Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.
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For decades, peanut allergies were on the rise in the US. But a study released on October 20 found that peanut allergies in babies and young children are now decreasing. This drop correlates with a change in guidance from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In 2017, the agency started recommending exposing children to peanuts “early and often.” Since that recommendation, the prevalence of peanut allergies has dropped significantly. Sharon Chinthrajah, a physician specializ...
Dr. Bonnie Bassler explores the intricate world of bacterial communication, revealing how these microscopic organisms use chemical signals to count neighbors, distinguish between species, and make collective decisions. This "quorum sensing" allows bacteria to coordinate complex behaviors, from sharing resources to launching attacks, depending on their social environment. Understanding this ancient communication system not only sheds light on the fundamental nature of life but also opens critical pathways for developing novel biomedical and industrial applications, from new medicines to environmental clean-up.
After years of development, lab-grown fish is taste-test ready for the public. Four restaurants in the US are serving up cultivated salmon made by the company Wildtype. Producer Kathleen Davis gives Host Flora Lichtman a rundown on how Wildtype tastes, initial public perception, and the upstream battle to take cultivated meat mainstream. Plus, SciFri heads to Burlington, Vermont, where scientists are cooking up the foods of the future—including the building blocks of cell-cultured meat. Flora di...
Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi introduces her new PBS series "Human," which challenges traditional science documentaries by infusing emotion into the story of human evolution. She advocates for recognizing the human experience of our ancestors, exemplified by Neanderthal-Homo sapiens hybrids, and discusses the importance of effective science communication that acknowledges tribalism and personal beliefs. The episode delves into how Homo sapiens, initially underdogs among many human species, ultimately thrived through interbreeding and cumulative culture, offering a fresh, global perspective on our ancient family tree.
TikTok and other social media sites are full of mental health content—often short, grabby, first-person videos detailing symptoms for conditions like ADHD and autism. But what does this mean for teens and young adults who spend hours a day scrolling? A new study published in PLOS One analyzes the 100 most viewed TikTok videos about ADHD to assess both how accurate they are and how young people respond to them. Researchers found that about half of the videos were inaccurate or missing key context...
We’re taking a polar plunge into the science of sea unicorns, also known as narwhals! Narwhals are mysterious arctic whales with long, twirly tusks protruding from their foreheads, like a creature out of a fairy tale. And it turns out that we don’t know too much about them, partly because they live so far north in the remote Arctic. An international team of researchers used drones to observe narwhals in the wild and learned new things about their behavior, including how they use their tusks to h...
Astrophysicists may have spotted evidence for “dark stars,” an unusual type of star that could possibly have existed in the earliest days of the universe, in data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Instead of being powered by nuclear fusion as current stars are, the controversial theory says that these ancient dark stars would have formed by mixing a huge cloud of hydrogen and helium with a type of self-annihilating dark matter. Dark stars would not have been dark—researchers believe that if t...
AI is everywhere these days, and though there’s debate about how useful it is, one area where experts think it could be game-changing is scientific research. It promised to be particularly useful for speeding up drug discovery, an expensive and time-consuming process that can take decades. But so far, it hasn’t panned out. The few AI-designed drugs that have made it to clinical trials haven’t been approved, venture capital investment in these efforts has cratered in the last few years, and many ...
It’s easy to take maps for granted. After all, most of us have a pretty good map in our pockets at all times, ready to show us how to get anywhere on the globe. But to make a map useful, you have to decide what to keep in and what to leave out—and, most importantly, which mathematical equations to use. Beyond navigating from point A to point B, math and maps come together for a wide variety of things, like working out the most efficient route to deliver packages, calculating the depth of the oce...
It seems like every week, there’s a new headline about some kind of sci-fi-esque organ transplant. Think eyeballs, 3D-printed kidneys, pig hearts. In her new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy , science writer Mary Roach chronicles the effort to fabricate human body parts—and where that effort sometimes breaks down. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with Roach about everything from hair transplants to 3D-printed hearts, and why our anatomy is so hard to replicate in the first place. Gue...
Remember “The Biggest Loser”—the show where people tried to lose as much weight as quickly as possible for a big cash prize? The premise of the show was that weight loss was about willpower: With enough discipline, anyone can have the body they want. The show’s approach was problematic, but how does its attitude toward weight loss match our current understanding of health and metabolism? The authors of the book Food Intelligence , nutrition scientist Kevin Hall, who studied “Biggest Loser” conte...
Join Dr. Chad Orzel and Ira Flatow to commemorate 100 years of quantum science, delving into its historical development from Planck to Heisenberg and the fundamental particle-wave duality. They discuss astonishing phenomena like entanglement and its implications, the ongoing quest to apply quantum rules to macroscopic objects, and breakthroughs in quantum computing. The conversation also touches on the mysteries of the dark universe and the philosophical debates surrounding quantum interpretations.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three people whose combined discoveries outlined the role of the peripheral immune system —how the immune system knows to attack just foreign invaders and not its own tissues and organs. But when the phone rang for Shimone Sakaguchi, Mary E. Brunkow, and Fred Ramsdell, only two of them picked up. Host Ira Flatow talks with Nobel Prize winner Fred Ramsdell, co-founder and scientific advisor at Sonoma Biotherapeutics. Plus, Ira talks with b...
It’s World Space Week, and we’re fueling up the rocket for a tour of some missions and projects that could provide insights into major space mysteries. Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi joins Host Flora Lichtman to celebrate the wonders of space science , from the recently launched IMAP, which will study the solar environment, to the new Vera Rubin Observatory, and big physics projects like LIGO. Plus, the latest in climate tech: MIT Technology Review has published its annual list of climate tech co...
The Klamath River, which runs from southern Oregon to California, used to be a top salmon run. But after a series of hydroelectric dams was installed along the river around 100 years ago, salmon populations tanked. This is the prologue to a remarkable story of a coalition that fought to restore the river . Led by members of the Yurok Nation, who’ve lived along the river for millennia, a group of lawyers, biologists, and activists successfully lobbied for the removal of the dams. The fourth and f...
Science writer Sam Kean shares his immersive experiences in experimental archaeology, where he recreated aspects of ancient life for his book, "Dinner with King Tut." He discusses the challenges of processes like hide tanning, the ingenuity of ancient solutions for things like pest control and building self-healing concrete, and the commitment of archaeologists to physically connect with the past. The episode culminates in his most delightful recreation: a historically accurate Egyptian sourdough bread.
This episode explores fascinating evolutionary adaptations. First, researchers discuss a global experiment using 15,000 origami moths to understand how camouflage and warning coloration strategies are influenced by environmental context and predator behavior. Later, a deep dive into the unexpected evolutionary success of rodent thumbnails reveals their crucial role in dexterity and accessing vital food resources like seeds and nuts, highlighting an often-overlooked appendage.
Our country’s public health system is ailing. With layoffs and leadership changes at the CDC, changing vaccine guidelines, a government shutdown, and declining public trust—where do we go from here? Can state and local public health agencies pick up the slack? Are there other solutions? Host Flora Lichtman talks with former CDC director Tom Frieden to put these questions into perspective. Guest: Dr. Tom Frieden is a former CDC director, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, and author of T...
Researchers claim an ancient hominid skull from China, potentially linked to Denisovans, suggests human relatives emerged much earlier than thought, sparking a scientific debate. Anthropologist John Hawks discusses the strong genetic evidence that contradicts this new fossil interpretation, highlighting the need for more compelling data and open science. The episode also explores how our understanding of the human family tree is constantly evolving with new discoveries.
Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist, conservationist, and humanitarian, died on October 1 at the age of 91. Goodall was born in London in 1934, and her curiosity about the natural world led her to the forests of Gombe, Tanzania, where she made groundbreaking observations of chimpanzee behavior, including tool use. Her research challenged the accepted scientific perceptions of our closest relatives. Host Ira Flatow shares his memories of Dr. Goodall , including an interview from 2002 in which sh...
Roughly 1 in 10 Americans take antidepressants. The most common type is SSRIs , or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, like Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft. But what happens when you stop taking them? Studies don’t point to a single conclusion, and there’s ongoing debate among physicians and patients about the severity and significance of SSRI withdrawal symptoms. The discourse reached a fever pitch when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compared SSRI withdrawal to heroin withdrawal in Ja...
The tropical waters of Sri Lanka, an island off the coast of India, are home to a population of blue whales unlike any other. These whales stay put, while every other known population migrates. That discovery was made by budding scientist Asha de Vos more than 20 years ago—it made a splash, and so did she. She later became the first Sri Lankan to earn a PhD studying marine mammals, charting a new scientific path in her country. Host Flora Lichtman talks with de Vos about her path into science, w...
In mid-September, artists from around the country convened in Laurel, Maryland, for one of the splashiest events in the wildlife art world: the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest . At the annual event, artists compete to have their excruciatingly detailed waterfowl painting appear on the Federal Duck Stamp, which is a waterfowl hunting license. This year, Digital Producer Emma Gometz was there to watch the duck drama unfold. They join Host Flora Lichtman to explain why artists take this competition ...
Football season is well underway, and fans know those athletes get hit hard. Could better helmets and guidelines around concussion prevention someday eliminate head injuries from the sport? Host Flora Lichtman speaks with concussion doctor Michael Collins and helmet specialist Barry Miller about how our understanding of head injuries and equipment has evolved. Guests: Dr. Michael Collins is the clinical and executive director of the Sports Medicine Concussion Program at the University of Pittsbu...
At a news conference on September 22, President Trump claimed that taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, during pregnancy “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.” Many experts have pushed back on the statement, saying it’s a false claim that downplays the risks of fever during pregnancy, which Tylenol may be used to treat. Autistic people and their families also raised concerns about the language used and the premise that autism is a scourge that needs to be el...
Robots are just about everywhere these days: circling the grocery store, cleaning the floor at the airport, making deliveries. Not to mention the robots on the assembly lines in factories. But how far are we from having a human-like robot at home? For example, a robot housekeeper like Rosie from “The Jetsons.” She didn’t just cook and clean, she bantered and bonded with the Jetsons. Stanford roboticist Karen Liu joined Host Ira Flatow to talk about how AI is driving advances in humanoid robotics...
In the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, scientists are on the cutting edge of growing coral. Rising ocean temperatures have caused mass coral bleaching, and experts are racing against the clock to figure out how to help corals be more resilient to stress. Coral scientist Rebecca Albright joined Host Ira Flatow at our live show at the Fox Theater in Redwood City, California, to talk about the work her lab does to help corals reproduce —romantic lighting and full moons included. Guest: D...
Dr. Paula Welander explains how ancient microbial chemical fossils, specifically preserved lipids, provide crucial insights into Earth's early history, revealing how life adapted to extreme conditions long before complex organisms existed. She details how studying extremophiles from hot springs informs our understanding of major planetary changes, like the rise of oxygen. Furthermore, this research is vital for identifying potential biosignatures and guiding the search for extraterrestrial life, highlighting the importance of basic scientific discovery in understanding our universe.
Nigeria is home to 100 known species of bats—about a third of Africa’s bat species—but scientists don’t know much about them. Ecologists Iroro Tanshi and Benneth Obitte, collaborators and life partners, are trying to change that. In addition to studying and protecting the bats of their homeland , they’re also working to raise up a whole network of bat scientists across West Africa. Host Flora Lichtman talks with them about how they started their work, what they’ve learned, and how they’re paving...
The overall state of birds can seem rather grim. Almost a third of North American bird species are in decline, and in the last five decades, more than 100 species have lost over half of their populations. This is primarily due to lack of food—fewer insects to eat—and habitat loss, like the development of grasslands. But there’s a bright spot: Some birds that were once rare are now abundant, like the merlin, sandhill crane, and pileated woodpecker. Host Ira Flatow talks with biologist Tom Langen,...
