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.
Episodis Recents
1222 episodis
States Expected To See More ‘Anti-Science’ Bills This Year
An Associated Press investigation found that more than 420 “anti-science” bills were introduced in statehouses last year, targeting protections around...
What’s Happening On The Slippery Surface Of Ice?
It’s a wintertime question that you may have had as you struggled down a frozen sidewalk, or strapped on some ice skates: Just why is ice slippery, an...
Teasing Apart The Causes And Early Signs Of Parkinson’s
Each year, around 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that can cause tremors and affect cognition. S...
What Greenland Sharks Are Teaching Us About Aging Eyes
As we age, our vision gets blurrier, we form cataracts, and we have a higher risk of glaucoma. But Greenland sharks live for hundreds of years and sti...
Secrets Of Ancient Concrete, And... Data Centers In Space?
The concrete of ancient Rome is famous for its durability. Just look at the Pantheon and those iconic aqueducts that helped transport water throughout...
One Year Into Trump’s Term, Where Does Science Funding Stand?
Last February, Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, issued a dire warning about federal cuts to science, sayi...
Drilling Into The Details Of Venezuela’s Oil
With President Trump’s moves to take control of Venezuela’s oil production—including the seizure of incoming and outgoing oil tankers—there’s been a l...
‘The Kissing Bug’ And The Story Of A Neglected Disease
Growing up, Daisy Hernández was told that her aunt had become ill from eating a bad apple. She watched as her aunt became sicker and sicker, and didn’...
Are Raccoons On The Road To Domestication?
What does it mean to be a wild animal in a world dominated by humans? A recent study found that city-dwelling raccoons’ snouts are getting shorter—a s...
The Community Group Rethinking LA's Approach To Wildfires
A year ago this week, the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out in Los Angeles, and ultimately became one of the most destructive urban fire events in r...
What Should Astronauts Do First When They Reach Mars?
When humans finally land on Mars, what should they do? A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine lays out the sc...
Can The Rise In Solar Power Balance Out Clean Energy Cuts?
Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has been aggressive in rolling back clean energy initiatives. Trump’s “big beautiful bill...
Are Ultramarathoners Just Built Different?
‘Tis the season for exercise resolutions. For a select few, an ultramarathon—a race of 50, 100, or even more miles—may be on the table for 2026. But i...
Your Cells Are Always Building A Whole New You
In the last year, you’ve basically replaced your body weight in new cells. So yes, it’s a new year, new you. To ring in 2026, we’re talking about star...
A Look Back At 2025 In Science, From Federal Cuts To Space Junk
This has been a busy year in science, from government budget cuts and policy changes affecting research, to the record rise of renewables, to the surg...
How Death Metal Singers Make Their Extreme Vocalizations
Being able to belt out a tune like Adele or Pavarotti is not just about raw talent. The best singers in the world have to work on their technique—like...
What The Sigma Is Algospeak?
Gen Alpha slang can seem unintelligible to adults, but linguist and TikToker Adam Aleksic argues language development in the internet age is worth leg...
Tangling With Entanglement And Other Big Ideas In Physics
What have we learned in recent years about black holes? Can entangled quantum particles really communicate faster than light? What’s the story behind...
The Science Of Thriving In Winter—By Embracing It
Health psychologist Dr. Kari Leibowitz traveled to some of the coldest, darkest places on earth to learn how people there don’t just survive, but thri...
A Neurologist Investigates His Own Musical Hallucinations
Imagine sitting at home and then all of a sudden you hear a men’s choir belting out “The Star Spangled Banner.” You check your phone, computer, radio....
‘Prehistoric Planet’ Defrosts Strange Animals Of The Ice Age
Koalas with the bodies of lions. Elephants the size of your dog. Gigantic, 8-foot-tall sloths. These aren’t creatures found in science fiction: They w...
How Did Vaccine Policies Actually Change In 2025?
Since 1955, when Congress passed the Polio Vaccination Assistance Act, the federal government has been in the business of expanding access to vaccines...
Why Astronomers Are Excited About Comet 3I/Atlas’ Close Approach
This year, comet 3I/Atlas broke into our solar system, but also the zeitgeist. This dirty snowball is a visitor from another solar system, and it’s on...
‘Fire Amoeba’ Likes It Hot, And A Faraway Lava Planet
While on a sampling trip in California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, researchers stopped to sample a rather boring stream on their hike to Boiling...
What’s The Reality Behind The Humanoid Robot Hype?
Videos of humanoid robots dancing, doing cartwheels, putting clothes in a washing machine, and serving drinks are all over social media. And tech CEOs...
'Just' A Blue Jay? Don't Overlook These Magnificent Common Birds
It’s that time of year: the Christmas Bird Count, when birders go out in flocks to record all the birds they see in a single day. The data collected d...
Can We Just Throw Our Plastic Garbage Into A Volcano?
It’s winter, and the SciFri team is already dreaming of warmer weather. How about a mind vacation to one of the hottest places on earth, an erupting v...
How Did Ancient Humans Use The Acoustics Of Spaces Like Caves?
The sound of a choir performing in a cathedral is iconic for a reason. It’s this beautiful human experience: being side-by-side with other people, fee...
What The Sounds Of Melting Glaciers Can Tell Us
As the planet warms, the world’s glaciers are melting faster than snow can replenish the ice. That has implications for sea level rise, ocean currents...
How A Fringe Idea Led To Lifesaving Cancer Treatments
In cancer research, the “seed and soil” hypothesis posits that the tumor is like a seed of misbehaving cells taking root in the body. Whether it grows...
Why Is Bubonic Plague Still With Us?
For many people, bubonic plague is an illness that seems squarely situated in medieval times. But each year, a handful of human cases pop up in the we...
Don’t Let Their Name Fool You—Sea Slugs Are Awesome
Today we’re spotlighting an underappreciated group of marine creatures: sea slugs. Don’t let their humble name fool you. They come in vivid neon color...
As Companies Build Data Centers For AI, Communities Push Back
There’s an enormous buildout of data centers underway across the country to fuel the AI boom. Hundreds of billions of dollars have already been spent...
A Toast To Bats That Pollinate Agave, And Tracking Monarchs
You might think about bats as flitting around in the dark and hunting insects, but some species feed on fruits or flowers—and play an important role a...
A Startling Plan To Save Spotted Owls—From Barred Owls
The spotted owl has been a conservation flashpoint for more than 30 years. While habitat loss has been their historic foe, their most recent threat co...
Can A Microbe Conservation Movement Take Off?
A team of scientists is trying to jumpstart a global conservation movement, on par with efforts to save the rainforests or protect the oceans. But it...
How To Tap Into The Hidden Histories Of Rocks
When we try to commune with nature, many of us turn toward the living: a walk in the woods among swaying trees, chirping birds, blooming flowers.
Fingernails And Indigestion At The 2025 Ig Nobel Prizes
Each year, the Ig Nobel Prizes recognize scientific research that first makes you laugh, then makes you think. For instance, researchers who investiga...
Why Is Working Out Good For Your Mental Health?
A good workout can make you feel triumphant. And even if that isn’t your relationship with exercise, you’ve probably heard that working out can lift y...
Everything You Never Knew About Squash And Pumpkins
It’s a wonderful time of the year: squash, pumpkin, and gourd season. But how do those giant, award-winning pumpkins grow so big? And what’s the diffe...