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.
Make a UV Detector
On a bright, sunny day, use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun in this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.
12:15
The Oldest Bird, a Distant Galaxy, and the Beard Microbiome
Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post joins us for a roundup of her top science stories this week.
17:10
Tales From ‘Big Pig’
Barry Estabrook’s latest book, “Pig Tales,” is a journey through the good, the bad and the ugly of hog farming.
9:46
The Science Club Looks Into the Heart of the Sun
This season’s Science Club challenge: Tell us what the sun does.
6:26
Flash of the Disco Clam
Reminiscent of the flashy dance halls and shag carpets of the ’70s, the disco clam flaunts frilly tentacles and its very own light show.
12:17
MicroRNA and Cancer Therapeutics
Could ingested plants be used as a delivery system of therapeutic microRNAs?
17:18
Eugenia Cheng: How To Bake Pi
In her new book How to Bake Pi, mathematician Eugenia Cheng cooks up digestible math lessons on number theory to topology.
14:13
Charting Music’s Big Revolutions
An evolutionary biologist brings big data to bear on 50 years of pop music history.
2:41
Animal Moms: From Lion to Mouse
Several scientists share stories of their favorite Animal Kingdom matriarchs with Science Friday, just in time for Mother’s Day.
From Feed Lot to Pasture: The State of U.S. Pork
An excerpt from “Pig Tales: An Omnivore’s Quest for Sustainable Meat.”
How Math is Like Baking: You Just Need a Recipe
An excerpt from “How to Bake Pi” by Eugenia Cheng.
#ExplainTheSun
What does the Sun do? Tell us, using the hashtag
#ExplainTheSun
What Does The Sun Do? Solar Experts Respond
Experts with a vested solar interest weigh in on the sun’s various starring roles.
Kitty’s Tongue, Under The Microscope
A magnified look at a cat tongue reveals the serrated edges that Fluffy uses to clean herself, and rasp meat from bone.
Flash of the Disco Clam
Reminiscent of the flashy dance halls and shag carpets of the ’70s, the disco clam flaunts frilly tentacles and its very own light show.
Build an Earthquake Machine
In this activity from IRIS, students explore a mechanical model of a fault to learn how energy is stored elastically in rocks and released suddenly as an earthquake.
12:12
Salty Antarctic Aquifers, Penguin Poop, and a 3D-Printed Splint
Salty aquifers deep under Antarctica could be a blueprint for where life might hide out on Mars.
22:58
‘Shrinks’ Tells Of Desperate Early Cures
In his book, psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman documents the profession’s early days—a time when malaria was considered an effective cure for mental illness.
11:37
Seismic Risk and Safety in Nepal
How can cities like Kathmandu become more earthquake resistant in the future?
11:58
Getting Charged Up for the Tesla Home Battery
Could Elon Musk’s plan for a home battery fire up an energy revolution?