Infant Formula, AI Weirdness, Venus Fly Traps. Nov. 8, 2019, Part 2
Would you feel comfortable consuming a product that listed “whey protein concentrate” and “corn maltodextrin” on its list of ingredients? What about feeding it to your baby? Most of the ingredients found in baby formula are actually just carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and are perfectly safe—and necessary—for infant health. But this inscrutable list of ingredients is one reason why many pare...
48m Nov 08, 2019
48m
Biomedical Espionage, Einstein’s Eclipse, Transit Of Mercury. Nov. 8, 2019, Part 1
The FBI, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other agencies who oversee federal research grants are currently asking if the open culture of science in the U.S. is inviting other countries to steal it. The FBI has been warning since 2016 that researchers could be potentially sending confidential research, and even biological samples, to other countries. On Monday, a report in the  (https://...
48m Nov 08, 2019
48m
Moths, Alan Alda, Graveyard Lichens. Nov 1, 2019, Part 2
There are over 160,000 species of moths worldwide, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. For example, the Comet Moth, native to the rainforests of Madagascar, boasts vibrant red and yellow patterned wings, feathery antennae, and long swapping tails, thought to useful for distracting its bat predators. By comparison, most common North American moths seem boring and dull. While their b...
48m Nov 01, 2019
48m
PFAS Lawsuit, Bat Disease. Nov 1, 2019, Part 1
Eighteen years ago, a lawyer named Robert Bilott sent a letter to the EPA, the attorney general, and other regulators, warning them about a chemical called PFOA, short for perfluorooctanoic acid. Outside of the companies that made and used PFOA, most people had never heard of it. But E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, better known as DuPont, had been using PFOA to make Teflon since the early ...
48m Nov 01, 2019
48m
“Black Software” Book, Mucus. Oct 25, 2019, Part 2
When the World Wide Web was first being developed, African American software engineers, journalists and entrepreneurs were building search engines, directories, and forums to connect and bring on black web users and communities. In his book Black Software: The Internet and Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter, Charlton McIlwain tells the stories of these individuals (https://w...
47m Oct 25, 2019
47m
Spiders, Quantum Supremacy, Missouri Runoff. Oct 25, 2019, Part 1
Spiders were one of the first animals to evolve on land. And over the span of 400 million years of speciation and evolution, they’ve learned some amazing tricks. One of their trademarks? The strong, sticky substance that we call silk—every spider produces it, whether for weaving webs, wrapping prey, or even leaving trails on the ground for potential mates.  But every silk is unique (https://www...
48m Oct 25, 2019
48m
Policing And Mental Health, Ancient Clams, Moon Plan. Oct. 18, 2019, 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...
48m Oct 18, 2019
48m
Degrees Of Change: Climate Change Migration. Oct. 18, 2019, Part 1
When the water rises, whether from heavy rains or rising seas, communities have a few options: reinforce flood-threatened homes, rebuild after the water recedes, or—in places where the threat of repeated floods and even more damage is increasing—leave. And while leaving may feel synonymous with defeat, more cities and states are interested in encouraging people to leave risky floodplains—a proc...
48m Oct 18, 2019
48m
Office Air Pollution, Tetris Decisions, Alzheimer's Update. Oct 11, 2019, Part 2
If you live and work in an urban area, you might think about the air quality outside your home or workplace. But what about the air quality inside the office? (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/indoor-air-quality/) It turns out that on average, indoor environments have higher concentrations of potentially harmful substances, such as aerosols and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While pas...
48m Oct 11, 2019
48m
Trust In Science, California Power Outages, Regrowing Cartilage. Oct 11, 2019, Part 1
Despite widely reported attacks on science, the vast majority of Americans continue to trust scientists, according to the latest survey from the Pew Research Center. Many listeners of Science Friday might take it as a given that we should trust science, but is that trust well-founded? Naomi Oreskes, history of science professor at Harvard University, argues that we should (https://www.sciencefr...
47m Oct 11, 2019
47m
Bread Baking Science And Denial In Climate Report. Oct 4, 2019, Part 2
Flour, salt, yeast and water are the basic ingredients in bread that can be transformed into a crusty baguette or a pillowy naan. But what happens when you get a sticky sourdough or brick-like brioche? Chef Francisco Migoya of Modernist Cuisine breaks down the science behind the perfect loaf (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/food-failures-bread/) . He talks about how gluten-free flours af...
48m Oct 04, 2019
48m
Data-Collecting Smart TVs, Microbiome Cooking, Cannabis Pollution. Oct 4, 2019, Part 1
Today, it’s much easier to find smart TVs on the market. Companies like Vizio and Samsung create devices capable of internet connection and with built-in apps that let you quickly access your favorite streaming services. But that convenience comes with a hidden cost—one you pay for with your data.  Smart TVs have joined the list of internet connected devices looking to harvest your data. They c...
47m Oct 04, 2019
47m
Bitters And Botany, Whale Evolution. Sept 27, 2019, Part 2
Can conservation be concocted in your cocktails? Yes, according to the botanist authors of Botany at the Bar, a new book about making your own bitters—those complex flavor extracts used to season a Manhattan or old-fashioned. They experiment with an array of novel recipes using underappreciated plants found around the world (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/bitters-biodiversity-botany-at-...
48m Sep 27, 2019
48m
Oceans And Climate, Quantum Mechanics. Sept 27, 2019, Part 1
A new report issued this week by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change paints a troubling picture of the world’s ice and oceans. The ocean effects of climate change, from warming waters to ocean acidification to sea level rise, are already altering the weather, fisheries, and coastal communities. The authors of the report state that the ocean has already taken up more than 90% of t...
48m Sep 27, 2019
48m
Bird Populations In Decline, Real Life Sci-Fi Disasters, Brain Wiring. Sept 20, 2019, Part 2
There may be almost 3 billion fewer birds in North America today than there were in 1970, according to a study published this week in the journal Science. The decline over time works out to a loss of about one in 4 birds. However, the decline does not appear to be evenly distributed. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/bird-population-decline/) Then, journalist Mike Pearl investigates what ...
48m Sep 20, 2019
48m
Degrees Of Change: Climate And Fashion. Sept 20, 2019, Part 1
Climate change has been trending in the news recently—and if there’s one industry out there that knows something about trends, it’s the fashion industry. Long known for churning out cheap garments and burning through resources, some fashion labels like fast fashion giant H&M are now embracing sustainable fashion trends. But can this industry—which is responsible for 8% of global carbon emission...
48m Sep 20, 2019
48m
The Center Of The Milky Way, Rats At Play, And Geometry. Sept 13, 2019, Part 2
The Greek mathematician Euclid imagined an ordered and methodical universe, but his vision struggled to catch on for centuries, until Renaissance painters and French monarchs found a way connect the ancient science of geometry to the real world. Science historian Amir Alexander joins Ira to share the story of geometry’s rising global influence (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/how-humble-...
48m Sep 13, 2019
48m
How AI Is Influencing Decisions In Police Departments And Courtrooms. Sept 13, 2019
Facial recognition technology is all around us—it’s at concerts, airports, and apartment buildings. But its use by law enforcement agencies and courtrooms raises particular concerns about privacy, fairness, and bias, according to some researchers. Some studies have shown that some of the major facial recognition systems are inaccurate. Amazon’s software misidentified 28 members of Congress and ...
48m Sep 13, 2019
48m
SciFri Extra: Bird Nerds Of A Feather Flock Together
The Science Friday Book Club is done birding—for now. But after wrapping up our summer discussion of Jennifer Ackerman’s The Genius of Birds, bird enthusiasts flocked together at Caveat (https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/bird-book-club-event) , a venue in New York City, for one last celebration of bird brains and feathered phenomena. We pitted audience members up against some local bird ge...
45m Sep 11, 2019
45m
Randall Munroe, Football Concussion Research. Sept 6, 2019, Part 2
If you’ve ever been skiing, you might have wondered how your skiis and the layer of water interact. What would happen if the slope was made out of wood or rubber? Or how would you make more snow in the most efficient way if it all melted away? These are the questions that comic artist Randall Munroe (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/how-to-book-xkcd-randall-munroe/)  thinks about in his b...
48m Sep 06, 2019
48m
Widening The Lens On A More Inclusive Science. Sept 6, 2019, Part 1
In 2012, the Obama administration projected that the United States would need to add an additional 1 million college graduates in STEM fields per year for the next ten years to keep up with projected growth in the need for science and technology expertise. At the same time, though, native Americans and other indigenous groups are underrepresented in the sciences, making up only 0.2 percent of t...
48m Sep 06, 2019
48m
Vaping Sickness, Teaching Science. Aug 30, 2019, Part 2
Over 10 million Americans vape, or smoke electronic cigarettes. E-cigarettes are also the most popular tobacco product among teenagers in this country. Some of them are marketed with bright colors and fun flavors like chocolate, creme brulee, and mint—or they’re advertised as a healthier alternative to regular cigarette smoking. But last week, public health officials reported that a patient in ...
47m Aug 30, 2019
47m
Degrees of Change: Tourism. Aug 30, 2019, Part 1
Each year, outdoor enthusiasts in the country spend nearly $900 billion dollars on hiking, fishing and other types of outdoor recreation. The different types of business that take part in that tourism economy span a wide range—from big all inclusive ski resorts to mom and pop shops that sell tours of their local hiking spots.  But with shrinking snowpacks, more extreme weather, and the unpredic...
48m Aug 30, 2019
48m
Climate And Farming, Mars 2020, Fireflies. August 23, 2019, Part 2
From cutting back on fossil fuels to planting a million trees, people and policymakers around the world are looking for more ways to curb climate change. Another solution to add to the list is changing how we use land. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, released a special report this month that emphasized the importance of proper land management, such as pro...
48m Aug 23, 2019
48m
Book Club Birds, Amazon Burning. August 23, 2019, Part 1
“Bird-brain” has long been an insult meant to imply slow-wittedness or stupidity. But in reading Jennifer Ackerman’s The Genius of Birds, SciFri Book Club readers have been learning that birds often have wits well beyond ours—take the mockingbird’s capacity to memorize the songs of other birds, or the precise annual migrations of hummingbirds and Arctic terns. Or the New Caledonian crow, which ...
47m Aug 23, 2019
47m
Live in San Antonio: Deadly Disease, Bats, Birds. Aug. 16, 2019, Part 2
Imagine stepping into a white suit, pulling on thick rubber gloves and a helmet with a clear face plate. You can only talk to your colleagues through an earpiece, and a rubber hose supplies you with breathable air. Sounds like something you wear in space, right? In this case, you’re not an astronaut. You’re at the Texas Biomedical Institute in San Antonio, one of the only places where the most ...
48m Aug 16, 2019
48m
Lightning, Electric Scooters, News Roundup. Aug. 16, 2019, Part 1
Lightning during a heavy rainstorm is one of the most dramatic phenomena on the planet—and it happens, somewhere on Earth, an estimated 50 to 100 times a second. But even though scientists have been puzzling over the physics of lightning for decades, stretching back even to Ben Franklin’s kite experiment, much of the science remains mysterious. Ira and IEEE Spectrum news editor Amy Nordrum spea...
47m Aug 16, 2019
47m
Northwest Passage Project, Birds and Color. Aug 9, 2019, Part 1
First, tardigrades on the moon, feral hogs on Earth, and more news from this week’s News Roundup. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/tardigrades-on-the-moon/) Scientists and students navigated the Northwest Passage waterways to study how the Arctic summers have changed. (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/northwest-passage-project-arctic-climate/)  Last year, one day into expedition, t...
47m Aug 09, 2019
47m
Wiring Rural Texas, Visiting Jupiter and Saturn. Aug 9, 2019, Part 2
High-speed internet access is becoming a necessity of modern life, but connecting over a million rural Texans is a challenge. How do we bridge the digital divide in Texas' wide open spaces? (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/bridging-digital-divide-in-texas/) It turns out the Great Red Spot might not be so great—it's shrinking. Plus, other news from the giant planets. (https://www.sciencef...
47m Aug 09, 2019
47m
Is Chemical Sunscreen Safe, Slime, Amazon Deforestation. August 2, 2019, Part 2
Sunscreen has been on the shelves of drugstores since the mid-1940s. And while new kinds of sunscreens have come out, some of the active ingredients in them have yet to be determined as safe and effective. A recent study conducted by the FDA showed that the active ingredients of four commercially available sunscreens were absorbed into the bloodstream—even days after a person stops using it (ht...
47m Aug 02, 2019
47m
Ethics Of Hawaiian Telescope, Bird Song, Alaska Universities Budget Cut. August 2, 2019, Part 1
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in Hawaii, towering over the Pacific at nearly 14,000 feet. That high altitude, combined with the mountain’s dry, still air and its extreme darkness at night, make it an ideal place for astronomy. There are already 13 observatories on the summit plateau. Now, astronomers want to build another, called the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which would become the la...
48m Aug 02, 2019
48m
Ice Cream Science, Online Language. July 26, 2019, Part 2
Have you ever tried to make your favorite rocky road flavored ice cream at home, but your chocolate ice cream turns out a little crunchier than you hoped? And your ribbons of marshmallow are more like frozen, sugary shards? Chemist Matt Hartings (https://edspace.american.edu/hartingslab/)  and ice cream maker Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (https://vanleeuwenicecre...
47m Jul 26, 2019
47m
Anonymous Data, Birding Basics. July 26, 2019, Part 1
The Science Friday Book Club is buckling down to read Jennifer Ackerman’s The Genius of Birds this summer. Meanwhile, it’s vacation season, and we want you to go out and appreciate some birds in the wild. (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/science-friday-bird-club) But for beginning birders, it may seem intimidating to find and identify feathered friends both near and far from home. Audubon ...
46m Jul 26, 2019
46m
Moon Art, Space History, And NASA's Megarocket. July 19, 2019, Part 2
Our Lunar Muse Most of us remember that iconic photograph of the Apollo 11 moon landing: Buzz Aldrin standing on a footprint-covered moon, one arm bent, and Neil Armstrong in his helmet’s reflection taking the picture.  But there’s a much longer, ancient history of trying to visually capture the moon that came before the 1969 photo—from Bronze Age disks with crescent moons to Galileo’s telescop...
48m Jul 19, 2019
48m
Apollo Anniversary And Bird Book Club. July 19, 2019, Part 1
Celebrating Apollo's 'Giant Leap' July 20, 1969 was a day that changed us forever—the first time humans left footprints on another world. In this segment, Ira Flatow and space historian Andy Chaikin celebrate that history and examine the legacy of the Apollo program. Apollo ushered in a new age of scientific discovery, with lunar samples that unlocked the history of how the moon and the solar s...
46m Jul 19, 2019
46m
Mosquitos and Smell, Fermentation, Model Rocket Launch. July 12, 2019, Part 2
If you’ve ever tried brewing your own beer or raising your own sourdough, then you know that the process of fermentation isn't easy to get right. How do you control the growth of mold, yeast, or bacteria such that it creates a savory and delicious new flavor, and not a putrid mess on your kitchen counter? David Zilber is Director of Fermentation at the restaurant Noma, and he tells his fermenta...
47m Jul 12, 2019
47m
Degrees of Change: Food and Climate. July 12, 2019, Part 1
A quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from putting food on the table. From the fossil fuels used to produce fertilizers, to the methane burps of cows, to the jet fuel used to deliver your fresh asparagus, eating is one of the most planet-warming things we do. In our latest chapter of Degrees of Change, we're looking at how to eat smarter in a warming world. (https://www.science...
47m Jul 12, 2019
47m
Science Road Trips, Archaeology From Space. July 5, 2019, Part 1
Summer is here—and that means it’s time for a road trip! Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton, co-authors of Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the Hidden Wonders of the World, join Ira to share some suggestions for sciencey things to see and do around the country, from unusual museum exhibits to outstanding natural wonders. Plus, we asked you for YOUR travel ideas—and did you deliver! We’ll share t...
46m Jul 05, 2019
46m
The Bastard Brigade, Spontaneous Generation. July 5, 2019, Part 2
Much has been written about the Manhattan Project, the American-led project to develop the atomic bomb. Less well known is Nazi Germany’s “Uranium Club”—a similar project started a full two years before the Manhattan Project. The Nazis had some of the greatest chemists and physicists in the world on their side, including Werner Heisenberg, and the Allies were terrified that the Nazis would beat...
59m Jul 03, 2019
59m
Paternity, Musical Proteins, Microbiome In Runners. June 28, 2019, Part 2
These days, a scientific paternity test is easily acquired, and its results are seen as almost indisputable. But what about the days before so-called foolproof DNA analysis (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/solving-the-mystery-of-paternity-once-and-for-all/) ? For most of human history, people considered the identity of a child’s father to be more or less “unknowable.” Then in the 20th ce...
48m Jun 28, 2019
48m
Cephalopod Week Wrap-Up, USDA Climate Change, Sinking Louisiana. June 28, 2019, Part 1
The eight-day squid-and-kin appreciation extravaganza of Cephalopod Week is nearly over (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/closing-out-the-cephalo-party/) , but there’s still plenty to learn and love about these tentacled “aliens” of the deep. After a rare video sighting of a giant squid—the first in North American waters—last week, NOAA zoologist Mike Vecchione talks about his role identi...
48m Jun 28, 2019
48m
SciFri Extra: About Time
The official U.S. time is kept on a cesium fountain clock named NIST-F1, located in Boulder, Colorado. On a recent trip to Boulder, Ira took a trip to see the clock. He spoke with Elizabeth Donley, acting head of the Time and Frequency Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, about keeping the official U.S. time on track—and how NIST is using advanced physics to develop e...
15m Jun 25, 2019
15m
Smoke Chasers, Colorado Apples, Pikas. June 21, 2019, Part 2
When wildfires rage in the West, Colorado State University atmospheric scientist Emily Fischer hops into a plane, and flies straight into the smoke (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/through-the-mountains-and-smoke/) . The plane is a flying chemistry lab, studded with instruments, and Fischer’s goal is to uncover the chemical reactions happening in smoke plumes, to determine how wildfire s...
50m Jun 21, 2019
50m
Cephalopod Week 2019, Climate and Microbes, Puppy Eyes, Wave Energy. June 21, 2019, Part 1
For eight glorious days during the end of June, Science Friday honors the mighty mollusks of the ocean—Cephalopod Week returns for the sixth year (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/sucker-for-cephalopods-cephalopod-week-2019-has-you-covered/) ! And we’re cephalo-brating with a tidal wave of ways for you to participate. This year, we want to know your favorite cephalopod. Is it the charisma...
49m Jun 21, 2019
49m
Degrees Of Change: Urban Heat Islands. June 14, 2019, Part 1
We’ve known for more than 200 years that cities are hotter than surrounding rural areas. All that concrete and brick soaks up the sun’s rays, then re-emits them as heat long after night has fallen. On top of that, waste heat from the energy we use to power our buildings, vehicle emissions, and even air conditioning units can cause some cities to be as many as 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than t...
47m Jun 14, 2019
47m
The Best Summer Science Books. June 14, 2019, Part 2
The Best Science Books To Read This Summer They say a vacation is only as good as the book you bring with you. And these days it feels like there are as many ways to consume science writing as there are fields of science. Whether you’re a fan of historical nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry or short essays, this year’s panel of summer science books experts has the one you’re looking for to take...
48m Jun 14, 2019
48m
Quantum Leaps, Cancer Drugs, Cat Cameras. June 7, 2019, Part 2
The “spooky physics” of the quantum world has long been marked by two key ideas: The idea of superposition, meaning that a quantum particle can exist in multiple states simultaneously, and the idea of randomness, meaning that it’s impossible to predict when certain quantum transitions will take place. Writing in the journal Nature, Zlatko Minev and colleagues report that they may be able to mak...
47m Jun 07, 2019
47m
Gender Bias In Research Trials, Antarctica, Tornado Engineering. June 7, 2019, Part 1
For half a century, most neuroscience experiments have had one glaring flaw: They've ignored female study subjects. The reason? Researchers claimed, for example, that female rats and mice would skew their data, due to hormonal cycling. Writing in the journal Science, neuroscientist Rebecca Shansky says that view is out of date—and it's been harming science too. She and Radiolab producer and co-...
48m Jun 07, 2019
48m
SciFri Extra: Remembering Murray Gell-Mann
Physicist Murray Gell-Mann died recently at the age of 89. He received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles, and is credited with giving quarks their name. But he was known for more than just physics—he was a co-founder of the Santa Fe Institute, and a champion of creativity and interdisciplinary research.   One of his biggest interests was explorin...
44m Jun 04, 2019
44m
Climate Politics, Football and Math, Ether. May 31, 2019, Part 2
A green wave is sweeping through Washington, and it’s picking up Republicans who are eager to share their ideas on clean energy and climate change. But even as Republican lawmakers turn to shaping climate policy, the White House is doubling down on climate denial, forming a “climate review panel” to vet and discredit the already peer-reviewed science on climate change. So where will climate sci...
47m May 31, 2019
47m