On Today's Podcast
As Companies Build Data Centers For AI, Communities Push Back
A boom in construction of AI data centers is facing backlash over soaring electricity and water usage, and the resulting utility hikes.
Listen NowDecember 5, 2025
A boom in construction of AI data centers is facing backlash over soaring electricity and water usage, and the resulting utility hikes. Plus, to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest, one plan suggests killing thousands of barred owls. And, geologist Anjana Khatwa explains how embracing wonder and awe adds to our scientific understanding of the rocks that form our planet.
The Axolotl: A Cut Above the Rest
The axolotl is a Mexican salamander with an incredible ability: Cut its leg off, and the limb will grow right back!
7:57
A Quantum Satellite, 500-Year Floods, and Scanning Your Purchases
Science journalist Amy Nordrum describes a Chinese experiment designed to test quantum communication systems. Plus, why scanning your own groceries could lead to sticky fingers.
00:17:03
The Spicy Science of Chili Peppers
What gives the hot habanero and mild jalapeño their “heat profile”?
00:12:02
Our Bodies May Fight Infection Better by Day
Mice appear to be more susceptible to viral infection during their sleep cycle, suggesting that circadian rhythms can affect our immune systems.
16:46
A Fast-Paced Thriller That’s a Tour Through the Multiverse
In “Dark Matter,” Blake Crouch crafts a thriller based on physics’ spookiest phenomena.
8:10
The Race to Build a Smaller Rocket
Rocket entrepreneurs are in competition to be the Uber for small satellites.
8:22
What Makes the Solar System Like a Crime Scene?
An icy space object with a rebellious orbit may be a clue to the mystery of the early solar system.
00:17:16
I, Twitter Bot
The weird, beautiful, and helpful world of automated Twitter accounts.
4:01
What Will More Research-Grade Marijuana Mean for Medical Studies?
The Drug Enforcement Administration has expanded the number of marijuana manufacturers that can grow and provide the drug to medical researchers.
A Portal to the Multiverse
Author Blake Crouch tells the story of a man who invents a machine that can access multiple realities.
Chili Peppers
A look at where chili peppers’ signature heat comes from. Plus, which is the hottest of them all?
The Agony And Ecstasy Of Capsaicin
Marco Tizzano explains how capsaicin creates a chemical cascade inside your body and why emotions might make chili lovers think they can handle the heat.
Four Ways ‘Oryx and Crake’ Predicted the Future
Margaret Atwood’s book is fiction, but the cutting-edge research she writes about is real.
The Hottest Pepper in the World
Consuming the Carolina Reaper is “kind of like eating molten lava.”
Do Other Animals Show Handedness?
Humans aren’t the only species where righties outnumber lefties.
Birding As A Gateway To Environmental Education
Get tips and tricks for exploring birding with learners in this story about Audubon New York’s For The Birds! program.
The Operation That Created ‘Patient H.M.’
Author Luke Dittrich retells the story of the surgery his grandfather performed on Henry Molaison, which resulted in an unintended, life-changing side effect.
16:57
As Automation Advances, Are Jobs in Danger?
As “robots that can weld cars” give way to “robots that can drive cars,” what’s ahead for the workforce?
9:48
Rio Redux: A Second Life for the City’s Olympic Architecture
City officials plan to repurpose Olympic structures as schools, dormitories, and community parks.
7:29
This Battery Will Self-Destruct in 30 Minutes
New research in the emerging field of transient electronics brings us one step closer to a spy-movie future.