Science Friday
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Episodes
Help! This new dwarf planet needs a name
Host Flora Lixman interviews Dr.
‘Big Math’ shines a light on the hidden math that runs our world
Mathematician Steve Strogatz discusses the impact of AI on the field, addressing both the "grief" over lost discovery and the potential for a golden age in applied math.
The SciFri Book Club reads ‘The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year’
Author Margaret Renkel discusses her book *The Comfort of Crows*, sharing how she transformed her Tennessee backyard into a thriving ecosystem to reconnect with the natural world.
Meet the tiny, see-through fish that can regenerate its brain
Dr.
Why is everyone so obsessed with protein?
Host Flora Lichtman explores the origins and science behind the current protein craze with food historian Dr.
What a trapped antimatter particle could tell us about reality
Host Flora Lichtman speaks with Dr.
Why are armadillos moving up north?
Reporter Giselle Roden explores how the northward expansion of nine-banded armadillos into Kentucky serves as a signal species for climate change.
When, and where, did bats first take to the sky?
Dr.
People are microdosing GLP-1s for weight loss. Is it safe?
This episode explores the emerging trend of microdosing GLP-1 weight loss drugs, featuring experts Dr.
Terence Tao on how AI math solutions miss the point
Dr.
What was life like for Tyranossaurus rex?
Science Friday host Kathleen Davis interviews science writer Riley Black about her new book, *Tyrant, Lizard, Queen*.
Isabella Rossellini on how acting connects to animal cognition
In this Science Friday episode, host Flora Lichtman joins Isabella Rossellini and ecologist Carl Safina to explore animal cognition and the validity of anthropomorphism.
Why are we changing the way we keep time?
Science Friday explores the historic decision by global timekeepers to eliminate the leap second, a practice used to keep atomic clocks synchronized with Earth's rotation.
Kazuo Ishiguro on emotional truth in sci-fi and in our AI reality
Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro discusses the release of the film adaptation of his novel *Clara and the Sun*, exploring how AI challenges our understanding of love and human connection.
Is that garbage can bear resistant? These bears will find out
Ira Flatow interviews journalist Alex Davies about the hidden world of product safety testing, featuring his book *The Destroyer*.
Jennifer Doudna on what it takes to be a good scientist
Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna discusses the personal and professional journey behind the development of CRISPR, emphasizing the critical roles of…
Getting the billion-dollar PRIMA space telescope off the ground
Dr.
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on making climate action cool
In this Science Friday episode, host Flora Lichtman interviews climate advocate and marine biologist Dr.
Could a whale swallow a human, “Whalefall” style?
Host Flora Lichtman discusses the new film *Whale Fall* with director Brian Duffield and sperm whale expert Shane Garrow.
Why do politicians talk like that?
Linguist Dr.
Sargassum superblooms are choking coastlines around the Atlantic
Dr.
Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day and the women who made the internet
This Science Friday episode celebrates Ada Lovelace Week by exploring the overlooked contributions of women to the internet's history.
Are attachment styles more than a social media trend?
Dr.
The science and politics of the new mRNA flu vaccine
Dr.
What is the Kelvin wave on the West Coast?
Oceanographer Dr.
The punk rock life of cephalopods
During Cephalopod Week, marine ecologist Heather Judkins and neuroethologist Yan Wong discuss the "hard edge" of octopuses, including cannibalism and…
The Nobel winner searching for deep-space neutrinos in Antarctica
During Nobel Prize Week, Science Friday revisits a 2013 interview with Francis Halzen, who won the Physics Prize for his work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
How important ideas get reawakened, with David Byrne
David Byrne discusses his new book, *Sleeping Beauties*, exploring why groundbreaking ideas in science and art often go dormant before being rediscovered.
The History of Concrete with John Wilson
Filmmaker John Wilson discusses his new documentary, The History of Concrete, which blends facts about the material with idiosyncratic human stories.
The tilcayo is the new wild cat on the block
Biologist Paulo Nogales Escaruns discusses the discovery of the tilcayo, a new species of small wildcat found in Bolivia’s Junglas forest.
Are natural history museums going extinct?
Host Flora Lewis discusses the closure of Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences and the financial challenges facing natural history museums.
Examining a new lunar crater + searching for signs of alien technology
Planetary scientist Dr.
Did the COVID pandemic stunt kids’ development?
Researchers Anna Johnson and Stephanie Jones discuss a special issue of the Journal of Child Development featuring 17 studies on pandemic impacts.
How do concussions affect the brain?
Dr.
Are new treatments for celiac disease on the horizon?
Dr.
Everyone is calling for safer AI. So what does that mean?
Experts Andrea Lincoln and Vinod Vaikuntanathan discuss the urgent need for AI safety amid recent autonomous agent attacks.
Underwater archeology reveals clues about Ice Age humans
Reporter Reed Frasier and underwater archaeologist Dr.
Climate change is increasing hurricane risk for Hawaiʻi
Dr.
Bringing hard electronics into soft and squishy bodies
John A.
What is lymphatic drainage, anyway?
This episode explores the lymphatic system's role in fluid balance and immunity, featuring experts Dr.
Hot flashes and hormone therapy: the science of perimenopause
This episode explores the science of perimenopause, featuring endocrinologists Dr.
Telling the tale of human origins, one fossil tooth at a time
Paleoanthropologist Dr.
Did the fire at the Library of Alexandria set humanity back?
Sam Kean discusses his book *The Museum of Lost Things*, exploring how historical knowledge has been lost through events like the destruction of the…
Black bears are moving into the neighborhood. How do we coexist?
This Science Friday episode explores the resurgence of black bear populations in the southeastern US, featuring reporter Cassandra Stevenson on their historic habitat and Dr.
Is a shorter course of antibiotics OK? + Genetic risk of fibromyalgia
Dr.
Where are we with understanding the health effects of cannabis?
This episode features Dr.
Did scientists just find a dark matter particle? Maybe
Physicist Richard Gaitskell discusses a potential dark matter detection by the LUX-Zeppelin experiment, which recorded a single anomalous event in its liquid xenon detector.
Why physics and philosophy need each other
Physicist and author Carlo Rovelli discusses his new book, *On the Equality of All Things*, exploring the deep connection between modern physics and philosophy.
Recall rodeo: A food safety update + Why cars are catching fire
Brian Ronholm explains that while food recalls seem frequent, data shows consistent trends, though recent CDC and FDA budget cuts have weakened surveillance and delayed traceability rules.
Is there science behind the ‘nervous system reset’?
Neurosurgeon Dr.