On Today's Podcast
How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
A flu variant called subclade K emerged too late to be fully covered by this year's vaccine. But the flu shot can still help protect you.
Listen NowJanuary 23, 2026
An epidemiology study finds that variations in one gene play a major role in determining the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Plus, X’s Grok AI is undressing users, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg with fake imagery online. What can we do about deepfakes? And, Louisiana communities continue collecting data on industrial pollution, despite a law restricting its use.
SciFri Book Club Open Thread: ‘The Andromeda Strain’
Here are some ideas to get the conversation started.
The Minimalist Brain
Artist Greg Dunn combines his two passions: neuroscience and Asian-inspired painting.
19:20
Canine Conundrum: How Dog Became Man’s Best Friend
Scientists have long debated how—and when—dogs first became domesticated.
22:42
Shoring Up the Nation’s Crumbling Coastlines
Can beaches be rebuilt to face fiercer storms and rising seas? Is there even enough sand to do it?
4:27
Months After Sandy, Mucking and Gutting
Mold has become a concern for residents of a Sandy-damaged neighborhood in Queens.
7:12
Cold Snap Shakes Up Winter Weather Outlook
Climatologist Jeff Weber explains why this winter could pack a punch.
9:57
Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Encoded in DNA
If all the world’s information were encoded as DNA, it would fit in the back of a station wagon.
5:06
Turning Girl Scout Cookies Into Graphene
Scientists have transformed baked goods into graphene, worth two million times the price of gold.
24:17
The Book Club Catches ‘The Andromeda Strain’
The Science Friday book club chats about Michael Crichton’s 1969 classic sci-fi thriller.
Mold Compounds Sandy’s Destruction
The Rockaways, a Queens, N.Y. neighborhood, is still recovering from Sandy. Debris from fires lingers on the streets, and buildings torn apart by the storm are crumbling on the beach. But those with restored heat and power have another concern: mold.
Water on Mars, Sea Creatures, NFL Concussions
Once more, lots of intriguing stories making the news this week. Here are a few of my favorites.
An Illustrated Guide to the Mysterious
In a new book, artists illustrate the big (and not-so-big) questions in science.
Researchers Dig In to the Genetics of Burrowing
Complex behaviors, such as the way some mice dig burrows, can be affected by changes to just a handful of genes.
12:04
Inventors Design Lamp Powered Entirely by Gravity
The gravity-powered device uses a weight to generate up to 30 minutes of light as it descends.
17:01
Colossal Quasar Clump Too Huge to Exist, in Theory
Astronomers have discovered a clump of 73 quasars spanning four billion light years at its widest point — that’s like 40,000 Milky Way galaxies lined end-to-end.
17:35
How Do You Fend Off the Flu?
Aside from getting the flu shot, how do you outsmart the wily flu virus? Hoard hand sanitizer? Dodge door knobs? Or quietly slink away from a coughing commuter?
11:59
Dementia Takes the Stage in ‘The Other Place’
Laurie Metcalf is a scientist suffering from the dementia she studies in the play ‘The Other Place.’
23:52
Edward Tufte Wants You to See Better
The “Galileo of graphics” discusses his latest project: helping people to see information through “fresh” eyes.
10:22
Beijing Grapples with Record Air Pollution
Severe smog is raising concerns about the cost of China’s rapid industrialization.