February 7, 2025
Some research shows that e-cigarettes can be a useful tool for quitting cigarettes, but that strategy is hotly contested by scientists. Plus, an investigative journalist outlines how fraud and misconduct have stalled the search for effective Alzheimer’s treatments in a new book. And, why snow has that crisp, clean smell.
17:05
Blockchain And Big Tech In China’s Countryside
Big tech companies in China are revitalizing rural areas with blockchain chicken farms and e-commerce villages.
They Burned All Their Ships
In Alberto Yanez’s short story ‘Burn the Ships,’ the Aztec people of Mexico reanimate the dead to fight their conquerors.
11:51
What Is The Status Of President Trump’s COVID-19 Case?
Reporter Umair Irfan discusses the experimental treatments President Trump received and who else in the White House may have been infected.
Breakthrough: The Galaxy Hunter
Learn about how astrophysicist Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil has defied odds—breaking cultural conventions and discovering a completely new kind of galaxy.
6:42
Talking About Black Holes And CRISPR With 2020 Nobel Prize Winners
Scientists awarded for discovering the Hepatitis C virus, the technique known as CRISPR, and black hole formation.
10:19
Doomscrolling? Here’s Non-COVID Science News You Might Have Missed
Stories lost amidst the focus on coronavirus, from a debate discussing climate, to the canniness of crows.
17:28
Science Friday Book Club: Technology, Magic, And Afrofuturism
Join us in reading Andrea Hairston’s short story about the tension between technology and magic, and a discussion about Afrofuturist literature.
17:16
A Breakthrough In A Mollusk Mystery
Freshwater mussels have been in decline for decades. New research shows viruses could be responsible.
29:20
Solar System Smackdown: Mars Vs. Venus
Both Mars and Venus have captured the interest of scientists, but which planet is the best candidate for finding signs of life?
Upgrade Your ‘Dumb House,’ Today
In this excerpt of the sci-fi anthology “New Suns,” Andrea Hairston’s short story ‘Dumb House’ follows a woman who resists upgrading her home with new technology.
Let’s Talk Black Holes, With New Nobel Prize Winner Roger Penrose
Last year, a winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics sat down with Pioneer Works to chat black holes, the universe, Penrose tilings, and consciousness.
Breakthrough: The Trauma Tracer
Follow Bianca Jones Marlin as she uses cutting-edge neuroscience to uncover how the effects of trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.
11:50
President Trump Tests Positive For COVID-19
What we might expect from the next few weeks of White House COVID news.
Book Club: ‘New Suns’
Dive into the metaphorical and metaphysical worlds in Nisi Shawl’s collection of speculative fiction.
17:06
Fact Check My Feed: Could A COVID-19 Vaccine Come Out Before Election Day?
During this week’s debate, President Trump made misleading claims about a timeline for a COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s what the experts have to say.
12:15
New Study Shows No Second Chance For Antarctic Ice Shelves
A new study predicting major sea level rise magnifies the need for fundamental changes to forestall catastrophe.
17:22
Ask An Expert: Why Do We Itch?
A professor of molecular and cellular biology explains the neuroscience behind itching and scratching.
17:08
Digging For Answers To Avians’ Ancestors
Paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor studies prehistoric bird fossils found in China to answer questions about the evolution of dinosaurs and flight.
17:25
Read A Collection Of Science Fiction With The Science Friday Book Club
Join us in exploring the far-out and the familiar with a new speculative fiction collection, edited by Nisi Shawl.
When The Dead Stay With Us
Read an excerpt of speculative fiction about literally carrying your dead loved ones with you from the SciFri Book Club pick ‘New Suns.’