May. 17, 2013
The Perils of Plankton
by Amy Kraft
An artist magnifies an overlooked environmental problem in sculptures that are larger than life.
May. 16, 2013
Don't Forget to Eat Your Creepy Crawlies!
by Leslie Taylor
In the mood for water beetles marinated in ginger and soy sauce? How about some mealworm spaghetti?
May. 16, 2013
Brilliant Blunders
by Mario Livio
Were the theories of illustrious minds such as Linus Pauling and Albert Einstein free of serious blunders? Absolutely not!
May. 16, 2013
Three Insect Recipes to Help the Arthropods Go Down
by Julie Leibach
Insects pack a protein punch. Get the most of your meal with these recipes.
May. 15, 2013
What Lies Beneath
by Ashley Taylor
Using a scanning technology called terahertz imaging, scientist J. Bianca Jackson searches for hidden artwork behind paint and plaster.
May. 15, 2013
Help SciFri Make a Summer Reading List
by Julie Leibach
Recommend your favorite science-themed books, and SciFri will compile a list of the top 15.
May. 14, 2013
Alien Invaders, Baby Seal Brains, and More
by Leslie Taylor
Each week we’ll round up links to science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
May. 14, 2013
Meet Susan Barry, Neurobiologist and 3D Visionary
by The Secret Life of Scientists
Susan Barry could only see in two dimensions until age 48, when her life changed forever.
May. 10, 2013
Are We Alone in the Universe?
by Joel N. Shurkin
It seems incredible that Earthlings could be the first technological society. So where is everyone?
May. 07, 2013
Smuggled Dinosaurs, Sick Sea Otters, Hairy Tongues, and More
by Leslie Taylor
Each week we’ll round up links to science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
May. 07, 2013
Science Standards for the Next Generation
by Leslie Taylor
Newly released science standards expect students to be capable of designing experiments and making evidence-based arguments.
May. 06, 2013
The Buzz on Flies
by The Bug Chicks
There's more to flies than meets the eye.
May. 03, 2013
Black Silicon and Smart Wind Turbines
by Ira Flatow
Very quietly, solar and wind technologies are making some important advances. Here are a couple examples.
May. 02, 2013
How to Make Scrumptious Sauerkraut
by Michael Pollan
Fermented cabbage never tasted better.
May. 02, 2013
Is Cooking Baked Into Our Biology?
by Michael Pollan
According to the "cooking hypothesis," the advent of cooked food altered the course of human evolution.
May. 01, 2013
The SciFri Book Club Takes a Walk
by Annette Heist
Get ready to trail along with writer Bill Bryson.
May. 01, 2013
Book Review: Britain's Hoverflies
by The Bug Chicks
Recently we were sent a book on hoverflies to review. And it was epic.
Apr. 30, 2013
Time Crystals, Canine Conservationists, Copycat Monkeys, and More
by Leslie Taylor
Each week we’ll round up links to science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
Apr. 30, 2013
Meet Larry Rosenblum, Perceptual Psychologist and Magician
by The Secret Life of Scientists
This scientist studies human powers of perception that we might not even know we have.
Apr. 26, 2013
Salt of the Earth
by Christopher Intagliata
The Great Salt Lake's north arm can reach 30 percent salinity—about 10 times saltier than the ocean. Take a closer look at this extreme environment.
Apr. 26, 2013
Behind the Scenes With the James Webb Space Telescope
by Christopher Intagliata
The frame of the James Webb Space Telescope is being built right in Salt Lake City's backyard, in a small town called Magna. Aerospace and defense manufacturer ATK is constructing the honeycomb-like graphite composite skeleton, and Bob Hellekson, ATK program manager for the telescope, agreed to show me around.
Apr. 25, 2013
Happy DNA Day!
by Leslie Taylor
Today is National DNA Day, an annual tribute to of the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953.
Apr. 22, 2013
Law & Order (Insect Edition)
by The Bug Chicks
You need a permit to keep walking sticks, but most teachers didn't get the memo.
Apr. 22, 2013
Earth Day Mashup
by Julie Leibach
Celebrate our awesome blue-and-green planet with this SciFri sampler.
Apr. 19, 2013
April 19th SciFri Broadcast to Air at Later Date
by Leslie Taylor
NPR's continuing live coverage of events in Boston will preempt today's Science Friday. The recorded April 19th program will be broadcast nationwide in our regularly scheduled timeslot on a later date.
Apr. 18, 2013
Go West, Young Man, and Grow Up With the Dinosaurs
by Brian Switek
A writer follows a childhood passion, surrounding himself with dinosaurania.
Apr. 18, 2013
The Case of the Barfing Blue Jay
by Julie Leibach
For some predators, chowing on a monarch butterfly can have digestive repercussions.
Apr. 17, 2013
These Dinosaurs Should Appear in Jurassic Park 4
by Brian Switek
Author and dino-lover Brian Switek suggests several reptilian relics that deserve the spotlight.
Apr. 17, 2013
Meet Jean Berko Gleason, a Founding Mom of Psycholinguistics
by The Secret Life of Scientists
Jean Berko Gleason studies the way we acquire language, how we lose it, and everything in between.
Apr. 16, 2013
Why Do I Get Nostalgic?
by Julie Leibach
That bittersweet longing for the past can have an important impact on the present.
Apr. 11, 2013
Mapping the Monarchs
by Leslie Taylor
Any orange-and-black beauties in your neck of the woods? Add a photo to our Spring Monarch Migration 2013 Google map.
Apr. 11, 2013
The Story of Saliva
by Mary Roach
Why do newborns drool excessively? How many pints of saliva does a person generate daily? (Hint, it's more than one.) And more spit mysteries.
Apr. 10, 2013
Will There Be Another Ice Age?
by Kara Rogers
If carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, we likely have a long thaw ahead of us.
Apr. 10, 2013
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Annette Heist
People can help monarch butterflies by planting milkweed, a plant the insects rely on for breeding and feeding.
Apr. 09, 2013
What Scared the Fearless Woman?
by Leslie Taylor
Patients once considered insensitive to fear can experience the sensation in response to internal triggers, a new study shows.
Apr. 08, 2013
Cicadas Are Not Locusts!
by The Bug Chicks
Drop some knowledge about the insect order Hemiptera, just in time for a cicada revival.
Apr. 05, 2013
What's in a Label?
by Annette Heist
A new book looks at how the way we think and behave can be shaped by forces we aren't aware of.
Apr. 04, 2013
Would Usain Bolt Run More Slowly With the Name Usain Plod?
by Adam Alter
An excerpt from "Drunk Tank Pink," by Adam Alter, explores whether names affect major life outcomes.
Apr. 04, 2013
Mama's Boys, Black Sheep, and Peacekeepers
by Frans de Waal
An excerpt from biologist Frans de Waal's new book, The Bonobo and the Atheist.
Apr. 02, 2013
Meet Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Cosmic Tie Collector
by The Secret Life of Scientists
Neil deGrasse Tyson, lover of space and space-themed ties, describes his work in 30 speedy seconds, then fields 10 questions.
Apr. 02, 2013
Building the Future of SciFri
by Danielle Dana
A number of listeners have asked us what the end of Talk of the Nation means for us.
Apr. 01, 2013
How to Get 6,000 People to Talk Science
by Ira Flatow
Bill Nye and I were on a panel discussing how to tell stories about science.
Mar. 29, 2013
11 Things You Didn't Know About Saguaro Cacti
by Julie Leibach
Were you aware that saguaros are black market commodities? Here're some other cool cactus facts.
Mar. 29, 2013
Scene in the Sonoran
by Annette Heist
Science Friday hits the desert trail to take in some springtime sights.
Mar. 27, 2013
Roger That, Grandma
by The Bug Chicks
During a recent trip to the east coast, we visited with Kristie's grandma, the first female air traffic controller at LaGuardia airport.
Mar. 19, 2013
Meet Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist & Ice Skater
by The Secret Life of Scientists
When he's not creating equations that help explain the universe, Michio Kaku is spinning on ice.
Mar. 18, 2013
Black Bear for the Win
by Annette Heist
Jim Stroner's shot of a bear emerging from its den wins our 2013 Winter Nature Photo Contest.
Mar. 15, 2013
Help SciFri Tell Great Stories
by Ira Flatow
Donate $25 to help us tell great stories, and we'll send you a SciFri USB drive with some of our favorites from 2012.
Mar. 14, 2013
Wildlife Portraits by Our Photo Contest Judge
by Leslie Taylor
Clay Bolt, co-founder of the Meet Your Neighbours photo project, shares some of his shots.
Mar. 14, 2013
The Mysterious Geocache
by Kathy Reichs
An excerpt from Code: A Virals Novel, by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs.
To access older blog posts, navigate via the archive links in the sidebar at left.
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