February 28, 2025
A federal DEI ban is already prompting changes across science agencies. How will it affect medical research? A journalist traveled to five continents to learn about the afterlife of our trash, and why most “recyclable” plastic actually isn’t. And, the ocean liner SS United States will become an artificial reef in Florida. How do artificial reefs work?
10:56
Soft Robot Gives Jellyfish A Hug
Studying the ocean’s delicate creatures requires a soft (robotic) touch.
12:20
Hurricane Watch And An Ocean Arrival
All eyes are on the Atlantic this week as Hurricane Dorian approaches, and Greta Thunberg arrives in New York City.
17:55
What We Know And Don’t Know About The Mysterious Vaping Illness
An Illinois patient died from the illness last week. Now, health researchers are investigating the dangers of vaping and how it should be regulated.
17:27
Use These Free STEM Resources Made For Teachers, By Teachers
The teachers of today are training the scientists of the future with lessons from SciFri’s Educator Collaborative.
35:03
Retooling The Tourism Industry Under A Changing Climate
From the ski slopes to casinos, how climate change is affecting the tourism industry in Lake Tahoe and other recreation communities.
Movement And Mutualism: Modeling Ecosystem Interactions
In this educational resource, students will use dance to represent ecosystem relationships.
6:11
The Amazon Is Burning
Brazil is overseeing unprecedented destruction of the world’s natural resource.
5:32
What’s The Charge… For An Electric Car Charge?
In North Carolina, electric vehicle charging stations will start operating more like gas pumps.
12:15
Trying To Find Life On Mars? Start In The Australian Outback.
The Mars 2020 mission will search for ancient life on Mars. It might know what to look for thanks to a primordial rock in the Australian outback.
17:37
How We Use Land Contributes To Climate Change
The 2019 IPCC Report explains how proper land management could help or hurt the environment.
17:27
Are Firefly Populations ‘Blinking Out’?
Fireflies are vulnerable to habitat loss, pesticides, and light pollution.
34:04
SciFri Book Club: One For The Birds
A celebration of the tool-users, the problem-solvers, and the songbirds. Plus, can we ever truly understand animal minds?
Make Your Own Sauropod Poop!
How did dinosaurs digest the food they ate? Using modern animals as models, make your own digestive system to learn more.
7:56
The Trump Administration Rolls Back The Endangered Species Act
Regulators will soon consider lost revenue of protecting endangered species, and other stories in this week’s News Roundup.
3:54
Are Electric Scooters Actually Good For The Environment?
Researchers tallied up the carbon emissions in a scooter’s life cycle and found they’re not as green as you’d think.
12:27
Catching A Texas Batnado
San Antonio is home to one of the largest known bat colonies with over 15 million bats.
17:40
Supporting Texas’ Feathered Friends
How human actions—from bird feeders to wind farms—can affect the health of bird populations.
17:37
Welcome To One Of The Deadliest Labs In The World
Take a (safe) peek inside the Texas Biomedical Institute in San Antonio, where scientists study diseases like Ebola.
33:44
Where There’s Thunder, There’s Lightning Science
How researchers probe the mysteries of electricity in the atmosphere, one lightning storm at a time.
Binary, Pixels, And Data, Oh My! Studying How Computers Store Information
In this hands-on classroom activity, students learn how computers actually store and transmit data.