Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer, which means he was chief cheerleader for all the radio and podcast projects. He helped to select and shape stories, or put them to a gentle death if necessary. He was also the coordinating producer for Science Friday’s live stage events around the nation, and has skated Olympic ice and served as a prop in an optical illusion for SciFri.
Christopher started at Science Friday as an intern in summer 2008, until the day Ira Flatow called him at home, triggering enormous anxiety about the latest script he’d written, to ask if he wanted to be a producer. His favorite stories usually involve microbes or food or both, but anything can pique his interest—other than ocean chemistry. Sorry.
He also reports regularly for Scientific American‘s “60-Second Science” podcast, and was a 2015 Woods Hole Ocean Science Journalism fellow. Prior to becoming a science journalist, he taught English to soldiers and bankers in Verona, Italy, and traversed the Sierra Nevada mountains as a field biologist, on the lookout for mountain yellow-legged frogs. He speaks fluent Italian, awkward Japanese, and passable Ira Flatowese.
He is now an editor for All Things Considered.
5:08
Mushrooms as Tough as Leather
A San Francisco start-up has developed a fungal material that can sub for leather, wood, and even plastic.
6:51
A Mission to Mars on the Hawaiian Islands
Researchers are simulating the Martian environment near a Hawaiian volcano to test how communication systems would work on the planet.
11:18
Just How Easy Is It to Edit DNA?
The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system is a less perfect fix for gene editing than news reports make it out to be.
4:42
This Glove Fits You With Someone Else’s Fingerprints
Researchers have created a 3D-printed glove with fingerprints, which they say will allow us to standardize tests of biometric systems. But will it hand criminals a new tool?
12:29
The Microscopic World Beneath Our Feet
Microbial ecologist Bo Adu-Oppong takes us on a tour of the microbes and slime molds living in the soil, and gives her recipe for making a microbial layer cake—an experiment you can try at home.
17:10
Are Digital Assistants Smart Enough to Do Their Jobs?
As tech companies battle to develop the best digital assistant, we ask how they measure up, and why we so often fail to connect.
12:12
The Future of Your Commute
As rideshare companies like Uber strike deals with cities to supplement or replace traditional transit options and parking lots, we ask: What is the future of commuting?
17:43
California Trees Battle Beetle Assault Amid Drought
Dry conditions lead trees to release pheromones that attract bark beetles, exacerbating an epidemic of dying forests in the state of California.
16:38
Apps That Turn Your Workout Into a Game
Activity trackers like the Fitbit and the Apple Watch aim to make fitness more fun by incorporating elements of gameplay. But does it work?
16:22
A Wine’s Tint Can Color Your Perception
The color of wine can prime your brain to expect a certain aroma and taste—a detail that’s useful to both winemakers and psychologists.