Cooking with Chemistry
Chef Wylie Dufresne, the owner of New York City restaurant wd~50, experiments with food, literally. He has lab notebooks detailing what certain chemicals do to certain dishes. One of his signature dishes is a spin on eggs Benedict: he found that creating the plate’s centerpiece–a cube of fried hollandaise sauce–required a lot of scientific testing. Science Friday stopped in at Dufresne’s kitchen to see how he prepares the dish.
How To Make A Junk Guitar
So you want to jam like a rock star, but you don’t want to shell out for an electric guitar? Make one yourself.
How Jane Goodall Got Her Start
Ira talks with primatologist Jane Goodall, 50 years after her first encounters with the chimpanzees of the Gombe.
High Schoolers Give Hot Dog A DNA Test
Brenda Tan and Matthew Cost, high school seniors from Trinity School in New York City, used a technique called DNA barcoding to find out what species were present in over 200 animal products.
Turing Award Winner Barbara Liskov
Ira talks with Barbara Liskov, the winner of this year’s Turing Award, what’s been called the Nobel Prize of computing research.
Jane Goodall On The Future Of Evolutionary Science
In this segment, Ira talks with primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall about her work in studying chimpanzees, preserving habitats, and what lies ahead for the field of evolutionary science.
Water Balloons in Space
About ten years ago, two scientists had a little extra time on board NASA’s low gravity aircraft and came up with the idea of popping water balloons.
Spore and Evolution
How close is the new computer game Spore to the way evolution really works?
Building Social Robots
Sure, robots can weld car parts or stack cartons on an assembly line. But can they develop friendships with people? In this hour, Ira talks with inventors developing robots with personalities. How soon will it be before social, lovable robots enter our homes?
Oliver Sacks: ‘Musicophilia’
How does music affect the brain? Join Ira in this segment for a conversation with neurologist and author Oliver Sacks about the brain and music.