February 21, 2025
The CEO of one of America’s oldest scientific societies discusses the recent cuts to scientific institutions, and how scientists can respond. Plus, flu infections are the highest they’ve been in nearly 30 years, and flu deaths this winter have surpassed COVID deaths. And, a video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online.
Everything You Never Knew About Squash And Pumpkins
It’s squash, pumpkin and gourd season. An expert answers listener questions about these colorful fall favorites.
How A University Is Adjusting One Year After ChatGPT
An English professor discusses how AI is transforming education, and how students and faculty alike can use it responsibly.
Not Just Dying Stars: A Black Hole That Came From Gas
Using both JWST and the Chandra Observatory, astronomers discover the oldest known black hole, and confirm a theory.
Monumental And Invisible: How Infrastructure Works
An engineering professor and author explains how modern life depends on vast, complicated systems you probably never think about.
Ask A Chef: How Can I Use Science To Make Thanksgiving Tastier?
Chef Dan Souza from Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen answers your holiday cooking questions.
The Elegance Of Infrastructure
A local power station probably wouldn’t be described as beautiful, but what’s going on inside possesses undeniable engineering elegance.
Close Out 2023 With The Best American Science And Nature Writing
On December 11, join the editors and writers of this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing to reflect on their favorites from last year.
Pixel Art Conjures Nostalgia For A Screen Experience That Didn’t Exist
Crisply pixelated video games evoke nostalgia for decades past. But early games, played on boxy CRT televisions, just didn’t look like that.
FDA Panel Clears Way For CRISPR-Based Sickle Cell Treatment
If given final approval by the FDA, this treatment would be the first to use gene-editing CRISPR technology on humans.
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How A Deaf Advisory Group Is Changing Healthcare
Deaf patients often don’t receive interpreters in healthcare settings. A deaf advisory group worked with a hospital to improve how it cares for them.
Your Pain Tolerance May Have Been Passed Down From Neanderthals
Gene variants inherited from Neanderthals can impact pain tolerance and nose shape in modern humans. What else could they influence?
How Five Elements Define Life On Earth
Is the secret to life really just wrangling carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and phosphorus? Author Stephen Porder explains in a new book.
How To Save Oregon’s Salmon? Maybe With A Giant Vacuum.
A $1.9 billion plan to suck up salmon and truck them around dams on the Willamette River raises questions.
A Climate Change Exhibit Asks ‘What If We Get It Right?’
A new exhibit at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works museum explores the possibility of a hopeful climate future.
40 Years Of Sounding The Alarm On Nuclear Winter
In October 1983, Carl Sagan introduced the world to the idea of nuclear winter caused by nuclear weapon fallout. Is it still a threat?
How Carbon Fuels Life And Warms The Planet
Humans rely on altering the flow of elements. Author Stephen Porder sees a world where we manage Earth’s elements more wisely.
The Science Of Boredom And Daydreaming
Daydreaming is harder for adults, who often require a prompt to think about something pleasant.
Why Beech Leaf Disease Is Easy To Spot But Tough To Treat
In just a decade, this unusual disease has spread from Ohio across the Northeast. Scientists are testing treatments, but answers come slowly.
RSV Drug For Infants In Short Supply
The illness has reached seasonal epidemic levels in the southern US.
How Poisons Have Shaped Life On Earth
Poisons fill our pantries and gardens. The new book ‘Most Delicious Poison’ explores how common toxins have shaped life on Earth.