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.
22:17
Apple Science, From American Beauty to Zestar
Between new crosses and old heritage varieties, there’s a world of apples beyond the Red Delicious.
12:08
Piecing Together the Puzzle of Insect Evolution
One hundred researchers studied 144 insect species to fill in the blanks of insects’ evolutionary history.
17:48
Opening Up the Synthetic Biology Toolkit
Synthetic biologist Christopher Voigt and biotechnologist Stephen Streatfield discuss current trends in synthetic biology.
17:17
Spilling Our Guts: Decreased Diversity in the Human Microbiome
How can hospital stays and the evolution from apes to humans change the diversity of our microbiome?
12:40
George Washington Carver: Renaissance Man
Carver was a painter, singer, and piano teacher, taught farmers the virtues of crop rotation, and developed hundreds of recipes for peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecans.
10 Questions for Allen Bard, Father of Modern Electrochemistry
Allen Bard might be known for pioneering research in electrochemiluminescence, among other contributions to science, but he counts his students as his proudest achievement.
Death Under Glass
An exhibit at Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum offers a peek through a forensic pathologist’s microscope.
11:42
Ebola Vaccines Fast-Tracked As Outbreak Slows
Jon Cohen, a staff writer covering the outbreak for Science magazine, says that despite the vaccines’ success in monkeys, their efficacy in humans is far from guaranteed.
8:41
Could This 3-D Printer Print Itself?
This week, HP announced its new 3-D printer, which it claims can print materials strong enough to lift up a car—and do it 10 times faster than anything on the market today.
8:39
Scientists Sniff Smelly Comet
The Rosetta spacecraft has detected the scent of a comet…and it stinks.
8:07
Countering Memory Loss With Cocoa Compounds
Researchers try to counteract age-related memory decline with cocoa flavanols.
8:01
Creature Double Feature
Witness two tales that will make your skin crawl and your mind reel with fear and curiosity.
11:33
Doctors ‘Unwrap’ a 3,000-Year-Old Mummy
Radiologists use CT scans to piece together the life, and death, of Egyptian mummies.
17:34
A Haunted House Turned Scientists’ Lab
Scientists turn Pittsburgh’s ScareHouse into a real-world lab to discover why some brains thrive on fear.
17:05
Behind the Monster Music: Why Some Tunes Scare Us
Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin and Sound Opinions co-host Jim DeRogatis discuss the neuroscience of spooky songs.
Creature Double Feature: Zombies and Bloodsuckers
Witness two tales that will make your skin crawl and your mind reel with fear and curiosity.
Gift Of The Mummy
A patient more than 3,000 years-old takes a turn through a CT scanner.
Invasion of the Zombees: A Bee Horror Film
Up and down the West coast of the U.S., bees are leaving their hives, flying around at night and then suddenly dropping dead – Learn why!
#ObserveEverything Reflection
Experience the Science Club’s #ObserveEverything project.