Science Friday Archives - browsing recent stories

International Space Station following most recent upgrade. Credit: STS-119 Shuttle Crew, NASA.

A Package of Dad's Genes: Just in time for Father's Day, we'll talk with a researcher studying the way genetic information is packaged inside sperm cells. (first broadcast Friday, June 19, 2009)

Same-Sex Behavior in the Animal Kingdom: A review of the literature suggests that same-sex behaviors may occur in many animal species. (first broadcast Friday, June 19, 2009)

Moon Missions Preview: If all goes according to plan, two spacecraft will launch en route to the moon next week. We'll get an update on the LRO and LCrOSS missions. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

Colliding Planets (Don't Panic): New research finds a small -- but present -- chance of a collision between Earth and one of its planetary neighbors in the next few billion years. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

New Views of the Universe from Herschel and Planck Telescopes: Two new space telescopes are en route to their post over 1.5 million km from Earth. We'll talk about the ESA's Herschel and Planck observatories. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

Raising a Stink over a Flower in Bloom: Botanists expect a very rare, very large, and very stinky flower to bloom this week in California. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram: We'll talk about the life and contributions of the pioneering social scientist. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

Why Do We Have Fingerprints?: The standard answer is that fingerprints increase friction, improving the grip of the fingertips. New research, however, says that may not be the case. (first broadcast Friday, June 12, 2009)

New Fusion Facility: Last week, a new fusion research facility was dedicated in California. We'll talk about the lab and what it hopes to achieve. (first broadcast Friday, June 5, 2009)

Future of Nuclear Energy: Where does nuclear energy fit into the nation's future mix of power sources? (first broadcast Friday, June 5, 2009)

Tickling Gorillas and the Evolution of Laughter: Researchers have tickled gorillas, bonobos, chimps and humans in an effort to understand the evolution of laughter in the primate world. (first broadcast Friday, June 5, 2009)

Newton and the Counterfeiter: Isaac Newton is known as one of the world's greatest scientists, developing the three laws that define the way motion works. But did you know that he had a second life fighting crime? (first broadcast Friday, June 5, 2009)

Cancer Vaccine Update: We'll hear about new research into using vaccines to help the body battle melanoma. (first broadcast Friday, June 5, 2009)

How We Hear: How does the brain process sounds into meaningful speech? (first broadcast Friday, May 29, 2009)