On Today's Podcast
Are Raccoons On The Road To Domestication?
Recent studies on raccoons and dark-eyed juncos investigate how urban wildlife is evolving.
Listen NowJanuary 9, 2026
One year after the LA fires, the Community Brigade is equipping residents to prepare for, fight, and recover from wildfires. Plus, journalist Daisy Hernández chronicles the history of Chagas disease, also known as kissing bug disease, and how it changed her family’s story. And, recent studies on raccoons and dark-eyed juncos investigate how urban wildlife is evolving.
Behind-the-Scenes at the Explorers Club
Tour the unique artifacts, including a yeti scalp and four-tusked elephant, collected by Explorers Club members during research expeditions over the last century.
Belize’s Blue Hole Offers Clues To Mayan Collapse
Sediment cores from around the Yucatán Peninsula support a theory as to what could have led to the Mayans’ demise.
12:23
Which Cyber Hacks Should We Worry About?
Molly Sauter explains the scope and severity of recent cyber attacks.
23:15
The Long Quest to Make Machines Talk
Brad Story, a professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences, walks us through the history of talking machines, and computer scientists Alan Black and Rupal Patel talk about making computerized voices more personal and engaging.
9:02
Sea Turtles Guided Home by Magnetic Sense
Female turtles return to the coastlines where they hatched using the earth’s magnetic fields as a navigational tool.
11:31
The SciFri Book Club Reads ‘The Lost City of Z’
The SciFri Book Club cracks the cover of our winter book pick: David Grann’s non-fiction tale of Amazonian exploration, “The Lost City of Z.”
11:57
Does the ‘Innate Genius’ Stereotype Widen the STEM Gender Gap?
In a new study, academics rated philosophy—where women are earning less than 35 percent of the Ph.D.s—as a field where candidates need raw talent for success.
13:38
Spinning Theories on Planet Rotation
Scientists modeled how an exoplanet’s atmosphere could keep its rotation from locking up.
11:56
Tablets and Smartphones Might Be Sapping Your Sleep
Researchers say using tablets and smartphones before bedtime can shift your circadian rhythms.
The SciFri Book Club Searches for Lost Cities
Journey into the Amazonian jungle with David Grann’s “The Lost City of Z.”
The Green Comet
You might be able to spot this bright, verdant comet with the naked eye.
Engineer A ‘Filter Feeder’
Build and test a water filter inspired by marine filter feeding organisms.
11:53
CES 2015: Smart Mirrors, Autonomous Cars, and Safer Home Security
Re/code reviewer Lauren Goode gives her rundown of the best tech at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show.
17:20
Can Diet and Exercise Affect Your Genes?
Researchers are examining how exercise, diet, and your environment play a role in gene expression.
6:27
Sifting Soils for New Approaches to Antibiotics
Researchers report that they’ve isolated a new type of antibiotic compound from soil-dwelling bacteria that previously couldn’t be cultured.
10:13
A Broadway Hit, With an Autistic Math Whiz at Its Center
Actor Alex Sharp talks about playing a 15-year-old math whiz on the Autism spectrum in the hit Broadway play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”
6:28
The Cold Virus Seeks Safety in the Nose
One out of five people harbors a cold virus in their nose at any one time.
11:44
Diet Pill Mimics the Effects of Eating
The “imaginary meal” pill helps mice lose weight—but can it do the same in humans?
10:58
Mapping White-Nose Syndrome’s Lethal Course In Bats
Bats infected with white-nose syndrome use up twice as much energy during hibernation as uninfected bats.