On Today's Podcast
Can Animal Super-Agers Teach Us Their Secrets?
Some animals seem to defy the rules of aging. Understanding how they do it could help us live longer, healthier lives.
Listen NowNovember 14, 2025
Neuroscientists are manipulating memories in mice in an effort to develop treatments for brain disorders. Plus, picking through a dozen vulture nests, scientists discovered hundreds of artifacts, including a sandal that could be more than 700 years old. And, Nobel prize winner Ardem Patapoutian tells the story of how he immigrated to the US, found belonging in science, and did groundbreaking work on sense of touch.
17:49
How The Past Hints About Our Climate’s Future
To narrow uncertainties about the future’s climate, researchers want to look to prehistoric fossil and ice records.
The Best Of Science Friday, 2020
2020 has been a remarkable and difficult year. Science Friday staff and listeners reflect on the most inspirational and impactful science stories of the year.
Capture The Scents Of The Season
Create a scent that captures the essence of the winter season—and explore why the smell of evergreens [or ‘sugar cookies’] can remind you of the holidays.
The Cookie Chemistry Challenge
Can you create the most crowd-pleasing cookie? Let kitchen chemistry help you explore how ingredients, timing, and temperature affect your cookie’s crumble.
12:07
COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin In The U.K.
Plus, Canada approves a vaccine, and the FDA may approve a vaccine for the US this week.
17:07
What Has Europe’s Green New Deal Accomplished In Its First Year?
Though the U.S. stalled in its progress toward a green economy, the European Union preserved through the pandemic toward its climate goals.
16:47
Charting A Path To Deliver The COVID-19 Vaccine
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved in the United States, the hard work of getting it produced and distributed begins.
12:12
Trump Administration Rushes To Sell Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Land For Drilling
Despite lawsuits and outcry, there’s a race to develop an important piece of Arctic habitat.
27:28
The Best Science Books Of 2020
Catch up on our list of books that celebrate some of the best science non-fiction reads you might have missed this year.
7:12
What’s In A (Hurricane) Name?
This year, we ran out of hurricane monikers. Why do we name hurricanes in the first place?
Surveying The Northern Lights
For nearly two decades, Don Hampton has been monitoring the Northern Lights in Alaska to understand the energy pouring down from auroras.
11:40
U.K. Approves Pfizer Vaccine
The U.K.’s emergency authorization approval could lead to vaccinations as soon as next week.
11:42
China’s Chang’e-5 Lander Touches Down On The Moon
China caps off an historic space mission, as the era of the Arecibo Observatory comes to a crashing end.
27:23
Science Friday’s Second Life: The Voyage Home
A decade ago, Science Friday helped build—and abandoned—our Second Life community. What happened next?
17:12
How Do Wildfires Affect Our Bodies?
What happens to our insides as the outside world burns?
22:15
David Attenborough Observes A Natural World In Crisis
The esteemed filmmaker and naturalist is still calling attention to wonder—and peril—in the natural world.
David Attenborough: To Save The Earth, Rethink The Economy
In Attenborough’s new book, he imagines a world economy that resembles the Amazon rainforest rather than one that values growth at all costs.
Tapping Into The Slime Mind
From ant colonies to single-celled slime mold, biologist Audrey Dussutour explores the wonders of animal cognition.
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12:04
Can You Get COVID-19 More Than Once?
Immunologists explain how your body remembers this virus, and what that might mean for a vaccine.