Science Friday Archives - browsing recent stories

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

A Year of Darwin: This year marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th Anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. In this segment, Ira talks with Matthew Chapman, Darwin's great-great-grandson. (first broadcast Friday, February 6, 2009)

Comic Book Teaches Genetics, Biology: We'll talk with the author of a new book that teaches genetics in the form of a graphic novel. (first broadcast Friday, January 30, 2009)

Building Greener Cars: Carmakers are working to retool for greener cars -- but many of those vehicles won't be ready to hit the road for years. We'll ask some innovators about outside-the-box efficiency ideas that could be undertaken today. (first broadcast Friday, January 30, 2009)

Heating Up on a Distant Planet: Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet that experiences temperature swings of as much as 700 degrees within a matter of hours -- and are working to model the weather patterns there. (first broadcast Friday, January 30, 2009)

Learning Facts vs Learning to Reason: How connected are learning scientific facts and learning to reason scientifically? (first broadcast Friday, January 30, 2009)

Harold Varmus: Ira talks with Nobel-winning biologist Harold Varmus about his work, biological research, and the intersection between politics and science. (first broadcast Friday, January 30, 2009)

First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy Approved: The FDA has given biotech company Geron permission to proceed with a human clinical trial of a therapy based on embryonic stem cells. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Future of Innovation and Research Funding: As the new administration in Washington gets underway, we'll talk about funding for research and innovation in hostile economic times. Will the economic stimulus package use science funding as a tool? (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

The Road Ahead for NASA : Will the shift in administration mean a re-ordering of national space policy? We'll talk with a space policy expert about prospects for the space agency and human space flight. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Turning Down Your Ears: Do the ears have a built-in protection against loud sounds? New research finds that the ears may be able to turn down the volume to avoid damage. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Antarctic Temperatures On the Rise: Researchers report that average temperatures in the Antarctic are indeed on the rise, matching findings from elsewhere on the globe. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Warming Temperatures Hurt Western Trees: Warming temperatures may have led to dying trees in the western US, researchers say. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Climate Change and the Media: Ira talks with New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin about coverage of climate change. (first broadcast Friday, January 23, 2009)

Antimicrobial Copper?: Using copper for some surfaces might cut down on hospital-acquired infections. (first broadcast Friday, January 16, 2009)