On Today's Podcast
How Did Ancient Humans Use The Acoustics Of Spaces Like Caves?
What did a vulture-bone flute sound like inside a cave? How about singing inside a tomb? Researchers are bringing ancient sounds back to life.
Listen NowDecember 12, 2025
Over the past century, most cancer research has focused on the tumor itself. Rakesh Jain focused on the tumor’s environment instead. Plus, a glacier’s edge can be a dangerous place to do research. One team is using robots and sound samples to monitor the melting ice. And, when cases of plague pop up in the US, it can feel straight up medieval. It’s treatable, but how and why does it persist?
34:02
Work-Life Imbalance
New technologies mean we’re more connected to our jobs and coworkers than ever. Do we need boundaries? Plus, the downside of working for tips.
34:32
How Strong Is The Human-Robot Bond?
Why we want to protect some robots and destroy others.
Fibonacci Sequence—A Handy Mathematical Approach For Looking At Evolution!
Get a grip on this great way of exploring the Fibonacci sequence using X-rays from organizations across the country!
Survey Ecosystem Health On A Virtual Coral Reef
Coral reefs are an incredibly important part of Earth’s underwater world. How can you help one of earth’s most endangered ecosystems?
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quarantine’
‘Trentino’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The Biology Behind Our Emotions
In his new book “The Disordered Mind,” neuroscientist Eric Kandel explores how we control our emotions.
7:25
China’s Holdout On Bird Flu Samples And A Higgs Boson Breakdown
Despite a World Health Organization agreement, China has withheld samples of the bird flu virus H7N9 from U.S. scientists.
4:05
Take Only Pictures… And Don’t Geotag Them
Do Instagram influencers attract too much attention to fragile outdoor locations?
8:43
Arctic Science, Put On Ice
After a research vessel runs into trouble in the Arctic Ocean, science gets put on hold—for now.
25:28
A Deep Ocean Dive Is Training NASA For Space
NASA is exploring a deep-sea volcano off the coast of Hawaii as a test run for human and robotic missions to Mars and beyond.
22:47
Order And Disorder In The Human Brain
Neuroscientist Eric Kandel tells us what schizophrenia, PTSD, and other disorders can reveal about the workings on the human brain.
22:17
Tech Changes The Face Of Death
From environmentally-friendly funerals to the act of grieving, technology is changing our relationship with death.
Design For Disaster Relief
Engineer disaster relief housing that is lightweight, packs flat, and structurally sound.
Celebrating ‘A Brief History Of Time’ With Cocktails, Physics, And Poetry
For the 30th anniversary of ‘A Brief History of Time,’ SciFri threw a party.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Cocaine’
It’s a tale of a leaf, a graduate student, and alkaloid science.
The 2018 Science Friday Educator Collaborative
This year’s cohort are creating cephalopod skin, measuring x-rays, and more for the classroom.
Cephalopod Camouflage: A Beauty That’s Skin Deep
It’s a rock, it’s seaweed, it’s an…octopus? Using this hands on activity, learn how crafty cephalopods are well adapted to hide in an ocean full of predators.
7:17
Hurricane Lane Aims For The Hawaiian Islands
A strong Pacific hurricane, fueled by unusually warm waters, has Hawaii in its sights.
4:53
Why You Shouldn’t Flush Your Contacts Down The Drain
The little pieces of plastic are polluting our waterways.
12:05
A Better Method For Stopping Ebola And Yellow Fever
Could real-time tracking of viral infections put a stop to future epidemics?