November 22, 2024
On the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery, paleoanthropologists reflect on what she taught us about ourselves. Plus, divers have recovered seeds of a long-lost rye variety from a 146-year-old shipwreck in Lake Huron. And, a potato researcher explains potato varieties, potato nutrition, and some tubular tuber facts.
17:00
Is This The Dawning Of The ‘Age Of Schadenfreude?’
Taking pleasure from someone else’s pain may make you feel like a jerk, but it’s a very natural emotion.
16:31
The Deadly Proteins Stalking Deer
Prions that cause Chronic Wasting Disease are devastating deer populations. Clues to solutions may lie in soil science.
33:44
What Happens When You Double Dip That Chip?
Does double-dipping a chip really infect the dip? Is the five-second rule real? Plus, a look at other food myths.
The Science Behind The Five-Second Rule
Let’s dig into the science and history of this urban myth.
Do Babies Experience Schadenfreude?
Author Tiffany Watt Smith and her nine-month-old baby meet with a developmental psychologist to find out what makes infants laugh—and when humans begin to experience joy out of other’s misfortunes.
The Best Of Science Friday, 2018
From Usain Bolt and volcanoes to a kid scientist-to-be and caterpillars, the Science Friday staff share their favorite stories from 2018.
Discovering The Past Through Dino Poop
Inside these fossilized feces is a fortune of information about ancient ecosystems.
6:17
Three Years Later, Checking In On The Paris Accord
Countries are discussing carbon emissions in a new political (and changing) climate.
5:13
The Complex Calls Of City-Living Frogs
Living in the city means that male túngara frogs have more complex calls than their country cousins, but ‘more complex’ doesn’t necessarily mean better.
7:45
Why Are Raccoons So Good At Getting Into Your Garbage?
Does success in the urban jungle require dexterity or cleverness? Or both?
29:31
New Space Telescopes Race For A New View Of The Cosmos
The James Webb Space Telescope is a decade late and billions of dollars over budget. But astronomers are already setting their sights on its successors.
16:27
‘Dear Science Friday, Can You Study The Asp Caterpillar?’
Second grader Nina Del Bosque sent SciFri a letter with a question about stinging caterpillars. We introduce her to a biologist to answer her caterpillar curiosities.
26:01
To Battle Cancer, First Understand The Immune System
Cancer immunotherapy has dramatic success in some cases, but not all. Researchers are trying to learn why.
ROVs: The Swiss Army Knife Of The Ocean
These versatile machines keep deep sea explorers above water where it’s safer, but is operating an ROV really just like operating a big remote control car?
The Mass Extinction Detectives
The End Triassic extinction paved the way for the dinosaurs by killing their competition—in an event that looks like climate change today.
The Mass Extinction Detectives
The End Triassic extinction paved the way for the dinosaurs by killing their competition—in an event that looks like climate change today.
6:49
A Busy Week In Space
If all goes according to plan, seven rockets will lift off this week.
5:17
Controlling Mosquitoes, By Releasing Mosquitoes
A mosquito-control trial in California involves producing—and releasing—millions of bacteria-infected males into the ecosystem.
21:42
So You Want To Grow Hemp
With Congress poised to legalize growing hemp, how does a ‘new’ plant become a thriving agricultural product? Plus, the science of CBD.
12:31
The Cold Case Of The Triassic Phytosaurs
Paleontologist Randy Irmis and his team are searching for phytosaur fossils to piece together the changes that happened during the End Triassic mass extinction.