Science Friday
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Episodes
Even Nobel Prize winners deal with imposter syndrome
Flora Lichtman interviews Nobel laureate Dr.
Squirrel poop drops Ice Age clues + The neuroscience of laughter
Dr.
Promising new treatments for pancreatic cancer and ALS
This episode highlights two major medical breakthroughs.
That chlorine smell at the pool? It’s pee
Science Friday host Flora Lixman interviews Purdue University professor Dr.
Under proposed rule, science funding must pass political review
Science Friday host Ira Flatow interviews Holden Thorpe, editor-in-chief of the Science Family of Journals, about a proposed OMB rule that would insert political review into federal grant funding.
Can you learn to love the scorpion?
This episode explores scorpions through two lenses: paleontology and modern biology.
FDA approves a well-known sunscreen ingredient—finally
Science Friday discusses the FDA’s approval of Bematrizinol, the first new U.
Why do sports announcers talk like that?
Sociolinguist Dr.
Swords, cannibalism, poison: inside the world of killer microbes
Science Friday explores microbial warfare with Dr.
When music transports you to a different place
Host Flora Lichtman interviews Dr.
A vast whale graveyard + Zombie sea cucumbers
This Science Friday episode explores two marine discoveries.
Should we bring mountain lions back to the Northeast?
Science Friday host Jane Lindholm interviews Dr.
Blue Origin explosion hits NASA timeline + Artemis III crew
Science Friday examines how Blue Origin’s New Glenn explosion impacts NASA’s Artemis timeline and the upcoming Artemis 3 mission.
Why can I handle tequila but not rum?
Science Friday explores the chemistry and health impacts of alcohol with Dr.
AI + turfgrass science in the most high-tech World Cup yet
Host Jane Lindholm explores the 2026 World Cup’s integration of AI and turf science.
How extreme athletes like Alex Honnold keep their cool
Science Friday explores the mental side of sports with Dr.
Parenting tips from the animal kingdom
Science journalist Elizabeth Preston discusses her book, *The Creature's Guide to Caring*, exploring how animal parenting strategies offer insights into human child-rearing.
Wait, is my washing machine playing Schubert?
Science Friday host Flora Lichtman apologizes for previously mocking a washing machine melody, which listeners identified as Schubert’s “The Trout.
A virus hunter in Nigeria has thoughts on the Ebola outbreak
Dr.
How did Neanderthals deal with illness and injuries?
Science Friday explores the origins of prehistoric medicine with Dr.
Looking for life in the clouds of Venus
MIT astrophysicist Dr.
Meet the drug developer taking on wildlife diseases
Dr.
Can the shingles vaccine stave off dementia?
Science Friday explores vaccines' unintended health benefits, featuring Dr.
Inside the Nebraska quarantine facility responding to hantavirus
Science Friday explores the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska, currently housing 18 Hantavirus-exposed cruise ship passengers.
Surveying wildlife along Lewis and Clark's route, 220 years later
Dr.
Pope Leo's encyclical on AI, and the Vatican science advisors
Science Friday explores Pope Leo’s new encyclical on AI, which urges safeguarding human dignity amid technological advancement.
Bizarre exoplanet clouds + Counting insects with weather radar
Flora Lichtman interviews Dr.
A trailblazing geneticist reflects on her life and work
Science Friday host Flora Lichtman interviews geneticist Dr.
Is that spooky old house full of ghosts, or just infrasound?
Dr.
How do clinical trials work, and who can participate?
Science Friday explores clinical trial eligibility and FDA drug approval standards with bioethicist Dr.
Use of herbicide linked to Parkinson's is on the rise in the US
Environmental reporter Delaney Nolan discusses a Mississippi plant leaking massive amounts of the toxic herbicide paraquat into the air, coinciding with high local Parkinson’s rates.
Why does fashion repeat in 20-year cycles? Math has the answer
Princeton mathematician Dr.
Earth's ancient hydrogen, and fossilized vomit
Planetary scientist Dr.
How yawning might help clear dirty fluid from the brain
Biomechanical engineer Dr.
The new frontier of cancer research is in space
Dr.
Who's composing music for my washing machine?
Science Friday explores the rise of sonic branding in appliances with composers Audrey Arbini and Joel Beckerman.
How El Niño shapes the world’s weather trends
Science Friday explores the potential for a "super El Niño" this year with NOAA research scientist Dr.
Planning your photo ops for a trip around the moon
Flora Lichtman interviews Dr.
Understanding the gynecological health crisis facing Black women
Dr.
Data about your body is up for sale. Who's buying it?
Science Friday explores the pervasive collection of biometric data through smart devices and surveillance cameras.
Sci-fi thriller combines aliens, robots, and Cherokee culture
Science Friday hosts author Daniel H.
Beavers could be humans' biggest ally, if we let them
Science Friday explores beavers as ecological engineers who mitigate wildfires and filter water, featuring University of Minnesota researcher Emily Fairfax, science consultant for Pixar’s *Hoppers*.
Searching for dark matter, deep in the Earth
Dr.
The decades-long movement to kill FEMA
Flora Lichtman speaks with Micah Loewinger about the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle FEMA and the agency’s history of conspiracy theories.
What cats and dogs hear + A 'smell map' of the nose
Dr.
How do you study microplastics in a plastic-filled lab?
Science Friday explores the complexities of measuring microplastics in the human body with Dr.
What is ibogaine, and why is it in the news?
This episode examines the renewed political and scientific interest in ibogaine, a psychedelic drug with potential for treating opioid addiction and PTSD.
The long history of birds, from velociraptors to pigeons
Science Friday host Ira Flatow interviews paleontologist Steve Brusatte about his book, *The Story of Birds*.
Your DNA is constantly mutating, and that’s a good thing
Science Friday host Ira Flatow interviews Roxanne Kamsley, author of "Beyond Inheritance," about how DNA mutates throughout life rather than remaining static.
Maine nearly became the first state to ban data centers
Science Friday examines the controversy surrounding AI data centers, focusing on Maine’s vetoed moratorium and national pushback.