On Today's Podcast
How Did Ancient Humans Use The Acoustics Of Spaces Like Caves?
What did a vulture-bone flute sound like inside a cave? How about singing inside a tomb? Researchers are bringing ancient sounds back to life.
Listen NowDecember 12, 2025
Over the past century, most cancer research has focused on the tumor itself. Rakesh Jain focused on the tumor’s environment instead. Plus, a glacier’s edge can be a dangerous place to do research. One team is using robots and sound samples to monitor the melting ice. And, when cases of plague pop up in the US, it can feel straight up medieval. It’s treatable, but how and why does it persist?
This Fish Sucks
Adam Summers of the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs, details how the Northern Clingfish takes the art of suction to new heights.
How Dogs Are Helping Us Understand Ourselves
Dogs are helping improve our understanding of various human maladies and how we might treat them.
How a London Sewer Inspired a Search for Unusual Sounds
What might be considered a sound “defect” can be fascinating to listen to.
Letting the Inner Athlete Shine, With a Techno-Boost
For Olympians, there’s interplay between natural athletic ability and suits that provide that extra edge.
Use Clues to Solve an Ice Mystery
Use the physical characteristics of ice to determine where and how several mystery samples could have been frozen.
9:15
Artificial Muscles Flex Using Fishing Line and Thread
Researchers create superhuman strength from sewing thread and fishing line.
20:13
Building an Open ‘Internet of Things’
Will the ‘Internet of Things’ be open to developers—or hindered by proprietary smart boxes?
16:48
App Chat: Social Media Gets Newsy
Ellis Hamburger, a reporter at The Verge, talks about why social media giants are betting on news.
6:51
Beneath a Sleeping Volcano, Magma Mush Lies in Wait
Despite what Hollywood might show you, there’s no big tank of liquid rock under a volcano. Stored magma spends most of its time as a crystalline mush.
22:37
The Science Behind The World’s Strangest Sounds
Acoustic engineer Trevor Cox recorded the world’s longest reverberation.
6:55
Olympians Look to Science for a Competitive Edge
Physiologist and aerospace engineer Troy Flanagan shares the science behind Olympic training.
9:41
Can Technology Build a Better Athlete?
Will the next big Olympics competition be a race for more technology?
Forecasting Avalanches
Using field tests and a deep understanding of how to identify weaknesses in the snow pack, staff members from the Utah Avalanche Center forecast avalanches and take preventive measures.
Why Olympic Curling Stones Come From This Scottish Island
A small Scottish island is now the sole source of Olympic curling stone granite.
Meet John Weller, Our Winter Nature Photo Contest Judge
This nature photographer is drawn to pictures that capture a subject’s essence and tell a story.
Sports Science
Exploring the science, physiology, and tech behind sports and athletics.
The Internet’s Dark Side, Exposed in Three New Films
Three documentaries raise important questions about Internet use, from its effect on our personal relationships to our right to access information.
SciArts at Sundance: Web Junkie
Science Friday attended the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and had a conversation with Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia, the directors of the feature documentary film, “Web Junkie.”
A Nanoparticle Heart
This heart-shaped nanoparticle contains a trio of elements that helps drive the oxidation of ethanol in fuel cells.
Test the Finger Wrinkle Hypothesis
Perform an experiment to determine whether smooth or wrinkled fingers are better at holding wet objects. The experiment requires only a water bottle, paperclip, and plastic ruler.
Downloads: Video, student data sheet, illustrated instructions