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.
Chili Peppers
A look at where chili peppers’ signature heat comes from. Plus, which is the hottest of them all?
The Agony And Ecstasy Of Capsaicin
Marco Tizzano explains how capsaicin creates a chemical cascade inside your body and why emotions might make chili lovers think they can handle the heat.
Four Ways ‘Oryx and Crake’ Predicted the Future
Margaret Atwood’s book is fiction, but the cutting-edge research she writes about is real.
The Hottest Pepper in the World
Consuming the Carolina Reaper is “kind of like eating molten lava.”
Do Other Animals Show Handedness?
Humans aren’t the only species where righties outnumber lefties.
Birding as a Gateway to Environmental Education
Audubon New York’s For The Birds program uses local birds to connect New York elementary school students to their neighborhood ecosystems.
The Operation That Created ‘Patient H.M.’
Author Luke Dittrich retells the story of the surgery his grandfather performed on Henry Molaison, which resulted in an unintended, life-changing side effect.
16:57
As Automation Advances, Are Jobs in Danger?
As “robots that can weld cars” give way to “robots that can drive cars,” what’s ahead for the workforce?
9:48
Rio Redux: A Second Life for the City’s Olympic Architecture
City officials plan to repurpose Olympic structures as schools, dormitories, and community parks.
7:29
This Battery Will Self-Destruct in 30 Minutes
New research in the emerging field of transient electronics brings us one step closer to a spy-movie future.
12:17
Debating Science in the 2016 Election
A group proposes 20 science-based policy questions for the presidential candidates to address in the months ahead.
17:18
On the Hunt for New Particles in Physics
What could sterile neutrinos, gravitons, and axions tell us about the Standard Model?
4:17
People Don’t Like Clickbait. You’ll Never Believe Facebook’s Reaction.
Can Facebook’s new algorithm tackle clickbait?
7:49
The ‘World Champion of Doping,’ Rio Record-Breaking, and More
Reporter Maggie Koerth-Baker talks about the East German heavyweight lifter Gerd Bon, and why marathoners won’t break records in Rio.
16:27
Remembering Henry Molaison, the Man Who Kept Forgetting
The most famous patient in neuroscience is the subject of a new book by the grandson of the man who changed his brain forever.
Getting Fundamental With Lisa Randall
The theoretical particle physicist offers advice to aspiring scientists.
The Microbes We Share
Science writer Ed Yong describes the diverse ways that scientists and citizen scientists are studying our microbiomes.
SciFri Book Club Live: A Conversation with Margaret Atwood
Come talk “Oryx and Crake” with the author herself!
Book Club: ‘Oryx and Crake’
The #SciFriBookClub has chosen a gripping summer read: Margaret Atwood’s “Oryx and Crake.”
