1065: In ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ Paleontology Is Still The Star
We talked to the movie’s paleontology consultant about the new ways they wanted to bring these magnificent dinosaurs to life.
14m Jul 02, 2025
14m
1064: What Does It Mean To Have A Chatbot Companion?
People are turning to AI chatbots for emotional and social support. While chatbot friends can ease loneliness, they can also cause real harm.
20m Jul 01, 2025
20m
1045: The Leap: Mars? It Was A Miracle We Got To Florida
Geologist Steve Squyres risked his career and millions of dollars to get the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars.
24m Jun 30, 2025
24m
1063: After Her Grants Got Cut, This Researcher Is Suing The NIH
Katie Edwards has lost millions of dollars in grant money, bringing her research to a standstill. She’s taking the fight to court.
13m Jun 27, 2025
13m
1062: New Telescope Captures The Cosmos In Groundbreaking Detail
The telescope has the largest digital camera ever made. It's so precise that one image alone contains 10 million galaxies.
13m Jun 26, 2025
13m
1061: How Scientists Made The First Gene-Editing Treatment For A Baby
Last month, a baby got the world’s first personalized gene-editing treatment. What will this mean for millions of others with genetic diseases?
19m Jun 25, 2025
19m
1060: Ancient Bone Proteins May Offer Insight On Megafauna Extinction
Collagen from a fossilized bone fragment can identify the animal it came from. And, some new info about our galaxy’s eventual extinction.
20m Jun 24, 2025
20m
1044: The Leap: You Do Realize… That’s Impossible
Physicist Suchitra Sebastian may have discovered a new state of matter. But the hardest part was convincing the doubters.
24m Jun 23, 2025
24m
1059: What We’re Learning From The James Webb Space Telescope
JWST has detected the earliest galaxies in the universe, but some look “more mature” than expected. Is it time to rethink how galaxies form?
18m Jun 20, 2025
18m
1058: How ‘Super Agers’ Stay Sharp And Active Longer Than Their Peers
Super agers are folks who stay fit into their 80s and beyond. What’s behind their unique health and longevity?
32m Jun 19, 2025
32m
1057: A Dino’s Last Dinner And Eavesdropping Birds
Scientists look inside the fossilized stomach contents of a massive dinosaur. And, why some birds listen for prairie dogs’ alarm calls.
21m Jun 18, 2025
21m
1056: What Are The Best Practices For Prostate Cancer Screening?
Former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis with an aggressive form of prostate cancer has put a spotlight on prostate cancer screening.
19m Jun 17, 2025
19m
1043: The Leap: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Biochemist Virginia Man-Yee Lee has spent her career unlocking the proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Her secret? Happiness.
30m Jun 16, 2025
30m
1055: RFK Jr. Reshuffles CDC Vaccine Panel With Vaccine Skeptics
The health secretary fired the entire panel that recommends vaccines. Plus, the EPA moves to expedite cleanup of Superfund sites.
26m Jun 13, 2025
26m
1054: What’s Next For China’s Space Program?
From lunar missions to a space station to an asteroid rendezvous, China has been making impressive strides in spaceflight.
20m Jun 12, 2025
20m
1053: The Ruin And Redemption Of The American Prairie
Tallgrass prairies in the United States were cleared for industrial farms. Can the lost biodiversity be restored?
19m Jun 11, 2025
19m
1052: Bedbugs Have Been Bugging Us Since Before Beds
New research follows a distinct lineage of bedbugs that lived alongside humans for thousands of years, suggesting they might be the first human pest.
19m Jun 10, 2025
19m
1042: The Leap: A Scientist’s Quest To See Every Organism On Earth
Manu Prakash wants to map the whole tree of life, with the help of everyone on this planet.
26m Jun 09, 2025
26m
1051: Are We Prepared To Fight ‘The New Polio’?
A mysterious polio-like disease could challenge our healthcare infrastructure. And, zooming in on non-cancerous cells in and around tumors.
26m Jun 06, 2025
26m
1050: How Science Communication Can Step Up Amid Federal Cuts
As funding for US science is slashed, a science photographer and researcher takes a hard look at how scientists communicate their work.
19m Jun 05, 2025
19m
1049: How Cannibalistic Tadpoles Could Curb Invasive Cane Toads
Scientists used gene-editing technology to create “Peter Pan” tadpoles that would eat the eggs of Australia’s cane toads—and never grow up.
20m Jun 04, 2025
20m
1048: Turning The Binoculars On Birders
Lace up those comfortable sneakers, and get out your bug spray and field guides, because we’re about to go birder-watching.
19m Jun 03, 2025
19m
1041: The Leap: Be Bold Or Just Don't Do It
Plant biologist Joanne Chory spent her career trying to grow plants that could sequester CO2 in their roots. Her wild ideas took hold.
27m Jun 02, 2025
27m
1040: What Huge Cuts To NSF Funding Mean For Science
Government cuts have left NSF funding at the lowest level in decades. Plus, the FDA has cleared a blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s.
21m May 30, 2025
21m
1039: What Happens When Air Traffic Control Systems Go Dark?
Recent outages at Newark airport highlighted the challenges facing air traffic controllers. What's the science underpinning air safety?
18m May 29, 2025
18m
1038: Could The NIH Plan For A ‘Universal Vaccine’ Really Work?
The plan raises some eyebrows, as some in the Trump administration have been skeptical of vaccines and moved to limit vaccine access.
28m May 28, 2025
28m
1037: The Leap: This Is Going To Kill Your Career
Betül Kaçar started out as a biochemist. But then she found her calling: investigating some of the hardest questions in evolutionary biology.
24m May 27, 2025
24m
1036: The Science Of That Big Stunt From The New ‘Mission: Impossible’
How the “Final Reckoning” crew used science to bring an underwater stunt to life. Plus, the psychology behind thrill-seeking.
19m May 23, 2025
19m
1035: Meet A Pioneer Of Modern Weather Prediction
In a new memoir, a climate scientist reflects on his journey from a rural village in India to the cutting edge of weather forecasting.
19m May 22, 2025
19m
1034: Are Physical Buttons And Knobs Making A Comeback?
Some car designers are turning from touchscreen controls back to physical buttons. Two researchers explain why that could be better.
21m May 21, 2025
21m
1033: Scientists Identify Genes For Tomato And Eggplant Size
Geneticists mapping nightshade genomes used CRISPR gene editing to grow bigger fruits without sacrificing flavor.
19m May 20, 2025
19m
1032: The Leap: The Volcano Whisperer
When St. Vincent’s La Soufrière volcano threatened to erupt, geologist Richie Robertson was the scientist the islanders trusted.
29m May 19, 2025
29m
1031: Lesser Prairie Chicken May Lose Endangered Species Status
The Department of the Interior seeks to remove the lesser prairie chicken’s endangered species designation. What would that mean?
19m May 16, 2025
19m
1030: Tracking The Hidden Dangers Of Fighting Fires
How well do we understand the long-term health risks to firefighters? Plus, researchers across the country are breeding pest-resistant trees.
19m May 15, 2025
19m
1029: Identifying New Plants, And The Scientific Secrets Of Superfoods
Scientists at the Missouri Botanical Garden are preserving diverse plant species. And, how micronutrients could help address world hunger.
31m May 14, 2025
31m
1028: Designing Hyperrealistic Body Parts, From Eyeballs To Placentas
On-screen and in hospitals, fake body parts are getting more and more realistic. That helps medical students practice for real procedures.
18m May 13, 2025
18m
1026: The Leap: I Was Considered A Nobody
Katalin Karikó was ignored, demoted, and dismissed for decades. Then she won a Nobel Prize.
27m May 12, 2025
27m
1027: Cuts To NASA And A Fast-Track For Deep Sea Mining
Proposed budget cuts for NASA would jeopardize space research. And an executive order could change the political tides for deep sea mining. On May 2, the Trump Administration proposed a 24% budget cut (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/nasa-cuts-deep-sea-mining/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) for NASA. It would slash funding for science while setting billions asid...
25m May 09, 2025
25m
1025: How Do Bacteria Talk To Each Other?
Bacteria are not as simple as their reputation suggests. Understanding how they communicate may lead to better disease treatments for us humans.
24m May 08, 2025
24m
1024: Functional Fashion From An Artist And A Caterpillar
A passion for fashion among the “bone collector caterpillar,” who wears a coat of body parts, and an artist who makes fabrics that remember. We inch into the world of extreme outerwear with the newly-discovered “bone collector caterpillar,” which wears a coat of many co…llected body parts. Why, Hanipillar Lecter? Entomologist Dan Rubinoff, who along with his team found the species on a mountai...
19m May 07, 2025
19m
1023: Ancient Iguanas Floated 5,000 Miles Across The Pacific | A Pregnant Icthyosaur Fossil
Millions of years ago, iguanas somehow got from North America to Fiji. Scientists think they made the trip on a raft of fallen vegetation. Also, the marine reptile’s fossilized fetus is cluing paleontologists into the lives of ancient sea creatures. Ancient Iguanas Floated 5,000 Miles Across The Pacific (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/iguanas-cross-the-pacific-to-fiji/?utm_source=wnyc&...
19m May 06, 2025
19m
1022: Are There Things That We Know We Can’t Know?
In “Into the Unknown,” an astronomer explores the mysteries of the cosmos and the limits of what science can test. What is time? If the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into? What happened just before the Big Bang? Some of the most head-scratching ideas in physics strain the limits of what science can test. In her book Into the Unknown: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the ...
19m May 05, 2025
19m
1021: Two Steps Forward For Meat Alternatives
Scientists bring us a lab-grown chicken nugget and texturally accurate, plant-based calamari. We’ll bite. There’s a movement in the world of science to find alternatives to meat and dairy products that don’t involve killing animals. Two avenues for this are by using animal cells in a lab, or going plant-based. Two breakthroughs in this field of food science were published in journals recently:...
17m May 02, 2025
17m
1020: How Death Metal Singers Make Their Extreme Vocalizations | Regional Allergies
Vocal researchers are learning how death metal singers safely produce extreme vocal distortions, in hopes of improving vocal health care.
23m May 01, 2025
23m
1019: A New Book On The Horrifying, Creative World Of Insect Zombies
“Rise of the Zombie Bugs” explores how parasites create real-life zombies in the insect and invertebrate world.
19m Apr 30, 2025
19m
1018: Untangling The Mind-Body Connection In Chronic Pain
Research suggests that better understanding the psychological and neurological components of chronic pain may lead to better treatments. Chronic pain is remarkably common: Roughly 20% of adults (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/chronic-pain-mental-health/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) in the US live with it. And people with chronic pain are more likely to have d...
19m Apr 29, 2025
19m
1017: A Precisely Pointed Laser Allows People To See New Color ‘Olo’
Researchers isolated one kind of cone in the eye and aimed lasers at it to allow subjects to see a super vibrant teal shade they call “olo.” Think about the colors of the world around you—the blue of a cloudless sky, the green of a new leaf, the blazing red of a tulip’s petals. We see these colors because of the way our eyes work. But what if we could change how our eyes respond to light, and ...
19m Apr 28, 2025
19m
1016: $8 Billion Of Climate Tech Projects Were Canceled In 3 Months | A Chance To Study A Successful, Growing Wetland
How will market uncertainty and a lack of federal support for climate efforts affect the future of clean energy in the United States? Plus, many wetlands are disappearing, but Louisiana’s “accidental” Wax Lake Delta is growing—and informing coastal restoration techniques. $8 Billion Of Climate Tech Projects Were Canceled In 3 Months (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/climate-technology-pr...
21m Apr 25, 2025
21m
1015: Investigating Cat Behavior Through Genetics
With the help of cat owners, a new project investigates cats’ biology and aims to link some of their behaviors to their genes. Calling all cat people: This one’s for you. Despite humans’ long history of welcoming felines into their homes and delis, research on cats lags far behind research on dogs. Now, scientists behind the project Darwin’s Ark (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/dna-sequ...
19m Apr 24, 2025
19m
1014: Advances In Brain-Computer Interfaces For People With Paralysis
With brain-implanted devices, people with paralysis have been able to command computers to “move” virtual objects and speak for them.
19m Apr 23, 2025
19m