Articles
Science Friday is your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science.
Breakthrough: Portraits Of Women In Science
Explore our short film anthology that follows women working at the forefront of their fields.
Bringing Color Back To The Dead
Conservators at the American Museum of Natural History are experimenting with how to recolor fading taxidermy displays.
The Stars Behind Our Stellar Classification System
Author Dava Sobel explains how a group of women astronomers helped develop the classification system that scientists use to identify stars today.
Space, Seen Through A Window
Astronaut Don Pettit has taken thousands of mesmerizing images during his three missions to the International Space Station.
What Happens If We Detect Extraterrestrial Intelligence?
Finding communicative aliens is a long shot, but if we do, here are a few next steps to consider.
How to Choose the Best Apples for Cooking
Varieties that are best for eating aren’t the best for cooking, and vice versa.
The Fungi In Your Future
A new start-up reimagines fungi as a multi-faceted, “programmable” material.
How to Make Your Own Pop-Up Creature
Learn how to make your own pop-up character from a master pop-up book engineer.
Earth’s Next Frontier: The Anthropocene
Scientists say the earth has entered a new geological epoch: The Anthropocene. Author David Biello on what humans will have to do to make the planet endure.
Crazy Eights: The Extraordinary Eyes of the Jumping Spider
How does the jumping spider use its eight eyes to make sense of the world?
Seeing The Patterns In Sound
A pair of artists finds ghostly imagery in sound vibrations.
A Chair Fit for Dancing
A “smart” power wheelchair enables dancers to move in new directions.
Making An Entrance: The First Black Women At Langley Lab
In this excerpt from “Hidden Figures,” Margot Lee Shetterly describes the integration of Black female mathematicians at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.
Above the Ice, an Artist Goes Deep
Artist Justin Brice Guariglia will be collaborating with NASA in Greenland to explore how its icy landscape is changing.
What Your Lips Might Say About You
Researchers are studying what lip prints and other subtle physical traits might reveal about the etiology of cleft lip and palate.
What It’s Like to Walk in Space for the First Time
Astronaut Mike Massimino describes his first spacewalk during the famous mission to repair the Hubble telescope.
Don’t Be Scared Of These ‘Dead Man’s Fingers’
These protrusions might look spooky, but they’re just the fruiting bodies of a wood decay fungus.
How To Survive The Anthropocene
A new collection of essays curated by environmentalist James Lovelock aims to help people better understand the earth.
Reimagining the Astronomical Objects of Messier
An artist finds inspiration in the celestial frustrations of astronomer Charles Messier.