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Science Friday is your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner
Kai Sander’s photograph of a snowy cornfield was the audience favorite in SciFri’s Winter Nature Photo Contest.
Estimate Pi by Dropping Sticks
A simulator based on one of the oldest problems in geometrical probability approximates pi.
Dispatches from SXSW Interactive 2014
SciFri is in Austin to check out the latest in innovation.
How Scientists Are Learning to Read Our Minds
An excerpt from “The Future of the Mind.”
Utah’s Winter Haze a Pollution Problem
The Salt Lake Valley’s topography lends itself to a natural phenomenon called an inversion, which traps air pollution.
How to Make an Artificial Muscle Out of Fishing Line
You’ll need fiber, some weights, a motor, and a heat gun to get you started.
Pick the Winner of SciFri’s Winter Nature Photo Contest
Time to choose your favorite winter snapshot out of our 10 finalists.
A Beer Bottle Prank Is A Lesson In Fluid Mechanics
Scientists used a high speed camera to study how tiny carbon dioxide bubbles in beer rapidly expand and rise.
For Privacy, Teens Use Encoded Messages Online
This excerpt from “It’s Complicated” explores how advances in technology afford teens new ways of communicating secretively.
How Dogs Are Helping Us Understand Ourselves
Dogs are helping improve our understanding of various human maladies and how we might treat them.
How a London Sewer Inspired a Search for Unusual Sounds
What might be considered a sound “defect” can be fascinating to listen to.
Letting the Inner Athlete Shine, With a Techno-Boost
For Olympians, there’s interplay between natural athletic ability and suits that provide that extra edge.
Why Olympic Curling Stones Come From This Scottish Island
A small Scottish island is now the sole source of Olympic curling stone granite.
Meet John Weller, Our Winter Nature Photo Contest Judge
This nature photographer is drawn to pictures that capture a subject’s essence and tell a story.
The Internet’s Dark Side, Exposed in Three New Films
Three documentaries raise important questions about Internet use, from its effect on our personal relationships to our right to access information.
A Nanoparticle Heart
This heart-shaped nanoparticle contains a trio of elements that helps drive the oxidation of ethanol in fuel cells.
Seeing (and Feeling) the Future of Virtual Reality With the Oculus Rift
SciFri tests out the cutting-edge virtual reality device at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Vote in SciFri’s Winter Nature Photo Contest
Vote for your favorite winter snapshot in the contest.
The New Frontiers of Filmmaking, at Sundance
This year, the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier exhibition explored humanity’s evolving relationship with technology.