Kids Under 12 Vaccine, Reduced Cow Methane From Seaweed Diet, Lost SciFri Theme Song. November 5, 2021, Part 2
Fact Check My Feed: More Kids Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines. Now What? Many parents around the U.S. breathed a sigh of relief—or an even more intense emotional reaction—at the long-awaited news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had signed off on advising the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 this week (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid-va...
49m Nov 06, 2021
49m
30 Years Of Science Friday, Kansas’ Wind Energy Plan, Vaccinating Kids Under 12. November 5, 2021, Part 1
Behind The FDA’s Decision To Vaccinate Kids Under 12 This week, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 12 was officially recommended by the CDC (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/kid-vaccine-fda-decision/) , after a unanimous vote from its independent advisory committee and the FDA’s authorization based on safety and efficacy data. In their analysis, the FDA said the benefits of the va...
50m Nov 06, 2021
50m
Kids Next For Pfizer Vaccine, Side-Channel Surveillance, Medical Maggots. Oct 29, 2021, Part 1
Younger Kids Next In Line For COVID-19 Vaccines This week, an FDA advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend that the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer vaccine be approved for children as young as 5. If the FDA concurs and the CDC agrees, lower-dose Pfizer vaccinations could soon be available for children ages 5 to 11, via local pediatricians (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/children-c...
48m Oct 29, 2021
48m
Rising Seas Stories, Pseudo-Biology of Monsters, Howling Wolf Soundscape. Oct 29, 2021, Part 2
The Science Behind Cryptid Sightings People around the world have long been fascinated by the idea that there are strange creatures out there, ones that may or may not exist. Tales circulate about cryptids–animals whose existence can’t be proved—like Bigfoot hiding out in American forests, or sea serpents lurking just below the water in coastal towns. Despite the best efforts of monster hunti...
49m Oct 29, 2021
49m
Genome Traces, Beavers and Wildfire, Halloween DIY, Volcanoes. Oct 22, 2021, Part 2
The Ancient Neanderthal Traces Hidden In Your Genome Just how much of your genome is uniquely human? It turns out the number of genetic components in the human genome that trace back only to modern humans, and not to other human lineages or ancient ancestors, are surprisingly small. In a paper published recently in the journal Science Advances, (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abc07...
48m Oct 22, 2021
48m
Filipino Nurses, Francis Collins Exit Interview. Oct 22, 2021, Part 1
Biden’s Administration Preps For A Crucial Climate Conference This week, CDC advisers gave their support to approve COVID-19 vaccine boosters for those who received Moderna and J&J vaccines. The recommendations would follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of “mixing and matching” booster shots from different vaccine developers. Ira provides new updates on the latest vacci...
48m Oct 22, 2021
48m
Shinnecock Nation, Marsh Science, Weekend Stargazing. Oct 15, 2021, Part 2
On Long Island, A Tribal Nation Faces Growing Pressures The Hamptons on Long Island are known as a mansion-lined escape for wealthy New Yorkers. But the area is also home to the Native residents of the Shinnecock Tribal Nation. An estimated 1,500 Shinnecock members are left in the U.S., and about half live on the Nation’s territory on Long Island. As with the rest of the island, Shinnecock Na...
50m Oct 15, 2021
50m
Native Biodata, Indigenous Carbon Resistance, COVID Boosters Next Steps. Oct 15, 2021, Part 1
More Boosters, For More People This week, an FDA advisory committee met to pore over data and debate the role of COVID vaccine boosters. And on Thursday, they voted to recommend Moderna boosters for older Americans, as well as people in certain at-risk groups (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid-booster-shots-moderna/) . This recommendation came just a few weeks after the FDA authoriz...
50m Oct 15, 2021
50m
Air Conditioning, Face Recognition Neurons. Oct 8, 2021, Part 2
The Hot And Cold Past Of The Air Conditioner In the Northeast, the leaves have started changing colors, heralding the season of pumpkins, sweaters, and the smell of woodsmoke. But in some parts of the country, the heat hasn’t let up. In cities like Dallas, Phoenix, and Miami, temperatures were up in the high 80s and low 90s this week—and with climate change, the U.S. is only getting hotter.  ...
57m Oct 08, 2021
57m
State Of COVID And Antiviral Pill, Future Pandemics. Oct 8, 2021, Part 1
First Malaria Vaccine Is Approved by WHO The malaria parasite is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, killing on average about 500,000 people per year—half of them children under the age of 5, nearly all of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, the World Health Organization has finally approved RTS,S or Mosquirix, the first vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum, which is the most dead...
47m Oct 08, 2021
47m
A Century Of Science, Book Club: Rising, Charismatic Creature Update. Oct 1, 2021, Part 2
Looking Back On A Century of Science In 1921, the discovery of radium was just over 20 years in the past. And the double helix of DNA was still over thirty years in the future. That year, a publication that came to be the magazine Science News started publication, and is still in operation today. Editors Nancy Shute and Elizabeth Quill join Ira to page through the magazine’s archives (https:/...
48m Oct 01, 2021
48m
Primate Parasites, Spider Mating Songs, Spotted Lanternfly. Oct 1, 2021, Part 1
Healthcare Is Hard Enough to Get. If You’re A Trans Youth, It’s Even Harder Healthcare can be difficult to access for anyone—that’s been made clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. But for transgender youth, the barriers are exponentially higher. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/trans-youth-healthcare/) A new study from the journal JAMA Pediatrics shows that trans youth don’t get the care ...
48m Oct 01, 2021
48m
Nuclear Plant Decommissioning, Fauci Kid’s Book, Pigeon Vs Shoebill. Sept 24, 2021, Part 2
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant To Say Goodbye To Its Radioactive Waste Just before Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth is expected to reach a historic milestone. All the radioactive fuel that generated electricity—and controversy—for nearly half a century will finally be removed from the reactor building. It will be stored outside in special steel and cement casks. The rare...
48m Sep 24, 2021
48m
Two Climate Change Bills, COVID Vaccine Boosters. Sept 24, 2021, Part 1
Ice-Hunting Lunar Rover Robot Gets A Landing Site This week, NASA announced that it had selected a destination for a planned robotic lunar rover called VIPER, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. The mission is planned for launch in 2023, and will rove about the Moon’s south pole, mapping the location and concentration of water ice deposits. The plan is for a commercial spacefl...
48m Sep 24, 2021
48m
Endemic Diseases, Insects and Light, Opossum vs Aye-Aye. Sept 17, 2021
Nighttime Streetlights Are Stressing Out Urban Insects As insect populations—including bees, moths, and other pollinators—decline worldwide, researchers have established a variety of potential causes, including climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss. But now, new findings suggest yet another culprit may be part of the equation: night-time lighting, like street lights in populated areas (...
48m Sep 17, 2021
48m
Living With Wildfire, 7,000 Steps A Day Okay, Kids’ Mars Questions. Sept 17, 2021, Part 1
Scientists Potty Train Cows To Lower Greenhouse Gasses Scientists have known it for a long time: Cattle are a major source of nitrogen emissions, contributing to the global warming crisis. Alternatives have been tossed around for years: from eating less meat to feeding cows seaweed. Now, a new study out of Germany and New Zealand has a more outside-the-box solution: potty-training calves. Sci...
48m Sep 17, 2021
48m
Oyster Breeding, Climate Communication, Hellbender Vs Mantis Shrimp. Sept 10, 2021, Part 2
To Breed An Oyster In the ocean, climate change involves more than just warming temperatures. Water levels are shifting, and ocean chemistry is changing.  Changes to ocean salinity caused by shifting amounts of freshwater could have big effects on the health of oysters, who need a certain range of saltiness in the water to be happy.   As part of her doctoral work at Louisiana State University...
49m Sep 10, 2021
49m
Covid And Disabilities, Alzheimer’s And Inflammation, Ultrasonic Sound. Sept 10, 2021, Part 1
New Policies Emerge In The Wake Of Climate-Connected Disasters This week, people across the United States continued to be reminded of the results of a shifting climate—with people in the Gulf states still recovering from Ida, northeastern states dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida-induced flooding, and western states battling wildfires and smoke. With climate-related disasters as a ba...
48m Sep 10, 2021
48m
COVID Fact Check, Ocean Circulation and Climate, Bread Culture. Sept 3, 2021, Part 2
Fact Check My Feed: Why Are People Taking Discredited Horse Medicine For COVID-19? If you’ve been online at all in the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen discussion about the drug ivermectin. It was originally developed as an antiparasitic treatment for livestock, and in 2015, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to scientists who found that it helped control parasitic diseases in humans as well...
49m Sep 03, 2021
49m
Schools And The Delta Variant, Doubts For High-Tech Air Purifiers. Sept 3, 2021, Part 1
Nation Grapples With Several Climate Disasters At Once Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on the eastern U.S. this week. It all started in Louisiana, leaving daunting damage and a long road to recovery for residents (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/america-climate-disasters/) . Even though Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm after leaving the state, it left a trail of destruction through t...
48m Sep 03, 2021
48m
Medieval Bones, Bird Ancestors And Dinosaurs. August 27, 2021, Part 2
A Skeletal Record Of Medieval England Society Whether you like it or not, a record of your life is constantly being chronicled. No, not through the internet or on social media—through your bones. If you’ve ever fractured a bone, that skeletal trauma stays with you forever, even after it heals. So researchers across the pond are using bones from medieval times to put together a picture of what...
48m Aug 27, 2021
48m
Pfizer Vaccine Approval, Making Solar Power For Everyone. August 27, 2021, Part 1
Pfizer’s Vaccine Is Now Fully Approved. What’s Next For The Pandemic? This week, the COVID-19 vaccine marketed by Pfizer finally received full FDA approval, moving out of the realm of “emergency use” to the status of a regular drug (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/pfizer-vaccine-approval/) . In the wake of that change, many organizations—from the Pentagon to Ohio State University to th...
48m Aug 27, 2021
48m
Third Thumb, Nostalgia, Orcas. Aug 20, 2021, Part 2
You, Too, Can Be All Thumbs. Or At Least Three. Take a look at your hand and fingers—and imagine that instead of five digits, you had an additional thumb, approximately opposite your natural thumb. Researchers at University College London built what they call the “Third Thumb”—a flexible, 3D-printed prosthetic device, controlled by pressure on sensors under the wearer’s big toes.The researcher...
48m Aug 20, 2021
48m
Delta Variant in Kids, Myers-Briggs Personality Test, Suicide in Communities of Color. Aug 20, 2021, Part 1
Why The Delta Variant Will Make More Kids Sick As cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 continue to spike around the U.S., children are one of the hardest-hit groups (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/delta-variant-sick-kids/) . As children under 12 remain ineligible for vaccination, they and other unvaccinated groups are facing the highest rates of infection and hospit...
47m Aug 20, 2021
47m
Elephantquakes and Margaret Atwood. August 13, 2021, Part 2
A Stomp, A Roar, An Elephantquake? An adult African elephant, the largest land animal on Earth, can weigh as much as two tons. Their activities—walking, playing, even bellowing—might shake the ground beneath them. But research in the journal Current Biology finds that the signals from an elephant’s walk are capable of traveling as far as three kilometers, while a roaring bull, or male elephant...
47m Aug 13, 2021
47m
Electric Fish Communication, Science Crimes, Lighting Cave Art. August 13, 2021, Part 1
This Fish Is The Master Of The Poignant Pause When listening to a well-practiced speaker, like during a lecture, a political event or during a favorite public radio show, you may notice they use pauses for dramatic effect.  This type of nuance in communication may seem distinctly human, but we’re not the only species that takes advantage of pauses in speech to make a point. Enter the electric...
47m Aug 13, 2021
47m
Bad Data, CRISPR Therapies, Wildfire Impact, Oilbirds. August 6, 2021, Part 2
How Imperfect Data Leads Us Astray Datasets are increasingly shaping important decisions, from where companies target their advertising, to how governments allocate resources. But what happens when the data they rely on is wrong or incomplete? Ira talks to technologist Kasia Chmielinski, as they test drive an algorithm that predicts a person’s race or ethnicity based on just a few details, li...
48m Aug 06, 2021
48m
Infrastructure Package, Covid News, Line3 Pipeline. August 6, 2021, Part 1
President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Sees The End Of The Road President Biden’s huge infrastructure bill is finally seeing the end of the road. The nearly 2,000 page bill covers infrastructure improvements—everything from roads to broadband. The package also includes funding for projects that would build up the country’s climate change resilience (https://www.vox.com/22598883/infrastructure-d...
48m Aug 06, 2021
48m
Gut Fungi, Olympic Challenges, Planetary Seismology. July 30, 2021, Part 2
Getting To Know The Fungus Among Us (In Our Guts) Your gut microbiome is composed of more than bacteria—a less populous, but still important, resident is fungi. Many people’s lower digestive tract is home to the yeast Candida albicans, the species implicated in vaginal yeast infections and oral thrush. But new research published in the scientific journal Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles...
49m Jul 30, 2021
49m
New CDC Mask Rules, Viral Persistence, Disaster Preparedness. July 30, 2021, Part 1
With Delta Rising, New Rules On Masks And Vaccines This week, the CDC released new guidelines for mask use in the U.S. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/delta-variant-masks-vaccines/) , just months after many cities and towns relaxed mask mandates. The guidance says that “to reduce their risk of becoming infected with the Delta variant and potentially spreading it to others: CDC recommen...
48m Jul 30, 2021
48m
Shellfish Deaths, Chemical Safety, Humpback Songs. July 23, 2021, Part 2
Billions Of Sea Creatures, Lost To Heat Waves A couple weeks ago, the Pacific Northwest saw record-breaking temperatures. News coverage captured countless people suffering, and dying, during triple-digit heat the region had never seen before. Portland and Seattle reached their highest temperatures ever recorded. Canada set a new record for the highest temperature ever seen in the country with ...
48m Jul 23, 2021
48m
Surgeon General, Blockchain. July 23, 2021, Part 1
Flooding Worldwide Fits Climate Change Models While the western United States is burning again this summer, other parts of the world are drowning (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/flooding-climate-change/) . Germany, Belgium, and China saw floods this week after intense rainstorms that dropped many inches of rain in matters of hours, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. In Turkey a...
49m Jul 23, 2021
49m
Songbird Mystery, Sweat, Betelgeuse. July 16, 2021, Part 2
Songbirds Suffer Mystery Illness From The East Coast To The Midwest The reports started in late May: Songbirds in Washington, D.C. and neighboring regions were being found dead, often with swollen and crusty eyes. In the days that followed, similar sightings came from many states, including Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Now, the symptoms have been seen as far west as Indian...
48m Jul 16, 2021
48m
New Battery Technology, COVID Rise From Unvaccinated Populations. July 16, 2021, Part 1
Research For New Battery Technology Is Gaining Steam As countries around the world set their goals for decarbonizing their economies, it’s becoming clear that batteries may play a pivotal role in smoothing out the peaks and valleys of solar and wind power productions, as well as driving a shift to electric vehicles, and providing power for other parts of our lives. Lithium-ion batteries are n...
47m Jul 16, 2021
47m
John McPhee’s Annals Of The Former World. July 9, 2021, Part 2
Writing, Like Geology, Requires A Little Digging When author John McPhee first considered the piece of writing that would become his 1998 book, Annals of the Former World, he envisioned a short, un-bylined article in The New Yorker, in which he would visit a road cut on Route 80—a piece that could probably be completed in a few days. Instead, that idea became a 700-page coast to coast explorat...
47m Jul 09, 2021
47m
African Wild Dogs, Spotted Lanternfly, Seashells. July 9, 2021, Part 1
Sniffing Out How To Save African Wild Dogs One of the most endangered mammals on Earth, African wild dogs are known for their oversized ears, social bonds, and highly efficient hunting style (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/what-wildlife-shows-dont-tell-you-about-african-wild-dogs?loggedin=true) . That predatory nature is now contributing to their threatened status, as their...
48m Jul 02, 2021
48m
Garden Hotline, Benjamin Franklin. July 2, 2021, Part 2
The Science Of Your Summer Vegetable Garden Planting and tending to a vegetable garden is both an art and a science. If all goes well, you’ll be enjoying delicious homemade salads all summer long. But if your tomatoes get too little water, or if the soil is too acidic, or if pests get to the lettuce before you do, then all that hard work may have been for nothing. Whether you’re a seasoned gr...
48m Jul 02, 2021
48m
Extreme Heat, COVID Delta Variant, Poe’s Science. July 2, 2021, Part 1
The Alarming Impacts Of Extreme Heat This week, the Pacific Northwest was hit by a record breaking heat wave, with temperatures rising as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, Oregon. Experts say of all the extreme weather events brought on by climate change and heat waves stand to do the most damage to the environment, infrastructure, and human health (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segm...
48m Jul 02, 2021
48m
Cephalopod Week Wrap Up, California Carbon Credits Error. June 25, 2021, Part 1
California’s Climate Program Is Actually Adding Carbon To The Atmosphere California has a reputation as the state that’s doing the most about climate change. And the lynchpin of those efforts is California’s Cap-and-Trade program, where the state’s biggest polluters—like ExxonMobil, BP, and others—are required to offset their carbon dioxide emissions by investing in carbon reduction strategies...
48m Jun 25, 2021
48m
UFO Report, Animal Play, Alzheimers and Music. June 25, 2021, Part 2
Is The Truth About UFOs Out There? Over the past several years, U.S. Navy pilots have reported several instances of ”unexplained aerial phenomena” while in flight (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/truth-ufos/) . They’ve recorded videos that show (https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/15/politics/ufo-report-briefing-pentagon-fighting/index.html)  shapes that appear to move in unusual ways, zooming ...
48m Jun 25, 2021
48m
Immunocompromised and Covid, Summer SciFi Reading. June 18, 2021, Part 2
COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Protect Immunocompromised People This week, California  (https://covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/) and New York (https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-covid-19-restrictions-lifted-70-adult-new-yorkers-have-received-first) , two of the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, announced that they were relaxing almost all coronavirus-related busin...
48m Jun 18, 2021
48m
Marijuana And Medicine, Cephalopod Week, Environmental Antidepressants. June 18, 2021, Part 1
How To Talk About Medical Marijuana With Your Doctor Over the last decade, cannabis has had a moment. Thirty-six states and Washington D.C. have legalized it for medical use. (Fifteen states, plus D.C., have also legalized weed recreationally.) Altogether, about 5.5 million people in the U.S. now have medical marijuana cards. One of the primary arguments for expanding marijuana laws is the dr...
48m Jun 18, 2021
48m
Health Equity And Trans Health, Human-Robot Relationship. June 11, 2020, Part 1
Biden’s New Assistant Secretary Of Health On Protecting Trans Youth The American healthcare system is facing some incredible challenges: Black and Latino communities were hit harder by COVID-19, and have lower vaccination rates than white, Asian, and Native American communities. The opioid crisis is still raging, climate change is disproportionately impacting the health of communities of color...
49m Jun 11, 2021
49m
Alzheimer’s Treatment Controversy, Science Mistakes, Chonky Fish. June 11, 2020, Part 2
FDA’s Approval Of Debated Alzheimer’s Treatment Raises Controversy This week, the FDA gave the green light to a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, a monoclonal antibody called aducanumab, is the first Alzheimer’s treatment to receive approval in almost 20 years. It targets the amyloid protein that forms the tangled plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. B...
1hr 1m Jun 11, 2021
1hr 1m
Genetics of Depression, Engineering Humans for Space, Tech Ethics. June 4, 2021, Part 2
Research Reveals 178 Genes Are Associated With Depression If you have a family member that suffers from depression, chances are you may have more than one. Doctors often say “depression runs in families,” but scientists really had no good idea how—until a major analysis (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00860-2)  of the genomes of 200,000 military veterans uncovered the 178 genes tha...
48m Jun 04, 2021
48m
Fauci On 40 Years Of HIV/AIDS, Watermelon Origins, Venus Missions. June 4, 2021, Part 1
Anthony Fauci Reflects On 40 Years Of HIV/AIDS Research Every week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases its regular report of the latest developments on emerging diseases—a living record documenting decades of medical history, known as the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). In May 1981, former MMWR editor Michael B. Gregg got a call about an unusual deadly ...
48m Jun 04, 2021
48m
Sand Sustainability, Jane Goodall, Morphing Pasta, Cicada Snacks. May 28, 2021, Part 2
Shifting The Sand Business To Greener Practices Sand is one of the most in-demand natural materials on the planet—some 50 billion tons of sand and gravel are mined (https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?333451%2FUncovering-sand-minings-impacts-on-the-worlds-rivers)  every year. It’s because the humble sand is a key ingredient in many materials, from concrete and asphalt to microchips and glass. But ...
48m May 28, 2021
48m
Vaccine Hesitancy, Colorado River Drought, Alternative Syrups. May 28, 2021, Part 1
How Do We Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy? This Memorial Day weekend, many people will be traveling to the beach, hitting the road or socializing with friends—maskless—for the first time in over a year. As of this week, 50% of people over 18 are now fully vaccinated. Another 15 to 20% of people are taking a “wait and see” approach. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/vaccine-hesitancy/) Of thos...
48m May 28, 2021
48m
Cybersecurity, Baseball Physics, Opioid Trial. May 21, 2021, Part 2
Americans’ Online Security Needs An Update Last week, all eyes were on the shutdown of a gas pipeline that delivered fuel to large portions of the Southeastern US. The shutdown was not due to a leak or planned pipeline maintenance, but to a ransomware attack that took billing computers at the pipeline operator offline (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/american-online-security/) . The att...
49m May 21, 2021
49m
Global Vaccination, Malaria Vaccine, Zombie Wildfires. May 21, 2021, Part 1
How Do You Solve a Problem Like World Vaccination? Here in the U.S., it feels as if we’ve turned a corner in the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the population can be vaccinated, and restrictions for masks and distancing are loosening. But we won’t be able to get a handle on the pandemic until the rest of the world has access to a vaccine. If you thought distributing shots to rural areas here in th...
48m May 21, 2021
48m