February 7, 2025
Some research shows that e-cigarettes can be a useful tool for quitting cigarettes, but that strategy is hotly contested by scientists. Plus, an investigative journalist outlines how fraud and misconduct have stalled the search for effective Alzheimer’s treatments in a new book. And, why snow has that crisp, clean smell.
16:28
How Science Can Keep Your Christmas Tree Merry And Bright
Science Friday is coming in hot with tips to help keep your holidays stress- and needle-free.
11:51
Glitter Gets An Eco-Friendly Glimmer
Chemists have developed a new way to make eco-friendly glitter from plant fibers.
12:05
The Resurrection Of The American Chestnut
A once-common food staple, this giant tree has essentially disappeared from American forests. Can we bring it back—and should we?
17:13
A DNA Map You Can Touch—Or Walk Through
What started as an inside joke has turned into a fantastical collaboration between an artist and a physicist studying DNA.
12:03
A Look Back At The Top Science Stories of 2022
Tim Revell of New Scientist recaps the year in science, from the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope to the spread of Mpox.
5:16
The Secret Life Of Mistletoe (When It’s Not Christmas)
This parasitic plant grows in deserts and forests around the world and steals trees’ nutrients.
12:24
How The Humble Beaver Shaped A Continent
European settlers nearly wiped out the North American beaver. Bringing them back may soften future floods and fires.
Read ‘Beaverland’ By Leila Philip With The SciFri Book Club
This book gives space to all walks of life touched by beavers—with a lot of science tucked into every page.
Honoring The Deep Weirdness That Is The Beaver
How smart are beavers? Why did they start building dams? We may never know, but Leila Philip’s new book ‘Beaverland’ starts the conversation.
Welcome to Beaverland: SciFri Book Club Author And Expert Livestream
On January 26, join our chat with the author of ‘Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America’ about this peculiar keystone species.
A Middle School Celebrates STEAM
Science Friday and Richmond Hill Middle School have partnered to bring you a series of middle school STEAM lessons designed to slide into any subject
12:15
Scientists Reach Breakthrough In Nuclear Fusion
After decades of research, scientists announced they created a reaction that made more energy than they put in.
13:12
A Promising New Treatment Emerges For Multiple Myeloma
The experimental new therapy, which showed more than 70% success in trials, could change lives for patients with the incurable blood cancer.
4:00
Growing Christmas Trees In A Warming World
Oregon is responsible for a quarter of the country’s Christmas trees. It’s also dealing with increased heat waves that are threatening its tree industry.
33:27
Ready, Set, Play: 2022’s Best Science Fiction Games
Nerd out with the newest science fiction and science-inspired video and board games of the year (and the slightly recent past).
12:17
To Stop Whale Strikes, Ships Were Asked To Slow Down. It Worked
NOAA found that when ships decreased their speed during migration times, whale fatalities were cut in half.
16:32
How The Transistor Transformed The World
The invention of the transistor 75 years ago made the modern age possible, thanks to its ability to amplify or switch electrical signals.
17:31
Medicine Is Failing Disabled Patients. Meet The Doctors Pushing For Change
A series of studies reveals a majority of doctors don’t feel confident they can give disabled patients the same level of care as their non-disabled patients. Our guests aim to change that.
The Best Of Science Friday, 2022
In a year of unpredictable news, science or otherwise, these are the stories that moved, inspired & fascinated Science Friday’s staff.
11:40
Wish A Happy 190th Birthday To Jonathan The Tortoise
Plus, scientists have found the oldest known fragments of DNA.