February 28, 2025
A federal DEI ban is already prompting changes across science agencies. How will it affect medical research? A journalist traveled to five continents to learn about the afterlife of our trash, and why most “recyclable” plastic actually isn’t. And, the ocean liner SS United States will become an artificial reef in Florida. How do artificial reefs work?
Model Eclipses
Model solar and lunar eclipses by making your own physical, proportional representations of the Earth and Moon.
7:14
Cassini Acrobatics, Phishing, And The Evolution Of A Skunk
The Cassini spacecraft is in the midst of a series of dives through Saturn’s rings.
4:49
Despite Investment, A Shortage Of Spacesuits
Will NASA finish the next batch in time for future deep-space missions?
7:14
Between A Rock And A Hard Place, Life Thrives
In the driest deserts, hardy bacteria cling to the underside of translucent rocks, eking out an existence where nothing else can.
9:05
What Happens When ‘The Sun Throws A Glitter Bomb’
The interaction of charged particles from the sun with the Earth’s magnetic field can create a dazzling light show in the upper atmosphere.
17:12
Borne To Be Wild
In Jeff VanderMeer’s latest book, a future world overrun by biotech mutants still has hope.
12:01
The Science Behind ‘Hitting The Wall’
Scientists investigate the genetic pathway that leads to better endurance in mice.
15:40
The House That Snot Built
The giant larvacean, a marine invertebrate, uses mucus to filter its food—and it could play a huge role in moving carbon around the ocean.
17:31
The Solar Science That Happens During A Total Eclipse
The solar eclipse provides an opportunity for scientists to study the sun’s atmosphere and polar plumes.
In A Decimated World, Biotech Life Is Borne
In his new novel, Jeff VanderMeer imagines how humans must survive in a city ruined by biotechnology… and a gigantic, genetically engineered bear.
This Neuroscientist Loves The ‘Extremes’ In The Animal Kingdom
Enter Ken Catania’s lab: A curious space filled with fake zombie arms and star-nosed mole portraits.
7:41
A Climate March, The Architecture Of Bureaucracy, And The Tale Of A Hoff-Bot
An archaeological find near Oaxaca, Mexico hints at the rise of bureaucratic government in the Americas.
4:06
Fear Not, Worrywarts, There’s An Upside To Those Thoughts
How to use your worry, rather than letting it use you up.
8:34
Sculpting The Unending Bloom
Artist John Edmark uses the math of spiral geometry found in nature to create sculptures that endlessly bloom.
7:14
Bringing ‘Genius’ To Television
National Geographic airs a new series based on Albert Einstein’s biography.
12:14
The Star-Nosed Mole Takes Adaptation To The Extreme
What the creature’s eponymous nose can tell us about the human sensory system.
17:17
What Will It Take To Have Seamless Transportation?
The president has pledged to invest $1 trillion in infrastructure. Can it help Americans get where they need to go faster?
16:13
The Problem-Solver: A Portrait Of Physicist Richard Garwin
Physicist Richard Garwin has played a prominent role in fields ranging from nuclear weapons, personal computing technology, and science policy.
17:34
‘New World’ Could Be Way Older Than We Thought
A fossil find in California makes the case for human settlement of the Americas 130,000 years ago—more than 100,000 years earlier than previously believed. But not all anthropologists are convinced.
