Episodes

What the latest coronavirus variants might mean to efforts to control the pandemic. Plus, researchers are exploring whether reversing changes to gene expression in aging cells can reprogram them to a younger state.

The annual Christmas Bird Count is still on this year: plus, how the hundred-year-old community science project is guiding scientists. And a trip into the Science Friday archives for a visit from the band They Might Be Giants.

We review the year in science with “Science Vs” host Wendy Zukerman. Plus, Traditional knowledge can help connect young people to both science and Indigenous North American culture. And the Charismatic Creature Corner dives into the weird, beautiful, and amazing world of marine polychaetes.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide is currently as high as it was in the Pliocene Period. Here’s why looking back millions of years can help us understand the next few hundred. Plus, astronomer Janna Levin takes readers on a journey into black holes and their physics.

Gather round for some of the best science books you might have missed this year. Plus, state and local health departments prepare to receive the vaccine. And one year in, how has Europe’s Green New Deal fared?

David Attenborough joins Ira Flatow to call attention to wonder—and peril—in the natural world. Plus, SciFri used to have a community in Second Life. What happened after we abandoned them? And, the long-term health effects of wildfires.

Meet two scientists working to disrupt the meat industry. Plus, the bacterial and fungal dance responsible for your favorite cheeses. And while the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony might seem different this year, its celebration of strange and silly science remains.

The NSF plans to decommission the giant Arecibo radio observatory after major damage. A look at the loss for science, and for Puerto Rico. Plus, Roman Mars talks about the often overlooked details built into our cities and how our urban environments are adapting to the pandemic.

Less than a week after it became clear he was president-elect, Joe Biden has named the members of a coronavirus task force. Plus, Pfizer’s vaccine candidate passes an important test. But there are many questions left to answer. And dog DNA tests have become a popular quarantine pastime.

Now that we’re a year into the pandemic, what have we learned and how can we plan for next year? Plus, how to weigh the risks of gathering for the holidays. And researchers step up a battle to contain the ‘murder hornet.’