Science Friday

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Episodes

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Science Friday

Science Friday and WNYC Studios•www.wnycstudios.org

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.

Episodes

Evidence For Liquid Water On Mars | Making Campsite Booking Fairer

Data from the Mars InSight lander points to the presence of liquid water underneath its crust. Also, some national and state parks are changing the way they open up campsite reservations online to make them more accessible to everyone. Scientists Find Strong Evidence For Liquid Water On Mars Scientists discovered that there could be oceans’ worth of liquid water hidden underneath Mars’ surface. More than 3 billion years ago, Mars had lakes, rivers, and maybe even oceans on its surface. It was ve...

Aug 16, 2024•22 min•Ep 839•Transcript available on Metacast

Dinosaurs’ Secrets Might Be In Their Fossilized Poop

To gaze upon a full T. rex skeleton is to be transported back in time. Dinosaur fossils are key to understanding what these prehistoric creatures looked like, how they moved, and where they lived. But there’s one type of dinosaur fossil that’s sometimes overlooked: poop. Its scientific name is coprolite. These fossilized feces are rarer than their boney counterparts, but they’re key to better understanding dino diets and ecosystems. This all raises an important question: How scientists know if s...

Aug 15, 2024•19 min•Ep 838•Transcript available on Metacast

The Promise Of Perovskite Solar Panels

Solar holds great promise as a clean energy solution, as the sun is an incredibly abundant resource, and panels can be placed unobtrusively on roofs and in fields. And solar panel technology has advanced quite a bit over the past few decades: panels have become less expensive, more efficient, and more widely used. Panels also generally fare well, considering that they’re outside in inclement weather year after year. Recent advancements with perovskite solar cells —a type of cell whose name refer...

Aug 14, 2024•18 min•Ep 837•Transcript available on Metacast

An Expert Vegetable Breeder On Innovating Crops For The Future

It’s become clear to farmers and home gardeners alike that climate change is affecting the gardening landscape, literally. The climate is warming, pests are moving into different regions, and there’s a growing need for vegetable varieties that are resilient to the stresses of this new age. In the world of organic farming, the job of creating those new varieties falls to a plant breeder : someone who, often painstakingly, crosses plants until they create a new variety. Dr. Jim Myers, one of the m...

Aug 13, 2024•17 min•Ep 836•Transcript available on Metacast

What The Private Sale Of Fossils Means For Paleontology

On July 17, Apex the stegosaurus was sold at Sothebys in New York City for a record $44.6 million. The buyer was billionaire Ken Griffin, CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, who says he plans to loan the fossil to American institutions for display. But despite Griffin’s statement, some paleontologists aren’t too happy about the trend of fossils going up for auction. The sale of dinosaur fossils has become more and more profitable in recent years. Eight out of the ten most expensive fossils have been ...

Aug 12, 2024•17 min•Ep 835•Transcript available on Metacast

Starliner Leaves Astronauts Stuck | Could We Get Weather Forecasts Years In Advance?

The Boeing capsule is having issues with its thrusters and cannot bring astronauts back to Earth. Also, move over, Farmer’s Almanac. A more accurate long-term weather forecast could be on the horizon. Boeing’s Starliner Leaves Astronauts Stuck On The Space Station In another blow to Boeing’s Starliner program, which is meant to ferry astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, NASA announced Wednesday that the troubled spacecraft would not be able to take astronauts Suni Williams...

Aug 09, 2024•26 min•Ep 834•Transcript available on Metacast

Why Does COVID-19 Spike In Summer?

It may seem like everyone is either getting COVID-19 this summer , or knows someone who has. That’s because for the fourth year in a row, COVID cases are experiencing a summer surge. The CDC now tracks COVID-19 mostly through wastewater and found that viral activity has multiplied more than four times from the beginning of May to now. The CDC classifies the viral activity level as “high.” So what’s behind this surge? And why does it keep happening in the summer? SciFri’s John Dankosky talks with...

Aug 08, 2024•18 min•Ep 833•Transcript available on Metacast

Deep-Sea ‘Nodules’ May Produce Oxygen | A Bird’s Physics Trick For High-Altitude Flying

New research suggests that polymetallic nodules found 13,000 feet deep produce “dark oxygen” by electrolyzing water. Also, at higher altitudes, the air is less dense, which makes it harder for birds in flight to generate lift. The turkey vulture has a solution. Deep-Sea ‘Nodules’ May Produce Oxygen, Study Finds An international team of researchers recently discovered that some 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, oxygen may be produced through natural electrolysis. The group found that small l...

Aug 07, 2024•23 min•Ep 832•Transcript available on Metacast

PLATO’s Mission To Discover Exoplanets Like Earth

One of the hottest fields in astronomy right now is the search for exoplanets. NASA’s Exoplanet Archive currently lists over 5,700 confirmed planets orbiting distant stars. And more discoveries will be on the way. PLATO, which stands for PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars , is a satellite made by the European Space Agency that will help put more exoplanets on the map. Scheduled for launch in late 2026, it will look at around 200,000 sun-like stars to categorize them and the planets tha...

Aug 06, 2024•18 min•Ep 831•Transcript available on Metacast

Why Cancer Death Rates Have Decreased Over The Last 30 Years

“Cancer” is a dreaded word in the doctor’s office. But about 40% of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during our lives, the most common being breast, prostate, and lung cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health. But in the last few decades, major progress has been made in the world of cancer treatment and prevention. Cancer death rates have decreased by about 30% over the last quarter century, with some of the largest decreases seen in lung, melanoma, and myeloma cancer...

Aug 05, 2024•18 min•Ep 830•Transcript available on Metacast

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Survivors Join Health Study | Wind Turbine Blade Sinks Off Massachusetts Coast

The University of Hawaiʻi study will be the largest of its kind to investigate the health and social impacts of the Maui wildfires. Also, fiberglass is washing up on Nantucket’s shores, and residents are concerned about the long-term environmental impact of this debris. Hawaiʻi Wildfire Survivors To Join Long-Term Health Study Nearly a year ago, Maui experienced a series of wildfires that caused major destruction and anguish for residents. More than 100 people died and thousands of structures we...

Aug 02, 2024•20 min•Ep 829•Transcript available on Metacast

The Science And History Of Refrigeration

You know that disappointing feeling when you’re ready to make a delicious meal, but you crack open the refrigerator only to find mushy tomatoes, dried-out bread, or oozing strawberries? Refrigeration fundamentally changes the chemistry of our food, but at this point, most of the United States’ food system relies on the use of refrigerators. Almost three-quarters of the food on an average American’s plate has been refrigerated during production, shipping, and storage. So how did we end up relying...

Aug 01, 2024•18 min•Ep 828•Transcript available on Metacast