Stories
Science Friday is your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science.
The Roots Of The Tangled Genetic Tree
In this excerpt from David Quammen’s “The Tangled Tree,” meet the people who saw that evolution is more complex than you’d think.
The Invisible Forest Under The Sea
Half of the planet’s oxygen comes from tiny plant-like organisms under the ocean’s surface.
The Man Who Builds Beaches
In this excerpt from “The World in a Grain,” beach sand is gold. Illegal sand mining and rising seas are shrinking beaches, but this man is working to replenish them.
The Alluring Beauty Of Supersymmetry
In this excerpt from “Lost in Math,” Sabine Hossenfelder explains how the idea of supersymmetry is just too beautiful for scientists to ignore.
What You Said: Your Physics Questions, Explained
You told us which physics concept has always stumped you. Two physicists weighed in.
Shakespeare’s Starlings And The City
Introduced to North America by a Shakespeare enthusiast, starlings become a test case of urban evolution in this excerpt of “Darwin Comes To Town.”
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quark’
It’s a tale of particle physics, Aristotle, and James Joyce.
It’s Time For A Time Traveler Cocktail Party!
On August 21 in NYC, experience Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time’ through games and curious concoctions.
‘A Brief History Of Time’: Artist Challenge
The Science Friday Book Club invites you to submit your artistic imaginings of Stephen Hawking’s visions of the universe.
A Celebration Of Great Science Writing!
On August 16 in Chicago, ‘Undiscovered’ host Annie Minoff joins authors David Quammen and Sy Montgomery for an evening of literary discovery.
If You Smelt It, The Corpse Flower Dealt It
A corpse flower bloomed at the New York Botanical Garden. Its smell lives up to its name.
The Map That Changed How We View The West
John Wesley Powell’s map of the American West sectioned off by watersheds offered a bold new vision of the region.
What Did Ancient Whales Look Like?
Author and curator Nick Pyenson describes the similarities and differences between humans and our distant mammalian relatives.
These Science Books Were Made For Summer. Take Our Word For It.
The SciFri staff recommends our favorite summertime science beach reads.
Mapping The Journey Of Marine Animal Migrations
Locked within each map is a story.