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Science Friday

Science Friday and WNYC Studios

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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89 episodes
daily
Avg 17 min
English

Episodes 89

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#1430
Today · 12 min
What a trapped antimatter particle could tell us about reality
Researchers have trapped a positron and held it at extremely cold temperatures for months, allowing them to measure its quantum properties.
#1429
Yesterday · 13 min
Why are armadillos moving up north?
Armadillos are turning up in states like Kentucky and Illinois, far from their warm southern habitats. Why are they moving north?
#1428
Friday · 12 min
When, and where, did bats first take to the sky?
An analysis of bat genomes and fossil records has shown that the flying mammals first took wing in Europe some 60-65 million years ago.
#1427
Thursday · 18 min
People are microdosing GLP-1s for weight loss. Is it safe?
Some online clinics are prescribing GLP-1 microdoses formulated by compounding pharmacies. Are these drugs safe and effective?
#1426
Wednesday · 22 min
Terence Tao on how AI math solutions miss the point
Terence Tao says mathematics is about understanding, not just right answers, and quick AI solutions are forcing soul-searching in the field.
#1425
October 27 · 18 min
What was life like for Tyrannosaurus rex?
T. rex may be the most famous prehistoric predator, but life wasn’t always bone-snapping chomps and food chain scaremongering.
#1424
October 26 · 19 min
Isabella Rossellini on how acting connects to animal cognition
Should we anthropomorphize animals or not? An actor and an ecologist share what they’ve learned about animal cognition.
#1423
October 24 · 14 min
Why are we changing the way we keep time?
Timekeeping scientists around the world voted to stop using leap seconds, but what does this mean for us?
#1422
October 23 · 25 min
Kazuo Ishiguro on emotional truth in sci-fi and in our AI reality
Five years after “Klara and the Sun” was published, the film adaptation exists in an entirely different AI landscape.
#1421
October 22 · 18 min
Is that garbage can bear resistant? These bears will find out
In the name of safety, test engineers turn pill bottles over to kids, launch dead chickens through jet engines, and let bears loose on coolers.
#1420
October 21 · 29 min
Jennifer Doudna on what it takes to be a good scientist
CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna on the evolution of gene-editing technology, her own path, and what it takes to be a good scientist.
#1419
October 20 · 15 min
Getting the billion-dollar PRIMA space telescope off the ground
The proposed PRIMA space telescope just entered Phase B of its development. What does that mean?
#1418
October 19 · 12 min
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on making climate action cool
Climate leader Ayana Elizabeth Johnson reflects on this moment of the climate movement and why climate action should be fun.
#1417
October 16 · 18 min
Could a whale swallow a human, 'Whalefall' style?
"Whalefall" is a race against time, and sperm whale digestion. We get into the gooey gut science and what it took to bring it to the big screen.
#1416
October 15 · 18 min
Why do politicians talk like that?
A linguist weighs in on how "politician speak" has changed over the past century, and what it says about what we want from our leaders.
#1415
October 14 · 12 min
Sargassum superblooms are choking coastlines around the Atlantic
A free-floating seaweed called sargassum is exploding in the Atlantic ocean, clogging up coastlines from West Africa to the Caribbean.
#1414
October 13 · 17 min
Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day and the women who made the internet
For Ada Lovelace Day, our 2018 story about the women who made the internet, with the author of "Broad Band" and the founder of EchoNYC.
#1413
October 12 · 17 min
Are attachment styles more than a social media trend?
Attachment styles have taken off as a way to understand relationships. But does the science behind it line up with popular interpretations?
#1412
October 10 · 12 min
The science and politics of the new mRNA flu vaccine
A new mRNA flu vaccine promises a closer match to circulating flu strains. But dysfunction at federal health agencies is complicating rollout.
#1411
October 9 · 12 min
What is the Kelvin wave on the West Coast?
El Niño is driving a Kelvin wave up the West Coast, raising sea levels. What is it, and how does it work?

Showing 1–20 of 89 episodes