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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Codependency between humans gets a bad rap. But in nature, species often rely on each other for survival. While humans think they’re in control of relationships between other species, like dogs and even the yeast for our breads, the opposite is often true. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with ecologist Rob Dunn, whose new book, The Call of the Honeyguide , argues that mutualisms are the story of life itself. Read an excerpt of The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well w...
You might remember news reporting from earlier this year that a 180-foot asteroid had about a 3% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. And if it did, it would unleash energy equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs. After further observations, astronomers revised that probability way down, to close to zero. So what is our current capability to spot Earthbound asteroids? And how are governments preparing to communicate and respond to a potential impact on a populated area? Joining Host Ira Flatow with ...
It’s common knowledge that many diseases and conditions have some kind of genetic link. But that wasn't always the case. In 1990, long before the Human Genome Project tied so many health issues to differences in genetics, researchers identified a gene called BRCA1. It was the first gene linked to a hereditary form of any common cancer. People with certain variants of BRCA1 stood a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer than those without those mutations. Geneticist Mary-Claire King ...
What makes someone a genius? Are they the smartest, most creative, most innovative people? Those with the highest IQ? Who we consider a genius may actually tell us much more about what we value as a society than any objective measure of brilliance. A compelling or quirky life story often shapes who is elevated to genius status . Host Ira Flatow unpacks the complicated and coveted title of genius with Helen Lewis, author of T he Genius Myth: A Curious History of A Dangerous Idea . Read an excerpt...
Host Ira Flatow and guests Umair Irfan and Becky Ferreira delve into a broad range of scientific topics, including potential signs of ancient life on Mars, new insights into brain decision-making, the rise of vector-borne illnesses, and a unique ant species phenomenon. The episode then shifts to humanity's deep-rooted obsession with alien life, tracing its history from ancient philosophies and early sightings to current scientific efforts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. A special segment also pays tribute to the late Nobel laureate Dr. David Baltimore.
It all started harmlessly enough: People bought kits to grow mushrooms at home. But then, scientists in the upper Midwest noticed something strange. The golden oyster mushroom , which is not native to the United States, was thriving in local forests. Those homegrown mushrooms escaped our basements into the wild. Fungal ecologist Aishwarya Veerabahu joins Host Ira Flatow to discuss what impact these invasive mushrooms might have on the ecosystem. Plus, nightshade expert Sandra Knapp describes the...
If you’ve flipped through an issue o f National Geographic or scrolled through their social media, and caught a stunningly detailed photo of a tiny creature—like one where you can make out the hairs on a honeybee’s eyeballs, or the exact contours of a hummingbird’s forked tongue—you have probably seen the work of Anand Varma. He’s an award-winning science photographer, a National Geographic Explorer, and the founder of WonderLab, a storytelling studio in Berkeley, California. Varma speaks with H...
Dietary supplements are big business, with one recent estimate showing the industry is worth almost $64 billion in the United States alone. Take a casual scroll through your social media and you’ll find influencers hawking all kinds of supplements. But how effective are they? How are they regulated? And why are these “natural” remedies so appealing to millions of Americans? To size up the science and culture of supplements, Host Flora Lichtman talks with supplement researcher Pieter Cohen, and C...
Former CDC Director of Immunization, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, discusses his resignation and the agency's current state following the firing of the CDC Director. He raises concerns about political leadership overriding scientific expertise, leading to potential harm and a loss of trust in public health guidance. Daskalakis emphasizes the critical impact on vaccine access and the emerging role of states in filling the federal public health void.
This episode explores two groundbreaking astronomical discoveries: the fleeting interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which scientists are intensely studying with the James Webb Space Telescope to understand its unique carbon dioxide-rich composition and implications for other planetary systems. Additionally, new analysis of samples from asteroid Bennu has revealed pre-solar stardust, providing unprecedented insights into Bennu's complex formation history and the dynamic early conditions of our solar system. Both findings highlight the invaluable data derived from direct observation and sample return missions.
You have probably given some thought to outdoor air pollution, whether it’s wildfire smoke or smog from traffic. You may even check AQI measurements on your phone. But what about the air inside your home ? Host Flora Lichtman talks to civil and environmental engineer Nusrat Jung, who studies indoor air pollution, about how we create toxic air without even knowing it, and what we can do to avoid it. Guest: Dr. Nusrat Jung is a civil and environmental engineer at Purdue University. Transcripts for...
In some places, sand dunes protect shorelines from the onslaught of ocean waves. In other places, the dunes themselves are on the move, and threaten human structures. Host Flora Lichtman talks with mechanical engineer Nathalie Vriend, who studies the structure of sand dunes, about what makes a heap of sand a dune, and what scientists still hope to learn about sand . Guest: Dr. Nathalie Vriend is an associate professor in mechanical engineering and leader of the Granular Flow Laboratory at the Un...
Summer may be winding down, but we’re not quite ready to let go of beach days, backyard cookouts, or ice cream cones. We love ice cream here at SciFri, so we’re pulling a few of our favorite ice cream science stories out of the freezer this week. Back in 2015, ice cream expert Maya Warren sat down with Host Ira Flatow to help us understand a science mystery of “unmeltable” ice cream that made the evening news in Cincinnati. That same summer, Ira spoke to Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks ...
Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, and the levees designed to protect New Orleans failed. Huge swaths of the city flooded, and 1,600 people were trapped inside Charity Hospital. Physician Erica Fisher was working in Charity’s emergency room at the time, and she and her colleagues fought for days to keep their patients alive. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with Dr. Fisher, now an emergency medicine physician at University Medical Center in New Orleans, about Hurricane Kat...
Researchers recently used near-infrared photography to get a detailed look at ancient artwork showing scenes of wild animals tangled in a fight. But these weren’t paintings on a cave wall. They were tattoos on the arms of a Siberian woman who lived 2,300 years ago. What can ancient ink tell us about our ancestors? Sticking and poking their way into this with Host Flora Lichtman are archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf and his research collaborator, tattoo artist Danny Riday. Guests: Aaron Deter-Wolf i...
Researchers caught a rare glimpse inside an exploding star (supernova 2021yfj) that had its outer layers stripped away, exposing its silicon- and sulfur-rich inner shell, confirming some stellar models. However, the unexpected presence of helium at this stage has puzzled astrophysicists, suggesting a need to refine our understanding of how massive stars die through complex processes like "pair instability." This discovery opens the door for a "gold rush" to find new classes of supernovae.
This Science Friday episode delves into the complex 30-year story of gray wolf reintroduction in the Western United States. Guest Heath Druzin discusses the species' dramatic comeback, the deep-seated public emotions surrounding their presence, and the significant ecological changes they've brought to ecosystems like Yellowstone. The discussion also covers the ongoing challenges with agricultural communities, the vital role of Indigenous tribes in recovery, and the precarious current protection status in key states.
What do Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, lime Jell-O, and Kraft Creamy French Salad dressing have in common? They've all gotten a glow-up from artificial food dyes. Petroleum-based food dyes have become a target of RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda—but what does science say about their effects on health? Joining Host Flora Lichtman to discuss is Asa Bradman, an expert in the health effects of food dyes and other things we’re exposed to in our environment. Guest: Dr. Asa Bradman is a professor of...
This month, the Department of Health and Human Services terminated almost $500 million in mRNA vaccine development grants and contracts. While HHS has said that these cuts won't affect mRNA cancer research , some researchers have expressed concern about the impact on their ongoing work. In light of these developments, we’re revisiting a conversation from February. A team at Memorial Sloan Kettering is developing an mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer , which is notoriously difficult to treat. A f...
Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has been aggressive in rolling back clean energy initiatives. But that isn’t the whole story. Texas, California, and other states are bringing so much solar and battery power online that in March, fossil fuels generated less than half the electricity in the US for the first time ever. And internationally, solar has gotten so cheap to build and install that it’s fundamentally transforming many countries’ power grids. So where exactly do...
Fireflies’ magical blinking lights are tiny beacons in the warm dark night. Who can resist catching one? Not scientists. Because their light comes from bodily chemicals, fireflies’ power of illumination has long been used as a tool in medical research . And that has driven scientists to investigate the inner workings of the blinking beetle itself. Researchers have recently discovered that fireflies’ glowing lanterns are only one of the ways they communicate. Host Ira Flatow talks with entomologi...
Mathematician Adam Kucharski discusses the complex nature of truth, from historical quests for certainty to modern challenges in an era of disinformation and AI. The conversation delves into how scientific evidence is used in public policy, especially during crises like COVID-19, and the implications for trust in science, highlighting the interplay between scientific findings and societal values and the evolving understanding of truth in the age of technology.
Chemist Kathryn Harkup discusses Agatha Christie's scientifically accurate use of poisons in her mystery novels. She explores Christie's background as a wartime dispenser, which provided her with deep chemical knowledge, and how this accuracy made her stories stronger. The conversation also covers why poisons are popular in fiction and how modern forensics makes old methods of poisoning detectable.
On August 5, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Department of Health and Human Services would terminate almost $500 million in mRNA vaccine development grants and contracts, affecting 22 projects. Biologist and mRNA researcher Jeff Coller joins Host Ira Flatow to talk about what this move means for future mRNA research in the US beyond these immediate projects. Plus, reporter Casey Crownhart joins Ira to discuss the latest in climate news , including flooding in Juneau, Al...
If you’ve found yourself scrolling through the breastfeeding world online, you know that people have a lot of strong opinions about breast milk. But what exactly do we know about the biology of it? Does breast milk really adapt to a baby’s needs? Does it confer immunity ? How does making breast milk impact the breastfeeder? Joining Host Flora Lichtman to spin through the science of this sophisticated substance are experts Shelley McGuire and Deepshika Ramanan. Guests: Dr. Shelley McGuire is the ...
Science journalist Tom Zeller Jr. has suffered from debilitating cluster headaches for three decades. Like other cluster headache sufferers, his episodes would leave him unable to function, and the fear of the next one happening was constant. In a quest to better understand his own condition, Zeller learned that headaches remain a great neurological mystery , with basic mechanisms behind why they happen still unknown. He joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about his new book, The Headache: The Sci...
This episode pays tribute to the late Apollo 13 commander, Jim Lovell, featuring a 1995 interview where he vividly describes the explosion that crippled their spacecraft and the critical decisions made by both the crew and mission control to ensure their safe return. Lovell also reflects on the technical challenges, the investigation into the accident's cause, and the evolving public perception of space exploration, sharing his insights on NASA's legacy and the future of human spaceflight.
Fungal networks in the soil are arguably the basis of much of life on Earth, but they’re understudied and underappreciated in the conservation world. Scientists at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) are trying to fix that. They just unveiled a global map of mycorrhizal fungal networks, which highlights how widespread they are and how little protection they have. Host Flora Lichtman talks with two of the SPUN mapmakers, Adriana Corrales and Michael Van Nuland, about the...
The mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease have eluded scientists for decades. But a new breakthrough points to lithium as a possible explanation—not only does it occur naturally in the brain, but a deficiency causes dementia in mice. This research is one of thousands of projects that have lost funding due to President Trump’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Host Ira Flatow speaks with Alzheimer’s researcher Bruce Yankner about this new finding, and then to epidemiologist Katelyn...
