1141: World Space Week And Promising Climate Tech Companies
We check in on some exciting space missions and projects from IMAP to LIGO. Plus, climate tech companies that have our attention.
26m Oct 10, 2025
26m
1140: The Story Behind The Largest Dam Removal In U.S. History
A new book goes behind the scenes of the removal of four dams along the Klamath River, and the massive restoration effort that’s followed.
21m Oct 09, 2025
21m
1139: How Archaeologists Try To Smell, Hear, And Taste The Past
In “Dinner With King Tut,” Sam Kean shows how experimental archaeology can recreate the stinky, slimy, and tasty parts of ancient history.
19m Oct 08, 2025
19m
1138: Moth Survival Strategies And A Rodent Thumbnail Mystery
Moths’ evolutionary split between bright warning colors and subtle camouflage depends on the context. Plus, mysteries of the rodent thumbnail.
19m Oct 07, 2025
19m
1136: As The CDC Falters, How Do We Fill Public Health Gaps?
Former CDC director Tom Frieden discusses how communities and health systems can move forward as the US public health system is dismantled.
12m Oct 06, 2025
12m
1135: Anthropologists Have A Bone To Pick With New Skull Finding
A reconstruction of an ancient skull suggests that humans could have evolved half a million years earlier than thought. Not so fast, some say.
13m Oct 03, 2025
13m
1137: Remembering Primatologist Jane Goodall
Trailblazing chimp researcher and conservationist Jane Goodall died this week at 91.
18m Oct 02, 2025
18m
1134: What Do We Know About SSRI Antidepressant Withdrawal?
Without robust long-term data, physicians and patients continue debating the severity and significance of SSRI withdrawal symptoms.
19m Oct 02, 2025
19m
1133: Asha de Vos’ Journey From Deck Hand To Marine Science Leader
Growing up, Asha de Vos didn’t know of any Sri Lankans studying marine mammals. So she became the first.
19m Oct 01, 2025
19m
1132: Why Painters Are Obsessed With The Duck Stamp Art Contest
Duck stamps help fund wetland conservation across the country. The art that adorns them is chosen through a beloved (and intense) competition.
19m Sep 30, 2025
19m
1131: Can Better Equipment Eliminate Concussions In Sports?
Head injuries are considered a normal risk of high-impact sports like football. Better helmets and guidelines aim to make athletes safer.
19m Sep 29, 2025
19m
1130: Is Tylenol Use During Pregnancy Connected To Autism?
We dig into the details of the science of Tylenol and autism with a researcher who led one of the largest studies on the topic.
12m Sep 26, 2025
12m
1129: How AI Advances Are Improving Humanoid Robots
Roboticist Karen Liu combines machine learning and animation to teach robots to move and respond more like humans.
18m Sep 25, 2025
18m
1128: The High-Tech Lab Unlocking Secrets Of Coral Reproduction
At a lab in the heart of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, scientists are breeding corals to be more resilient to rising ocean temperatures.
18m Sep 24, 2025
18m
1127: The Humble Microbe Could Help Us Understand Life Itself
Unlocking the basic science of microbes, especially those that live in extreme environments, could help us find life elsewhere in the universe.
13m Sep 23, 2025
13m
1126: Raising A New Generation Of Bat Conservationists In West Africa
Bats are understudied in West Africa. An ecologist couple is building a network of bat conservationists to boost research and conservation.
19m Sep 22, 2025
19m
1125: How Conservation Efforts Brought Rare Birds Back From The Brink
The merlin, sandhill crane, and pileated woodpecker were once rare in North America. Environmental conservation fueled their resurgence.
18m Sep 19, 2025
18m
1124: Teamwork Between Species Is The Key To Life Itself
“The Call of the Honeyguide” traces the mutualisms found throughout nature, from hunting pairs to the microbes all around us.
19m Sep 18, 2025
19m
1123: If An Asteroid Were Headed For Earth, Would We Be Ready?
Sooner or later, a sizable asteroid could impact a populated area on Earth. How is the US, and the world, preparing?
19m Sep 17, 2025
19m
1122: A Trailblazing Geneticist Reflects On Her Life And Work
Dr. Mary-Claire King was the first to link a gene to hereditary cancer risk with the identification of BRCA1. She was just getting started.
48m Sep 16, 2025
48m
1121: What The Label Of ‘Genius’ Tells Us About Our Society
In “The Genius Myth,” Helen Lewis argues that who we call a genius reveals more about our values than any objective measure of brilliance.
19m Sep 15, 2025
19m
1120: The Human Obsession With Aliens Goes Way, Way Back
A new book charts the millennia-old history of our fascination with aliens, and how myth transformed into research.
25m Sep 12, 2025
25m
1119: A Delicious But Invasive Mushroom Could Affect Fungal Diversity
Golden oyster mushrooms have escaped from home growing kits into the wild. Plus, the ancient origin story of the humble potato plant.
20m Sep 11, 2025
20m
1118: A Photographer Captures Nature In Mind-Boggling Detail
Ever seen the hairs on a bee’s eyeball? Or the contours of a hummingbird's tongue? Science photographer Anand Varma takes us behind the lens.
19m Sep 10, 2025
19m
1115: How Shoddy Science Is Driving A Supplement Boom
Questionable science, lax regulations, and wellness culture have turned dietary supplements into big business.
20m Sep 09, 2025
20m
1117: Octopuses Use Suckers To ‘Taste’ Harmful Microbes
Researchers found that octopuses can use their arms to detect harmful microbes on the surface of objects like crab shells or their own eggs.
20m Sep 08, 2025
20m
1116: After CDC Director Is Ousted, More Senior Officials Resign
Former CDC scientist Demetre Daskalakis left his post, citing political interference and a lack of science in decision-making at the agency.
14m Sep 05, 2025
14m
1114: Meet 3I/Atlas, An Object From Another Solar System
The third interstellar object ever observed is in our neighborhood—for now. And, asteroid Bennu could contain dust from far-off solar systems.
19m Sep 04, 2025
19m
1113: How Common Household Products Pollute Our Indoor Air
Candles, hair styling products, and other common items can produce toxic air pollution that lingers in our homes.
13m Sep 03, 2025
13m
1112: The Shape-Shifting Science Of Sand Dunes
A sand dune is much more than just a big pile of sand. But how do they work? And what else do scientists want to know about sand?
18m Sep 02, 2025
18m
1111: Food Science Experts On Perfecting At-Home Ice Cream
We’re pulling a few of our favorite stories about the science of ice cream out of the freezer.
19m Sep 01, 2025
19m
1110: An ER Doctor Reflects On Hurricane Katrina, 20 Years Later
Dr. Erica Fisher was working at Charity Hospital when it flooded, trapping her and 1,600 other people inside during Hurricane Katrina.
25m Aug 29, 2025
25m
1109: An Archaeologist And A Tattoo Artist Decipher Ancient Ink
Archaeologists are taking another look at tattoos on preserved corpses and verifying ancient techniques with modern tattoo artists.
19m Aug 28, 2025
19m
1108: What Lies Beneath The Outer Layers Of A Star?
Astronomers found a supernova whose lighter outer layers had been stripped away, revealing an inner shell rich in silicon and sulfur.
13m Aug 27, 2025
13m
1107: How Have Gray Wolves Fared 30 Years After Reintroduction?
Humans drove wolves nearly to extinction in the American West. Reintroducing them in 1995 was, and still is, controversial.
13m Aug 26, 2025
13m
1106: Are Food Dyes Really Bad For You?
The FDA and HHS plan to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes as part of the MAHA agenda. What does science say about their effects on health?
19m Aug 25, 2025
19m
1105: mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise
In the wake of funding cuts to mRNA vaccine research, we revisit a February story about a promising vaccine for pancreatic cancer.
19m Aug 22, 2025
19m
1104: Can The Rise In Solar Power Balance Out Clean Energy Cuts?
Solar power adoption has been rising fast. Amid recent federal efforts to limit clean energy, will it make a dent in our climate impact?
19m Aug 21, 2025
19m
1103: Decoding Fireflies’ Smelly Signals And Blinking Butts
Fireflies' unique body chemistry has led to advances in medical imaging. And scientists are now learning how they communicate using smell.
18m Aug 20, 2025
18m
1102: The Uncertain Science Behind What We Understand As ‘Truth’
In a new book, mathematician Adam Kucharski traces our relationship to truth, from the ancient Greeks to our AI reality.
19m Aug 19, 2025
19m
1096: How Agatha Christie Used Chemistry To Kill (In Books)
A new book explores the poisonous concoctions in Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries and the science behind how they kill.
18m Aug 18, 2025
18m
1101: What Do mRNA Funding Cuts Mean For Future US Research?
RFK Jr. canceled nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research funding. Plus, the latest climate news, from flooding in Alaska to new EVs.
20m Aug 15, 2025
20m
1098: Breast Milk Is Understudied. What Are Scientists Learning Now?
There are a lot of claims about breast milk, but we know little about this sophisticated substance. Two researchers update us on the latest.
19m Aug 14, 2025
19m
1097: When Headaches Are Ruining Your Life, Where Can You Turn?
In “The Headache,” a science journalist documents his quest to understand his own cluster headaches.
19m Aug 13, 2025
19m
1099: Remembering Apollo 13 Astronaut James Lovell
The late James Lovell was commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. In 1995, he recounted the story of the real-life space drama.
29m Aug 12, 2025
29m
1095: ‘Underground Atlas’ Shows How Vulnerable Fungal Networks Are
Underground fungal networks are crucial to life on Earth. But a new map shows that less than 10% of fungal hotspots are in protected areas.
19m Aug 11, 2025
19m
1094: Lithium May Have A Role In Causing—And Treating—Alzheimer’s
This important breakthrough and other research projects have lost funding because of Trump’s cuts to the NIH.
27m Aug 08, 2025
27m
1092: Are Cold Plunges Actually Good For You?
A researcher who studies the effects of extreme cold on the body throws a few drops of icy water on the social media trend. Also, why mammoths make great mascots.
18m Aug 07, 2025
18m
1093: A Nagasaki Survivor And Physician Recounts His Life's Work
Dr. Masao Tomonaga was 2 years old when the US bombed Nagasaki. Eighty years later, he reflects on a lifetime of treating other survivors.
19m Aug 06, 2025
19m
1091: 65 Genomes Expand Our Picture Of Human Genetics
Researchers closely examined the genomes of 65 individuals to paint a more complex, and more complete, picture of human genetic diversity.
19m Aug 05, 2025
19m