadkill.
-
SciFri: Grand Central: An Engine of Scientific Innovation
Standard time zones and electric trains were both pioneered at New York's Grand Central Terminal.
-
SciFri: For Babies, It’s Better to Like What I Like
How green beans, graham crackers, and puppets can give insight into the development of moral behavior.
-
SciFri: And the Award for Best Picture Goes To...
See who took first place in SciFri’s Winter Nature Photo Contest.
-
SciFri: ‘Bones’ Inspires a New Generation of Crime...
Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs chats about Code, her new crime novel for young adults.
-
SciFri: Curiosity Hits Paydirt: New Clues to Life on Mars
Microbes may once have thrived in a freshwater lake on Mars, according to clues in an ancient rock.
-
SciFri: Physicists Tie Water Into Knots
If you thought a smoke ring was fancy, check out these fluid knots.
-
SciFri: Improving Healthcare, One Search at a Time
By combing through 100 million search queries, researchers detected a previously unknown interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs.
-
SciFri: Arming Fat Cells to Fight Brain Cancer
Researchers are investigating ways to turn fat cells into Trojan horses to fight brain cancer.
-
SciFri: Can Just One Concussion Change the Brain?
A single concussion may cause brain damage, but it remains difficult to diagnose these injuries.
-
SciFri: Al Gore Envisions 'The Future'
The climate guru's latest book tackles everything from American politics to nanotech, and of course, climate change.
-
SciFri: 'Nightmare Bacteria' Defy Even Last-Ditch Drugs
The superbugs have been found lurking at hospitals nationwide, and kill one in two patients with a bloodstream infection.
-
SciFri: When the Earth Swallows
Sinkholes have gobbled up swimming pools, buses, and homes. But what causes them? And is there any way to predict where they'll strike?
-
SciFri: Behold the Mighty Water Bear
Water bears, a.k.a. tardigrades, can withstand boiling, freezing, and the vacuum of space.
-
SciFri: Getting the Springtime Buzz on Bees
New research on bee behavior offers a glimpse into the lives of these important pollinators.
-
SciFri: Can the Anti-Aging Secret Be Found in...Red Wine?
Researchers are examining the link between red wine and longevity.
-
SciFri: Robert Langer, Father of Invention
The biotech pioneer has started two dozen companies, and has over 800 patents to his name.
-
SciFri: Seeking a Grain of Truth in "Whole Grain" Labels
Whole wheat, stone-ground, multi-grain. Have food labels got you confused?
-
SciFri: Rap Nerdy to Me
MC Frontalot makes a living rapping about data encryption, rare diseases, video games and the nerd life.
-
SciFri: A Natural Particle Accelerator, Far Above the...
Closer study of the Van Allen radiation belts above Earth is providing new questions for science.
-
SciFri: Mapping the Effects of the Sequester on Science
Research and development face across-the-board federal budget cuts.
-
SciFri: Talking Science with the House Committee Chair
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) discusses the nation’s top science priorities.
-
SciFri: The SciFri Book Club Visits “Gorillas in the...
Dian Fossey’s classic account of her fieldwork is on the reading list this month.
-
SciFri: Ask a Dentist: Facts To Sink Your Teeth Into
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. And, it turns out, the dentist. Did you know that the fibery skin is good for your teeth?
-
SciFri: Russia Meteor Renews Focus on Asteroid Threats
Astronomers weigh in on how to keep the planet safe from near-Earth objects.
-
SciFri: Is China’s Military Behind Cyberattacks on U.S.?
A new report links cyberespionage attacks on the U.S. to a unit of the Chinese military.
-
SciFri: How Wood Smoke Is Dirtying Alaska’s Air
Cathy Cahill, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, discusses air quality in the Last Frontier.
-
SciFri: Surprise: Cockroaches Are Fastidious Groomers!
Why do cockroaches spend so much time cleaning themselves?
-
SciFri: Katherine Bouton Opens Up About Going Deaf in...
Katherine Bouton discusses hearing loss, a condition that affects nearly 50 million Americans.
-
SciFri: Tracking a Space Rock's Streak Past Earth
Asteroid 2012 DA14 spans half a football field, and will whiz by the Earth a mere 17,000 miles above us--closer than many satellites.
-
SciFri: A New View of Newton in "Isaac’s Eye"
A new play looks at the rivalry--real and imagined--between scientists Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke.
-
SciFri: Art Meets Geek at Toni Dove’s Studio
"This is geek central," says artist Toni Dove of her New York City studio.
-
SciFri: Science of Slumber: How Sleep Affects Your Memory
How much sleep does your brain need? Experts discuss the links between sleep, memory, and cognition.
-
SciFri: Researchers Point to the Demise of the Dinosaurs
Scientists are working to refine the dates for an ancient cosmic collision.
-
SciFri: Tracking Privacy and Ownership in an Online World
How much of your personal data is really yours to control?
-
SciFri: Automakers Drive Towards Hydrogen Cars
Carmakers are teaming up to develop fuel cell cars. Is the time right for the technology?
-
SciFri: Are We Losing the Race Against Climate Change?
China burns as much coal as the rest of the world combined. But it also leads in clean tech, and has a national climate change policy in place. A look at how the world is tackling climate change--with or without us.
-
SciFri: How Owls Turn Heads
How do these birds turn their heads 270 degrees without damaging their blood vessels?
-
SciFri: Dung Beetles Use Cosmic GPS to Find Their Way
Dung beetles use light from the Milky Way to help them navigate at night.
-
SciFri: Preserving Science News in an Online World
Experts discuss how the internet impacts public perception of science.
-
SciFri: The Book Club Catches 'The Andromeda Strain'
The Science Friday book club chats about Michael Crichton's 1969 classic sci-fi thriller.
-
SciFri: Turning Girl Scout Cookies Into Graphene
Scientists have transformed baked goods into graphene, worth two million times the price of gold.
-
SciFri: Shakespeare's Sonnets, Encoded in DNA
If all the world's information were encoded as DNA, it would fit in the back of a station wagon.
-
SciFri: Cold Snap Shakes Up Winter Weather Outlook
Climatologist Jeff Weber explains why this winter could pack a punch.
-
SciFri: Months After Sandy, Mucking and Gutting
Mold has become a concern for residents of a Sandy-damaged neighborhood in Queens.
-
SciFri: Shoring Up the Nation's Crumbling Coastlines
Can beaches be rebuilt to face fiercer storms and rising seas? Is there even enough sand to do it?
-
SciFri: Canine Conundrum: How Dog Became Man's Best...
Scientists have long debated how -- and when -- dogs first became domesticated.
-
SciFri: Beijing Grapples with Record Air Pollution
Severe smog is raising concerns about the cost of China’s rapid industrialization.
-
SciFri: Edward Tufte Wants You to See Better
The "Galileo of graphics" discusses his latest project: helping people to see information through "fresh" eyes.
-
SciFri: Dementia Takes the Stage in 'The Other Place'
Laurie Metcalf is a scientist suffering from the dementia she studies in the play 'The Other Place.'
-
SciFri: How Do You Fend Off the Flu?
Aside from getting the flu shot, how do you outsmart the wily flu virus? Hoard hand sanitizer? Dodge door knobs? Or quietly slink away from a coughing commuter?
-
SciFri: Colossal Quasar Clump Too Huge to Exist, in...
Astronomers have discovered a clump of 73 quasars spanning four billion light years at its widest point -- that's like 40,000 Milky Way galaxies lined end-to-end.
-
SciFri: Inventors Design Lamp Powered Entirely by Gravity
The gravity-powered device uses a weight to generate up to 30 minutes of light as it descends.
-
SciFri: Simulating the Red Planet, On the Pale Blue Dot
What's it like to live -- and cook -- on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano.
-
SciFri: The Fallacies of Fat
In Fat Chance, obesity doc Robert Lustig deconstructs the mythology on fat and exercise.
-
SciFri: Getting a Handle on Why Fingers Wrinkle
Only a handful of researchers (ever) have looked into why fingers get pruney after a water bath.
-
SciFri: How E-Waste Is Becoming a Big, Global Problem
More than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste is produced each year in the U.S.
-
SciFri: Doctors Turn to Genetics to Search for Cancer’s...
Understanding the genetic drivers of cancer may revolutionize treatment options in the future.
-
SciFri: Pap Test May Detect More Than Just Cervical...
Routine pap tests may be capable of spotting signs of ovarian and uterine cancers.
-
SciFri: Negative Temperatures That Are Hotter Than the...
Scientists have cooled potassium gas to one billionth of a degree below absolute zero. But in the quantum world, that's actually 'hotter' than the Sun. How is that possible?
-
SciFri: A Journey to the Oort Cloud, Where Comets Are...
The comet ISON, discovered by two amateur astronomers last year, will zoom past the Earth next fall. But where did it come from?
-
SciFri: 'Full Planet, Empty Plates'
In his new book, Lester Brown says the world's food supply is tightening -- and the reasons are many.
-
SciFri: Cold-Water Fish Break the Ice with Antifreeze
Cold-water fish and snow-dwelling insects have evolved antifreeze proteins to avoid icing up. This natural antifreeze also keeps the ice out of some ice creams.
-
SciFri: Science Looked Good in 2012
Catfish eating pigeons, water travelling uphill, a blue whale barrel roll -- and other science cinema highlights from the year.
-
SciFri: Looking Back on a Year in Science
What are your picks for the top science stories of 2012?
-
SciFri: Making Resolutions That Stick
Nearly half of U.S. adults will make year-end resolutions to change for the better in the coming year.
-
SciFri: The Renaissance Man Who Got It All Wrong
In A Man of Misconceptions, John Glassie writes of the priest-scientist Athanasius Kircher.
-
SciFri: Book Challenges Kids With Science-Based Mysteries
A father/daughter team has written a series of brain-teasers for science-minded students.
-
SciFri: Get the Most Bang From Your Bubbly
Chemist Richard Zare pores over the science of bubbles -- from champagne fizz to beer foam.
-
SciFri: 'Consider the Fork' Chronicles Evolution of...
Author Bee Wilson examines how changing kitchen tools have influenced what, and how, we eat.
-
SciFri: Chef Jack Bishop Breaks Down 'The Science of...
America’s Test Kitchen chef Jack Bishop explains how science can sharpen your cooking skills.
-
SciFri: Future Fibers May Be Spun From Slime
The hagfish or "slime eel" shoots out slime containing silk-like fibers of remarkable strength.
-
SciFri: Shooting Stars: Capturing the Night on Camera
Photographer Colin Legg makes time-lapse movies of celestial scenes.
-
SciFri: The SciFri Book Club Tours 'The Planets'
The book club reviews Dava Sobel’s 2005 homage to the solar system.
-
SciFri: Debunking Doomsday and Exploring Maya Science
Two archaeologists weigh in on what the ancient Maya actually said about 2012. Spoiler: not much.
-
SciFri: Stem Cells Treat Lou Gehrig's Disease, In Mice
Stem cell implants slowed the onset of symptoms -- and scientists say human trials aren't far behind.
-
SciFri: Birding for the Holidays
Thousands of citizen scientists are taking part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
-
SciFri: Could Life Exist on Newfound Alien Planet?
Astronomer Steven Vogt discusses a new discovery of a potentially habitable exoplanet.
-
SciFri: ‘Instant’ Looks at Polaroid’s Land
Edwin Land, the inventor behind Polaroid, is the subject of a new book by Christopher Bonanos.
-
SciFri: Ask a Quantum Mechanic
Teleporting data.. time travel.. quantum computers. Sci-fi or science reality? 'Quantum mechanic' Seth Lloyd joins us to talk about the mysteries of the quantum world.
-
SciFri: A View from the Flip Side
Ten days is all it takes your brain to right a world that looks upside down.
-
SciFri: Is It Possible to Create a Mind?
What does intelligence really mean? Can we build a machine that thinks as humans do?
-
SciFri: How Science Can Keep Your Christmas Tree Merry...
Rick Bates, of Penn State University, shares handy tips for how to care for your Christmas tree.
-
SciFri: Alan Alda’s Challenge to Scientists: What Is...
Calling all scientists! How do you explain the concept of time to an 11-year-old?
-
SciFri: Curiosity 2.0? NASA Announces New Mars Rover...
NASA officials weigh in on the flurry of planetary science news from the past week.
-
SciFri: Ask an Astronaut: Don Pettit and Jeff Hoffman on...
Two astronauts answer your questions and discuss the many curiosities of living in space.
-
SciFri: Unlocking a Lake’s Bacterial Secrets, Beneath 20...
Bacteria locked under Antarctic lake ice may shed light on life’s limits, and the possibility of life on other worlds.
-
SciFri: Blue Whale Barrel Roll Caught on Camera
Biologists are using data tags and a National Geographic Crittercam to study the dining habits of the largest animal on the planet.
-
SciFri: 'Escape Fire' Exposes Flaws of American...
The film tells the stories of a soldier addicted to painkillers, and a doctor with no time for her patients.
-
SciFri: No Joke -- Why Even Tragedy Gets a Laugh
A comedian and a neuroscientist walk into a bar.. er, nevermind. Tig Notaro and Robert Provine talk about why we laugh at even the grimmest of subjects, like cancer and death.
-
SciFri: SciFri Book Club Has 'The Right Stuff'
Join the SciFri Book Club regulars for a look back, er...up, at 'The Right Stuff.'
-
SciFri: Photographer James Balog on Climate Change and...
A new documentary explores how climate change is affecting the world's glaciers.
-
SciFri: Perhaps Another Reason to Spike That Eggnog?
A perennial holiday mystery: will alcohol kill bacteria in homemade eggnog?
-
SciFri: What Obamacare Means for Patients -- And Their...
The law has many protections for patients -- but could it cause higher premiums and doctor shortages?
-
SciFri: Waste Not: The Ugly Truth About Food Waste in...
Food waste is a growing problem in the U.S., so what can we do to fix it?
-
SciFri: Steven Strogatz: The Joy Of X
Did you know some infinities are bigger than others? Or that one is equal to .99999999999 repeating? Just a few of the math mysteries in The Joy of X, a new book by Steven Strogatz.
-
SciFri: Ig Nobel Prizes Celebrate Somewhat Suspect...
Ponytail physics, the sloshing in a coffee cup, and an opera about the universe feature in this year’s Ig Nobel Prize ceremony.
-
SciFri: A Millipede That (Almost) Lives Up to the Name
No millipede has 1000 feet -- but the species Illacme plenipes comes closest, with up to 750.
-
SciFri: Searching for 'The Particle at the End of the...
Physicist Sean Carroll of Caltech talks about the search for the Higgs boson, and what comes next.
-
SciFri: Looking Back on 2012 Election Technology
Despite a national push to electronic voting, why did it take days to tally the vote in some states?
-
SciFri: Desktop Diaries: Temple Grandin
“I’m pure geek, pure logic,” says Grandin, an animal scientist at Colorado State University.
-
SciFri: The Double Helix and Beyond: Catching Up With...
Nearly 60 years later, James Watson reflects on the legendary race to solve the structure of DNA.
-
SciFri: Are We Getting Dumber? Maybe, New Research...
A provocative new study suggests humans are slowly becoming less intelligent and emotionally stable.
-
SciFri: Bioengineering Beer Foam
Researchers devised a recipe for improving beer foam.
-
SciFri: Climate Change Takes Flight in New Novel
An ecological anomaly is at the center of the story in Barbara Kingsolver’s “Flight Behavior.”
-
SciFri: Hurricane Sandy Claims Thousands of NYU Lab Mice
Thousands of mice at one of New York University’s research facilities were lost due to flooding.
-
SciFri: Scientists Solve Mystery of Earth’s Shifting...
A look beneath Earth’s surface at what may be causing the planet’s poles to wander back and forth.
-
SciFri: Oliver Sacks: Hallucinations
In his latest book, neurologist Oliver Sacks explores the strange world of hallucinations, and documents his own experiments with psychedelic drugs.
-
SciFri: With Budget Cuts Looming, Is Science a Lame Duck?
If Congress fails to act, some $15 billion will be cut from science funding in January 2013.
-
SciFri: How Secure Are Electronic Voting Machines?
Can electronic voting machines be hacked? An expert gives us a pre-election update on voting technologies.
-
SciFri: Genetic Clues May Help Unravel Cause of Crohn’s
Better treatment options are being developed, but the cause of Crohn’s disease is still unknown.
-
SciFri: Past is Present in 'An Enemy of the People'
Themes of power, integrity, and truth still resonate in a new production of Ibsen’s classic play.
-
SciFri: Seeing Sandy From Space
Scientists are taking a long view of Sandy.
-
SciFri: As Storm Recovery Continues, Looking to the...
With Sandy leaving destruction in her wake, a look at how cities might plan for future storms.
-
SciFri: The SciFri Book Club Falls For Mr. Feynman
The Science Friday Book Club discusses the classic book “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
-
SciFri: In Twitter We Trust: Can Social Media Sway...
Scientists are examining how social media can influence the opinions of voters.
-
SciFri: Plunging Into the Science of BASE Jumping
The physics and neuroscience of jumping off cliffs.
-
SciFri: Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite
Think monsters are make-believe? In his new book, science journalist Matt Kaplan writes of real-life zombies in Haiti, and how rabies infection could explain the vampire's aversion to garlic and sunlight.
-
SciFri: Scared to Death... Literally
An earthquake, terrorist attack, or even a hole-in-one can cause a heart-stopping surge of adrenaline.
-
SciFri: Learning From the Things That Annoy Us
Why you have to overcome irritation in order to examine it.
-
SciFri: How One Guy Raised $1.3 Million for a Tesla...
The money will be used to turn Nikola Tesla’s final laboratory into a museum.
-
SciFri: When Infections "Spillover"
Will the next human pandemic start in an animal? Writer David Quammen talks about Ebola, HIV and other diseases that “Spillover” from animals to humans.
-
SciFri: New Program Spurs Solar Development on Public...
The plan identifies 285,000 acres of public land in six Western states for solar energy projects.
-
SciFri: Spacecraft Records 'Chorus' of Space Sounds
What do Earth’s radiation belts sound like? Wonder no more.
-
SciFri: Winter Weather Predictions -- Science or...
The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts winter weather months in advance. But how scientific are those predictions? And are NOAA and Accuweather any better at the art of seasonal forecasting?
-
SciFri: Making Sense of Presidential Polls
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the presidential polls? A neuroscientist and statistician talk about how to make sense of the election -- and why not all votes are created equal.
-
SciFri: Scientists in the Dark Over Birth of the Moon
Two new studies present very different ideas about how the Moon was formed -- a riddle that one scientist says may never be solved.
-
SciFri: Curiosity Rover Gets the ‘Scoop’ on Mars
Did the rover shed a piece of plastic while collecting its first scoop of Martian soil?
-
SciFri: 2012 Nobel Prizes Recognize Pioneering Science
This year’s Nobel laureates changed our understanding of our bodies and the world around us.
-
SciFri: Fifty Years Ago, a Bright Idea
Inventor Nick Holonyak describes the creation of the visible light-emitting diode, or LED.
-
SciFri: Enter an Optical Illusion
Gravity doesn't behave as expected in a new art exhibition in New York City.
-
SciFri: Tracking the Ozone Hole, as It Waxes and Wanes
The Antarctic ozone hole reaches its largest size by late September -- but then it disappears again.
-
SciFri: Feds to Debate Marijuana as Medicine
A federal appeals court is set to hear the scientific case for marijuana's therapeutic effects.
-
SciFri: The Secret to Making Ultrastrong 'Gorilla Glass'
Gorilla Glass isn't unbreakable. But it's twice as durable as regular glass -- at half the thickness.
-
SciFri: Why Online Maps Sometimes Lose Their Way
Mapping streets is easy. The trick is pinning down businesses and giving accurate turn-by-turn directions.
-
SciFri: Steven Strogatz: The Joy of X
Did you know some infinities are bigger than others? Or that one is equal to .99999999999 repeating? Just a few of the math mysteries in The Joy of X, a new book by Steven Strogatz.
-
SciFri: From Stem Cells to Eggs (and Beyond)
Stem cells can be turned into heart, liver, and brain cells -- but what about a whole new organism? A study in Science explains the transformation from stem cell to egg to mouse pup.
-
SciFri: Putting the ‘Extreme’ in Extremity
For rhinoceros beetles, size matters.
-
SciFri: How Astronomers Measured the Edge of a Black Hole
The black hole resides at the center of a galaxy located 50 million light-years from Earth.
-
SciFri: What Your Genes Can Tell You About Your Memory
Researchers are studying how gene regulation influences memory.
-
SciFri: Starfish Blamed for Great Barrier Reef Coral Loss
Crown-of-thorns starfish are partly to blame for the Great Barrier Reef's alarming loss of coral cover.
-
SciFri: The Biology of Birds of Prey
We’ll check in with biologists studying American kestrels, prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, and other raptors that nest in Idaho's Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Plus, bringing back the California condor.
-
SciFri: Ice Age Co-Stars: Horses, Camels, and Cheetahs
Move over mammoths -- many lesser-known beasts roamed North America during the Ice Age too.
-
SciFri: Fires and Invasive Grass Threaten American West
Cheatgrass, an invasive weed, chokes out native sagebrush -- and sets the stage for massive blazes.
-
SciFri: Analyzing the Evidence on DNA
"All DNA evidence is not created equal," says Greg Hampikian, Director of the Idaho Innocence Project. He’ll tell us why DNA 'evidence' sometimes leads to the wrong conclusion.
-
SciFri: The SciFri Book Club Visits ‘Flatland’
Mathematician Ian Stewart joins the September book club meeting for a look at Edwin Abbott’s ‘Flatland.’
-
SciFri: What the Doctor Ordered: Building New Body Parts
Spray-on skin, made-to-order muscle, and print-out kidneys aren't just science fiction anymore.
-
SciFri: Printing Solar Panels in the Backyard
A Kickstarter-funded project aims to build a machine to print micro solar panels.
-
SciFri: Waste Not: The Ugly Truth About Food Waste in...
Food waste is a growing problem in the U.S., so what can we do to fix it?
-
SciFri: Can Government Bans Tackle Obesity?
Experts debate whether government regulations are an effective way to fight the obesity epidemic.
-
SciFri: Microbes Benefit More Than Just the Gut
Sinuses, too, are healthier when populated by a diverse colony of bugs.
-
SciFri: Detecting the 'Artful Dodge'
How likely are voters to notice when a politician dodges a question? Not very, says one study.
-
SciFri: Field Trip to a Fungi Foray
This convention is for mushrooms and the people who love them.
-
SciFri: Mars Rover May Be Contaminated with Earth...
If microbial stowaways did hitch a ride to Mars, how will Curiosity's mission be affected?
-
SciFri: Amateur Astronomers Spot a Jupiter Explosion
Could a comet or an asteroid be to blame for the fireball on Jupiter?
-
SciFri: Wind Power Plentiful, Study Says
A paper finds wind energy could provide hundreds of terawatts, if enough turbines are installed.
-
SciFri: The Importance of Strange Science
Science doesn’t have to be serious -- you can always learn from it.
-
SciFri: Tour a Bat Cave
Nickolay Hristov uses a long-range laser scanner and portable thermal cameras to see bats in new ways.
-
SciFri: Oregon Power Project Needs the Motion of the...
A generator that makes electricity from wave power is being prepared for installation off the Oregon coast.
-
SciFri: Tracking Viruses from Animals to People
Researchers discuss West Nile, hantavirus, and other diseases that cross from animals to people.
-
SciFri: Study May Link Pro Football, Brain Decline
A new study suggests that pro football players are more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases.
Recommended Shows
PROGRAM INFORMATION
- New York, NY
- Science, Science News
- NPR
- English
-
NPR
635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001(800) 989-8255 -
Visit the station website
Email the show
Update show info
