Episodes

In a sea of misinformation, some scientists are debunking myths and providing straight-forward information on social media. Plus, how freeze-dried twigs and leaves from beneath Greenland’s ice cap provide a record of a warmer time. And a look at the science of rainbows.

From egg-laying to mammal-like placentas, there’s huge variety in how sharks and rays make babies. Plus, how a pandemic in the video game World Of Warcraft a decade ago foreshadowed our current pandemic. And research into why adults may find it hard to daydream.

Small amounts of all drugs are now legal in Oregon—but the state’s addiction and recovery community are still debating if it’s a good idea. Plus, we answer all the tooth questions you’ve never thought to ask. And choosing when to end a conversation is a perplexing psychological problem.

While power has been mostly restored, journalists report Texans are now facing water shortages, housing damage, and crop losses. Plus, a conversation with NASA’s first Senior Climate Advisor. And, in a study straight out of “Inception,” scientists find a way to communicate with lucid dreamers.

Anthony Fauci sheds light on vaccines, variants, and a return to normalcy. Plus, looking into an ancient mummy mystery. And why tech workers, like other industries before them, are asking if unions can help improve their jobs.

The Human Genome Project is 20 years old. What lessons have we learned from it? Plus, the CDC now recommends double-masking as a highly effective method at stopping coronavirus spread. And Science Friday’s Science Diction podcast launches its third season.

Vaccines are being tested against new variants of the coronavirus. Here’s what the latest data are telling us. Plus, ancient cities like Cahokia and Angkor give a new perspective on the rise and fall of urban centers.

President Biden’s COVID-19 relief effort aims to administer 100 million vaccinations in 100 days. Plus, researchers are using bone records to piece together new insights into medieval life. And the placenta is the only organ that can be grown temporarily and then discarded—but it’s hard to study while it’s doing its job.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb wants you to believe evidence of aliens has been closer than we think. Plus, a farming technique could make soils, and their microbes, better at capturing carbon.

In the absence of federal requirements, the U.S. has developed 50 different vaccination plans. Plus, the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine. And scientist and author Michael Mann explains why corporate change is needed to prevent a climate crisis.