June 27, 2025
In his new book, a former FDA commissioner unpacks the latest science on metabolism, weight loss, and how GLP-1 drugs actually work. Plus, the first images from the brand new Vera C. Rubin Observatory have finally been unveiled. And, researchers have observed a population of orcas that use kelp tools to scratch their backs.
6:58
Was Our Moon Once Habitable?
There may have been times in our moon’s history in which it could have sustained liquid water and microbial life.
4:56
Onetime Miracle Ingredient, Now An Environmental Problem
States across the country are holding public hearings on what to do about contamination with a class of persistent chemicals known as PFAS.
11:39
The Genetics Of Becoming An Ant Queen
Scientists found that an insulin-like gene plays a role in determining what ant becomes a queen in a colony.
9:13
Tracking Tweets To Forecast Smoky Skies
Researchers with the U.S. Forest Service say social media can help them predict smoke dangers in areas not routinely monitored for air quality.
7:52
This Dust Cloud Has A Silver Lining—Fewer Hurricanes
Why an African dust storm can mean fewer severe storms in the Atlantic.
17:02
Liquid Water Under The Martian Surface
Researchers announce a large underground lake on Mars just as the planet gets a close-up.
30:18
Adapt Or Die In The Urban Jungle
Just how and why do city mice and country mice diverge? It’s urban evolution in action.
Shakespeare’s Starlings And The City
Introduced to North America by a Shakespeare enthusiast, starlings become a test case of urban evolution in this excerpt of “Darwin Comes To Town.”
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quark’
It’s a tale of particle physics, Aristotle, and James Joyce.
6:48
Blissed Out On Earth’s Blingy Core
Plus, the search for virtual particles and a distant planet gets swallowed by its sun.
5:30
Massive Toxic Algae Bloom Stinks Up Florida Towns
Foul smelling algae is plaguing three Florida counties, spurred on by billions of gallons of polluted water, rising water levels, and higher temperatures.
17:34
A Dangerous Fungal Superbug In Hospitals Worldwide
There’s a new infectious yeast in town and we’re almost out of drugs for it.
12:14
How Much Food Would A Dino Eat For Dinner?
Scientists grew plants under prehistoric atmospheric conditions to see how much nutrition sauropods would have received from their vegetarian diets.
4:49
SciFri Book Club: ‘A Brief History Of Time’ Begins Now
The time is now: A reminder to pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read.
12:15
Jupiter Wins The Moon Lottery
The largest planet in our solar system officially racked up a total of 79 moons this week, including one newly discovered “oddball.”
11:13
Following The Burnt Crumbs To The Rise Of Bread
By analyzing bits of burnt bread, scientists determined that breadmaking may pre-date the agricultural revolution.
22:11
What We Know—And Don’t Know—About Human Heredity
What does heredity actually mean? Carl Zimmer finds out in his book ‘She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.’
