April 18, 2025
Are traffic engineering decisions based on evidence-based research? Not as much as you might think. Plus, researchers captured the first confirmed video of a colossal squid swimming in its natural habitat. And, with brain-implanted devices, people with paralysis have been able to command computers to “move” virtual objects and speak for them.
The Fine Art of Toxic Waste
An engineer and an artist are transforming pollution from coal mines into pigments used to tint paint.
How the Bombardier Beetle Packs Its Punch
Researchers have figured how a toxin-spraying beetle packs its pulsing punch.
Sun Halo, With Sundog Companions
When the sun interacts with six-sided ice crystals, ethereal optical effects can occur.
12:10
‘Thrifty’ Metabolisms, Bad News Bees, and a Pricey Jar of Peanut Butter
Virginia Hughes of BuzzFeed News joins us for a roundup of her top science stories of the week.
17:41
How To Clone A Mammoth
An expert in the field of ancient DNA explains the why’s and how to’s of woolly mammoth de-extinction.
17:26
Tracking Your Local (Space) Weather
How—and why—scientists keep a close eye on the activity of our nearest star.
12:14
NASA Budget Cuts Impact Earth-Based Science
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology passed a bill that would cut NASA’s earth science budget by roughly 20 percent.
17:23
Emoting With Emoji
A look at what the rise of emoji says about online communication.
10:52
A Tiny, Living Identification Badge: Your Microbiome
The specific combinations of strains of bacteria that live on and in a person can be used to identify an individual—even up to a year later.
5:50
Chicken Beaks and Dinosaur Snouts
Scientists traced the evolution of dinosaurs to birds through the beak of a chicken.
77:37
Science Friday, Live From Huntsville
Hear the full show as Ira and Science Friday take the stage at Huntsville, Alabama’s own U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Spot the Sunspots
Use binoculars or a telescope to identify and track sunspots. You’ll need a bright sunny day for this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.
Make a UV Detector
On a bright, sunny day, use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun in this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.
12:15
The Oldest Bird, a Distant Galaxy, and the Beard Microbiome
Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post joins us for a roundup of her top science stories this week.
17:10
Tales From ‘Big Pig’
Barry Estabrook’s latest book, “Pig Tales,” is a journey through the good, the bad and the ugly of hog farming.
9:46
The Science Club Looks Into the Heart of the Sun
This season’s Science Club challenge: Tell us what the sun does.
6:26
Flash of the Disco Clam
Reminiscent of the flashy dance halls and shag carpets of the ’70s, the disco clam flaunts frilly tentacles and its very own light show.
12:17
MicroRNA and Cancer Therapeutics
Could ingested plants be used as a delivery system of therapeutic microRNAs?
17:18
Eugenia Cheng: How To Bake Pi
In her new book How to Bake Pi, mathematician Eugenia Cheng cooks up digestible math lessons on number theory to topology.
14:13
Charting Music’s Big Revolutions
An evolutionary biologist brings big data to bear on 50 years of pop music history.