891: The Science Behind Third-Trimester Abortions
Abortions later in pregnancy are the most stigmatized, leading to misinformation and a hesitancy to talk openly about why people have them.
18m Oct 29, 2024
18m
890: How Aging Water Systems Are Pushing Sewage Into U.S. Homes
Outdated and poorly maintained sewage and stormwater systems have led to chronic sewage backups in communities across the country.
18m Oct 28, 2024
18m
889: Did Dinosaur Flight Evolve More Than Once? | Biodiversity’s Biggest Event Is Underway
Some paleontologists argue the ancient footprints found in South Korea show flight may have evolved in multiple dinosaur lineages. And, COP16 will tackle questions like who should profit from non-human DNA, and who is responsible for financing critical conservation projects. Do Fossil Prints Show Dinosaur Flight Evolved More Than Once? Researchers studying tracks fossilized in Cretaceous-era ...
26m Oct 25, 2024
26m
888: How Do Animals Understand Death?
Philosopher Susana Monsó unpacks the latest research into how animals like possums, chimps, and ants interpret death.
18m Oct 24, 2024
18m
887: MRIs Show How The Brain Changes During Pregnancy
New research sheds light on changes in gray and white matter during this transformational event.
18m Oct 23, 2024
18m
886: How Metaphor Shapes Science | Intertwining The Lives Of Moths And Humans Through Music
Metaphors can help us understand complicated scientific concepts. But they can also have a downside. And, a pair of musicians wrote a concept album inspired by moths—and found that humans have more in common with the insects than they expected. How Metaphor Has Shaped Science, For Better Or Worse Here at Science Friday, we’re big fans of metaphors (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/metap...
27m Oct 22, 2024
27m
885: NASA’s Europa Clipper Heads To Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa
Scientists suspect that beneath Europa’s icy crust is a giant ocean of liquid water. They launched a spacecraft to investigate.
19m Oct 21, 2024
19m
884: Pandas Return To Washington, D.C. | A Lesser-Known Grain Called Kernza
Two giant pandas on loan from China have arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Also, originally from Central Asia, Kernza doesn’t need to be replanted every year, unlike crops such as corn and soybeans. Pandas Return To Washington, D.C., Zoo On Tuesday, two VIPs (Very Important Pandas) arrived at Washington’s Dulles International Airport, en route to new quarters at the Smithsonian’s Nat...
19m Oct 18, 2024
19m
883: How Health Misinformation Spreads | A Play About Ben Franklin And His Son
We kick off a series on health misinformation leading up to the election. Plus, tell us what health information you’d like us to investigate. ALso, Ii the play “Franklinland,” Benjamin Franklin’s son takes centerstage in an exploration of his father’s life as a scientist, statesperson, and parent.
24m Oct 17, 2024
24m
882: Searching The Universe For Clues To The Ultra-Small
Several astronomy projects are mapping vast areas of space, searching for traces of tiny quantum fluctuations in the early universe.
18m Oct 16, 2024
18m
881: What Makes ‘SuperAgers’ Stay Healthy For So Long?
Scientists are looking to recruit 10,000 people over age 95 to study how their genes may contribute to longer, healthier lives.
18m Oct 15, 2024
18m
880: Asheville Was Never A ‘Climate Haven.’ Nowhere Is.
Although the kinds of risks vary by location, there is no place that’s immune to the damaging effects of climate change.
19m Oct 14, 2024
19m
879: The Science Behind Hurricane Milton | ‘Unsettling’ Warm Water In Lake Michigan
Hurricane Milton caused a major storm surge, but also a reverse one. And, Lake Michigan's surface temperature has been above average nearly every day this year so far. All five Great Lakes are heating up. The Science Behind Hurricane Milton On October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/hurricane-milton-science/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_camp...
20m Oct 11, 2024
20m
878: How Campaigns Use Psychology To Get Out The Vote
With the presidential election a month away, researchers explain the psychology behind holding, changing, and acting on political opinions.
19m Oct 10, 2024
19m
877: How Gut Microbes Are Linked To Stress Resilience
A recent study concluded that people who are highly resilient to stress have specific biological signatures in their gut microbiomes.
19m Oct 09, 2024
19m
876: How Magnetic Brain Stimulation Helps Relieve Depression
One lab’s approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation has sent many patients with hard-to-treat depression into remission.
18m Oct 08, 2024
18m
875: How The Origin Of Life On Earth Can Help Find Life In Space
In his book “Is Earth Exceptional?,” Mario Livio tackles a question that has captured imaginations for centuries: Are we alone in the universe?
24m Oct 07, 2024
24m
874: Hurricane Helene's Effect On The Global Tech Industry | A Stretchy Band-Aid For The Heart
The storm flooded mines in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, which supply the tech industry with some of the purest quartz in the world. Also, researchers developed a 3D-printable material, inspired by worms, that can act as a Band-Aid for damaged heart and cartilage tissue. Hurricane Helene’s Damage Could Affect The Global Tech Industry After making landfall on September 26, Hurricane Helene deva...
26m Oct 04, 2024
26m
873: Herbicides Approved For Public Land | Hidden Physics In Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’
This summer, the Bureau of Land Management approved seven herbicides to fight invasive plants in the West. Also, when scientists analyzed the swirls in the famous painting, they found Van Gogh depicted forces of nature with startling accuracy. What Newly Approved Herbicides Could Mean For Federal Land Invasive plants are a big problem across the western US. Cunning interlopers like cheatgras...
18m Oct 03, 2024
18m
872: Improving Hospitals’ Support For Teens In Mental Health Crises
Emergency departments often handle incidents of self-inflicted injury. Equipping them better could save lives.
19m Oct 02, 2024
19m
871: Greenhouse Gases From Anesthesia | Fighting Militarization In The Mariana Islands
Emissions from anesthesia are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases from hospitals. This anesthesiologist wants to change that. And, a cultural anthropologist discusses the Mariana Islands’ long history of colonization and why demilitarization matters for climate progress. A Major Source Of Greenhouse Gases In Hospitals? Anesthesia Did you know that some of the gases used in anesthes...
19m Oct 01, 2024
19m
870: Empowering Older Adults To Step Up For The Climate
Climate activists Bill McKibben and Akaya Windwood say it isn’t fair to leave the climate crisis for younger generations to solve.
18m Sep 30, 2024
18m
869: Microsoft Makes Deal To Restart Three Mile Island | Fish That Use Their Legs To Taste
The company is betting big on nuclear energy to meet increasing power needs of data centers and new technologies like AI. Also, new research into a strange fish known as the sea robin finds that leg-like appendages can “taste” prey buried in the sand. Microsoft Makes Deal To Restart Three Mile Island Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania has quite a reputation in the world of nuclear energy: One ...
25m Sep 27, 2024
25m
868: Former NIH Director Reflects On Public Mistrust In Science
In his new book, Dr. Francis Collins explores how the pandemic increased skepticism of the scientific process and what to do about it.
24m Sep 26, 2024
24m
867: How Are AI Chatbots Changing Scientific Publishing?
Generative AI is boosting production of fake scientific papers. How are journal publishers adjusting to this new reality?
18m Sep 25, 2024
18m
866: These Artists Serve Up Environmental Crises Through Food
May we interest you in a smog-infused cookie? The Center for Genomic Gastronomy is making foods that capture environmental crises.
13m Sep 24, 2024
13m
865: Surgeon General Takes On Parental Stress And Mental Health
In his latest advisory, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy adds parents’ wellbeing to his agenda of improving the nation’s mental health.
26m Sep 23, 2024
26m
864: Earth May Once Have Had A Ring Like Saturn | An AI For Sand
The ring would have gradually fallen to Earth as meteorites, correlating to a spike of impacts seen in the geological record. Also, a new AI tool can judge whether sand came from a beach, a river, a glacial deposit, or a wind-blown dune. Earth May Once Have Had A Ring Like Saturn Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth may have looked quite different when viewed from space: Scientists propos...
23m Sep 20, 2024
23m
863: Physicists Create Heaviest Antimatter Nucleus | Bird Species May Team Up For Migration
The heaviest antimatter nucleus to date was spotted in a particle accelerator. It could provide new insights into the nature of matter. And, research indicates different songbird species might intentionally travel together during migration, giving each other a possible boost in survival. Physicists Create Heaviest Antimatter Nucleus Yet Antimatter is one of science’s great mysteries. It is pr...
19m Sep 19, 2024
19m
862: Your Questions About The Updated COVID Vaccines, Answered
Immunologist Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire answers audience questions about when to get the latest COVID shot, rapid test efficacy, and more.
18m Sep 18, 2024
18m
861: To Confront Climate Change, Imagine Getting It Right
In her new book, climate policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson explores what ideal climate solutions look like to a lineup of experts.
18m Sep 17, 2024
18m
860: What Research Shows About Smartphone Bans In Schools
Researchers, educators, and parents discuss smartphones in school. Plus, why research on how social media affects teens defies easy answers.
18m Sep 16, 2024
18m
859: First Citizen Spacewalk | First Successful Whole-Eye Transplant, Over A Year Later
Two citizen astronauts on SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission left their capsule and returned safely. Also, while Aaron James can’t see out of his new eye, it remains viable after more than a year. His surgeons say it’s a massive success.
25m Sep 13, 2024
25m
858: ‘Time Capsule’ Rocks And Earth’s Mantle | Genetically Engineering Stronger Wood
Samples of 2.5 billion-year-old mantle rocks found at spreading ocean ridges could put bounds on models of how the planet formed. And, researchers decreased the amount of lignin in poplar tree wood, making it stronger and slower to deteriorate. ‘Time Capsule’ Rocks Provide Clues About Earth’s Mantle If you’re looking to really learn about the history of our planet, look to geology. Ancient ro...
18m Sep 12, 2024
18m
857: To This Neuroscientist, Cows Are Like Puppies
In a new book called “Cowpuppy,” neuroscientist and farmer Gregory Berns investigates cow intelligence.
18m Sep 11, 2024
18m
856: Fishing For—And Saving—Sharks | Scientists Identify ‘ManhattAnt’ Spreading Across NYC
Shark fishing is alive and well, but the fishermen who do it are increasingly prioritizing conservation. And, an unknown ant was spotted in Manhattan in 2011, and it quickly spread through New York City. We now know what it is. Fishing For—And Saving—Sharks off the Jersey Shore At an undisclosed beach at 5:30 p.m. in New Jersey, shark fisherman AJ Rotondella and two clients wait for beachgoer...
19m Sep 10, 2024
19m
855: Using DNA To Boost Digital Data Storage And Processing
Researchers are harnessing DNA’s incredible capacity for information storage by turning genetic code into binary code.
18m Sep 09, 2024
18m
854: An Asteroid Impact, Spotted In Advance | Extreme Heat Is Making Learning More Difficult
ESA officials said it was only the ninth time an asteroid was spotted before reaching Earth’s atmosphere. And, as the climate changes and summer temperatures linger, educators are increasingly worried about keeping kids safe from heat exhaustion. An Asteroid Impact, Spotted In Advance On Wednesday, an asteroid named 2024 RW1 burned up in the atmosphere above the Philippines. As asteroids go, ...
25m Sep 06, 2024
25m
853: Dino-Killing Asteroid Was Rich In Carbon | The Dogs Sniffing Out Spotted Lanternflies
A new study suggests that the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs may have originated from the outer parts of the solar system. And, invasive spotted lanternflies often lay eggs on vehicles and shipped goods. Now researchers are training dogs to sniff them out before they hatch. Asteroid That Killed The Dinosaurs Was A Carbon-Rich Rock Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the ...
20m Sep 05, 2024
20m
852: Why Eels Are So Mysterious—And In Demand
In her new book, Ellen Ruppel Shell covers the natural history of eels and the crime ring that has sprung up from illegally trafficking them.
18m Sep 04, 2024
18m
851: Webb Telescope Data Point To Six ‘Rogue Worlds’
Rogue worlds float around in the cosmos, untethered to a specific star. They could help scientists understand the formation of the Milky Way.
18m Sep 03, 2024
18m
850: Could ‘Season Creep’ Affect Human Behavior?
The seasons are arriving at different times than they used to. A psychologist weighs in on whether these shifts could impact our behavior.
18m Sep 02, 2024
18m
849: Mosquito-Borne Diseases Are Spreading | ‘Slingshot’ And A Space Mission Gone Wrong
Several states have reported cases of the rare but serious mosquito-borne illness eastern equine encephalitis. And, the new sci-fi movie "Slingshot," about an astronaut’s mental breakdown, prompts questions about how to prepare humans for long-term space travel. Mosquito-Borne Diseases Are Spreading As Temperatures Rise This week, a New Hampshire man died of eastern equine encephalitis (https...
24m Aug 30, 2024
24m
848: The History Of Teeth, From Ancient Fish To Humans
In “Bite,” author Bill Schutt takes readers on a dental adventure spanning half a billion years and much of the animal kingdom.
18m Aug 29, 2024
18m
847: Errors On Death Certificates May Be Skewing Mortality Data
Misreporting on death certificates could lead to inaccurate mortality data, including for key statistics like maternal mortality rates.
21m Aug 28, 2024
21m
846: Astronaut Cady Coleman On ‘Sharing Space’
Cady Coleman discusses her reaction to seeing Earth from orbit, the challenges of her path into space, and her new book.
19m Aug 27, 2024
19m
845: Protecting Sequoias From Wildfire Gets Tricky | Ancient Cave Art And Human Creativity
Sequoia National Park is largely designated as wilderness. That complicates efforts to protect its iconic trees from worsening wildfires. Also, archaeologists keep finding older and older cave art. Here’s what it could tell us about how humans evolved over time. Protecting Sequoias From Wildfire Raises Tricky Questions Sequoia National Park in California is known for its towering, iconic sequ...
22m Aug 26, 2024
22m
844: Plastic In Human Brains | Local Anesthetics Recommended For IUD Insertion
A new study measuring microplastics in organs of the recently deceased found that about two dozen brain samples were 0.5% plastic by weight. Also, having an IUD inserted in the uterus is extremely painful for some people. The CDC now recommends that doctors use local anesthetics. Study Finds A Staggering Amount Of Plastic In Human Brains It only takes a quick look at our streets and waterways...
23m Aug 23, 2024
23m
843: Don’t Just Walk In The Woods—Touch, Smell, and Taste Them, Too
September’s SciFri Book Club pick, “Forest Walking,” teaches readers how to use all five senses to engage with forests in a deeper way.
18m Aug 22, 2024
18m
842: Are Space Elevators Really A Possibility?
The space elevator has long been a part of science fiction, but some experts believe it could soon be a reality.
18m Aug 21, 2024
18m