Science Friday http://www.sciencefriday.com/video Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week on NPR stations nationwide -- or online! Science videos from ScienceFriday.com. Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Watch the latest science videos from the Science Friday website. en-us ScienceFriday Inc 2010 Ira Flatow podcast@sciencefriday.com podcast@sciencefriday.com (Ira Flatow) scifri@sciencefriday.com podcast@sciencefriday.com http://www.sciencefriday.com/images/sbwlogo.gif http://www.sciencefriday.com 144 56 science friday podcast science technology environment health medicine scientist NPR News public radio video ira flatow news, radio, video, science, technology, environment, health, medicine no Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:12:00 GMT Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:12:00 GMT http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/sml-marble-020312.mp4 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com NASA’s iconic images of Earth from space date back to the late 1960s--with snapshots taken by Apollo astronauts. The modern “blue marble” images are captured by machines and they’re not photos. They’re datasets collected by instruments aboard satellites and then translated into imagery on the ground. 00:06:22 space blue marble earth apollo satellite image art no ScienceFriday.com There's artistry to creating the world, says NASA art director. NASA’s iconic images of Earth from space date back to the late 1960s--with snapshots taken by Apollo astronauts. The modern “blue marble” images are captured by machines and they’re not photos. They’re datasets collected by instruments aboard satellites and then translated into imagery on the ground. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/lrg-ice-012712.mp4 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Ice can be difficult to get a handle on, literally and figuratively. It can be cloudy or clear, as hard as concrete or as soft as a snowflake. We spoke with two ice experts--an ice sculptor and ice researcher--about the slippery material, to find out what fascinates them about frozen water. 00:05:27 ice water materials art sculpture engineering no ScienceFriday.com An ice sculptor and ice researcher are trying to get a handle on ice. Ice can be difficult to get a handle on, literally and figuratively. It can be cloudy or clear, as hard as concrete or as soft as a snowflake. We spoke with two ice experts--an ice sculptor and ice researcher--about the slippery material to find out what fascinates them about frozen water. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/lrg-mantis-012012.mp4 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com From mantis shrimp to trap-jaw ants, some of the fastest organisms on the planet are ones you may have never heard of. Biologist Sheila Patek, of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the creatures she studies move at speeds that are hard for us to imagine, let alone perceive. A high-speed camera is a must. 00:04:04 animal biology high speed mantis shrimp ant insect no ScienceFriday.com A high-speed camera is a must for biologist Sheila Patek. From mantis shrimp to trap-jaw ants, some of the fastest organisms on the planet are ones you may have never heard of. Biologist Sheila Patek, of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the creatures she studies move at speeds that are hard for us to imagine, let alone perceive. A high-speed camera is a must. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/lrg-bubblecomp-011312.mp4 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Bubbles can do computations, says Stanford professor Manu Prakash. Just like electrons running through wires in your computer, Prakash directed bubbles through tiny etched tubes and showed basic computations were possible. Bubbles are bigger and slower than electrons, but they can carry things--meaning you could create as you compute, Prakash says. 00:03:52 physics computing computer fluids technology invention no ScienceFriday.com In this computer, bubbles are bits. Bubbles can do computations, says Stanford professor Manu Prakash. Just like electrons running through wires in your computer, Prakash directed bubbles through tiny etched tubes and showed basic computations were possible. Bubbles are bigger and slower than electrons, but they can carry things--meaning you could create as you compute, Prakash says. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/levitation-010612.mp4 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Everything is a little bit magnetic, says physicist Richard Hill. So with a powerful magnet, it is possible to levitate almost anything--strawberries, water, insects. In a recent study, Hill levitated fruit flies to see how they behaved when they didn't have gravity pulling them down. 00:03:02 physics gravity levitation magnetism fruit flies space travel no ScienceFriday.com Using a super-powerful magnet, researchers levitated fruits, water, insects. Everything is a little bit magnetic, says physicist Richard Hill. So with a powerful magnet, it is possible to levitate almost anything--strawberries, water, insects. In a recent study, Hill levitated fruit flies to see how they behaved when they didn't have gravity pulling them down. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/imperial-111111.mp4 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com In 1956, dentist and amateur ornithologist William Rhein captured the rare Imperial woodpecker on 16 mm color film. Although this 85 second clip is the only known photographic record of the bird, Rhein kept the film to himself until after he died. Writer and bird fanatic Tim Gallagher tells the story of Rhein’s expedition to look for the bird, and his own trip to the same mountains over 50 years later. 00:03:59 archival woodpecker bird ornithology biology ecology no ScienceFriday.com This is the only known photo-documentation of the rare Imperial woodpecker. In 1956, dentist and amateur ornithologist William Rhein captured the rare Imperial woodpecker on 16 mm color film. Although this 85 second clip is the only known photographic record of the bird, Rhein kept the film to himself until after he died. Writer and bird fanatic Tim Gallagher tells the story of Rhein’s expedition to look for the bird, and his own trip to the same mountains over 50 years later. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/flyer-121611.mp4 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Researchers are designing tiny paper aircraft and making them fly using a pot, a speaker and a bunch of straws. When the subwoofer plays a low-frequency tone, it pushes the air above it up and down, which is funneled through the pot and straws, creating a flow of pulsing air. The system simulates flapping flight by taking the flap out of the wings and putting it into the air. 00:04:49 physics flight insect engineering robot flying no ScienceFriday.com Researchers are designing tiny paper aircraft and making them fly using a pot, a speaker and a bunch of straws. Researchers are designing tiny paper aircraft and making them fly using a pot, a speaker and a bunch of straws. When the subwoofer plays a low-frequency tone, it pushes the air above it up and down, which is funneled through the pot and straws, creating a flow of pulsing air. The system simulates flapping flight by taking the flap out of the wings and putting it into the air. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/jumprope-120911.mp4 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com While warming up for a pickup basketball game, Howard Stone and Jeff Aristoff wondered if anyone had mathematically modeled the shape of the jump rope. The researchers decided to give it a whirl. 00:02:48 physics jump rope sports engineering math kids no ScienceFriday.com A pickup basketball game inspired a mathematical exercise. While warming up for a pickup basketball game, Howard Stone and Jeff Aristoff wondered if anyone had mathematically modeled the shape of the jump rope. The researchers decided to give it a whirl. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/pigeon-120211.mp4 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Harvard researchers trapped pigeons in a parking garage and filmed them with high-speed cameras to see how they make tight turns at low speeds. 00:03:01 pigeon bird flight biomechanics biology no ScienceFriday.com Harvard researchers trapped pigeons in a parking garage and filmed them with high-speed cameras. Harvard researchers trapped pigeons in a parking garage and filmed them with high-speed cameras to see how they make tight turns at low speeds. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/giantpumpkin-10108.mp4 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Visit Robert Sabin's pumpkin patch: he has been growing giant pumpkins--the breed is Atlantic Giant--for over ten years. Does his top pumpkin have the heft to win the Long Island Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Hicks Nurseries? We'll find out. 00:04:07 pumpkin agriculture garden thanksgiving atlantic giant no ScienceFriday.com Some pumpkins are not meant for the pie pan. Visit Robert Sabin's pumpkin patch: he has been growing giant pumpkins--the breed is Atlantic Giant--for over ten years. Does his top pumpkin have the heft to win the Long Island Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Hicks Nurseries? We'll find out. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/balloonatic-111811.mp4 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are getting their final checkup before their big day. John Piper and Jim Artle spill the secrets of inflation, explain how to calculate whether your balloon will float, and explain why the balloons look better after a little time in the sun. 00:03:40 balloon engineering macy's parade thanksgiving no ScienceFriday.com The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are getting their final checkup before the big day. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are getting their final checkup before their big day. John Piper and Jim Artle spill the secrets of inflation, explain how to calculate whether your balloon will float, and explain why the balloons look better after a little time in the sun. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/hawkmoth-110411.mp4 Friday, 04 Nov 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com A hawk moth feeds by hovering in front of flowers and slurping nectar through a proboscis, basically a body-length straw. To understand how these moths keep such a precise position in the air, Tyson Hedrick, a biomechanist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tried destabilizing moths in a variety of different ways and tracked their responses using high speed cameras. 00:04:05 moth flight insect biology high speed video no ScienceFriday.com To feed, hawk moths have to do the equivalent of treading water, but in the air. A hawk moth feeds by hovering in front of flowers and slurping nectar through a proboscis, basically a body-length straw. To understand how these moths keep such a precise position in the air, Tyson Hedrick, a biomechanist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tried destabilizing moths in a variety of different ways and tracked their responses using high speed cameras. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/greene-030411.mp4 Friday, 28 Oct 2011 14:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Theoretical physicist and mathematician Brian Greene takes us into his home office for a tour of his tidy workspace, in the second of Science Friday's Desktop Diaries series. Greene uses his desk mainly for calculations, often executed with pencil and paper--a tradition that dates back to his childhood when his father would give him 30-digit by 30-digit multiplication problems. Greene's father, Alan Greene, was a composer, and his music features in this video. 00:03:25 astronomy cosmology brian greene physics math no ScienceFriday.com Exploring the hidden universe of Brian Greene's desk. Theoretical physicist and mathematician Brian Greene takes us into his home office for a tour of his tidy workspace, in the second of Science Friday's Desktop Diaries series. Greene uses his desk mainly for calculations, often executed with pencil and paper--a tradition that dates back to his childhood when his father would give him 30-digit by 30-digit multiplication problems. Greene's father, Alan Greene, was a composer, and his music features in this video. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/pumpkincarve-102111.mp4 Friday, 21 Oct 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Carve first, scoop later--that's just one of the tips from Maniac Pumpkin Carvers Marc and Chris. Based in Brooklyn, these professional illustrators switch to the medium of pumpkin during October. They carve hundreds of pumpkins each fall, which go for a few hundred bucks and rarely end up on stoops. 00:03:52 DIY pumpkin halloween geek art no ScienceFriday.com Master carvers share tips on how to bring your pumpkin to the next level this Halloween. Carve first, scoop later--that's just one of the tips from Maniac Pumpkin Carvers Marc and Chris. Based in Brooklyn, these professional illustrators switch to the medium of pumpkin during October. They carve hundreds of pumpkins each fall, which go for a few hundred bucks and rarely end up on stoops. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/flame-100711.mp4 Friday, 07 Oct 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Tadd Truscott and Dale Tree, engineers at Brigham Young University, are videoing fire with high speed cameras to try to make a 3D reconstruction of a flame. Poetic and practical, they say: quantifying flames could help us burn fuel more cleanly and efficiently. 00:03:27 fire engineering 3d visualize no ScienceFriday.com Two engineers are videoing fire with high speed cameras to try to make a 3D reconstruction of a flame. Tadd Truscott and Dale Tree, engineers at Brigham Young University, are videoing fire with high speed cameras to try to make a 3D reconstruction of a flame. Poetic and practical, they say: quantifying flames could help us burn fuel more cleanly and efficiently. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/dome-093011.mp4 Friday, 30 Sep 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Kevin Shea lives in a 70-foot in diameter, forest-green, geodesic dome. It is equipped with a solar array, a wind turbine, and a geothermal system. Shea makes biodiesel in a shed outback. His garden is constructed of 800 old tires. Take a tour of Shea's dome home. 00:04:37 home house DIY green solar wind turbine geodesic dome no ScienceFriday.com Kevin Shea's house is outside-the-box. Kevin Shea lives in a 70-foot in diameter, forest-green, geodesic dome. It is equipped with a solar array, a wind turbine, and a geothermal system. Shea makes biodiesel in a shed outback. His garden is constructed of 800 old tires. Take a tour of Shea's ultra-green dome home. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/scrubber-091611.mp4 Friday, 16 Sep 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com New York is testing out a new water scrubber at one of its wastewater treatment plants in Queens. Meet the algal turf scrubber--two 350-foot slides covered in green algae. Water flows down the slides, algae grows naturally, and then cleans the water sent over it. 00:02:44 wastewater biofuel algae no ScienceFriday.com New York is cleaning wastewater with algae and turning the harvest into biofuel. New York is testing out a new water scrubber at one of its wastewater treatment plants in Queens. Meet the algal turf scrubber--two 350-foot slides covered in green algae. Water flows down the slides, algae grows naturally, and then cleans the water sent over it. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/mushroom-091208.mp4 Friday, 09 Sep 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com From death caps to puffballs, the fruiting bodies of fungi can be grouped into about a dozen major categories. Mycologist Roy Halling walks us through the wide world of mushrooms and takes us on a fungi foraging foray on the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden. 00:05:24 mushroom fungi mycology taxonomy plants flora no ScienceFriday.com A fungi foraging foray. From death caps to puffballs, the fruiting bodies of fungi can be grouped into about a dozen major categories. Mycologist Roy Halling walks us through the wide world of mushrooms and takes us on a fungi foraging foray on the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/waterstrider-082611.mp4 Friday, 26 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Water striders don't really stride, they row on the water. But their legs are spindly and don't seem good for paddling. To find out exactly how water striders propel themselves mechanical engineer David Hu, of Georgia Tech, filmed them rowing on food coloring and built his own robostrider. 00:02:56 insect water strider robot bug engineering fluid mechanics no ScienceFriday.com Food coloring and robots explain how water striders propel themselves. Water striders don't really stride, they row on the water. But their legs are spindly and don't seem good for paddling. To find out exactly how water striders propel themselves mechanical engineer David Hu, of Georgia Tech, filmed them rowing on food coloring and built his own robostrider. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/toiletboat-081911.mp4 Friday, 19 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Green builder Adam Katzman wanted to experiment with building a “constructed wetland” to process sewage. Then he wanted to make the whole thing float. His paddle-boat-toilet, parked at a marina in Queens, demonstrates how rainwater and human waste can be converted to plants and clean water. It’s a zero-waste waste disposal system. 00:04:02 toilet compost boat sewage constructed wetlands green design building no ScienceFriday.com This toilet floats. You have to see it to believe it. Green builder Adam Katzman wanted to experiment with building a “constructed wetland” to process sewage. Then he wanted to make the whole thing float. His paddle-boat-toilet, parked at a marina in Queens, demonstrates how rainwater and human waste can be converted to plants and clean water. It’s a zero-waste waste disposal system. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/flywheel-081211.mp4 Friday, 12 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Maxwell von Stein, a 22 year-old Cooper Union graduate, built a bicycle that uses a flywheel to store energy. Instead of braking, he can slow the bicycle by transferring the kinetic energy from back wheel into the flywheel--which spins between the bars of the frame. Then Max can send the flywheel energy back to the wheel when he wants a boost. 00:02:58 bicycle bike engineering DIY invention student flywheel no ScienceFriday.com Maxwell von Stein, a 22-year-old graduate of The Cooper Union, built bicycle that uses a flywheel to store energy. Maxwell von Stein, a 22 year-old Cooper Union graduate, built a bicycle that uses a flywheel to store energy. Instead of braking, he can slow the bicycle by transferring the kinetic energy from back wheel into the flywheel--which spins between the bars of the frame. Then Max can send the flywheel energy back to the wheel when he wants a boost. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/camouflage-080511.mp4 Friday, 05 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com When marine biologist Roger Hanlon captured the first scene in this video he started screaming. He studies camouflage in cephalopods--squid, octopus and cuttlefish. They are masters of optical illusion and these are some of Hanlon's top video picks of the animals going in and out of hiding. 00:04:36 biology sea ocean octopus squid camouflage no ScienceFriday.com When marine biologist Roger Hanlon captured this video he started screaming. When marine biologist Roger Hanlon captured the first scene in this video he started screaming. He studies camouflage in cephalopods--squid, octopus and cuttlefish. They are masters of optical illusion and these are some of Hanlon's top video picks of the animals going in and out of hiding. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/eaglest-072911.mp4 Friday, 29 July 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com A rooftop farm in Brooklyn grows vegetables and doubles as a green roof, insulating the warehouse below. Green roofs save money on cooling and heating costs and also retain water, reducing the load on sewer systems. Annie Novak, head farmer and co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm gives us a tour. 00:02:15 architecture green roof farm agriculture no ScienceFriday.com Skyscrapers are the backdrop to this little New York farm. A rooftop farm in Brooklyn grows vegetables and doubles as a green roof, insulating the warehouse below. Green roofs save money on cooling and heating costs and also retain water, reducing the load on sewer systems. Annie Novak, head farmer and co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm gives us a tour. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/cilia-072211.mp4 Friday, 22 July 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Cilia--the little hairs that propel a paramecium--flap spontaneously, and will synchronize their movements with neighboring cilia. But exactly why they do this has been hard to pinpoint because cilia are complicated structures. So researchers fabricated knockoffs, with fewer components, to see if they could figure out what drives the waving. 00:03:03 microbiology biology cell cilia flagella no ScienceFriday.com Researchers made knockoff cilia to understand how the structures work. Cilia--the little hairs that propel a paramecium--flap spontaneously, and will synchronize their movements with neighboring cilia. But exactly why they do this has been hard to pinpoint because cilia are complicated structures. So researchers fabricated knockofs, with fewer components, to see if they could figure out what drives the waving. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/lightbulb-071511.mp4 Friday, 15 July 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Just Bulbs, on New York City's Upper East Side, sells just bulbs. There are 36,000 different kinds of lightbulbs in the store, says owner David Brooks. And although customers regularly rail about how compact fluorescent bulbs are ugly, Brooks argues that they've been unfairly maligned. They come in six color temperatures and a wide variety of shapes and sizes. 00:03:51 energy light bulb CFL fluorescent incandescent LED no ScienceFriday.com Have compact fluorescents been unfairly maligned? Just Bulbs, on New York City's Upper East Side, sells just bulbs. There are 36,000 different kinds of lightbulbs in the store, says owner David Brooks. And although customers regularly rail about how compact fluorescent bulbs are ugly, Brooks argues that they've been unfairly maligned. They come in six color temperatures and a wide variety of shapes and sizes. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/compost-070811.mp4 Friday, 08 July 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Malcolm Beck was farming organically in the 1950s, and that's how he got into compost. What started out as a little manure pile on his farm became a 40-acre compost-processing business five decades later. Beck sold his company, Garden Ville, but still works there and is constantly experimenting with different fertilizer formulas--from bat guano to earthworm tea. 00:03:59 agriculture garden compost manure farm organic no ScienceFriday.com Malcolm Beck got into the compost business before people knew what it was. Malcolm Beck was farming organically in the 1950s, and that's how he got into compost. What started out as a little manure pile on his farm became a 40-acre compost-processing business five decades later. Beck sold his company, Garden Ville, but still works there and is constantly experimenting with different fertilizer formulas--from bat guano to earthworm tea. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/bubblenet-070111.mp4 Friday, 01 July 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Humpbacks whales blow bubbles around schools of fish to concentrate them for easier capture. Although this hunting technique, called bubble-net feeding, has been documented for decades, just how whales make the nets wasn't well-understood until now, says biologist David Wiley. 00:03:51 whale ocean sea marine biology dtag no ScienceFriday.com These whales blow bubbles nets around schools of fish to concentrate them for easier capture. Humpbacks whales blow bubbles around schools of fish to concentrate them for easier capture. Although this hunting technique, called bubble-net feeding, has been documented for decades, just how whales make the nets wasn't well-understood until now, says biologist David Wiley. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/statenkids-062311.mp4 Friday, 24 June 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com In the basement of Staten Island Technical High School, a group of students meets regularly to build and invent. Their award-winning wheelchair prototype can spin in circles and has a built-in massage function. 00:03:28 engineering student kids invention DIY wheelchair computer no ScienceFriday.com High schoolers from Staten Island made a wheelchair that can spin in circles and has a built-in massage function. In the basement of Staten Island Technical High School, a group of students meets regularly to build and invent. Their award-winning wheelchair prototype can spin in circles and has a built-in massage function. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/tissue-061011.mp4 Friday, 10 June 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Build them the right home and cells will organize themselves into a tissue, says bioengineer Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic. We stopped by the lab to see a little piece of beating heart muscle they grew in the lab and keep in an incubator in the corner. 00:03:12 biology engineering bioengineering medicine cells tissue no ScienceFriday.com See a little piece of beating heart muscle grown by scientists. Build them the right home and cells will organize themselves into a tissue, says bioengineer Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic. We stopped by the lab to see a little piece of beating heart muscle they grew in the lab and keep in an incubator in the corner. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/sunspot-060311.mp4 Friday, 03 June 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Using the Swedish Solar Telescope, a ground-based observatory, Goran Scharmer and colleagues probe the penumbra--that's the stringy structure around the perimeter of the dark part of a sunspot. 00:02:32 sun star solar astronomy no ScienceFriday.com High resolution images from the Swedish Solar Telescope give a new view of a sunspot’s penumbra. Using the Swedish Solar Telescope, a ground-based observatory, Goran Scharmer and colleagues probe the penumbra--that's the stringy structure around the perimeter of the dark part of a sunspot. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/tongue-052711.mp4 Friday, 27 May 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Tongues are important, biologists say. Two recent studies explore tongue design and function--how they are used for lapping by dogs and for nectar retrieval by hummingbirds. 00:04:27 biology dog bird hummingbird tongue evolution no ScienceFriday.com High-speed video of dogs lapping and hummingbirds slurping. Tongues are important, biologists say. Two recent studies explore tongue design and function--how they are used for lapping by dogs and for nectar retrieval by hummingbirds. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/kaku-051911.mp4 Friday, 20 May 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku takes us on a tour of his office, where he writes his bestsellers and records his radio shows. The futuristic 1950s TV show Flash Gordon jump-started his interest in science. Watching it as a kid, Kaku realized that it was the problem-solving scientist, not the chiseled crimefighter Flash, who was really the hero. 00:03:15 physics futurism string theory flash gordon michio kaku no ScienceFriday.com Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku takes Science Friday on a tour of his office. Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku takes us on a tour of his office, where he writes his bestsellers and records his radio shows. The futuristic 1950s TV show Flash Gordon jump-started his interest in science. Watching it as a kid, Kaku realized that it was the problem-solving scientist, not the chiseled crimefighter Flash, who was really the hero. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/leaflens-051311.mp4 Friday, 13 May 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com A magnifying glass looks harmless. But combine it with a nice sunny day and you have a weapon of ant destruction and a fire hazard. Even if cheap pyrotechnics isn't your thing, the optics of how this works is relevant to anyone with eyes. 00:03:07 sun star physics optics dig magnifying glass lens no ScienceFriday.com Even if cheap pyrotechnics isn't your thing, the physics of how magnifying glasses start fires is relevant to anyone with eyes. A magnifying glass looks harmless. But combine it with a nice sunny day and you have a weapon of ant destruction and a fire hazard. Even if cheap pyrotechnics isn't your thing, the optics of how this works is relevant to anyone with eyes. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/mineral-050611.mp4 Friday, 06 May 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com In 1968, the New Jersey Senate decreed the town of Franklin a geological wonder: "The Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World." Over 350 different minerals have been found in the area, ninety of which glow brilliantly under ultraviolet light. 00:03:27 mineral geology fluorescence mining rock no ScienceFriday.com These minerals fluoresce! In 1968, the New Jersey Senate decreed the town of Franklin a geological wonder: "The Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World." Over 350 different minerals have been found in the area, ninety of which glow brilliantly under ultraviolet light. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/antcaterpillar-042911.mp4 Friday, 29 Apr 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Drop a clump of fire ants into water and they will assemble into a raft that stays afloat for weeks, according to a new study. In other breaking bug news, researchers are investigating how caterpillars roll away from prey as inspiration for the design of a jointless, soft-bodied robot. 00:03:28 robot ant caterpillar engineering biology no ScienceFriday.com The latest on the bug beat. Drop a clump of fire ants into water and they will assemble into a raft that stays afloat for weeks, according to a new study. In other breaking bug news, researchers are investigating how caterpillars roll away from prey as inspiration for the design of a jointless, soft-bodied robot. http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4/media.libsyn.com/media/sciencefriday/candycorn-040909.mp4 Friday, 22 Apr 2011 15:10:00 GMT podcast@sciencefriday.com Astronauts are allowed to bring special “crew preference” items when they go up in space. NASA astronaut Don Pettit chose candy corn for his five and a half month stint aboard the International Space Station. But these candy corn were more than a snack, Pettit used them for experimentation. 00:02:56 space astronaut shuttle gravity candycorn no ScienceFriday.com A wet ball of candy corn becomes a science lesson in space. Astronauts are allowed to bring special “crew preference” items when they go up in space. NASA astronaut Don Pettit chose candy corn for his five and a half month stint aboard the International Space Station. But these candy corn were more than a snack, Pettit used them for experimentation.