SciFri Radio: Planets

SciFri Radio: Solar Systems and a Mysterious Cosmic Ghost
How does a disk of gas and dust turn into a solar system?A new study suggests conditions had to be just right to make our solar system. Plus, a...

SciFri Radio: Mars Update
Last week, water in the form of ice was found on Mars. This week, the lander dug up perchlorate, a salt used in fireworks and rocket fuel. What...

SciFri Radio: Planetary Science Update
Mars has water ice in its soil -- and could Mercury be shrinking? In this segment, we'll get the latest from around the solar system, checking in...

SciFri Radio: Mars Update
In this segment, we'll talk with the head of the Mars Phoenix mission and get an update on Mars research.

SciFri Radio: Countdown to Mars
The latest mission to Mars, Mars Phoenix, is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet this coming Sunday. We'll talk about the mission and what...

SciFri Radio: What's a Planet, Anyway?
In 2006, astronomers voted to remove Pluto from the list of planets in our solar system -- but the controversy over just what should be called a...

SciFri Radio: Turmoil in Planetary Exploration?
NASA's science chief, Alan Stern, announced his resignation this week. The announcement came the same week as threatened budget cuts to the popular...

SciFri Radio: Sensing the Atmosphere of Distant Planets
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have been able to detect the chemical signature of methane in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a...

SciFri Radio: A Return to Mercury After 33 Years
Scientists are reviewing data from a flyby of the planet Mercury earlier this week.

SciFri Radio: Asteroid Heading Toward Mars
An asteroid has a 1-in-75 chance of hitting Mars in late January. Find out why astronomers are on the edge of their seats.

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Particles of Science

Itsy Bitsy Spacecraft

SciFri guest Aaron Rowe explains the advantages of smaller spacecraft: Listen. Find out about a new development in the micro craft design--a material that can change color depending on whether the craft is in sun or shadow to reflect or absorb light. Listen to Rowe.

This Just In: Cattail Fuel

Ethanol isn't all about corn. SciFri guest David Blume suggests fuel from cattails. Listen here. They also clean the water and grow like weeds. Learn more.

This Just In

A positive drug test may not mean doping, according to SciFri guest Donald Berry. Berry said that the drug test being used to evaluate athletes has not been evaluated properly--it's not clear what its margin of error is. Listen to Berry explain. Ira asked why the doping test is not more scientific and this is what Berry said: Listen here.

Berry Power

New research explains why cranberry juice may ward off urinary tract infections. The berry beverage was shown to prevent disease-causing bacteria from attaching to urinary tract cells in the body.

SciFri Newsbriefs: Planets

Newsbrief: Watering Pole
Mars has enough frozen water to cover the planet in 36 feet of water.

Newsbrief: Liquid Mirror Lunar Telescope
Using liquid for the telescope's mirror could let scientists see deeper into the Universe than ever before.

Newsbrief: New Moon
The moon may not be as old as previously thought.

Newsbrief: Tiny Time Capsule
A tiny ancient crystal is packing the geologic history of the Earth

Newsbrief: So long, Ulysses!
The sun-studying spacecraft is about to end its epic odyssey.

SciFri Videos: Planets

Video: Your Video: Hotel Mauna Kea
Welcome to the Hotel Mauna Kea. Five planetary astronomers bring you an original science music video about life at the observatory at the...

Featured Video: How the Fly Evades the Swatter
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Footage courtesy of Michael Dickinson Lab, Caltech. Fruit fly electron microscope image: Jack Scott, Bio-DiTRL, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta. Music by Synthar

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