The End of Everything, Bright Fluorescence, Gene Editing a Squid. August 7, 2020, Part 2
When it comes to the eventual end of our universe, cosmologists have a few classic theories: the Big Crunch, where the universe reverses its expansion and contracts again, setting the stars themselves on fire in the process. Or the Big Rip, where the universe expands forever—but in a fundamentally unstable way that tears matter itself apart. Or it might be heat death, in which matter and energy...
47m Aug 07, 2020
47m
Biden Climate Plan, Boiling River. August 7, 2020, Part 1
Last month, former Vice President Joe Biden unveiled his plan for climate change—a sweeping $2 trillion dollar platform (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/bidens-climate-plan/) that aims to tighten standards for clean energy, decarbonize the electrical grid by 2035, and reach carbon neutrality for the whole country by 2050. Biden’s plan, like the Green New Deal, purports to create millions...
47m Aug 07, 2020
47m
COVID In Prisons, How Sperm Swim. July 31, 2020, Part 2
As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread, it’s become clear certain populations are particularly at risk—including those serving sentences in prisons and jails (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/prisons-coronavirus/) . The virus has torn through correctional and detention centers across the U.S., with more than 78,000 incarcerated people testing positive for COVID-19 as of July 28, according to...
48m Jul 31, 2020
48m
Science In Space, Sports and COVID, Science Diction. July 31, 2020, Part 1
Astronauts have conducted all sorts of experiments in the International Space Station—from observations of microgravity on the human to body to growing space lettuce. But recently, cosmonauts bioengineered human cartilage cells into 3D structures aboard the station, using a device that utilizes magnetic levitation.  The results were recently published in the journal Science Advances. Electrica...
47m Jul 31, 2020
47m
SciFri Extra: The Origin Of The Word 'Ketchup'
Science Diction (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/science-diction) is back! This time around, the team is investigating the science, language, and history of food. First up: Digging into America's favorite condiment, ketchup! At the turn of the 20th century, 12 young men sat in the basement of the Department of Agriculture, eating meals with a side of borax, salicylic acid, or formaldehyde...
19m Jul 28, 2020
19m
Three Missions To Mars, COVID Fact Check, Solar Probes. July 24, 2020, Part 1
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, your news feed is likely still overflowing with both breaking research and rumors. Virologist Angela Rasmussen of Columbia University joins Ira once again to Fact Check Your Feed (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/coronavirus-antibodies/) , discussing everything from two vaccine trials’ hopeful early results to what antibody production might mean for long...
49m Jul 24, 2020
49m
Long-Term COVID Effects, Dicamba and Agriculture, Mosquitoes. July 24, 2020, Part 2
Since the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals have been treating and triaging an influx of COVID-19 patients. Hundreds of thousands of seriously ill patients have been hospitalized, with some having to stay and receive care for months at a time.   But now as some of those patients return home, hospitals are opening post-COVID clinics to help with their transition. Health care professionals ar...
48m Jul 24, 2020
48m
How Brains Organize Smells, Plant Evolution In Art, New Hearing Aids. July 17, 2020, Part 2
How we smell has been a bit of a mystery to scientists. Other senses are easier to understand: For example, it’s possible to predict what a color will look like based on its wavelength. But predicting what a new molecule will smell like is more difficult. Our sense of smell can be quite complex. Take the delicious smell of morning coffee—that aroma is made up of more than 800 individual molecu...
47m Jul 18, 2020
47m
Coronavirus And Schools, New Mars Rover. July 17, 2020, Part 1
As we approach August, many of our young listeners and their parents are starting to think about going back to school. Usually, that might mean getting new notebooks and pencils, and the excitement of seeing classmates after a summer apart. But COVID-19 makes this upcoming school year different. Big districts, including Los Angeles and San Diego public schools, will be completely remote this f...
47m Jul 17, 2020
47m
Great Indoors, Science Museums, Who Owns The Sky. July 10, 2020, Part 2
A whole lot of folks’ summer plans have been cut short this season. Maybe you were planning a family road trip to visit a national park. Or your local science museum. Now, you can watch from home, as Emily Graslie, executive producer, host, and writer for the PBS series “Prehistoric Road Trip (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/emily-graslie-roadtrip/) ,” takes us along for the ride to some...
47m Jul 10, 2020
47m
Degrees of Change: Changing Behavior. July 10, 2020, Part 1
Over the past months, our Degrees of Change (https://www.sciencefriday.com/spotlights/degrees-of-change/)  series has looked at some of the many ways our actions affect the climate, and how our changing climate is affecting us—from the impact of the fashion industry on global emissions (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/doc-climate-and-fashion/)  to the ways in which coastal communities ar...
46m Jul 10, 2020
46m
Summer Science Books, Naked Mole Rats. July 3, 2020, Part 2
The pandemic has nixed many summer vacation plans, but our summer science book list will help you still escape. While staying socially distant, you can take a trip to the great outdoors to unlock the mysteries of bird behaviors. Or instead of trekking to a museum, you can learn about the little-known history of lightbulbs, clocks, and other inventions. Our guests Stephanie Sendaula and Sarah O...
47m Jul 03, 2020
47m
Making The Outdoors Great For Everyone. July 3, 2020, Part 1
It’s the start to a holiday weekend, which often means spending time outdoors, whether that’s going to the beach, on a hike, or grilling in a park. But not everyone feels safe enjoying the great outdoors—and we’re not talking about getting mosquito bites or sunburns. In late May, a white woman, Amy Cooper, called the police on a Black bird watcher who asked her to leash her dog. This incident ...
48m Jul 03, 2020
48m
Honeybee Health, Assessing COVID Risk, Seeing Numbers. June 26, 2020, Part 2
This past year was a strange one for beekeepers. According to a survey from the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership, U.S. beekeepers lost more than 40% of their honey bee colonies between April of 2019 and April of 2020. That’s significantly more than normal. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/bees-in-trouble/) The Bee Informed Partnership has surveyed professional and amateur beekeepers f...
47m Jun 26, 2020
47m
Checking In On Kids’ Mental Health During the Pandemic. June 26, 2020, Part 1
In the U.S., we’re heading into the fourth month of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing and lockdowns have taken a toll on everyone’s mental and emotional well-being—including children and teens, many of whom may be having trouble processing what’s going on.  Psychologists Archana Basu and Robin Gurwitch discuss the unique issues the pandemic brings up for children and teens. They talk ab...
47m Jun 26, 2020
47m
SciFri Extra: A Pragmatic Wishlist For AI Ethics
Earlier this month, three major tech companies (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/amazon-ibm-and-microsoft-wont-say-which-police-departments) publicly distanced themselves from the facial recognition tools used by police: IBM said they would stop all such research, while Amazon and Microsoft said they would push pause on any plans to give facial recognition technology to dom...
17m Jun 24, 2020
17m
Facial Recognition, Hummingbird Vision, Moon Lander. June 19, 2020, Part 2
Protests Shine Light On Facial Recognition Tech Problems Earlier this month, three major tech companies publicly distanced themselves from the facial recognition tools used by police. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna explained their company's move was because of facial recognition’s use in racial profiling and mass surveillance (https://www.ibm.com/blogs/policy/facial-recognition-susset-racial-justice-r...
47m Jun 19, 2020
47m
Doctor Burnout, International Doctors. June 19, 2020, Part 1
A Crisis Of Health In Healthcare Workers Content Warning: This segment contains talk of suicide. For help for people considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/) : 1-800-273-8255 Depression and anxiety are extremely common in healthcare workers (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/healthcare-coronavirus-burnout/) , and they hav...
48m Jun 19, 2020
48m
Proactive Policing, The Social Brain. June 12, 2020, Part 2
In the 1980s and 1990s, in the midst of rising crime rates and a nationally waning confidence in policing, law enforcement around the country adopted a different approach to addressing crime. Instead of just reacting to crime when it happened, officers decided they’d try to prevent it from happening in the first place, employing things like “hot spots” policing and “stop and frisk,” or “terry s...
47m Jun 12, 2020
47m
Anthony Fauci On The Pandemic’s Future. June 12, 2020, Part 1
During the pandemic, immunologist Anthony Fauci has gained fame as “America’s doctor.” He’s a leading scientist in the government’s response to COVID-19, and a celebrated teller of truths—uncomfortable as they may be—like how long the world may have to wait for a vaccine, or the lack of evidence for using the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients. He’s also not new to public heal...
47m Jun 12, 2020
47m
Breast Cancer Cultural History, Butterfly Wings. June 5, 2020, Part 2
‘Radical’ Explores The Hidden History Of Breast Cancer  Nearly 270,000 women are diagnosed (https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2019/cancer-facts-and-figures-2019.pdf)  with breast cancer every year, along with a couple thousand men. But the disease manifests in many different ways, meaning few patients have the same...
47m Jun 05, 2020
47m
Police Behavior Research, Dermatology In Skin Of Color, Coffee Extraction. June 5, 2020, Part 1
This week, the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans by police brutality and racial inequality continue to fuel demonstrations around the nation. In many cities, police are using tear gas, rubber bullets, and other control tactics on protesters.  A history of 50 years of research (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/protests-police-behavior/) reveals what makes ...
47m Jun 05, 2020
47m
Bio-Inspired Concrete, Nose Microbiome, Space News. May 29, 2020, Part 2
The human microbiome—our own personalized bacteria profile—plays a part in our health. The different parts of our body, from our skin to our gut, each have their own microbial profile. A team of researchers decided to explore the bacteria living inside our nose, publishing this week in the journal Cell Reports. Microbiologist Sarah Lebeer, one of the authors of the study, discusses what benefic...
47m May 29, 2020
47m
Vaccine Rate Decrease, Mind-Body Music. May 29, 2020, Part 1
One unintended consequence of families sheltering at home is that children’s vaccination rates have gone way down (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/childhood-vaccinations-covid-19/) . In New York City, for example, vaccine doses for kids older than two dropped by more than 90 percent. That could mean new outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, even while we’re struggling with COVID-19. J...
47m May 29, 2020
47m
Ancient East Asian Genomes, COVID And Clotting, And Cassowary Plumage. May 22, 2020, Part 2
The cassowary, a large flightless bird native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, has a reputation for aggression and wickedly clawed feet that can cause serious injury. Indeed, they’ve been known to attack humans dozens of times, and even occasionally kill people. But they also have a beauty trick: Their glossy black body feathers have a structure for producing shine that’s never bef...
47m May 22, 2020
47m
Degrees Of Change: Regulatory Rollbacks. May 22, 2020, Part 1
The Trump administration is in the process of reversing nearly 100 environmental rules and regulations (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/epa-rollbacks/) —threatening air, water, and public health. For example, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has relaxed enforcement for air pollution violations, allowing emissions to continue unchecked du...
47m May 22, 2020
47m
Galileo, Home COVID Monitoring Tech, Origin Of The Feces. May 15, 2020, Part 2
Galileo’s Battle Against Science Denial Galileo Galilei is known as the father of observational astronomy. His theories about the movement of the Earth around the sun and his experiments testing principles of physics are the basis of modern astronomy. But he’s just as well known for his battles against science skeptics, having to defend his evidence against the political and religious critics a...
46m May 15, 2020
46m
Global COVID Hotspots, Fact Check My Feed, Koji Fermenting. May 15, 2020, Part 1
Fact Check My Feed: Finding The Falsehoods In ‘Plandemic’ Science Friday continues to weigh the truth and sift through the seemingly never-ending stream of misleading claims about the novel coronavirus. This week, virologist Angela Rasmussen joins Ira to help us decipher the uncertainties around this week’s COVID-19 headlines. While what we know and don’t know about COVID-19 changes daily, some...
47m May 15, 2020
47m
Moon Maps, Brain Replay, Contact Tracing. May 8, 2020, Part 2
Have you ever had to learn something new and repeat it over and over—until it feels like you’re doing it in your sleep? Maybe you are. In research published this week in the journal Cell Reports, scientists monitored the brain activity of two people implanted with fine grids of neural electrodes as part of a brain-computer interface study for tetraplegia: paralysis of all four limbs. With the i...
48m May 08, 2020
48m
COVID-19 Inequalities. May 8, 2020, Part 1
Coronavirus is still hitting the U.S. hard. And breaking down infections by race shows a striking pattern: Black, Latino, and Native American people are hit much harder than other communities (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid19-inequality/) . National data shows black Americans account for nearly 30% of COVID-19 deaths, despite only being 13% of the population. In New York City, the...
47m May 08, 2020
47m
Evolutionary Biologist Neil Shubin, Bee Virus Behavior, Search for Lost Apples. May 1, 2020, Part 2
The Twists And Turns Of The Evolution Of Life On Earth In an evolutionary tree, neat branches link the paths of different species back through time. As you follow the forking paths, you can trace common ancestors, winding down the trunk to see the root organism in common.  Evolution in the real world is a little messier—full of dead ends and changes happening beneath the surface, even before ne...
47m May 01, 2020
47m
COVID-19 By The Numbers, 1918 Flu. May 1, 2020, Part 1
Navigating COVID-19 By The Numbers Ever since the first news about a new virus in China, we’ve been seeing projections, or models predicting how it might spread. But how are those models created (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid-math-models/) ? There’s a lot of math that goes into understanding what might come next. Ira turns to a group of scientists who make their living in crunchi...
48m May 01, 2020
48m
Vaccine Process, Hubble Space Telescope Anniversary, Alchemy Of Us. April 24, 2020, Part 2
Over 50 pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms around the world are now racing to develop vaccines for the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Anthony Fauci has said that it might be possible to develop a vaccine in as quickly as 12 to 18 months—but so far, researchers still don’t know which of several approaches might be most safe and effective. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/pa...
49m Apr 24, 2020
49m
Valley Fever, Citizen Science Month Finale. April 24, 2020, Part 1
When you think of fungal infections, you might think athlete’s foot or maybe ringworm—itchy, irritating reactions on the skin. But other fungal diseases can cause much more serious illness. One of them is Valley Fever, caused by the soil fungus Coccidioides. In 2018, over 15,000 people were diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley Fever, in the United States, mainly in the Am...
48m Apr 24, 2020
48m
COVID-19 Factcheck, Digital Earth Day, City Nature Challenge, Ancient Antarctic Forest. April 17, 2020, Part 2
Can Coronavirus Reactivate In Patients After Recovery? These days, newsfeeds are overloaded with stories of the coronavirus, but Science Friday continues to explain the science behind COVID-19 headlines (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/factcheck-my-feed-coronavirus-reactivate/) . Here, we learn about South Korea reports of 116 patients who recovered from the disease tested positive. Ange...
47m Apr 17, 2020
47m
Degrees of Change: Climate Anxiety and Depression. April 17, 2020, Part 1
You Aren’t Alone In Grieving The Climate Crisis As the consequences of unchecked climate change come into sharper focus—wildfires in the Amazon and Australia, rising seas in low-lying Pacific Islands, mass coral bleaching around the world—what is to be done about the emotional devastation that people feel as a result (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/climate-crisis-grief/) ? In 2007, Aust...
48m Apr 17, 2020
48m
Spring Sounds, Luxury Ostrich Eggs, ISeeChange. April 10, 2020, Part 2
Enjoying Spring From Quarantine You may be trapped inside, but outside, it’s bird migration season (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/spring-science-quarantine/) . Flowers are blooming from coast to coast, and even the bees are out getting ready for a year of productive buzzing around.  Producer Christie Taylor talks to Atlanta birder and Birds of North America host Jason Ward, and Nature ...
48m Apr 10, 2020
48m
Healthcare Ripple Effects, Resilient Flowers, Cancer Detection. April 10, 2020, Part 1
Routine Healthcare Is Falling Through The COVID-19 Cracks Our healthcare system is straining under the weight of the coronavirus epidemic, with hospital emergency rooms and ICUs around the country facing shortages of masks, ventilators, hospital beds, and medical staff. But the epidemic is also upsetting parts of the healthcare system that aren’t directly treating COVID patients. How are you su...
48m Apr 10, 2020
48m
SciFri Extra: Science Diction On The Word 'Quarantine'
Quarantine has been on many of our minds lately. The phrases “shelter in place” and “self-quarantine” have filled up our news, social media, and conversations since the first inklings of the coronavirus pandemic. But this is far from the first time cities and countries have used the practice of physical separation to battle the spread of disease.  You might think of Mary Mallon, who many know a...
17m Apr 07, 2020
17m
DIY Masks, Neanderthal Diet, Symbiotic Worms. April 3, 2020, Part 2
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the country are running low on PPE—personal protective equipment. This includes masks, gowns, face shields, and other important gear to keep healthcare workers safe. These supplies are the first line of defense between healthcare workers and potentially sick patients. Cloth masks are usually only advised as a last resort for healthcare worke...
47m Apr 03, 2020
47m
COVID-19 Supplies Shortage, Citizen Science Month, Mercury Discovery. April 3, 2020, Part 1
April is Citizen Science Month! It’s a chance for everyone to contribute to the scientific process—including collecting data, taking observations, or helping to analyze a set of big data. And best of all, a lot of these projects can be done wherever you happen to be personally isolating (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/citizen-science-quarantine/) . Caren Cooper, an associate professor a...
47m Apr 03, 2020
47m
SciFri Extra: Science Diction On The Word 'Cobalt'
Cobalt has been hoodwinking people since the day it was pried from the earth. Named after a pesky spirit from German folklore, trickery is embedded in its name.   In 1940s Netherlands, cobalt lived up to its name in a big way, playing a starring role in one of the most embarrassing art swindles of the 19th century. It’s a story of duped Nazis, a shocking court testimony, and one fateful mistake...
18m Mar 31, 2020
18m
Squid Lighting, Tongue Microbiome, Invasive Herbivores. March 27, 2020, Part 2
How Humboldt Squid Talk To Each Other In The Dark Cephalopods are masters of changing their bodies (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/humboldt-squid-skin-communication/) in response to their environments—from camouflaging (http://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/secrets-of-cephalopod-camouflage/)  to sending warning signals to predators (https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/behaviors-of-th...
46m Mar 27, 2020
46m
COVID Near You Citizen Science, Fact-Check Your Feed. March 27, 2020, Part 1
These days, our newsfeeds are overloaded with stories of the coronavirus. This week, Science Friday continues to dig into the facts behind the speculation—the peer-reviewed studies and reports published by scientists investigating the virus. But what we know—and don’t know—about the new virus is changing daily, making it hard to keep up. Everyone, for example, wants to know more about possible ...
47m Mar 27, 2020
47m
SciFri Extra: Science Diction On The Word 'Dinosaur'
At the turn of the 19th century, Britons would stroll along the Yorkshire Coast, stumbling across unfathomably big bones. These mysterious fossils were all but tumbling out of the cliffside, but people had no idea what to call them. There wasn’t a name for this new class of creatures.  Until Richard Owen came along. Owen was an exceptionally talented naturalist, with over 600 scientific books a...
13m Mar 24, 2020
13m
Coronavirus Fact-Check, Poetry of Science, Social Bats. March 20, 2020, Part 2
As new cases of coronavirus pop up across the United States, and as millions of people must self-isolate from family and friends at home, one place many are turning to for comfort and information is their news feed. But our regular media diet of politics, sports, and entertainment has been replaced by 24/7 coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Nearly every outlet is covering the pandemic ...
47m Mar 21, 2020
47m
Jane Goodall, Coronavirus Update, Science Diction. March 20, 2020, Part 1
60 years ago this year, a young Jane Goodall entered the Gombe in Tanzania to begin observations of the chimpanzees living there. During her time there, Goodall observed wild chimpanzees in the Gombe making and using tools—a finding that changed our thinking about chimps, primates, and even humans. Now, Goodall travels the world as a conservationist, advocate for animals, and United Nations Mes...
48m Mar 21, 2020
48m
SciFri Extra: Science Diction On The Word 'Vaccine'
For centuries, smallpox seemed unbeatable. People had tried nearly everything to knock it out—from herbal remedies to tossing back 12 bottles of beer a day (yep, that was a real recommendation from a 17th century doctor), to intentionally infecting themselves with smallpox and hoping they didn’t get sick, all to no avail. And then, in the 18th century, an English doctor heard a rumor about a po...
13m Mar 17, 2020
13m
Farmers’ Stress, Tiny Dino-Bird Discovery. March 13, 2020, Part 2
The Farm Crisis of the 1980s was a dark time for people working in food and agriculture. U.S. agricultural policies led to an oversupply of crops, price drops, and farms closures. At the same time, the rate of farmer suicide skyrocketed. The industry struggled, until organizations like Farm Aid and others popped up to give voice to the crisis. But farm advocates agree that farmers are in the mi...
47m Mar 13, 2020
47m
Coronavirus: Washing and Sanitizing, Science Diction, New HIV PrEP Drugs. March 13, 2020, Part 1
The number of people in the U.S. confirmed to be infected with the pandemic-level respiratory coronavirus continues to rise, even as testing and diagnosis capacity continues to lag behind other nations. In the meantime, epidemiologists are urging people all over the country to take actions that help “flatten the curve,” to slow the rate of infection so the number of cases don’t overwhelm the he...
47m Mar 13, 2020
47m