Shows / Science Friday
Science Friday
Science Friday, as heard on PRI, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well.
Episodes
Science Friday1237: Jump, Spin, Glide: The Science Of Figure Skating
Figure skating is a fan favorite at the Winter Olympics—for every event, the stands are packed to watch competitors glide, jump, and spin. But what does it…
Science Friday1236: How Are State-Run Psilocybin Therapy Programs Going?
In Oregon and Colorado, you can book an appointment for psilocybin therapy, where a licensed therapist takes you on a guided trip using the drug that makes…
Science Friday1235: A Little Grime Can Boost Kids’ Health. But What Kind?
You may have heard that a little dirt is good for kids. It helps them build up their immune systems, and sets them on a path to future health. But what kind of…
Science FridayMating, Marriage, And Monogamy In The Age Of Apps
With so many dating apps—and so many people using them—why are a record number of American adults single? Is marriage as important as it was a generation or…
Science Friday1233: What A Tea Party With A Bonobo Taught Us About Imagination
Our ability to imagine is part of what makes us who we are—not just as individuals, but also as humans. It turns out, though, that we may not be the only…
Science Friday1232: How Is Screen Time Affecting My Kid?
Screens are ubiquitous in today’s world, and concerns about how they affect kids are mounting. Last month, Australia banned social media use for kids under 16…
Science Friday1231: Who Wants To Smell An Ancient Embalmed Mummy?
Wandering through a museum, you can get a glimpse of what life in ancient societies looked like. But what did it smell like? And is it even possible to get a…
Science Friday1230: Stressed About The World? Take A Cue From Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria may be the ultimate lesson in resilience. These 3.5 billion-year-old organisms have lived through hell-on-earth conditions, and found creative…
Science Friday1229: The Largest US Particle Collider Stops Its Collisions
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the largest particle collider in the United States, collided its last particles in early February. RHIC is a…
Science Friday1228: Olympic Ski Mountaineering, And Mountain Goat Climbing Feats
This year’s Winter Olympics feature a new event called “skimo,” or ski mountaineering. The racing event involves periods of skiing uphill using “skins” for…
Science Friday1227: Why Worry About My Data If I Have Nothing To Hide?
As ICE cracks down in Minneapolis and across the country, reporters and privacy advocates have drawn attention to how the agency is using technology: scanning…
Science Friday1226: Should Ultraprocessed Foods Be Off The Menu?
The new dietary guidelines from the USDA call for Americans to “eat real food” and consume less “highly processed” food. But how? By some estimates…
Science Friday1225: The Growing Experiment Of Putting Solar Panels On Farmland
In an effort to make their farms more environmentally and economically sustainable, some farmers are experimenting with agrivoltaics: growing crops underneath…
Science Friday1224: We’re All Being Played By Metrics
Point systems are everywhere. Ready for movie night? Consult Rotten Tomatoes. Vetting a new pediatrician? See how many stars they have. At work, it can be even…
- Science Friday
The Middle + SciFri: How Can Trust In Science Be Restored?
We’re bringing you a special bonus episode from our friends at the live call-in show “The Middle with Jeremy Hobson.” Jeremy is joined by Science Friday Host…
Science Friday1222: Untangling The History Of Dog Domestication
All the pups we love—from chihuahuas to great danes—are descendants of the mighty gray wolf. But how did we end up with so many breeds? The story that's often…
Science Friday1221: Are These Unprecedented Times for Science, Really?
We keep hearing that these are unprecedented times for science: scientific skeptics running federal agencies, growing mistrust of vaccines, and messaging from…
Science Friday1220: How China Is Driving Down Electricity Costs With Renewables
In a speech last week in a speech at the World Economic Forum, President Trump said China was making a lot of wind turbines, but not using much wind power in…
Science Friday1219: Managing The Risks Of Spaceflight, 40 Years After Challenger
Forty years ago this week, the space shuttle Challenger exploded in flight, 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. All seven crew members were killed…
Science Friday1218: How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
A rogue strain of flu, subclade K, has sickened more than 19 million people in the US so far this season. And the flu shot hasn’t offered that much protection…
Science Friday1217: Tracking The Toxic Fallout Of The LA Fires
This time last year, Los Angeles was on fire, and more than 16,000 homes and buildings burned to the ground. Cars, batteries, solar panels, insulation, and…
Science Friday1216: Deepfakes Are Everywhere. What Can We Do?
Deepfakes have been everywhere lately, from fake AI images of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro following his (real) capture by the United States, to X’s Grok…
Science Friday1215: Looking Beyond Statins For New Ways To Lower Cholesterol
When it comes to “bad” cholesterol, most cardiologists say lower is better. But what’s the best way to get that number down? Can diet and exercise alone do the…
Science Friday1214: States Expected To See More ‘Anti-Science’ Bills This Year
An Associated Press investigation found that more than 420 “anti-science” bills were introduced in statehouses last year, targeting protections around public…
Science Friday1213: What’s Happening On The Slippery Surface Of Ice?
It’s a wintertime question that you may have had as you struggled down a frozen sidewalk, or strapped on some ice skates: Just why is ice slippery, anyway? It…
Science Friday1212: Teasing Apart The Causes And Early Signs Of Parkinson’s
Each year, around 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that can cause tremors and affect cognition. Scientists…
Science Friday1211: What Greenland Sharks Are Teaching Us About Aging Eyes
As we age, our vision gets blurrier, we form cataracts, and we have a higher risk of glaucoma. But Greenland sharks live for hundreds of years and still…
Science Friday1210: Secrets Of Ancient Concrete, And... Data Centers In Space?
The concrete of ancient Rome is famous for its durability. Just look at the Pantheon and those iconic aqueducts that helped transport water throughout the…
Science Friday1209: One Year Into Trump’s Term, Where Does Science Funding Stand?
Last February, Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, issued a dire warning about federal cuts to science, saying the…
Science Friday1208: Drilling Into The Details Of Venezuela’s Oil
With President Trump’s moves to take control of Venezuela’s oil production—including the seizure of incoming and outgoing oil tankers—there’s been a lot of…
Science Friday1207: ‘The Kissing Bug’ And The Story Of A Neglected Disease
Growing up, Daisy Hernández was told that her aunt had become ill from eating a bad apple. She watched as her aunt became sicker and sicker, and didn’t learn…
Science Friday1206: Are Raccoons On The Road To Domestication?
What does it mean to be a wild animal in a world dominated by humans? A recent study found that city-dwelling raccoons’ snouts are getting shorter—a sign of…
Science Friday1205: The Community Group Rethinking LA's Approach To Wildfires
A year ago this week, the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out in Los Angeles, and ultimately became one of the most destructive urban fire events in recent…
Science Friday1204: What Should Astronauts Do First When They Reach Mars?
When humans finally land on Mars, what should they do? A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine lays out the science…
Science Friday1203: Can The Rise In Solar Power Balance Out Clean Energy Cuts?
Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has been aggressive in rolling back clean energy initiatives. Trump’s “big beautiful bill” ended…
Science Friday1202: Are Ultramarathoners Just Built Different?
‘Tis the season for exercise resolutions. For a select few, an ultramarathon—a race of 50, 100, or even more miles—may be on the table for 2026. But is there a…
Science Friday1201: Your Cells Are Always Building A Whole New You
In the last year, you’ve basically replaced your body weight in new cells. So yes, it’s a new year, new you. To ring in 2026, we’re talking about starting…
Science Friday1200: A Look Back At 2025 In Science, From Federal Cuts To Space Junk
This has been a busy year in science, from government budget cuts and policy changes affecting research, to the record rise of renewables, to the surge in AI…
Science Friday1199: How Death Metal Singers Make Their Extreme Vocalizations
Being able to belt out a tune like Adele or Pavarotti is not just about raw talent. The best singers in the world have to work on their technique—like how to…
Science Friday1198: What The Sigma Is Algospeak?
Gen Alpha slang can seem unintelligible to adults, but linguist and TikToker Adam Aleksic argues language development in the internet age is worth legitimate…
Science Friday1195: Tangling With Entanglement And Other Big Ideas In Physics
What have we learned in recent years about black holes? Can entangled quantum particles really communicate faster than light? What’s the story behind…
Science Friday1197: The Science Of Thriving In Winter—By Embracing It
Health psychologist Dr. Kari Leibowitz traveled to some of the coldest, darkest places on earth to learn how people there don’t just survive, but thrive in…
Science Friday1196: A Neurologist Investigates His Own Musical Hallucinations
Imagine sitting at home and then all of a sudden you hear a men’s choir belting out “The Star Spangled Banner.” You check your phone, computer, radio…
Science Friday1194: ‘Prehistoric Planet’ Defrosts Strange Animals Of The Ice Age
Koalas with the bodies of lions. Elephants the size of your dog. Gigantic, 8-foot-tall sloths. These aren’t creatures found in science fiction: They walked our…
Science Friday1193: How Did Vaccine Policies Actually Change In 2025?
Since 1955, when Congress passed the Polio Vaccination Assistance Act, the federal government has been in the business of expanding access to vaccines. That…
Science Friday1192: Why Astronomers Are Excited About Comet 3I/Atlas’ Close Approach
This year, comet 3I/Atlas broke into our solar system, but also the zeitgeist. This dirty snowball is a visitor from another solar system, and it’s only the…
Science Friday1191: ‘Fire Amoeba’ Likes It Hot, And A Faraway Lava Planet
While on a sampling trip in California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, researchers stopped to sample a rather boring stream on their hike to Boiling Springs…
Science Friday1190: What’s The Reality Behind The Humanoid Robot Hype?
Videos of humanoid robots dancing, doing cartwheels, putting clothes in a washing machine, and serving drinks are all over social media. And tech CEOs are…
Science Friday1189: 'Just' A Blue Jay? Don't Overlook These Magnificent Common Birds
It’s that time of year: the Christmas Bird Count, when birders go out in flocks to record all the birds they see in a single day. The data collected during…
Science Friday1188: Can We Just Throw Our Plastic Garbage Into A Volcano?
It’s winter, and the SciFri team is already dreaming of warmer weather. How about a mind vacation to one of the hottest places on earth, an erupting volcano?…
Science Friday1187: How Did Ancient Humans Use The Acoustics Of Spaces Like Caves?
The sound of a choir performing in a cathedral is iconic for a reason. It’s this beautiful human experience: being side-by-side with other people, feeling the…
Science Friday1186: What The Sounds Of Melting Glaciers Can Tell Us
As the planet warms, the world’s glaciers are melting faster than snow can replenish the ice. That has implications for sea level rise, ocean currents, and…
Science Friday1185: How A Fringe Idea Led To Lifesaving Cancer Treatments
In cancer research, the “seed and soil” hypothesis posits that the tumor is like a seed of misbehaving cells taking root in the body. Whether it grows—and…
Science Friday1184: Why Is Bubonic Plague Still With Us?
For many people, bubonic plague is an illness that seems squarely situated in medieval times. But each year, a handful of human cases pop up in the western…
Science Friday1183: Don’t Let Their Name Fool You—Sea Slugs Are Awesome
Today we’re spotlighting an underappreciated group of marine creatures: sea slugs. Don’t let their humble name fool you. They come in vivid neon colors, with…
Science Friday1182: As Companies Build Data Centers For AI, Communities Push Back
There’s an enormous buildout of data centers underway across the country to fuel the AI boom. Hundreds of billions of dollars have already been spent on data…
Science Friday1181: A Toast To Bats That Pollinate Agave, And Tracking Monarchs
You might think about bats as flitting around in the dark and hunting insects, but some species feed on fruits or flowers—and play an important role as…
Science Friday1180: A Startling Plan To Save Spotted Owls—From Barred Owls
The spotted owl has been a conservation flashpoint for more than 30 years. While habitat loss has been their historic foe, their most recent threat comes from…
Science Friday1179: Can A Microbe Conservation Movement Take Off?
A team of scientists is trying to jumpstart a global conservation movement, on par with efforts to save the rainforests or protect the oceans. But it might be…
Science Friday1178: How To Tap Into The Hidden Histories Of Rocks
When we try to commune with nature, many of us turn toward the living: a walk in the woods among swaying trees, chirping birds, blooming flowers. But earth…