On Today's Podcast
For Jennifer Chayes, math is a 'native tongue'
Jennifer Chayes’ game-changing ideas in math and computer science helped pave the way for today’s innovations in machine learning and AI.
Listen NowSeptember 4, 2026
Moderna and Merck say an mRNA vaccine reduced melanoma recurrence in a clinical trial. Food recalls abounded this summer, but was it unusual? Scientists are trying to decode the hallucinogenic properties of a mushroom that makes people see tiny humans. Plus, why some modern cars catch fire. And, the game-changing work of a researcher who sees math as a “native tongue.”
A Portal to the Multiverse
Author Blake Crouch tells the story of a man who invents a machine that can access multiple realities.
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
Get tips and tricks for exploring birding with learners in this story about Audubon New York’s For The Birds! program.
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!
