On Today's Podcast
The heaviness and (not) hope of climate change
Elizabeth Kolbert has been writing about the environment for decades. And right now, she isn't feeling optimistic.
Listen NowMarch 13, 2026
AI-generated songs are breaking onto the charts, and music labels are pivoting from lawsuits to partnerships with AI startups. What comes next? Plus, what’s the science behind the much-hyped idea that you can “reset” your nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve? And, with science and good luck, 158 young tortoises were reintroduced to Floreana Island in the Galápagos.
9:43
Hoping For A Breakthrough In SETI
The Breakthrough Listen project is devoting millions of dollars to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
16:54
Controlling The Lyme Disease Epidemic
As incidents of Lyme Disease soar, scientists look for answers.
7:37
Searching For E.T. In An Electronic Dead Zone
In a radio silent region, the Green Bank Telescope listens to the stars.
A Vision Of A New (Soggier) New York
The #SciFriBookClub sits down with Kim Stanley Robinson
On The Hunt For Desert Bees
We followed the biologists searching for an oil-eating bee in the California desert.
Five Ways to Think About Infinity
Infinity is weird. All the more reason to explore it, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng.
7:36
Climate Change Policy, Hormone Cycle on a Chip, and Titan’s Electric Dust
New executive orders from the Trump White House turn back elements of the Obama administration’s climate change policies.
4:40
Tweaking the Dinosaur Family Tree
New research could shift the classifications that describe relationships between groups of dinosaurs.
21:05
What-If Scenarios, Played Out Through Physics
What would happen if you stuck your hand in a particle accelerator or jumped off of the Space Station?
12:43
Searching for Signs of Life in Asteroid Impacts
Geologist Peter Schultz uses a high-velocity gun to test his hypothesis that asteroid impacts could preserve signs of ancient life.
12:02
Falling Into New Ideas
A versatile young engineer takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to turn sundry ideas into reality.
17:06
Engineering a Better Bionic Arm
Technology like 3D printing is expanding what prosthetic limbs can do, and who can wear them.
17:37
A Life Robotic
If humans someday colonize the moon and Mars, robotic prospectors and miners will be among the first to arrive, manufacturing fuel, water, and other essentials.
Reinventing The Wheel (For Mars)
Design and test different wheels on a basic rubber band-powered vehicle, with the goal of improving stability, traction, durability, and load-bearing ability.
What Would Happen If You Slipped on a Banana Peel?
Cartoons aren’t kidding about the slipperiness of banana peels.
Seeing The Forest For The Tea
A scientist explores the tasty benefits of diversifying crops.
Breakthrough: Connecting The Drops
Lydia Bourouiba studies how bacteria and viruses hitch a ride inside the droplets of sneezes, raindrops, toilet splatter.
EXTRA! EXTRA! It’s Time For #SciFriTrivia!
Join us for our third annual Science Friday trivia night. This time we’re covering sensational science!
Where To Find Wildflowers? Experts Weigh In
Tips for finding wildflowers and planting your own.
Why Infinity Is No Ordinary Number
The idea of infinity is easy to come up with, but we must be careful what we do with it.