Science Friday Archives - browsing recent stories

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

'Frequency Hopping' Stage Play: Ira talks with the director of a new stage play about the life and work of actress/inventor Hedy Lamarr. (first broadcast Friday, June 20, 2008)

Mars Update: In this segment, we'll talk with the head of the Mars Phoenix mission and get an update on Mars research. (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

Prochlorococcus: Just over twenty years ago, researchers discovered a photosynthetic marine microorganism now known as Prochlorococcus. In this segment, guest host Joe Palca talks with Penny Chisholm, a biologist at MIT who first reported the discovery of the tiny organi (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

Tune Deafness and the Brain: What's going on in the brains of tune deaf people who just can't distinguish a correct note from an incorrect one? (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

The Circadian Advantage: What do circadian clocks have to do with sporting events? New research suggests that a sports team competing more in sync with theri internal clocks might have a competitive advantage. (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

Only a Theory: In this segment, guest host Joe Palca talks with biology professor and textbook author Kenneth Miller about the fight to keep creationism out of public school science class. (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

Tomatoes and Salmonella: At least 228 people in 23 states have gotten sick from eating suspect tomatoes, according to the CDC.We'll get the latest on the tomato/Salmonella scare. (first broadcast Friday, June 13, 2008)

The Happening: Ira talks with filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan about his upcoming film 'The Happening,' set to premiere next week. (first broadcast Friday, June 6, 2008)

Climate Change Legislation Fails in Senate: This week, the US Senate took up debate on proposed climate change legislation -- but the bill failed to win the needed number of votes to avoid a filibuster and was pulled from the floor. (first broadcast Friday, June 6, 2008)

Greener Cars on the Road?: Honda plans to lease at least 200 fuel cell vehicles in the US over the next three years. Is the automobile landscape changing in the US? (first broadcast Friday, June 6, 2008)

Will We Recognize The Future?: Ira talks with inventor, technologist and futurist Ray Kurzweil about the idea of 'the Singularity' -- what happens when technology advances so much that it's impossible to predict what happens next. (first broadcast Friday, June 6, 2008)

Richard Preston: Panic in Level 4: In this segment, Ira talks with science writer Richard Preston about his craft, and about the stories and people he has covered over the years. (first broadcast Friday, June 6, 2008)

New Government Report Tackles Global Warming Effects: Climate change is already affecting U.S. water resources, agriculture, land resources, and biodiversity, according to a new report published this week by the federal government. (first broadcast Friday, May 30, 2008)

World Science Festival / Kavli Awards: This week, the World Science Festival brings big thinkers from around the world to a five-day festival in New York City. (first broadcast Friday, May 30, 2008)