1007: Trump’s Nominee For NASA Administrator Meets Congress
Nominee Jared Isaacman prioritized a Mars mission in his confirmation hearings, raising questions about the fate of the Artemis lunar program.
16m Apr 14, 2025
16m
1006: How Real Doctors Brought ‘The Pitt’ To Life
We go inside the scientifically accurate ER world created for the TV show with one of its medical consultants. What is it actually like to work in an emergency room? To deal with overcrowded waiting rooms, a shortage of hospital beds, and a constant flow of life-and-death health conditions—while trying to maintain your sanity at the same time? That’s the focus of “The Pitt,” (https://www.scie...
21m Apr 11, 2025
21m
1005: What Will Replace The International Space Station?
The ISS is set to be decommissioned in 2030. Several companies are competing for NASA contracts to build commercial space stations.
18m Apr 10, 2025
18m
1004: What Artificial General Intelligence Could Mean For Our Future
What happens when AI moves beyond convincing chatbots and custom image generators to something that matches—or outperforms—humans? Each week, tech companies trumpet yet another advance in artificial intelligence, from better chat services to image and video generators that spend less time in the uncanny valley. But the holy grail for AI companies is known as AGI, or artificial general intellig...
30m Apr 09, 2025
30m
1003: Climate Change Has Made Allergy Season Worse. How Do We Cope?
It’s not just in your stuffy head. Seasonal allergies are getting worse as pollen season gets longer and more intense.
17m Apr 08, 2025
17m
1002: Microdosing Peanut Butter Could Alleviate Some Peanut Allergies
Food allergies are on the rise. For kids with less severe peanut allergies, one potential treatment could be found in the grocery aisle.
18m Apr 07, 2025
18m
1001: The Department Of Health And Human Services Cuts 10,000 Jobs
The cuts hit multiple agencies, affecting work on HIV, gun violence prevention, vaccines, minority health research, and more. On April 1, thousands of federal health workers woke up to find that they had been laid off (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/hhs-job-cuts-april-1/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) . Scientists and civil servants at the Food and Drug Adminis...
12m Apr 04, 2025
12m
1000: Forecasting Cuts Spark Worries About Hurricane Season | Soothing Babies With Music
Emergency response experts say that funding and staff cuts at the National Weather Service could mean less reliable weather forecast. And, babies like music, but they generally have preferences. A music therapist reveals the best kinds of music to soothe a baby. Forecasting Cuts Leave Some Worried For Hurricane Season Many in Georgia are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Hele...
18m Apr 03, 2025
18m
999: Massive Iceberg Breaks Off Antarctica, Revealing Wonders Below
When the Chicago-size iceberg drifted away, scientists seized the opportunity to study the life and geologic formations hidden below.
18m Apr 02, 2025
18m
998: TikTok Is Shaping How We Think About ADHD
Mental health information on social media can be both revelatory and misleading. How do clinicians and their patients make sense of it? TikTok and other social media sites are full of mental health content—often short, grabby, first-person videos detailing symptoms for conditions like ADHD and autism. But what does this mean for teens and young adults who spend hours a day scrolling? A new st...
18m Apr 01, 2025
18m
997: Engineering Lessons One Year After The Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Engineers take an in-depth look at why the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed and how to prevent future tragedies. In the early morning of March 26, 2024, the container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Within 30 seconds, the bridge collapsed into the river below. Six construction workers lost their lives. On the one-year anniversary of the accident, we ...
19m Mar 31, 2025
19m
996: 23andMe Bankruptcy | A Coating That Can Slow A Golf Ball’s Roll
The company has genetic data of 15 million people, which could be shared with a future buyer. Here’s how to delete it. Plus, an experimental coating could make golf balls roll more reliably on greens with different conditions. After 23andMe Bankruptcy, Customers Urged To Delete Their Data If you’re one of roughly 15 million people who used 23andMe to unlock information from their DNA, consume...
25m Mar 28, 2025
25m
995: AI Word Choice | When Dwarf Lemurs Hibernate, Their Chromosomes Do Something Odd
Certain words are overrepresented in text written by AI language models. A study investigates why such patterns develop. Also, the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, typically shorten as an organism ages. But when some fat-tail dwarf lemurs hibernate, they lengthen. ‘Delving’ Into The ‘Realm’ Of AI Word Choice Several years ago, some eagle-eyed readers of scientific papers noticed an unus...
25m Mar 27, 2025
25m
994: Developing Faster, Simpler Tools To Treat Tuberculosis
TB kills more than a million people each year. Dr. Mireille Kamariza has spent her career developing better detection and treatment tools. As the United States retreats from global health leadership—withdrawing from the World Health Organization, dismantling USAID—public health experts warn that there will be implications for the spread of certain diseases around the globe. One such disease is...
19m Mar 26, 2025
19m
993: Author John Green On The Many Ways Tuberculosis Shaped Human Life
In a new book, author John Green traces how the disease has impacted culture, geography, and even fashion over the centuries. Tuberculosis (TB) has had an incredibly large impact on human history. One staggering statistic? It’s been estimated that by the start of the 1800s, the disease had killed one in seven people who had ever lived. Because of this, tuberculosis affected human culture, geog...
19m Mar 25, 2025
19m
992: DESI Data Strengthens Evidence Of Change In Dark Energy
Researchers built the largest 3D map of our universe yet. What they found supports the idea that dark energy could have evolved over time. One of the mysteries of the universe is why it expands at the rate that it does. Back in 1998, two teams of researchers observed that not only was the universe expanding, but that the rate of expansion was increasing (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/...
19m Mar 24, 2025
19m
991: NASA Astronauts Return To Earth After Extended Stay On The ISS | Bottle "Pop" Physics
After nine months aboard the International Space Station, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally landed back on Earth. Also, a German physicist and homebrewer discovered brief, intense physical reactions that happen when you uncork a bubbly swing-top bottle. NASA Astronauts Return To Earth After Extended Stay On The ISS After 286 days aboard the International Space Station—27...
19m Mar 21, 2025
19m
990: The Evolving Science Of How Childhood Trauma Shapes Adults | Butterfly Memories
The framework of Adverse Childhood Experiences started with an unexpected finding over 30 years ago. How is our approach changing? Plus, butterfly memories from our listeners.
19m Mar 20, 2025
19m
989: How NIH Cuts Could Affect U.S. Biomedical Research
Former NIH director Dr. Harold Varmus speaks out about what recent budget cuts and policy changes could mean for science. One of the areas targeted by President Trump’s administration for cuts has been the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cost-cutting actions have included the layoffs of some 1,200 NIH employees, the termination of research grants (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/ni...
19m Mar 19, 2025
19m
988: Fungi Create Complex Supply Chains | A Rookie Robot Umpire Takes The Field
Fungal networks in the ground ferry crucial nutrients to plants. But how do brainless organisms form complex supply chain networks? Also, in this year’s baseball spring training, the new Automated Ball-Strike System is helping settle challenges to home plate pitch calls. Scientists Observe Fungi Creating Complex Supply Chains (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/fungi-creating-complex-suppl...
19m Mar 18, 2025
19m
987: 10% Of NOAA Staff Laid Off | Frozen Funds Leave Farmers In Limbo
Layoffs at the agency, which releases weather forecasts and monitors extreme weather, could have serious implications. Also, funds for climate and sustainability-focused farming projects have been indefinitely frozen, even though the USDA has already signed contracts. 10% Of NOAA Staff Laid Off, With More Cuts Possible The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA,...
25m Mar 17, 2025
25m
986: Pi, Anyone? A Celebration Of Math And What’s New
Mathematician Dr. Steven Strogatz breaks down the history of the math concept and brings it full circle to recent science.
19m Mar 14, 2025
19m
985: How Plants Powered Prehistoric Giants Millions Of Years Ago
A new book explores how prehistoric plants and dinosaurs co-evolved, and puts the spotlight on often overlooked flora.
19m Mar 13, 2025
19m
984: How Narwhals Use Their Tusks To Hunt And Play | This Week's ‘Blood Moon’ Lunar Eclipse
An international team of researchers used drones to study narwhals and learn more about their behavior. And, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across most of North and South America in the early morning hours of March 14. New Footage Shows How Narwhals Use Tusks To Hunt And Play We’re taking a polar plunge into the science of sea unicorns (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/narwhal-tu...
17m Mar 12, 2025
17m
983: Where Have All The Butterflies Gone?
A new study of butterfly populations in the US shows a 22% decline among over 500 species in just 20 years.
18m Mar 11, 2025
18m
982: What Does Dismantling USAID Mean For Global Health?
USAID has historically funded programs focused on disease eradication, maternal and child health, and healthcare infrastructure.
19m Mar 10, 2025
19m
981: Protesters ‘Stand Up For Science’ At Rallies Nationwide | Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
Scientists aren’t always encouraged to be politically active. But recent political interference by the Trump administration has many fired up. And, the Blue Ghost lunar lander, part of NASA’s CLPS initiative, completed the first fully successful commercial moon landing. Protesters ‘Stand Up For Science’ At Rallies Across The Country Scientists and defenders of science are gathering in cities ...
28m Mar 07, 2025
28m
980: The Effort To Save Thousands Of Donor Kidneys | Ocean Liner Will Become An Artificial Reef
Last year, 9,000 deceased donor kidneys were discarded due to storage and time limitations. A kidney “life support” machine could change that. Also, the SS United States will join Florida’s 4,300 artificial reefs—human-made places for fish and other marine life to live. How do these reefs work? The Effort To Save Thousands Of Donor Kidneys From Being Wasted Sylvia Miles was diagnosed with lup...
19m Mar 06, 2025
19m
979: Where Does Plastic And Other Trash Go After We Throw It Away?
A journalist traveled to five continents to learn about the afterlife of our trash, and why most “recyclable” plastic actually isn’t. Have you ever gotten to the end of, say, a jar of peanut butter and wondered if it should go in trash or recycling? If it’s worth rinsing out? And where will it actually end up? Journalist Alexander Clapp had those same questions, and went to great lengths to a...
19m Mar 05, 2025
19m
978: An Animal’s Size And Its Cancer Risk | Bastetodon, A 30 Million-Year-Old Apex Predator
A study finds that Peto’s Paradox, which states that larger animals are no more likely to get cancer than smaller ones, may not hold up. Also, a nearly complete predator skull was found in the Egyptian desert. Its lineage indicates that it was a top carnivore of the age. What Does An Animal’s Size Have To Do With Its Cancer Risk? If you throw a huge party, there’s more of a chance of problems...
18m Mar 04, 2025
18m
977: How Trump’s DEI Ban Will Affect Medical Research
Changes limiting programs, grants, and even the nature of studies are already underway at the NIH, NSF, FDA, CDC, and more. On President Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/dei-ban-medical-research/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) to end what he calls “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” referencing...
19m Mar 03, 2025
19m
976: Conflicting Directives Sow Confusion For NIH Workers | The Mycobiome
The acting head of the NIH reportedly pushed back against legal guidance to resume grant funding, leaving federal workers in the lurch. Also, though fungi make up a tiny part of the human microbiome, they play an important role in both the prevention and development of many diseases. Cuts And Conflicting Directives Sow Confusion For NIH Workers Just over a month after President Trump’s inaugu...
26m Feb 28, 2025
26m
975: The Best Tail For Balance | Bindi Irwin Wants Kids To Become ‘Wildlife Warriors’
The bone and joint structures in mammal tails help them keep their balance. Could those benefits be adapted for robots? And, in her first children’s book, conservationist Bindi Irwin takes little readers on a journey through Australia Zoo. In Search Of The Best Tail For Balance If you have met a cat, you’ve probably at some point been amazed by how acrobatic they are. They’re able to reorient...
23m Feb 27, 2025
23m
974: A Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise
In a small trial, nearly half of pancreatic cancer patients who received an mRNA vaccine for the disease had no relapse three years later.
18m Feb 26, 2025
18m
973: Why Are Flu And Other Viral Infection Rates So High This Year?
Flu infections are the highest they’ve been in nearly 30 years, and flu deaths this winter have surpassed COVID deaths. What’s going on?
19m Feb 25, 2025
19m
972: Making Sense Of Federal Cuts To Science—And What Comes Next
The CEO of one of America’s oldest scientific societies discusses the recent cuts to scientific institutions, and how scientists can respond.
18m Feb 24, 2025
18m
971: Tomb Of Egyptian King Unearthed | Why The Internet Was Captivated By A Hideous Fish
Finding the original tomb of the royal is one of the most significant developments in Egyptian archeology in recent history. Also, a video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online. But why was this deep-sea dweller near the surface at all? Royal Tomb Of Egyptian King Thutmose II Unearthed A British-Egyptian team has made one of the most significant Egyptian archeolog...
21m Feb 21, 2025
21m
970: What Happens To Your Body When You’re Grieving
In a new book, Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor explores the ways grief affects the body, from the heart to the immune system.
19m Feb 20, 2025
19m
969: Can Men and Women (Baboons) Really Just Be Friends? | The Best Bear Deterrent May Be Drones
Just like in “When Harry Met Sally”, the answer isn’t so simple for Kinda baboons, which form long-term friendships between the sexes. Plus, new research found drones to be more effective than dogs, cars, or loud noises at convincing bears to avoid human areas.
19m Feb 19, 2025
19m
968: Adventures In Science At The Icy ‘Ends Of The Earth’
A new book explores how one biologist’s work at the North and South Poles changed the way he sees the world and our place in it.
19m Feb 18, 2025
19m
967: FDA Approves A New, Non-Opioid Painkiller | Deep, Multi-Layer Oceans On Uranus And Neptune?
It’s the first FDA approval for a pain medication in 25 years. How does the drug work, and who is it for? Also, non-mixing layers of water and hydrocarbons thousands of miles deep could explain the icy planets’ strange magnetic fields. The FDA Approves A New, Non-Opioid Painkiller In January, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new pain medicine called Journavx (suzetrigine) (https://...
25m Feb 17, 2025
25m
966: Most Powerful Neutrino Ever Is Detected In the Mediterranean | Nerdy Valentines
A neutrino with a record-breaking level of energy was picked up by a detector in the Mediterranean Sea. Also, listener stories of love at first science.
17m Feb 14, 2025
17m
965: ‘Common Side Effects’ And An All-Healing Mushroom | The Unique Smell Of Snow
In "Common Side Effects," the starring scientist finds a mushroom that can heal any ailment. But powerful people will do anything to stop him from cultivating it. And, a combination of environmental factors and the way our bodies function play a role in how we perceive the smell of snow. In ‘Common Side Effects,’ A Clash Over An All-Healing Mushroom In the new Adult Swim show “Common Side Eff...
19m Feb 13, 2025
19m
964: Investigating Fraud At The Heart Of Alzheimer’s Research
In “Doctored,” an investigative journalist outlines how fraud and misconduct have stalled the search for effective Alzheimer’s treatments.
19m Feb 12, 2025
19m
963: Managing Wildfires Using A Centuries-Old Indigenous Practice
The Karuk Tribe in Northern California has stewarded its home using prescribed burns for millennia. Now, they’re training others on the skill.
18m Feb 11, 2025
18m
962: Can Vaping Help You Quit Cigarettes? What Are The Risks?
Some research shows that e-cigarettes can be a useful tool for quitting cigarettes, but that strategy is hotly contested by scientists.
19m Feb 10, 2025
19m
961: How Lucy Runs On A Virtual Treadmill | Comparing DeepSeek’s AI To Other Models
Scientists determined that Lucy, a human ancestor from 3.2 million years ago, couldn’t have beaten modern humans in a foot race. Also, the Chinese AI company DeepSeek startled industry observers with an efficient new system. But how does it compare with the leading tech? How Lucy, Our Famous Ancestor, Runs On A Virtual Treadmill Lucy is one of the most famous fossils—an Australopithecus afare...
26m Feb 07, 2025
26m
960: Scientists Create Glowing ‘RNA Lanterns’ With Bioluminescence
Researchers tagged mouse RNA with the enzyme that makes fireflies glow, in hopes of better understanding how viruses and memories work.
19m Feb 06, 2025
19m
959: What’s Next For Quantum Computing In 2025?
On the heels of some big quantum computing advances in 2024, at least one company is telling businesses to get “quantum ready” this year.
19m Feb 05, 2025
19m
958: Building Blocks Of Life Found On Asteroid Bennu
Early analysis of asteroid samples from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission show the residue of an icy brine, and a soup of amino acids.
19m Feb 04, 2025
19m