Hr1: News Roundup, Forest Payments, Asteroid Defense, Quindar
NASA wants to test our ability to deflect asteroids that could come too close to Earth for comfort. Plus, how Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and art historian/musician James Merle Thomas took inspiration from the sounds of NASA missions to weave a tale of human space exploration.
48m Jul 21, 2017
48m
Hr2: Alzheimers Care, Particle Physics, Air
Physicists have observed subatomic particles decaying in a way that does not jibe with the predictions of the Standard Model, suggesting, if the results are correct, that there could be undiscovered particles at play. Plus, the fascinating story of the air we breathe and the gases that have shaped human history.
47m Jul 21, 2017
47m
Hr1: News Roundup, State of Science, Smart Grid, Ice Science
The booming growth of solar and wind power is stressing out our ancient electrical grid. How can our grid get a grip? A look at that challenge, and some creative answers: from building neighborhood microgrids to inventing smarter transformers. Plus, a new Science Club challenge to keep you cool this summer.
49m Jul 14, 2017
49m
Hr2: Diatoms, Ants, Chasing Coral
Ants can build awesome colonies underground. But did you know they can build tall towers too? A look at what engineers can learn by studying a social community of the ant kind. Plus, a filmmaker documents the devastation of bleached coral reefs in the warming oceans. Why he thinks dying coral could stir faster action on climate change.
49m Jul 14, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Kilogram, Roman Concrete, Science Road Trip
The hidden wonders you might want to hit on a geeky science-themed road trip. Plus, researchers are working to understand the exceptional durability of an ancient building material. And why standardizing our mass measurements relies on an elaborate and exacting physics experiment.
49m Jul 07, 2017
49m
Hr2: DC Science Staffing, Skype A Scientist, No-Heat Cooking
A new Food Failures segment teaches us how to make delicious dishes without turning up the heat. Plus, President Trump has yet to name a presidential science advisor or directors for NASA and NOAA, and other key science positions.
48m Jul 07, 2017
48m
Hr1: News Roundup, CA Solar Glut, Nuclear Safety, Polar Bears
USGS wildlife biologist Karyn Rode monitors how populations of polar bears are affected by shrinking sea ice and other changing conditions in the Arctic. Plus, how safety lapses at national nuclear weapons labs are making dangerous work even more hazardous.
51m Jun 30, 2017
51m
Hr2: Rover AI, Vax Patch, Gastrophysics
From color to crunch, there are subtle cues that make our food taste better. Plus, a new autonomous system lets the Mars rover conduct research even while offline. And an experimental vaccine patch would deliver influenza vaccine via an array of dissolvable, microscopic needles.
51m Jun 30, 2017
51m
Marijuana Policy and Opioids, Placenta, Exoplanets, DNA Replication
A new way to look at fetal health, using the placenta. Plus, the Kepler mission found thousands of new planet candidates, including 10 possible rocky worlds within their stars habitable zone. And a new video captures DNA in the act of replication.
47m Jun 23, 2017
47m
Hr1: News Roundup, Climate and Coffee, Cephalopod Week
The cephalopod celebration continues, with a look at technology inspired by the brainy creatures. Plus, researchers estimate that climate change effects could wipe out 39–59 percent of Ethiopian coffee farms in the future.
47m Jun 23, 2017
47m
Hr1: News Roundup, Amazon Pharmacy, Flatworms in Space, Milkshake Mindset, Cephalopod Week
Cephalopod Week kicks off with an octopus matchmaker and cephalopod defense moves. And how your mindset might change the way you metabolize a milkshake. And researchers look to a simple organism, the flatworm, to study how living in space might affect humans on a cellular level.
50m Jun 16, 2017
50m
Hr2:Political Math, Great Lakes
The North American Great Lakes are changing under the influence of pollution, invasive species, and climate change. How well will they weather this stress?
51m Jun 16, 2017
51m
Hr2:Algorithm Accountability, CRISPR, Gravitational Lensing, Hottest Exoplanet
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna describes her work on developing the CRISPR-Cas9 technique and the ethical concerns of using the revolutionary tool. Plus, regulating algorithms could offer better insight into why they fail. And researchers find a doomed planet orbiting a massive hot star.
50m Jun 09, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Telescope, Sunscreen, Paleoanthropology
A new report says only one quarter of SPF products on the market are up to snuff. And a customizable melanin-like material could offer better protection from the sun.Plus, hominin fossils dating to 300,000 years ago have been found at a site in Morocco.
49m Jun 09, 2017
49m
Hr2: Allergies, Bionic Limb Connections, Exosuit
A look at why our immune systems turn on us, and why we are still powerless to stop the attack. Plus, an innovative muscle graft could help people with amputations feel their bionic limbs. And how researchers are developing wearable devices that can improve human movement.
47m Jun 02, 2017
47m
Hr1: News Roundup, Fisheries, Hedy Lamarr, LIGO
Scientists using LIGO detected a third gravitational wave, this time from two colliding black holes located 3 billion light-years away. Plus, the tale of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
50m Jun 02, 2017
50m
Hr2: Jupiter, Useless Research, Leland Melvin
Scientists report the first scientific results from the Juno mission, now in orbit around Jupiter. Plus reviving a case for foundational science that dates back to Einstein. And Leland Melvin on the perseverance and different communities that helped launch his career into space.
49m May 26, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Fidget Spinners, Award-Winning Space Tracker, Science Budget, Undiscovered
Amber Yang, 18, won Intel's Young Scientist Award with her novel space debris tracker. Plus, a look at the White House's proposed science budget.
50m May 26, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Forensic Science, Hack Stockpile, Undiscovered
A look at efforts to improve forensics after the death of a key federal commission. Plus, when should the government alert the computer industry about software flaws that could become cyberweapons? And the story of meteorite hunter Nina Lanza, and what life is really like in Antarctica.
49m May 19, 2017
49m
Hr2: Springtime Soil, Muskox
Moldy compost? Compacted soil? Here comes some soil science to help your garden spring into shape. Plus how one researcher plays pretend to shed light on species survival in a warming climate.
49m May 19, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Bird Tracking, Homo Naledi, Undiscovered
The team of paleoanthropologists that discovered fossils of Homo naledi in a South African cave two years ago say the bones are between 335,000 and 236,000 years old. Plus, Science Friday has a new show! Undiscovered tells the back stories of great scientific discoveries.
48m May 12, 2017
48m
Hr2: Microwaves, Sea Spray, THC, Sea Lion Pups
We have been microwaving our food for 50 years. Why are some people still worried about their safety? And new research looks at the connections between the oceans, the phytoplankton and bacteria that live in them, and the aerosolized materials that can end up high in the atmosphere.
49m May 12, 2017
49m
Introducing Undiscovered: Episode 1, Boss Hua and the Black Box
Introducing Undiscovered, a brand-new podcast spinoff from SciFri! A team of social scientists stumbles onto a cache of censored Chinese social media posts—and decides to find out what the Chinese government wants wiped from the internet.
40m May 09, 2017
40m
Hr1: News Roundup, Spacesuits, Eclipse, Aurora, Hypoliths
The solar eclipse provides an opportunity for scientists to study the solar atmosphere and polar plumes. Plus, in the driest deserts, hardy bacteria cling to the underside of translucent rocks, eking out an existence where nothing else can.
50m May 05, 2017
50m
Hr2: Endurance, Borne, Giant Larvacean
In Jeff VanderMeer's latest book, a future world overrun by biotech mutants still has hope. And scientists investigate the genetic pathway that leads to better endurance in mice.
49m May 05, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Worry, Human Settlement of the Americas, Genius, Spirals
A fossil find in California makes the case for human settlement of the Americas 130,000 years ago--€”more than 100,000 years earlier than previously believed. But not all anthropologists are convinced. Plus, a new TV series based on a biography of Einstein. And a mathematical artist and his never-ending blooms.
49m Apr 28, 2017
49m
Hr2: Star-nosed Moles, Transportation Infrastructure, Richard Garwin Biography
Physicist Richard Garwin has played a prominent role in fields ranging from nuclear weapons, personal computing technology, and science policy. Plus, a look at the state of our transportation infrastructure, and the secrets of the star-nosed mole.
49m Apr 28, 2017
49m
Hr1: Can Science Survive In A More Politicized Age?
The March for Science makes history as science and advocacy come together.
47m Apr 21, 2017
47m
Hr2: Forensic Ornithology, Internet Privacy, Health Research
A CSI lab tracks the birds that strike airplanes. The species that hits most often? Not the one you might guess. Plus, practical tools to save some of your online privacy. And a look at how scarce resources and the pressure to publish undermine quests for cures.
48m Apr 21, 2017
48m
Hr1: News Roundup, PIN Security, Not A Scientist, Simulating Mars, Enceladus
Journalist Dave Levitan provides a guide to cut through the deceptive arguments politicians use to undermine scientific evidence. Plus simulating Mars missions, and news from Enceladus about the moons hydrothermal activity.
49m Apr 14, 2017
49m
Hr2: Heiltsuk Archaeology, Brain Difference, Water Widget, Shoelace Physics
An older-than-expected archaeological dig in British Columbia is building the case for a long-inhabited Pacific coast. Plus, psychiatrist Gail Saltz explores the unique abilities of those with mental disorders. And the physics of your shoelaces.
49m Apr 14, 2017
49m
Hr2: Giant Virus, Radio Astronomy, SETI, Lyme
Giant viruses evolved from smaller viruses that picked up genes from other organisms, according to a new study. Plus, a look at the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the challenges of listening to the stars from a planet filled with radio transmissions. And as incidence of Lyme disease soars, scientists look for answers.
50m Apr 07, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Noise, Michael Mann, Mars Wheels, Splashing
Michael Mann discusses his participation on the latest House Committee on Science hearing on climate change. Plus a visit to the playground where Mars rovers are put through their paces, and how one researcher peers deep inside sneezes to answer questions about disease transmission.
51m Apr 07, 2017
51m
Hr1: News Roundup, Dino Family Tree, What-If Physics, Impact Glass
Geologist Peter Schultz uses a high-velocity gun to test his hypothesis that asteroid impacts could preserve signs of ancient life. Plus, what would happen if you stuck your hand in a particle accelerator or jumped off of the Space Station?
50m Mar 31, 2017
50m
Hr2: Engineering New Ideas, Bionic Arm, Robotic Prospecting
If humans someday colonize the moon and Mars, robotic prospectors and miners will be among the first to arrive, manufacturing fuel, water, and other essentials. Plus technology like 3D printing is expanding what prosthetic limbs can do, and who can wear them.
50m Mar 31, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Residents Hours, BP Oil Spill, Gerrymandering
A play explores the loss of human and animal life after the Deepwater Horizon exploded in 2010. Plus, can the shape of a congressional district tell us everything we need to know about its fairness?
48m Mar 24, 2017
48m
Hr2: Wildflowers and Bees, Infinity and Beyond
The wildflower explosion in the southern California desert provides plentiful food to wild bees. In this springtime special, we talk about which wildflowers—and pollinators—to spot this season, and how to log your observations at www.inaturalist.org. Plus, mathematician Eugenia Cheng explores infinity.
49m Mar 24, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Autonomous Ambulances, New York 2140, Climate and Food
In his new novel, New York 2140, author Kim Stanley Robinson tackles how a drowning city might adapt and thrive after disastrous sea level rise. Plus, as the globe warms, maple syrup, tea, and other specialty foods could suffer from lower quality and lower nutritional value.
49m Mar 17, 2017
49m
Hr2: Vibrato Physics, Satellite Repair, Charting Physics History
Physicist Lawrence Krauss on the substance of the universe, the Higgs Boson, and how we know what we know. Plus, researchers use the tools of quantum physics to quantify the vibration of sound. And a robotic spacecraft could improve weather forecasting by fixing satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
48m Mar 17, 2017
48m
Hr2: Atmospheric Microbiome, Content Moderation, Scraps for Dinner
In their book Scraps, Wilt & Weeds, Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong describe creative ways to use the parts of produce that we usually toss away. Plus, a look at how content moderators work behind the scenes to keep graphic content off your feed. And why certain types of bacteria in the atmosphere can play a role in rain and snow.
50m Mar 10, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Gamifying Communication, Trump and the EPA, Tuvan Throat Singing
How the president and Congress have been quietly and successfully tearing down U.S environmental and climate change policy. Plus, Tuvan throat singers have developed a technique that allows them to produce two notes at one time.
50m Mar 10, 2017
50m
Hr2: Ancient Earth Crust, Farmers and Conservation, California Water Supply
Some farmers are using techniques like no-till and dry irrigation that conserve natural resources as a way to cultivate crops according to the biology of the soil and land. Plus, predicting rain, snow, and water supply in the warming west.
50m Mar 03, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Bee Intelligence, Genetic Data Storage
Bees are more intelligent than we thought, and can count and recognize faces. Plus, could DNA become a mainstream data storage option?
50m Mar 03, 2017
50m
Hr2: Antibiotic Discovery, Regrowing Sensory Hair in the Ear, Trappist-1 Exoplanets
Scientists have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a nearby star that could hold the conditions for life. Plus, a look at the scientific obstacles and breakthroughs involved in finding and developing new antibiotics. And Boston-based researchers have regrown a high volume of sensory hair cells in the lab using a new technique.
49m Feb 24, 2017
49m
Hr1: News Roundup, Gene Editing Embryos, Computer Hacks of the Future, and How to Prevent Them
As self-driving cars and other artificial intelligence advance, how safe will we be from A.I. hacks and attacks? Plus, a report from a National Academies panel endorses the possible use of gene-editing techniques in human embryos -- under very limited conditions.
49m Feb 24, 2017
49m
Hr2: Net Neutrality, The Price of Privacy, Expanse
As we trade more and more of our personal data to big companies in exchange for their services, internet users must decide for themselves where to draw the line on internet privacy. Plus, the minds behind the The Expanse chat about space flight, space politics, and how they keep the show feeling real.
50m Feb 17, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Emotion Translator, Battery Technology
Is there a new battery that can beat lithium ion in electric vehicles? We plug into the world of battery research to find out. Plus, how to squeeze more power out of the electrical grid. And a new wearable aims to help people who feel socially awkward interpret emotions.
50m Feb 17, 2017
50m
Hr2: Heat-sensitive Prosthetic Skin, Flint Water, Ingestible Electronics
Three years after the Flint water crisis began, lead concentrations in the water are below federal action levels, but residents are still drinking filtered and bottled water. Plus, researchers have designed a battery that runs on stomach acid to power ingestible sensors.
50m Feb 10, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Ice, Holographic Cosmology
Researchers who study icy places have discovered uncanny phenomena. Plus, Holographic cosmology is a way of simplifying mind-boggling mathematical models of our universe. But it does not necessarily mean we live in a hologram.
50m Feb 10, 2017
50m
Hr1: News Roundup, Chimeras, Astrobiology
New advances in stem cell research will one day make it possible to grow human transplant organs in animal hosts. And astrobiologists are looking at unusual environments on Earth for clues on how to search for life elsewhere in the solar system.
49m Feb 03, 2017
49m