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.
Meet Your Ancient Relatives — The Denisovans
Scientists sequenced the genome of a Denisovan—a distant cousin to modern humans and Neanderthals.
Time to Overhaul America’s Aging Bridges?
Experts say some 8000 bridges are in dire need of repair—but at what cost?
Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery
Researchers use time-lapse photography and a prosthetic plant to understand why cucumber tendrils twist.
Surveying the Mobile Landscape, Post Patent Battle
Will the Apple/Samsung patent ruling affect the phones and tablets consumers can buy?
Meet the Brains Behind ‘Bones’
Forensic anthropologist and writer Kathy Reichs talks about her new novel “Bones Are Forever” and her ongoing work on the TV crime-fighting series “Bones.”
Gazing Up at a Double Sun
Astronomers have found multiple planets orbiting a double star system.
The World Remembers Neil Armstrong
A goodbye to Neil Armstrong: Pilot, pioneer, and the first person to walk on the Moon.
Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery
Plants may be stationary, but they’re rarely still, says biologist Roger Hangarter, creator of the website Plants in Motion.
Curiosity Rover Zaps a Rock, Starts to Roll
The rover is on its way to Glenelg, an area where scientists hope to drill into bedrock.
Tree Rings Tell Tales of Ancient Fires and Climate
Are the movements of wildfires as predictable as the weather? And does climate change cause bigger, hotter blazes?
Mapping the Birthplace of Modern Languages
Scientists have traced the roots of languages like English and Spanish back to present-day Turkey.
‘Carbon Nation’ Tackles Climate Change, By Ignoring It
‘Carbon Nation’ bills itself as a ‘climate change solutions movie, that doesn’t even care if you believe in climate change.’
David Eagleman Gets Inside Our Heads
Neuroscientist David Eagleman exposes our unconscious minds in his latest book Incognito.
Science of Good Dancing
Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave filmed men dancing, converted the videos into dancing avatars and asked women to rate the avatars’ dancing ability.
Some Docs Doubt Blood Type, Heart Disease Link
A study links type O blood with a lower risk of heart disease—but not all docs agree.
Aging City Pipes in Need of a Plumber’s Touch
Water travels to city dwellers by way of old, leaky pipes that are tricky to replace.
Solar Toilet Disinfects Waste, Makes Hydrogen Fuel
Caltech’s solar toilet took top prize in the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.
Working Towards a Universal Flu Vaccine
Vaccine researcher Gary Nabel discusses the ongoing quest to develop a universal flu vaccine.
Actress Danica McKellar Helps “Girls Get Curves”
Actress and math education advocate Danica McKellar tackles geometry in her latest book.
Massive “Phoenix Cluster” Supersizes Star Creation
Astronomers have found a massive galaxy cluster that’s making stars at a record pace.