Science Friday
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Science Friday
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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1264 episodes
Slow Breaking News: A Giant Tortoise Revival
In February, conservationists released 158 young tortoises onto Floreana Island in the Galapagos. The Floreana tortoise subspecies had long been thoug...
How Is AI Being Used In The Iran War?
The military use of AI is capturing headlines this month. After a dustup with the Pentagon, the AI company Anthropic is out, and OpenAI is in. Meanwhi...
Is There Science Behind The ‘Nervous System Reset’?
On social media, the vagus nerve often gets billed as the gateway to nervous system nirvana: It’s your ticket to better rest, relaxation, and health i...
AI Music Is On The Charts. Where Does It Go From Here?
In recent months, AI music has moved from novelty act into the realm of listenable music. For the first time, AI-generated songs from AI-generated art...
The Surprising Science Of Why Sneakers Squeak
March Madness is almost upon us, which means basketball arenas across the country will be filled with the thunderous roar of fans and the surprisingly...
Can ‘Suggestion-Box Science’ Make Public Health More Useful?
Skepticism around public health policy, experts and institutions has left some researchers asking basic questions about their role and relationship wi...
Fixing Society's Toughest Problems? ‘It’s On You’
Ever heard an alcohol ad that tells you to “please drink responsibly”? Or a gambling ad that warns, "when the fun stops, stop”? Or been urged to reduc...
3D Images Of Galaxies Will Rock You (Ft. Queen)
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see."
Ther...
Slow Release Of Federal Science Funds Holds Up Research
Earlier this year, Congress pushed back on the Trump administration’s attempts to slash funding for many science research programs, and restored that...
The Evolution Of An Enzyme Engineer Who Changed Chemistry
In nature, enzymes are the catalysts that make much of biology work. They jumpstart chemical reactions that either wouldn’t happen, or would happen su...
The Art And Science Of Staving Off Cognitive Decline
The new semi-autobiographical play “The Reservoir” spins a comedic narrative around cognitive reserve, the idea that doing brain-stimulating activitie...
Into the Woods, From Chestnut Genetics To Tiny Forests
American chestnut trees once towered over the landscape, dominating forests in parts of the eastern United States. But in the late 1800s, a fungal bli...
EPA Repeals The Legal Basis For Regulating Greenhouse Gases
On February 12, the Environmental Protection Agency dealt a major blow to the government’s power to fight climate change by rescinding a key piece of...
How One Gene Affects Alzheimer’s Risk
An estimated 500,000 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States each year, but the causes and mechanisms of the condition rema...
Are My THC Gummies Going Away?
Does the availability of “hemp-derived” THC products have you dazed and confused? A legal loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill lets these items be sold over...
Why Aren’t There Biomarkers For Mental Illness?
Despite major advances in our understanding of the biology of mental health disorders, there’s no blood test or brain scan that will confirm if you h...
Autism Rates Appear To Be Even Across Sexes. Diagnosis Is Not
There’s a long-held idea that autism is more prevalent in boys than girls—the CDC says it’s three times as common. But a growing body of research sugg...
AMA Joins Effort To Launch Independent Vaccine Review Panel
The gap between vaccine science and vaccine policy has been widening under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Now, the American Medical Associatio...
What A Snow Drought In The West Means For The Rest Of 2026
While parts of the eastern and southern US have had unusually high snowfall this year, Colorado and Utah are in a snow drought. The abysmal winter spo...
Jump, Spin, Glide: The Science Of Figure Skating
Figure skating is a fan favorite at the Winter Olympics—for every event, the stands are packed to watch competitors glide, jump, and spin. But what do...
How Are State-Run Psilocybin Therapy Programs Going?
In Oregon and Colorado, you can book an appointment for psilocybin therapy, where a licensed therapist takes you on a guided trip using the drug that...
A Little Grime Can Boost Kids’ Health. But What Kind?
You may have heard that a little dirt is good for kids. It helps them build up their immune systems, and sets them on a path to future health. But wha...
Mating, Marriage, And Monogamy In The Age Of Apps
With so many dating apps—and so many people using them—why are a record number of American adults single? Is marriage as important as it was a generat...
What A Tea Party With A Bonobo Taught Us About Imagination
Our ability to imagine is part of what makes us who we are—not just as individuals, but also as humans. It turns out, though, that we may not be the o...
How Is Screen Time Affecting My Kid?
Screens are ubiquitous in today’s world, and concerns about how they affect kids are mounting. Last month, Australia banned social media use for kids...
Who Wants To Smell An Ancient Embalmed Mummy?
Wandering through a museum, you can get a glimpse of what life in ancient societies looked like. But what did it smell like? And is it even possible t...
Stressed About The World? Take A Cue From Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria may be the ultimate lesson in resilience. These 3.5 billion-year-old organisms have lived through hell-on-earth conditions, and found cr...
The Largest US Particle Collider Stops Its Collisions
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the largest particle collider in the United States, collided its last particles in early February. RHIC is...
Olympic Ski Mountaineering, And Mountain Goat Climbing Feats
This year’s Winter Olympics feature a new event called “skimo,” or ski mountaineering. The racing event involves periods of skiing uphill using “skins...
Why Worry About My Data If I Have Nothing To Hide?
As ICE cracks down in Minneapolis and across the country, reporters and privacy advocates have drawn attention to how the agency is using technology:...
Should Ultraprocessed Foods Be Off The Menu?
The new dietary guidelines from the USDA call for Americans to “eat real food” and consume less “highly processed” food. But how? By some estimates, u...
The Growing Experiment Of Putting Solar Panels On Farmland
In an effort to make their farms more environmentally and economically sustainable, some farmers are experimenting with agrivoltaics: growing crops un...
We’re All Being Played By Metrics
Point systems are everywhere. Ready for movie night? Consult Rotten Tomatoes. Vetting a new pediatrician? See how many stars they have. At work, it ca...
The Middle + SciFri: How Can Trust In Science Be Restored?
We’re bringing you a special bonus episode from our friends at the live call-in show “The Middle with Jeremy Hobson.” Jeremy is joined by Science Frid...
Untangling The History Of Dog Domestication
All the pups we love—from chihuahuas to great danes—are descendants of the mighty gray wolf. But how did we end up with so many breeds? The story that...
Are These Unprecedented Times for Science, Really?
We keep hearing that these are unprecedented times for science: scientific skeptics running federal agencies, growing mistrust of vaccines, and messag...
How China Is Driving Down Electricity Costs With Renewables
In a speech last week in a speech at the World Economic Forum, President Trump said China was making a lot of wind turbines, but not using much wind p...
Managing The Risks Of Spaceflight, 40 Years After Challenger
Forty years ago this week, the space shuttle Challenger exploded in flight, 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. All seven crew members were...
How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
A rogue strain of flu, subclade K, has sickened more than 19 million people in the US so far this season. And the flu shot hasn’t offered that much pr...
Tracking The Toxic Fallout Of The LA Fires
This time last year, Los Angeles was on fire, and more than 16,000 homes and buildings burned to the ground. Cars, batteries, solar panels, insulation...