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

Biofuels: What's going on in biofuels beyond ethanol from corn? In this hour, Ira and guests talk about different types of biofuels, including biodiesel from algae and cellulosic ethanol technology. (first broadcast Friday, February 8, 2008)

Harvesting Energy From Walking: Researchers have built a device resembling a knee brace that can generate usable amounts of electrical energy as a person walks. (first broadcast Friday, February 8, 2008)

Nanoscale Radio Shows Carbon Electronics Potential: In this segment, Ira talks with researcher John Rogers about the possibilities of electronics based on carbon nanotubes. (first broadcast Friday, February 8, 2008)

Tornado Outbreak: Severe weather in the south central U.S. this week spawned a string of tornadoes that killed at least 50 people. We'll talk about the tornado outbreak and the conditions needed for tornado formation. (first broadcast Friday, February 8, 2008)

How Much is a Trillion?: The 2009 budget proposed this week by President Bush weighs in at 3.1 trillion dollars. We'll talk about how best to understand that number. (first broadcast Friday, February 8, 2008)

Voting Machine Update: With election season in full swing, we'll get an update on the status of electronic voting systems around the country. Will every vote be counted? (first broadcast Friday, February 1, 2008)

The Science of Polling: Between the candidates and the media, just about every issue seems to be examined by means of a poll or survey. We'll talk about what makes a reliable poll, and how polls should be conducted. (first broadcast Friday, February 1, 2008)

Solar Energy Update: Solar power is often offered as one of the most promising forms of renewable energy. But how close is solar power to becoming a major player in energy production? (first broadcast Friday, February 1, 2008)

Your Feedback: Science Election Issues: We want to hear your thoughts on the most important science-related issues in the coming election campaign. Call in, or email your top issues to vote@sciencefriday.com. (first broadcast Friday, February 1, 2008)

Synthetic Genome: Researchers have built an artificial copy of a bacterium's genome from scratch in the lab. (first broadcast Friday, January 25, 2008)

Hurricanes, Climate and Weather: Researchers from the American Meteorological Society met this week in New Orleans, site of the Hurricane Katrina disaster just years ago. How much is known about the effects of climate change on hurricanes? (first broadcast Friday, January 25, 2008)

Orbiting Carbon Observatory: NASA plans to launch an orbiting satellite observatory to map the carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. (first broadcast Friday, January 25, 2008)

The Funny Side of Global Warming?: Just how funny can serious science be? Joe Palca talks with science cartoonist Sidney Harris. (first broadcast Friday, January 25, 2008)

Judah Folkman's Legacy: We look at the scientific legacy of Judah Folkman, who died last week at the age of 74. (first broadcast Friday, January 25, 2008)