Nerve Agents, Straws, Soccer Flops, Happiness. July 13, 2018, Part 2
Four months ago, an ex-Russian spy and his daughter were hospitalized in the U.K. They came into contact with a substance known as Novichok—a nerve agent developed by Soviet scientists during the Cold War. And recently, two U.K. citizens were hospitalized. One died after apparent exposure to Novichok. Russia has so far denied any involvement in the attacks. The nuclear arms race wasn’t the only...
48m Jul 13, 2018
48m
Neutrinos, Book Club, Air Conditioning. July 13, 2018, Part 1
In 1988, physicist Stephen Hawking’s wildly popular A Brief History of Time introduced general audiences around the world to scientists’ questions about the Big Bang, black holes, and relativity. Many of those questions remain unanswered, though the science has advanced in the 30 years since the book was first published. Hawking, who passed away this spring, was known not just for this book, bu...
48m Jul 13, 2018
48m
Jurassic World, Rhino Comeback, Uranus Collision. July 6, 2018, Part 2
It’s the 25th anniversary of the debut of Jurassic Park. And with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom currently at the top of the summer movie food chain, its progeny continue to dominate the box offices. But even as the original Jurassic Park gave viewers the latest in paleontological science in dino looks, the research has progressed to include feathers and wildly different body shapes for old fav...
48m Jul 06, 2018
48m
19th-Century Surveyor, Hawaii Volcano, Eagles' Nests. July 6, 2018, Part 1
In the 19th century, the American West was an arid climate yet to be fully explored. But surveyors like geologist John Wesley Powell, the second director of the United States Geological Society, would chart out the natural wonders that lied beyond the Mississippi. While at the USGS, Powell would lead a project to create the first map of the country to integrate geographical features and some of...
46m Jul 06, 2018
46m
Bee News, Summer Science Reading. June 29, 2018, Part 2
Bumblebees and honeybees are two species of bees that form colonies. The colonies of bumblebees are smaller compared to their honeybee cousins, who’s hives can house tens of thousands of individuals. But both of these colonies have complicated compositions and structures that help them thrive. For bumblebees, recent studies showed that colonies located in urban areas may actually be more succes...
51m Jun 29, 2018
51m
Beef Genetic Testing, Chasing Whales, Radiolab Gonads. June 29, 2018, Part 1
Whales are majestic, awe-inspiring animals. Some species can reach up to 150 tons and take in a living room-sized volume of water in one gulp. They can even dive thousands of feet into the ocean while holding their breath all the way down. It’s hard to imagine that the earliest ancestors of these graceful creatures of the deep were four-legged dog-like animals that lived on land. In his book Sp...
51m Jun 29, 2018
51m
Math And Social Justice, Chicago Coyotes, Meteorites. June 22, 2018, Part 2
Math isn’t often thought of as a tool for social justice. But mathematical thinking can help us understand what’s going on in society too, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng. For example, abstract math can be used to examine the power structures between men and women, or white and black people, and to more clearly define the relationships and power differentials at play. At our live event at the...
1hr Jun 22, 2018
1hr
Alcohol Study, Cephalopod Week, Coral Oasis. June 22 2018, Part 1
Last week, the National Institutes of Health cancelled a $100 million study of alcohol and health after an internal investigation found “early and frequent” engagement with none other than the alcohol industry, to an extent that would “cast doubt” on the scientific results. But prior to the cancellation, the research was setting out to answer an ongoing question about alcohol and our health: Ar...
51m Jun 22, 2018
51m
CRISPR, Colors, Narwhals. June 15, 2018, Part 2
Over less than a decade, the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 has taken the biology world by storm. But two new studies indicate that there could be a downside to the CRISPR approach. Did you know a blue jay’s feathers and a butterfly’s wings aren’t actually blue? Neither are your blue eyes. From the colors we see in flowers and birds, to the hues we use in art and decoration, there...
51m Jun 15, 2018
51m
Dinosaurs, Celebrating Cephalopods. June 15, 2018, Part 1
Like a kraken rising from the depths (or a cuttlefish emerging from the sand), Cephalopod Week is back! Every year, Science Friday spends a week honoring the mighty, clever, mysterious cephalopod. This year, Field Museum curator Janet Voight joins Ira and SciFri’s chief cephalopod cheerleader Brandon Echter to talk about the unusual and brainy behaviors of these creatures—including a squid that...
51m Jun 15, 2018
51m
Mars Organics, Museum Collections, Kelp Farming. June 8, 2018, Part 2
In 1832, less than a year into the first voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin found a beetle in Argentina. Turns out, discovering new species in the depths of museum archives is not so uncommon. 180 years later, an entomologist who happened to specialize in rove beetles requested an assortment of samples from London’s Natural History Museum. There, among 24 pinned beetle specimens, was Darwin’s...
48m Jun 08, 2018
48m
Ocean Conservation, Dark Matter Hunt. June 8, 2018, Part 1
Planets, stars, and physical “stuff” make up a tiny fraction of the universe. Most of the universe's mass is instead invisible dark matter, which makes itself known not by luminance, but by its gravitational influence on the cosmos. The motions of galaxies and stars require dark matter to be explained. Yet despite decades of searching and millions of dollars spent, physicists still haven't been...
52m Jun 08, 2018
52m
Sea Floor Mapping, Hurricane Season Forecast. June 1, 2018, Part 2
The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth, but it’s also one of the least understood. As mining companies eye the mineral resources of the deep sea—from oil and gas, to metal deposits—marine biologists like London’s Natural History Museum’s Diva Amon are working to discover and describe as much of the deep sea as they can. Amon has been on dozens of expeditions to sea, where she’s helped cha...
49m Jun 01, 2018
49m
Scientist Politicians, Microbiome, Wildlife Car Accidents. June 1, 2018, Part 1
This year’s midterm elections have seen an upswing in the number of scientists running for office. There are approximately 60 candidates with STEM backgrounds in the races for federal offices, and 200 for state positions, according to 314 Action, an advocacy organization that helps scientists run for office. But why would a scientist want to leave the lab for the Hill? According to volcanologis...
48m Jun 01, 2018
48m
AI Conversation, Robot Trust, AI Music. May 18, 2018, Part 2
Should autonomy be the holy grail of artificial intelligence? Computer scientist Justine Cassell has been working for decades on interdependence instead—AI that can hold conversations with us, teach us, and otherwise develop good rapport with us. She joined Ira live on stage at the Carnegie Library of Homestead Music Hall in Pittsburgh to introduce us to SARA, a virtual assistant that helped wo...
1hr 2m May 25, 2018
1hr 2m
Sleep Questions, Portable Museums, Digital Health Records. May 25, 2018, Part 1
What’s the difference between being fatigued and sleepy? Do melatonin and other sleeping aids work? And what can you do if you just can’t sleep?Neurologist and sleep specialist W. Chris Winter, author of the book The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It, talks about how the brain and body regulate sleep. He also gives ideas for controlling your behavior to improve your “sl...
48m May 25, 2018
48m
Psychedelics With Michael Pollan And Intel Student Science Fair. May 18, 2018, Part 2
In his latest book, How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan writes of his own consciousness-expanding experiments with psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, and he makes the case for why shaking up the brain’s old habits could be therapeutic for people facing addiction, depression, or death. Pollan and psychedelics researcher Robin Carhart-Harris discuss the neuroscience of consciousness, ...
52m May 18, 2018
52m
Consciousness In 'Westworld,' Heart Cells On Graphene, Bike Safety App. May 18, 2018, Part 1
In HBO’s series Westworld, human-like robots populate a theme park where human guests can have violent, gory adventures in the Wild West without the repercussions. The robots are so lifelike that they fool the visitors and themselves. They bleed, die, grieve, and love—thinking themselves human. But as Westworld’s robots grow increasingly independent of their repetitive, programmed loops, the sh...
50m May 18, 2018
50m
Does Time Exist, Elephant Seismology, Produce Safety. May 11, 2018, Part 2
How do you think about time? Most people experience it as Newton described it—as something that passes independent of other events, that’s the same for everyone, and moves in a straight line. Still, others have come to embrace Einstein’s view that time instead forms a matrix with space and acts like as a substance in which we are submerged. But physicist and author Carlo Rovelli has an even dif...
47m May 11, 2018
47m
Hawaii Eruption, Antibiotic Resistance, Florida Sea Rise. May 11, 2018, Part 1
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano—located on the Big Island—has been continuously erupting for the past 30 years. But on May 3, magma began spewing through fissures in the Puna district, forcing nearly 2,000 residents to flee. Reporter Ku`uwehi Hiraishi of Hawaii Public Radio spoke to residents in the area of these 15 fissures and describes what type of evacuation efforts have been happening on the grou...
48m May 11, 2018
48m
DNA Privacy, Dog Cognition. May 4, 2018, Part 2
Genetic testing sites are nothing new. They’ve grown enough in popularity over the past decade that the idea of spitting into a tube and sending it in the mail to a website to find out more about your family tree—or even your risk of certain inherited diseases—doesn’t seem all that strange to most people. But the case of the Golden State Killer has brought to light many questions about the dire...
51m May 04, 2018
51m
Chasing Pluto, Space Warps. May 4, 2018, Part 1
In July of 2015, the world was stunned to learn that Pluto, a tiny, distant dot that some didn’t even consider a planet, was a dynamic, complex, and beautiful world. But for scientists in pursuit of Pluto’s secrets since the late 1980s, it was a long wait. The mission faced political hurdles, budget battles, technical challenges, and near-disaster even as it was days away from speeding past Plu...
51m May 04, 2018
51m
Frozen Frogs, Yeast, Paleobotany. April 27, 2018, Part 2
When winter comes, animals have several options for survival. They can leave their habitats entirely for warmer environments, search for a cozy cave, or even find insulation under a toasty snowbank. And if you’re a wood frog in chilly Ohio or Alaska, or the larvae of a certain wingless midge in Antarctica, you might also just stay put, and freeze solid until the sun returns. But to survive such...
50m Apr 27, 2018
50m
Historical Climate Change, Weighing Galaxies, Great Lakes Water Rights. April 27, 2018, Part 1
It’s not uncommon these days to hear scientists and journalists say that our planet is experiencing record-setting temperatures due to climate change. But they’re talking about a small part of Earth’s history—human history. The story of the earth’s climate contains much more than what human beings have recorded. In their new book, Weather: An Illustrated History, longtime climate reporter Andre...
51m Apr 27, 2018
51m
Ocean Migrations, Deep Divers, Summer Skies. April 20, 2018, Part 2
Every night, the largest migration on Earth happens underwater, as jellies, crustaceans and fish swim up hundreds of meters towards the surface to feed. Those daily pilgrimages might also create propulsive jets behind the animals capable of stirring ocean waters, according to research in the journal Nature. Stanford engineer John Dabiri and his team investigated that phenomenon in the lab using...
51m Apr 20, 2018
51m
Drone Radar, Fracking Seismology, Massive Earthquakes. April 20, 2018, Part 1
The 1783 eruption of Laki in Iceland lasted eight months, blanketing parts of the island in lava flows 50 feet deep, and spewing noxious gases that devastated crops and poisoned livestock. Tens of thousands died in Iceland, but the eruption killed millions more around the world, when ash from the eruption cooled the Earth, ushering in an icy winter, and weakening monsoons across Africa and Asia...
48m Apr 20, 2018
48m
Immunotherapy, The Evolution Of Eyebrows, Unconventional Bird Calls. April 13, 2018, Part 2
Tumors are masters of disguise. The field of immunotherapy—teaching our immune system to recognize cancer—is burgeoning with solutions to this problem. The eyes may be the window to the soul, but it’s our eyebrows that are doing all the talking. The ability to wiggle those two hairy features around isn’t just some party trick, it’s almost like a secret language—one that even our ancient ancest...
50m Apr 13, 2018
50m
Beach Health, Extraterrestrial Communication, Maggots. April 13, 2018, Part 1
Some private citizens, scientists, and entrepreneurs are sending some focused messages through the cosmos, which could theoretically be intercepted by any technologically advanced civilizations among the stars, essentially advertising the existence and location of Earth. Is it ethical to do that—or could it needlessly put humanity at risk? Beach nourishment, the process of dredging up sand fro...
51m Apr 13, 2018
51m
Levee Wars, New Neurons, Animal Farts. April 6, 2018, Part 2
The mighty Mississippi is shackled and constrained by a series of channels, locks, and levees. The height of those levee walls is regulated by the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that riverside districts equally bear the risk of flooding. But some districts have piled more sand atop their levees to protect against imminent flood risk during emergency conditions—and then left those sandbags th...
50m Apr 06, 2018
50m
Celebrating '2001: A Space Odyssey' And Whales. April 6, 2018, Part 1
On April 3, 1968, hundreds of audience members walked out of the theatrical premier of a strange, long, dialogue-sparse science fiction film. Now regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was first met with harsh reviews from critics. Writer and filmmaker Michael Benson, author of the new book Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthu...
51m Apr 06, 2018
51m
Predicting Gun Deaths, Bat Flight, New Organ. March 30, 2018, Part 2
According to CDC data, more than 13,000 people die from gun homicides every year—and most of them are people of color who live in urban areas. Many of them are children. But as scientists seek to understand the causes and solutions for gun deaths, can we also learn to predict them…and even intervene before they happen? One researcher may have the answer: social media analysis. Friendly neighbo...
48m Mar 30, 2018
48m
13,000-Year-Old Footprints, Climate Court, Native Bees, Cell Phones And Cancer. March 30, 2018, Part 1
Planting tomatoes in the garden this year? Better hope you have bumblebees too, because tomato flowers need a good shaking to get the pollen out. “What the bumblebee does is grab a tomato flower, curve its abdomen around the bottom of the tomato flower, and then shiver its wing muscles at a specific frequency, shaking pollen out of the holes like a salt shaker,” says Paige Embry, author of Our ...
48m Mar 30, 2018
48m
Dung Microbes, Gun Research, Airplane Germs, Kepler Mission. March 23, 2018, Part 2
Guns kill more people in the United States than alcohol—from homicides and suicides, to mass shootings like the one that left dead 17 high school students in Parkland, Florida last month. But public health researchers will tell you that studying alcohol-related deaths is much easier. Gun research is so fraught politically that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t fund it (thou...
50m Mar 23, 2018
50m
Climate Risks, Power Grid Security, Necrobiome. March 23, 2018, Part 1
A report issued last week by the Department of Homeland Security said that throughout 2016 and 2017, Russian hackers had worked to gain access to control systems at unidentified power plants and were in a position to shut them down. Their actions have finally given Washington the political will to address vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid. A new bill sponsored by Senator Angus King of Main...
51m Mar 23, 2018
51m
Ancient Tools, Life On Mars, An Aurora Named Steve. March 16, 2018, Part 2.
Scientists have been trying for a long time to piece together a question: When did traits of modern humans—like complex thinking and behaviors—first develop? Anthropologists have uncovered tools in Kenya that date to 280,000 years ago that contained non-local materials, indicating that early humans developed social networks and advanced technology tens of thousands of years earlier than previou...
46m Mar 16, 2018
46m
Stephen Hawking, Women In Blockchain, Dinosaurs. March 16, 2018, Part 1
Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking died this week at the age of 76. Hawking challenged and inspired a generation of physicists, and we remember his life and legacy. Plus, blockchain is the technology that makes possible every transaction made with Bitcoin—or any digital currency, for that matter. And when Bitcoin skyrocketed on the stock market last year, it turned average J...
48m Mar 16, 2018
48m
‘Broad Band’ Computing History, Science Talent Search. March 9, 2018, Part 2
In the history of male-dominated computer science, there are a few women who have gotten attention and credit for their contributions. Famously, Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithm designed for a computer, and foresaw that such machines could do much more than math alone. Grace Hopper, after programming Harvard’s Mark 1 computer during World War II, went on to develop the first program compi...
47m Mar 09, 2018
47m
BRCA Gene Test, Bacteriophages, Synesthesia. March 9, 2018, Part 1
Overuse of antibiotics has lead to bacteria becoming resistant to the drugs. In the United States, at least two million people become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria each year, according to the Center for Disease Control. While some researchers are looking for new sources of antibiotics, other scientists are looking for new strategies to treat bacterial infections. One strategy is t...
49m Mar 09, 2018
49m
P-Hacking, Quackery, Growing Greater Grains. Mar 2, 2018, Part 2
If you like to read about the psychology around food and eating, you’ve probably come across stories based on research from Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, directed by Brian Wansink. In an article published this week by Buzzfeed News, science reporter Stephanie Lee reports on a history of shoddy research practices in the lab, and a chain of emails that indicates a practice of “p-hacking”—a statis...
47m Mar 02, 2018
47m
Chip Fraud, Space Station Future, Neutron Star. Mar 2, 2018, Part 1
Currently, the International Space Station is the only destination for astronauts traveling into lower-earth orbit. It’s also the only way for scientists to conduct experiments in microgravity. After two decades, it’s still proving to be incredibly useful to researchers. But time is running out. President Trump has indicated he wants to defund the station as scheduled by 2025, it’s nearing the ...
48m Mar 02, 2018
48m
Biohybrid Robots, Neanderthal Art. Feb 23, 2018, Part 2
A group of engineers are building softer, squishier robots—ones you might knowingly invite into your home to hang out. Instead of sporting bodies of rigid plastic and metal, biohybrid robots often consist of 3D-printed scaffolds laced with lab-grown muscles, sourced from the cells of mice, insects, and even sea slugs. Some "bio-bots" can even heal themselves after an injury, and get back to wor...
47m Feb 23, 2018
47m
Wild Horses, Hidden Structures Behind Structures, Florida Flamingos. Feb 23, 2018, Part 1
The gentle curve of a beam. The particular shape of a clay brick. The sharp angles of a series of trusses. You might view these elements of buildings, bridges, and structures as part of the aesthetic and artistic design, or maybe you have overlooked them completely. But for London-based structural engineer Roma Agrawal, these visual charms play an important role not only in the beauty of a buil...
47m Feb 23, 2018
47m
The Physics Of Figure Skating, Aerosols, Volatile Organic Compounds. Feb 16, 2018, Part 2
While oohing and ahhing at the powerful leaps and nimble spins on the ice at the Olympics, you may not realize you’re watching physics in action. Each jump requires a careful balance of matching the time in air to the speed and number of rotations. From spray can to ocean spray, it's time to talk about aerosols. They do play a role in climate change, but not the one you might think. There's a...
50m Feb 16, 2018
50m
Distorting Reality With AI, Cryptocurrency Mining, Science Standards In Idaho Schools. Feb 16, 2018, Part 1
One woman’s dubious dance with a cow parasite left her rubbing her eyes—and medical experts scratching their heads. The Idaho legislature is debating how to address human-induced climate change in revised science education standards. A collection of AI-assisted tools could allow the average person to create videos of anyone saying or doing anything. The latest hacking could be used to steal ...
50m Feb 16, 2018
50m
Venomous Or Poisonous, Crayfish Clones, Immune System Cancer Injection. Feb 9, 2018, Part 2
Do you know the difference between a poisonous creature and a venomous one? One distinction is that poisons are often ingested or absorbed by the skin, while venoms have to be injected through a wound. Mandë Holford tells us more about her research studying these dangerous creatures. 25 years ago, all-female crayfish species originated from a hobbyist tank in Germany. In the wild, the crustace...
51m Feb 09, 2018
51m
Frankenstein Goodbye, Chocolate And Bugs, Ozone Problems. Feb 9, 2018, Part 1
The Science Friday Book Club nerds out about ‘Frankenstein’ one last time. A menagerie of insects thrive among cacao trees—and that biodiversity might help boost yields. While the ozone layer above the poles is on the mend, the health of the layer in middle latitudes is less clear. SpaceX successfully launched the Heavy Falcon rocket with two of the three boosters safely landing back onto th...
51m Feb 09, 2018
51m
Egyptian Dinosaurs, Leaking Data, Huntington’s Research, Mole Rats. Feb 2, 2018, Part 2
Dinosaurs existed all over the world—fossils have been found on every continent. Africa is no exception, but far fewer fossils have been found there from the late Cretaceous era—the period before the dinosaurs went extinct. But a new discovery in Egypt could provide clues about the evolution of dinosaurs in Africa. Click here to learn more. Last weekend, an Australian researcher pointed out on...
49m Feb 02, 2018
49m
Agricultural Bees, China’s Energy Future, Frankenstein In Class. Feb 2, 2018, Part 1
China's thirst for energy is rising. But to save its cities from suffocating pollution, leaders are looking to carbon-free energy sources and electric vehicles. Click here for more information about China's energy future. We need domestic bees. But what happens to wild bees when they share a space? We discuss the good and the bad in the latest installment of Good Thing, Bad Thing. Plus, Ira c...
50m Feb 02, 2018
50m
Great Lakes Wind, Boosting Vaccination Rates, Flu. Jan 26, 2018, Part 1
What we are learning about how to convince people that vaccines are safe and necessary. Plus, flu infection boosts the risk of heart attack six fold. An infectious disease physician explains why—and how to protect yourself.
48m Jan 27, 2018
48m
Music and Language, Jellyfish, Crystals.
The untold story of jellyfish is one of perception versus reality.Plus, researchers tested if listeners could identify lullabies, dance, love, and healing songs from different cultures.
48m Jan 27, 2018
48m