On Today's Podcast
Fingernails And Indigestion At The 2025 Ig Nobel Prizes
The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate unusual scientific research—this year including lizard pizza preferences and fingernail growth.
Listen NowNovember 28, 2025
The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate unusual scientific research—this year including lizard pizza preferences and fingernail growth. Plus, in a conversation from August, exercise researchers discuss what physical activity does to mental health. And, in a story from February, a journalist explains the afterlife of our trash, and why most “recyclable” plastic actually isn’t.
22:40
This Doc’s Miracle Drug? Exercise
Doctor Jordan Metzl says specific cardio and strength training regimens can treat a variety of ills.
16:28
In a New Play, Trusty Sidekick Is a Supercomputer
Madeleine George’s new play explores our dependency on technology—and each other.
22:35
The Best Science Books Of 2013
Journalist Deborah Blum and Maria Popova of Brainpickings.org share their top science books of 2013.
24:30
Reggie Watts Builds a Synthesizer, Bit by Bit
How do synths work? Reggie Watts shows off a synthesizer you can build yourself.
Where Do the Geminids Come From? (Hint: It’s Not a Comet)
Evidence suggests that these fireballs don’t come from a comet, but an asteroid with a tail.
Building a Synth, Bit by Bit
A new tool and toy from littleBits teaches you how synthesizers work while you make electronic music.
Fritz Kahn’s Fantastical Journey Through the Body
The German graphic designer was a pioneer of popular science communication, using familiar objects as metaphors for biological processes.
The ‘Bunny Girl’ on the Moon
In 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts heard about a mythical goddess who lives on the moon with her rabbit companion.
‘The Simpsons’ Has Been Drip-Feeding Us Math
An excerpt from “The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets.”
12:03
China Shoots ‘Jade Rabbit’ Rover to the Moon
BBC science editor David Shukman talks about the motivations behind China’s moonshot.
34:17
The Simpsons’ Secret? It’s Written by Math Geeks
The secret behind “The Simpsons”‘ math jokes? A writers’ room full of ex-mathematicians.
15:02
Would More Technology Mean Safer Trains?
Seventy thousand miles of track will need to be outfitted with “positive train control” technology by 2015.
14:32
Speech Science: Tongue Twisters and Valley Girls
Unraveling the speech patterns behind tongue twisters and Valley girls. . .and boys.
17:06
Dissecting America’s $3 Trillion Medical Bill
Steven Brill discusses “Bitter Pill,” his investigation of skyrocketing healthcare costs.
Backstage at ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Being on set at the popular show left me starstruck.
Airplane of the Future?
This plane looks blue under ultraviolet light, but it’s designed to be green.
10 Questions for Mark Mello, Moth Man
The zoologist attributes his affinity for nature to a childhood of tromping outdoors.
The Choreographic World of Elizabeth Streb
Ira’s conversation with Action Architect Elizabeth Streb continues.
48:03
Annual Prizes Honor the Stranger Side of Science
The IgNobel Prizes salute unusual research, such as an investigation of dung beetle navigation.