November 22, 2024
On the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery, paleoanthropologists reflect on what she taught us about ourselves. Plus, divers have recovered seeds of a long-lost rye variety from a 146-year-old shipwreck in Lake Huron. And, a potato researcher explains potato varieties, potato nutrition, and some tubular tuber facts.
16:51
Seven New Chances for Life in Space, Just 40 Light-Years Away
Scientists have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a nearby star that could hold the conditions for life.
31:55
Computer Hacks of the Future, and How to Prevent Them
As self-driving cars and other artificial intelligence advance, how safe will we be from A.I. hacks and attacks?
How Well Does Facebook Know Us?
The SciFri staff discusses the assumptions Facebook makes about us.
Science Friday Live in Orlando
On Tuesday, March 28, Science Friday heads to Orlando to show how the future is NOW!
The Plastic Battery That Doesn’t Explode
The inventor thinks the new technology could revolutionize the future of batteries.
7:37
CRISPR Patent Battles, a Super-Sized Space Launch, and the Rise of Commuter Drones
The U.S. Patent Office ruled in favor of the Broad Institute in an early case over rights to the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR.
4:33
A Mood Ring for Your Wrist
A new wearable aims to help people who feel socially awkward interpret others’ emotions.
16:29
Booting Up the Search for Better Batteries
New battery technology could make our devices safer, and help squeeze more power out of the grid.
11:57
How Will Net Neutrality and Telecomm Fare Under the New Administration?
The newly appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said that “net neutrality is a solution in search of a problem.”
17:19
The Price of ‘Free’ Internet Services? Your Privacy
As we trade more and more of our personal data to big companies in exchange for their services, internet users must decide for themselves where to draw the line on internet privacy.
16:10
How Humans Might Really Colonize The Solar System
The minds behind the “The Expanse” chat about space flight, space politics, and how they keep the show feeling real.
17:22
Which New Battery Technology Will Take Electric Vehicles To The Finish Line?
Lithium ion may be good enough for now, but experts say that new battery tech will bring EVs to the next level.
Tips to Keep Your Drinking Water Clean
A few key points from experts on the Flint water crisis.
The Mysterious ‘Alien Soil’ Growing Deep Underground
These labyrinthine ecosystems can be found growing on cave walls.
SciFri Book Club: Kim Stanley Robinson
Join us for a live conversation about climate change, fiction, and New York in the year 2140.
Make a Kite With Physics
Build a delta kite and explore some of the forces involved in flight. Challenge your design skills to improve your kite’s stability in the air.
07:21
An Advance Towards Male Birth Control, Sequencing the Quinoa Genome, and Slip-Off Gecko Skin
A male contraceptive gel prevented pregnancies for a year in rhesus monkeys.
4:30
Should A.I. Have a Role in Science Publishing?
Artificial intelligence won’t take over peer review anytime soon, but it may help combat fraud.
8:02
Consider the Universe. Now, Subtract Time and Gravity.
Holographic cosmology is a way of simplifying mind-boggling mathematical models of our universe. But it doesn’t necessarily mean we live in a hologram.
11:54
Why So (Heat) Sensitive?
A new plant-derived material claims the title of most heat-sensitive.