1227: Why Worry About My Data If I Have Nothing To Hide?
It's easier than ever for companies to collect your personal data and compile it into a profile for advertisers, ICE, and other agencies.
16m Feb 05
16m
1226: Should Ultraprocessed Foods Be Off The Menu?
New USDA dietary guidelines tell us to “eat real food.” Should policymakers get highly processed foods out of our stores and school lunches?
30m Feb 04
30m
1225: The Growing Experiment Of Putting Solar Panels On Farmland
Agrivoltaics combines solar panels and agriculture on the same land. It’ll be an uphill battle for it to hit the mainstream.
23m Feb 03
23m
1224: We’re All Being Played By Metrics
A new book explores what we lose when we’re always keeping score—at work, in life, even within ourselves. Can games help set us free?
29m Feb 02
29m
The Middle + SciFri: How Can Trust In Science Be Restored?
SciFri Host Flora Lichtman joined Jeremy Hobson on “The Middle” to talk about how trust in science can be restored.
20m Jan 31
20m
1222: Untangling The History Of Dog Domestication
A new study suggests dogs began to diversify about 11,000 years earlier than we thought. Plus, a long-running experiment to domesticate foxes.
18m Jan 30
18m
1221: Are These Unprecedented Times for Science, Really?
A science historian looks to the past to understand our current moment, and how ghostwriting in scientific papers is harming public trust.
20m Jan 29
20m
1220: How China Is Driving Down Electricity Costs With Renewables
China is reshaping its energy economy with renewables like wind and solar—and flooding the world with affordable solar technology.
13m Jan 28
13m
1219: Managing The Risks Of Spaceflight, 40 Years After Challenger
As we enter a new age of space travel, a former NASA astronaut says that rather than accepting risk, we should try to control risks.
18m Jan 27
18m
1218: How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
A flu variant called subclade K emerged too late to be fully covered by this year's vaccine. But the flu shot can still help protect you.
12m Jan 26
12m
1217: Tracking The Toxic Fallout Of The LA Fires
An urban fire can release all kinds of chemicals. One year after fires hit Los Angeles, scientists are trying to understand the toxic fallout.
17m Jan 23
17m
1216: Deepfakes Are Everywhere. What Can We Do?
X’s AI chatbot Grok is undressing users, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg with fake imagery online. How does it work and what comes next?
23m Jan 22
23m
1215: Looking Beyond Statins For New Ways To Lower Cholesterol
When it comes to “bad” cholesterol, most cardiologists say lower is better. But what’s the best way to get that number down? Can diet and exercise alone do the job? Cardiologists Kiran Musunuru and Neha Pagidipati join Host Ira Flatow for a look at the latest in cholesterol-lowering treatments (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/new-cholesterol-treatment-crispr/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=...
30m Jan 21
30m
1214: States Expected To See More ‘Anti-Science’ Bills This Year
In 2025, more than 420 bills were introduced to weaken public health measures for vaccines, milk safety, and fluoride. What will we see in 2026?
17m Jan 20
17m
1213: What’s Happening On The Slippery Surface Of Ice?
Conventional wisdom is that ice is slippery because it has a thin layer of water on top, but new research suggests something else is at play.
13m Jan 19
13m
1212: Teasing Apart The Causes And Early Signs Of Parkinson’s
Some Parkinson’s patients may experience strange symptoms, like smell loss and sleep disorders, decades before diagnosis.
19m Jan 16
19m
1211: What Greenland Sharks Are Teaching Us About Aging Eyes
Greenland sharks' eyes never seem to get old. Plus, exactly how flawless is the greatest eye in the sky, the James Webb Space Telescope?
18m Jan 15
18m
1210: Secrets Of Ancient Concrete, And... Data Centers In Space?
What can we learn from a Pompeii construction site preserved in ash? Plus, tech companies look to build solar-powered data centers in space.
19m Jan 14
19m
1209: One Year Into Trump’s Term, Where Does Science Funding Stand?
The CEO of AAAS is cautiously optimistic about federal funding for science, even as uncertainty makes research challenging.
19m Jan 13
19m
1208: Drilling Into The Details Of Venezuela’s Oil
With President Trump’s moves to take control of Venezuela’s oil production—including the seizure of incoming and outgoing oil tankers—there’s been a lot of talk about the country’s deep reserves of crude. But not all oil is the same, and getting the Venezuelan reserves (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/venezuelan-oil-reserves/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri?) out o...
13m Jan 12
13m
1207: ‘The Kissing Bug’ And The Story Of A Neglected Disease
Journalist Daisy Hernández chronicles the history of Chagas disease, also known as kissing bug disease, and how it changed her family’s story.
18m Jan 09
18m
1206: Are Raccoons On The Road To Domestication?
Recent studies on raccoons and dark-eyed juncos investigate how urban wildlife is evolving.
19m Jan 08
19m
1205: The Community Group Rethinking LA's Approach To Wildfires
One year after the LA fires, the Community Brigade is equipping residents to prepare for, fight, and recover from wildfires.
14m Jan 07
14m
1204: What Should Astronauts Do First When They Reach Mars?
A new report lays out the objectives for a crewed mission to Mars. Plus, an update on the NASA mission to survey the asteroid Psyche.
19m Jan 06
19m
1203: 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?
18m Jan 05
18m
1202: Are Ultramarathoners Just Built Different?
Ultramarathoners can run with what seems like superhuman stamina. But are their bodies much different than the rest of ours?
18m Jan 02
18m
1201: Your Cells Are Always Building A Whole New You
Over the past year, most of your body has replaced itself cell by cell. What can we learn from other animals’ dramatic feats of regeneration?
18m Jan 01
18m
1200: A Look Back At 2025 In Science, From Federal Cuts To Space Junk
There was major science news in 2025. Plus, underreported developments in geoengineering and a triumph for furniture rearrangement.
16m Dec 31, 2025
16m
1199: How Death Metal Singers Make Their Extreme Vocalizations
Vocal researchers are learning how death metal singers safely produce extreme vocal distortions, in hopes of improving vocal health care.
14m Dec 30, 2025
14m
1198: What The Sigma Is Algospeak?
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but “Algospeak” author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook.
20m Dec 29, 2025
20m
1195: Tangling With Entanglement And Other Big Ideas In Physics
Physicist Sean Carroll takes on back holes, Schrödinger’s cat, and other big physics concepts that had our audience wondering.
37m Dec 26, 2025
37m
1197: The Science Of Thriving In Winter—By Embracing It
In a conversation from January, a psychologist and author of “How To Winter” explains what we can learn from people thriving in the coldest parts of the world.
18m Dec 25, 2025
18m
1196: A Neurologist Investigates His Own Musical Hallucinations
In a story from August, neurologist Bruce Dobkin discusses how he started hearing a phantom choir singing on a loop after he received a cochlear implant. He’s not the only one.
11m Dec 24, 2025
11m
1194: ‘Prehistoric Planet’ Defrosts Strange Animals Of The Ice Age
The nature documentary series uses new research and photorealistic CGI to bring the huge, bizarre animals of the Ice Age back to life.
19m Dec 23, 2025
19m
1193: How Did Vaccine Policies Actually Change In 2025?
After a year of near-daily headlines about changes to vaccine policy, what has actually changed? And what do we need to know?
12m Dec 22, 2025
12m
1192: Why Astronomers Are Excited About Comet 3I/Atlas’ Close Approach
Comet 3I/Atlas is just the third known object to visit us from outside our solar system. So yes... we'll be talking about aliens.
19m Dec 19, 2025
19m
1191: ‘Fire Amoeba’ Likes It Hot, And A Faraway Lava Planet
A newly identified amoeba can survive at the temperature of a medium-well steak. Plus, a distant lava planet shows signs of an atmosphere.
18m Dec 18, 2025
18m
1190: What’s The Reality Behind The Humanoid Robot Hype?
Humanoid robots are all over social media, doing everything from dancing to serving drinks. But are they really going to show up in our lives?
12m Dec 17, 2025
12m
1189: 'Just' A Blue Jay? Don't Overlook These Magnificent Common Birds
This Christmas Bird Count, we salute the fabulous, underappreciated, common species. Here's to you, house sparrow.
18m Dec 16, 2025
18m
1188: Can We Just Throw Our Plastic Garbage Into A Volcano?
A volcanologist answers your questions about glass-shard hairballs, cooking breakfast over lava, Gollum's end on Mount Doom, and more.
18m Dec 15, 2025
18m
1187: How Did Ancient Humans Use The Acoustics Of Spaces Like Caves?
What did a vulture-bone flute sound like inside a cave? How about singing inside a tomb? Researchers are bringing ancient sounds back to life.
19m Dec 12, 2025
19m
1186: What The Sounds Of Melting Glaciers Can Tell Us
A glacier’s edge can be a dangerous place to do research. This team is using robots and sound samples to monitor the melting ice.
18m Dec 11, 2025
18m
1185: How A Fringe Idea Led To Lifesaving Cancer Treatments
Over the past century, most cancer research has focused on the tumor itself. Rakesh Jain focused on the tumor's environment instead.
31m Dec 10, 2025
31m
1184: Why Is Bubonic Plague Still With Us?
When cases of plague pop up in the US, it can feel straight up medieval. It's treatable, but how and why does it persist?
12m Dec 09, 2025
12m
1183: Don’t Let Their Name Fool You—Sea Slugs Are Awesome
Across their 10,000 species, sea slugs sport striking colors, external gills, and even the ability to regrow a body from a severed head.
25m Dec 08, 2025
25m
1182: As Companies Build Data Centers For AI, Communities Push Back
A boom in construction of AI data centers is facing backlash over soaring electricity and water usage, and the resulting utility hikes.
12m Dec 05, 2025
12m
1181: A Toast To Bats That Pollinate Agave, And Tracking Monarchs
How bats, agave plants, and tequila are connected. Plus, tiny trackers on monarch butterflies reveal their migration journeys.
20m Dec 04, 2025
20m
1180: A Startling Plan To Save Spotted Owls—From Barred Owls
To save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest, one plan suggests killing thousands of barred owls. Conservationists and activists are at odds.
17m Dec 03, 2025
17m
1179: Can A Microbe Conservation Movement Take Off?
Microbes make up about 99% of all species, but they’re not part of any global conservation plans. One group is trying to change that.
13m Dec 02, 2025
13m
1178: How To Tap Into The Hidden Histories Of Rocks
Geologist Anjana Khatwa explains how embracing wonder and awe adds to our scientific understanding of the rocks that form our planet.
21m Dec 01, 2025
21m