On Today's Podcast
How do you study microplastics in a plastic-filled lab?
Measuring microplastics can be hard, partly because they're everywhere—including the lab. One researcher is working on solutions.
Listen NowMay 1, 2026
Birds are living dinosaurs whose ancestors include T. rex and giant penguins. Understanding their past can help us imagine their future. Plus, an executive order issued by President Trump aims to fast-track research for psychedelics, including ibogaine. What is it? And, measuring microplastics can be hard, partly because they’re everywhere—including the lab. One researcher is working on solutions.
5:14
Astronomers Play Hide-and-Seek with Supermassive Black Holes
Researchers estimate that there are millions of supermassive black holes hidden in the universe.
Track A Plant’s Movement
Are your plants moving without you knowing it? Catch your plant’s secret movements, called tropisms, in this hands-on activity.
The Antenna That Detected the Big Bang
An excerpt from “The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive.”
Mexico’s Singular Salamander
This critically endangered salamander reaches sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis.
Take the Science Friday Lollipop Challenge!
Test out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, and report back.
The Lollipop Hypothesis
Mathematicians studying fluid dynamics designed experiments to watch how lollipops dissolve.
Beyond the Pie Chart
Information designer David McCandless uses beautiful, complex graphics to illuminate science, leaving the lowly pie chart in the dust.
12:23
These Brains Changed Neuroscience
In “The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons,” science writer Sam Kean explains how the field of neuroscience emerged from stories of brains gone awry.
35:35
Does Math Matter?
In this live interview from the Aspen Ideas Festival, Ira asks mathematicians and educators if there’s a better way to learn math.
29:01
Can Marijuana Help or Hurt Adolescent Health?
A roundtable of scientists discuss ongoing research on the effects and potential applications of marijuana for adolescents in the United States.
11:46
Bringing Nature Back to Man-Made Spaces
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which was once a chemical weapons manufacturing site, is now one of the nation’s largest urban wildlife sanctuaries.
4:54
Why Do Cyclists Break the Rules?
A survey of 18,000 cyclists seeks to understand why some are more likely to follow traffic rules than others.
This Glass Orb Keeps An Eye On The Sun
This antique technology, called a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder, helps researchers maintain North America’s longest-running weather record.
12:16
Autonomous Trucks, Overgrown Goldfish, and an Edible Scientific Feud
Rachel Feltman of “The Washington Post” joins us for a roundup of her top science stories of the week.
5:05
A 40,000-Year-Old Jawbone Reveals Neanderthal Ancestry
Scientists find evidence of a modern human with a recent Neanderthal ancestor in Romania.
12:28
Author Ashlee Vance Explores the ‘Unified Theory of Elon Musk’
In his new book, “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,” journalist Ashlee Vance gives the inside story behind Musk’s “relentless drive and ingenious vision.”
16:41
Cephalopod Week Wrap-Up
A wrap of highlights from Cephalopod Week, and a check-in with SciFri education manager Ariel Zych and biologist Chuck Fisher aboard the exploration vessel “Nautilus.”
12:02
Move Over E.Coli: DARPA’s Quest for Next-Gen Bugs
Alicia Jackson, deputy director of DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office, says synthetic biology could be the next big thing for military innovation.
17:27
Meet Inside Out’s Emotion Coach
Psychology professor Dacher Keltner helped the filmmakers of the film “Inside Out” navigate the 11-year-old mind.