January 31, 2025
When a fire burns in an urban area, it unleashes a slurry of chemicals. Scientists are trying to untangle the chemistry at play. Plus, early analysis of asteroid samples from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission shows the residue of an icy brine and a soup of amino acids. And, on the heels of some big quantum computing advances last year, what’s next in 2025?
17:11
Capturing the Sounds of Biodiversity
Researchers created a monitoring system to automatically record and analyze soundscapes of an area.
5:59
Eruptions on the Sun Set Off ‘Solar Tsunamis’
Scientists use the waves to measure the sun’s magnetic field, which is sometimes weaker than a fridge magnet.
10:40
Astronomers Spot Another Moon Around Neptune
The newly discovered moon, currently named S/2004 N 1, is just 12 miles across.
11:52
Fish Oil: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Researchers linked higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids to a higher risk of prostate cancer.
33:34
DIY Summer Hacks, From the Pool to the Grill
Try your hand at homemade sunscreen, water bottle rockets, and “cooler corn.”
Give Yourself A Hand With DIY Gripper
What high-tech materials are required for making a robotic hand that can pick up almost anything? Coffee grounds and a latex balloon.
T-Rex’s Rep, a Flying Bike, Living the High Life, and Mosquito Appetites
A roundup of science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
8:27
Not-So-Sweet Side Effects of Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners may negatively affect how the body metabolizes sweet foods.
21:11
Protecting Your Online Privacy
Worried about your online privacy? There are services that can help secure your information.
10:38
U.K. Team Plans E.T. Search
A newly formed group in the UK will join the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
5:50
Desktop Diaries: Jill Tarter
“People have described my office as an eight-year-old’s daydream,” says SETI scientist Jill Tarter.
8:22
Tracking Shifting Sands Along the Nation’s Coast
Hurricane Sandy tore through New York’s Fire Island, setting off debate about coastal management.
16:48
Surf’s Up for Pathogenic Viruses and Bacteria, Too
A gulp of seawater can expose swimmers to pathogens like norovirus, salmonella, and adenovirus.
8:21
Mysterious Radio Bursts, Sent From Deep Space
Physicists say the distant radio blasts could be traces of evaporating black holes.
12:03
Trying to Energize the Push for a Smart Grid
Can the country build an electrical system that can better adapt to a range of changing conditions?
Desktop Diaries: Jill Tarter
As the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute’s first employee, Tarter has accumulated E.T.-themed office ornaments for the last 30 years—including a bottle of wine to be opened “only upon detection of Extraterrestrial signal.”
Building Better Broccoli, a Nose Spray for Alzheimer’s?, Bedtime Blunders, and More
A roundup of science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
Operation Strawberry: One Artist’s Mission to Revive a Heritage Fruit
Through social networking and word of mouth, artist Leah Gauthier is helping preserve the Marshall strawberry, a fragile, juicy, heirloom plant. Just call her Jane Strawberryseed.
Rich Diversity of Life May Be Locked In Antarctic Lake
A new study suggests that a bevy of bacteria and other life could be dwelling in Lake Vostok.
Playing the Ol’ Armonica
Benjamin Franklin invented an instrument that takes musical glasses to a whole new level.