On Today's Podcast
Should Pluto be a planet again?
NASA's administrator wants to reclassify Pluto as a planet, reigniting a 20-year controversy over its status in our solar system.
Listen NowApril 3, 2026
The Artemis II mission has launched, and its four astronauts are en route to the moon for a lunar flyby. Plus, one scientist wants to put bioengineered algae to work cleaning microplastics out of wastewater. And, you probably shouldn’t spend time on your phone while you’re on the toilet, and other pooping tips from a gastroenterologist.
11:51
The Buzz Over Non-Bee Pollinators
A look at the pollinating ‘personalities’ of moths, beetles, and flies.
06:46
Who’s Pollinating Your Backyard?
The Great Sunflower Project is using crowdsourced data to examine the effects of pesticides on pollinators, and how to improve their habits.
26:47
So You Wanna Be A Beekeeper?
SciFri contributing editor John Dankosky is a first-time beekeeper, and he has questions.
It’s Time For A Springtime Showdown: Vote For Your Pollinator Pick
Three scientists present their choice for the primo pollinator—and you get to vote and decide this year’s winners!
A Pollinator Palooza Adventure: The Great Sunflower Project
Discover all the ways to participate in crowdsource science this month and ask some budding experts your questions about the pollinators!
It’s A Pollinator Palooza For Citizen Science Month
Science Friday is an official partner for Citizen Science Month! Join us this April to participate in a crowdsource science project.
Diction Dash: You Asked, We Answer
Let’s play a game: Guess the meaning or backstory of a word.
Chow Down On Our Book Club Pick—Before It’s Extinct
This April and May, The SciFri Book Club team is cooking up all kinds of festivities to celebrate this spring’s Book Club pick, ‘Lost Feast.’
12:07
A Year Of Staying Home Has Led To A Global Chip Crisis
Semiconductors are in high demand, disrupting global supply chains, and more from this week’s science news.
16:05
How To Milk A Tick
Compounds in tick saliva can reveal to how these parasites can create anesthetics and anticoagulants to breakdown human and animal defenses.
12:09
In New York, Essential Workers Face Eviction
A recent analysis of court data shows that Black and Latino neighborhoods hardest hit by coronavirus are also facing more evictions.
9:07
Allergy Season Is Blooming With Climate Change
Climate change is triggering plants to produce pollen earlier and earlier, making allergy season longer and more intense.
8:16
Flowers Are Finding New Hues In A Climate Crisis
For more than a century, changes in temperature and aridity have impacted the hues of nature.
15:55
I Dream Of Octopuses, But Do They Dream About Me?
Sleepy times for these cephalopods are revealing new clues about memory and learning.
17:03
The Mental Health Costs Of ‘Everyday’ Racism
The long history anti-Asian racism in the United States, and how discrimination impacts your health.
Preview: The Science Friday Book Club Reads ‘Lost Feast’
Lenore Newman explores the history (and extinction) of some food favorites in ‘Lost Feast.’ We’ll read it together this spring.
The Very First Leftovers Were Made From Mammoth Meat
From this spring’s SciFri Book Club pick, learn how early humans developed concepts like dry-aging to make mammoth meat tastier and last longer.
Environmental Justice: Evaluating Zip Codes And Pollution Burdens
Who bears the pollution burden? Use data to determine the pollution burden for a community and the systems that contribute to environmental injustice.
Why Hawaii Is The Perfect Place For Rainbows
From sacred symbols to colorful displays of physics, local experts in Hawaii seek to understand the natural wonders of rainbows.
11:55
Rise In Anti-Asian Violence Is At The Intersection Of Racism And Disease
The recent murders of six Asian-American women in Atlanta are not the first time the community has been the victim of racist scapegoating connected to disease.