Researchers are connecting two ecological problems in the Northeast in hopes of reducing the risk of tick-borne illnesses. Also, a “one-of-a-kind” fossil of Navaornis hestiae helps fill a giant gap in scientists’ understanding of how bird brains evolved. Managing Some Invasive Plants Might Reduce Blacklegged Ticks In much of the eastern US, October and November usher in an autumn peak of the blacklegged tick season. For years, researchers have noticed that these ticks, also called deer ticks, ar...
Nov 19, 2024•18 min•Ep. 906
Despite advances in scientific research, the stomach remains a subject of mystery and intrigue. After all, it’s nearly impossible to ignore its gurgles and growls. Some cultural understanding of the gut has changed too—from an unruly being that must be fed and placated, to a garden ecosystem that is to be nourished in order to flourish. And if you’re a frequent listener of Science Friday, you’re familiar with the gut’s microbiome—the constellation of trillions of microbes thriving in our bodies....
Nov 18, 2024•19 min•Ep. 905
Leaders from the top-polluting countries, like the US and China, aren’t showing up to the UN’s big climate conference in Azerbaijan. And, walking pneumonia typically affects school-age kids, but the CDC reports a rise in cases in children aged 2-4. At COP29, The World’s Top Polluters Are No-Shows The United Nations’ annual international climate conference, COP29, got underway this week in Baku, Azerbaijan. Leaders from around the world come together at this conference to hammer out deals between...
Nov 15, 2024•25 min•Ep. 904
Today, November 8, 2024, marks Science Friday’s 33rd broadcast anniversary. One of the most beloved interviewees on Science Friday over the years was the late neurologist and author Dr. Oliver Sacks, who shared his insights into neuroscience, art, and what it means to be human . Recently, Sacks’ long-time collaborator Kate Edgar published a book of Dr. Sacks' letters. And earlier this fall, the New York Public Library announced its acquisition of Sacks’ entire archive. In this segment, Ira revis...
Nov 14, 2024•18 min•Ep. 903
In a Chinese study, donor CAR-T cells sent autoimmune diseases into remission. There’s hope that the therapy is scalable. And, scientists used decades of yellow-bellied marmot research to find a way to measure how adverse events affect wild animals’ survival. CAR-T Cell Therapies Show Promise For Autoimmune Diseases For decades, immunologists have explored CAR-T cell therapy as an effective tool to fight blood cancer. Increasingly, CAR-T cells are being explored as a potential silver bullet for ...
Nov 13, 2024•21 min•Ep. 902
Think back to the last time you went to the doctor’s office. Chances are, at the start of the visit, they took your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure—your “vitals.” But how did they take your blood pressure? The medical literature that describes safe blood pressure ranges is all based on readings taken with the patient sitting with feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed, back supported, and the testing arm supported by a desk at mid-heart level. But if the blood pressure is measured with th...
Nov 12, 2024•18 min•Ep. 901
Have you ever been stuck in traffic and thought, if only this highway was a little wider so it could fit more car s? You aren’t alone. Many states have been expanding their highways . New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a $1.3 billion project to expand one of the state’s highways for an estimated maximum six-minute travel savings. Other highway-widening projects are underway in Texas, California, and Maryland. In 2022, federal, state, and local governments in the US spent $127 bill...
Nov 11, 2024•18 min•Ep. 900
Abortion was on the ballot in 10 states, and seven of them passed constitutional amendments defending abortion rights. Also, this ginormous number has a whopping 41,024,320 digits, which isn’t very helpful for mathematicians but is certainly exciting for math nerds. Seven States Passed Ballot Measures To Protect Abortion Rights This week, science was on the ballot in many states. Voters across the country weighed in on issues like drug legalization, money to fund climate programs, and, of course...
Nov 08, 2024•23 min•Ep. 899
Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery discusses chicken intelligence and her experience raising a flock in New Hampshire. And, snapshots from over the years could provide researchers with valuable data about how penguin colonies have shifted. Chickens Have Friendships, Memories, And Reputations Chickens don’t exactly have a reputation of being the sharpest creatures in the animal kingdom. Yet, talk to anyone who raises chickens and they’ll tell you that they are far more intelligent and social tha...
Nov 07, 2024•24 min•Ep. 898
In the 1960s, the urban air pollution crisis in America had reached a fever pitch: Cities were shrouded in smog, union steelworkers were demanding protections for their health, and the Department of Justice was mounting an antitrust lawsuit against the Detroit automakers for conspiracy to pollute. But all that changed when Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act of 1970 . The law set national limits for six major pollutants, established stringent emissions standards for vehicles, and required the...
Nov 06, 2024•25 min•Ep. 897
On Sunday, more than 50,000 athletes are expected to compete in the New York City Marathon, one of the largest, and most elite marathons in the world. Running a continuous 26.2 miles is a major physical challenge. But what exactly is happening in the body when running such a long distance? Joining guest host Rachel Feltman to answer questions from long-distance runners is Dr. Brandee Waite, Director of UC Davis Health Sports Medicine. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Waite has directed the medical ca...
Nov 05, 2024•18 min•Ep. 895
Gender-affirming care is on the ballot in this presidential election. These treatments, which can include hormone therapy and surgeries, can be lifesaving for trans people. But they could be impacted by the results of this election. This year alone, states have considered 182 bills aimed at prohibiting gender-affirming care. It’s become a central part of Donald Trump’s campaign, which has stated that, if he is elected, he’ll ask Congress to ban Medicare and Medicaid from covering gender-affirmin...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min•Ep. 896
Two years ago, energy companies scrambled for offshore wind contracts. At a recent auction, the demand was significantly lower. Plus, artist Sarah Rosalena uses Indigenous weaving, ceramics, and sculpture practices to create art that challenges tech’s future, in a segment from earlier this year. Maine Offshore Wind Auction Draws Few Bids Offshore wind is coming to the Gulf of Maine. Earlier this week, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held an auction for eight leases to develop wind proje...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min•Ep. 894
Great news for the nearly-extinct monarch butterflies, which will pass through the area as they migrate back to Mexico. Also, to find out how blood affects aging, scientists can surgically connect two animals and let blood circulate between them. After California’s Park Fire, A Second Bloom of Milkweed Don Hankins examines a bright yellow-green patch in the meadow. The land all around is charred by fire. But here, there’s a sort of miracle at work. Native milkweed has sprung up and bloomed for t...
Oct 31, 2024•19 min•Ep. 893
Did you know that there are ten quintillion—or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000—individual insects on the planet? That means that for each and every one of us humans, there are 1.25 billion insects hopping, buzzing, and flying about. A new book called The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture celebrates the diversity of the insect world , as well as the many ways it has changed ours—from fashion to food to engineering. Guest host Sophie Bushwick talks with entomologist and aut...
Oct 30, 2024•18 min•Ep. 892
Leading up to the November election, Science Friday is covering top science issues on the ballot. For voters, those top issues include abortion. Since the Dobbs ruling overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, many states have curtailed access to abortion, and 13 states have a total abortion ban. The election season in particular, there’s been a focus on abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. Some of the political rhetoric is inflammatory and false. But even among politicians who support abor...
Oct 29, 2024•18 min•Ep. 891
Walter Byrd remembers the first time sewage came bubbling out of his toilet like it was yesterday. “It was just pumping up through there,” Byrd says. “One of the bathrooms was so full of waste, at least 4 inches high in there. It smelled just like a hog pen.” He sopped up the murky, foul-smelling water and doused the floor with bleach. But the sewage kept coming. On rainy days, it overflowed from drainage ditches into his yard, carrying wads of toilet paper and human waste. The eight-bedroom hom...
Oct 28, 2024•18 min•Ep. 890
Some paleontologists argue the ancient footprints found in South Korea show flight may have evolved in multiple dinosaur lineages. And, COP16 will tackle questions like who should profit from non-human DNA, and who is responsible for financing critical conservation projects. Do Fossil Prints Show Dinosaur Flight Evolved More Than Once? Researchers studying tracks fossilized in Cretaceous-era lakeshore mud in what is now South Korea argue this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Scienc...
Oct 25, 2024•25 min•Ep. 889
Throughout history, humans have given a lot of thought to death. We’ve grappled with our mortality, created elaborate burial rituals, and contemplated how best to mourn the loss of a loved one. But what about other animals? How do they understand death? Scientists have begun looking at this question more closely in the last two decades. For example, chimpanzees have a wide variety of responses to death based in part on their relationship with the deceased. Possums put on elaborate displays to fa...
Oct 24, 2024•18 min•Ep. 888
Pregnancy is a hugely transformative experience, both in how it can change someone’s day-to-day life, and how it affects the body . There’s a key part of the body that’s been under-researched in relation to pregnancy: the brain. Those who have been pregnant often talk about “pregnancy brain,” the experience of brain fog or forgetfulness during and after pregnancy. There’s also the specter of postpartum depression, a condition that affects about 1 in 7 women post-birthing. There’s still a dearth ...
Oct 23, 2024•18 min•Ep. 887
Metaphors can help us understand complicated scientific concepts. But they can also have a downside. And, a pair of musicians wrote a concept album inspired by moths—and found that humans have more in common with the insects than they expected. How Metaphor Has Shaped Science, For Better Or Worse Here at Science Friday, we’re big fans of metaphors . They can make complicated scientific concepts easier to understand, for both non-experts and scientists themselves. For example, “the big bang” help...
Oct 22, 2024•26 min•Ep. 886
On October 14, NASA launched Europa Clipper , its largest planetary mission spacecraft yet. It’s headed to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, which could have a giant ocean of liquid water hidden under its icy crust. And where there’s water, scientists think there may be evidence of life. The spacecraft is equipped with nine different instruments and will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa, scanning almost the entire moon. SciFri producer Kathleen Davis talks with Dr. Padi Boyd, NASA astrophysicist and...
Oct 21, 2024•18 min•Ep. 885
Two giant pandas on loan from China have arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Also, originally from Central Asia, Kernza doesn’t need to be replanted every year, unlike crops such as corn and soybeans. Pandas Return To Washington, D.C., Zoo On Tuesday, two VIPs (Very Important Pandas) arrived at Washington’s Dulles International Airport, en route to new quarters at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. The arrival marks a new chapter of “panda diplomacy,” which...
Oct 18, 2024•17 min•Ep. 884
The Basics Of How Health Misinformation Spreads Health misinformation can circulate quickly on social media: false claims about vaccines, ads pushing suspicious-looking supplements, politicians making claims about contraception or abortion that don’t match the science. As November nears, Science Friday is spotlighting the science that’s shaping the election with a short series about health misinformation. Ira is joined by Irving Washington, senior vice president and executive director of the Hea...
Oct 17, 2024•24 min•Ep. 883
What exactly is … everything? What is space-time? At one extreme, you’ve got the weird rules of quantum physics that deal with subatomic particles. At the other extreme, you’ve got the vast expanses of space, such as spinning galaxies and black holes. By mapping the cosmic microwave background, surveying the distribution of galaxies around the sky, and listening for gravitational waves, researchers are studying the cosmos for clues to the quantum . They hope that by finding patterns in some of t...
Oct 16, 2024•17 min•Ep. 882
A common worry among older adults is how their brains and bodies might decline as they age. A small but fortunate group will live past their 95th birthdays, while staying cognitively sharp and free of major health complications. They’re called “SuperAgers.” Researchers are working to figure out some of the genetic factors behind SuperAgers’ longevity—and how that knowledge might help the rest of the population live longer and healthier lives. Ira talks with Dr. Sofiya Milman, director of Human L...
Oct 15, 2024•18 min•Ep. 881
For years, Asheville, North Carolina, has been billed as a “climate haven,” a place safe from the touch of climate change-exacerbated disasters. But last month, Hurricane Helene called that label into question. Some of the worst damage of the storm occurred inland, in Western North Carolina. Data visualization designer David McConville lived in Asheville for about 20 years, before moving to California. “Watching people idealize Asheville was a little bit crazy-making,” McConville says. “ There w...
Oct 14, 2024•18 min•Ep. 880
Hurricane Milton caused a major storm surge, but also a reverse one. And, Lake Michigan's surface temperature has been above average nearly every day this year so far. All five Great Lakes are heating up. The Science Behind Hurricane Milton On October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, Florida, then barrelled across the state. This comes just a couple of weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the southeastern US. Hurricane Milton dumped up to 18 inches of rain in some pla...
Oct 11, 2024•19 min•Ep. 879
We’re one month away from the presidential election. The campaigns are in high gear, trying to get their messages out, and hoping that those messages will be enough to motivate voters to both go to the polls—and to vote in their favor. But just how solid are people’s political opinions at this point? Can anyone be swayed at this point by another debate, campaign ad, or stump speech talking point? And how do campaigns judge the mood of the electorate to better position their messages? Dr. Jon Kro...
Oct 10, 2024•18 min•Ep. 878
The phrase “go with your gut” is often used to say one should follow their intuition in the face of a big decision. Recent research in the journal Nature Mental Health shows the gut really could have a big impact on mental health and decision-making. This study shows a clear link between people who handle stressful situations well and certain biological signatures in their microbiomes. Certain metabolites and gene activity in study participants were associated with high emotional regulation and ...
Oct 09, 2024•18 min•Ep. 877
