On Today's Podcast
Can We Just Throw Our Plastic Garbage Into A Volcano?
A volcanologist answers your questions about glass-shard hairballs, cooking breakfast over lava, Gollum's end on Mount Doom, and more.
Listen NowDecember 12, 2025
Over the past century, most cancer research has focused on the tumor itself. Rakesh Jain focused on the tumor’s environment instead. Plus, a glacier’s edge can be a dangerous place to do research. One team is using robots and sound samples to monitor the melting ice. And, when cases of plague pop up in the US, it can feel straight up medieval. It’s treatable, but how and why does it persist?
17:33
Tapping Into The Creativity Of Brain Difference
In her new book, psychiatrist Gail Saltz explores the unique abilities of those with mental disorders.
7:37
A Water Widget For The World’s Driest Places
A new device collects water vapor in low humidity environments using the power of the sun.
9:10
Physics Is Untying Your Shoelaces
Researches investigated the forces created by walking that lead to untied shoelaces.
6:17
Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Becomes A Top Candidate For Life
The moon’s plumes contain evidence of hydrothermal activity…which on Earth support thriving ecological communities.
What Do Cochlear Implants And Hearing Aids Sound Like?
Learn how hearing aids work, then conduct your own test to determine whether hearing aids can improve speech recognition for cochlear implant users.
7:22
How Trump Is Letting Internet Providers Sell Your Data
Plus, why spinach makes the heart grow stronger and the return of the Tasmanian Tiger.
4:37
City Noise Could Quiet The Brain For Some
The roar of airplanes and highway traffic hits the ears of 97 percent of Americans. There are negative effects of noise, as well as an unexpected silver lining.
17:10
Conveying Science Across Partisan Lines
Michael Mann discusses his participation on the latest House Committee on Science hearing on climate change.
9:13
To Build A Wheel That Lasts, Test On Mars
A visit to the playground where Mars rovers are put through their paces.
7:59
The Anatomy Of A Splash
One researcher peers deep inside sneezes…coughs…and flushing toilets to answer questions about disease transmission.
12:02
Giant Viruses Beefed Up On Host Genomes
Giant viruses evolved from smaller viruses that picked up genes from other organisms according to a new study.
9:43
Hoping For A Breakthrough In SETI
The Breakthrough Listen project is devoting millions of dollars to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
16:54
Controlling The Lyme Disease Epidemic
As incidents of Lyme Disease soar, scientists look for answers.
7:37
Searching For E.T. In An Electronic Dead Zone
In a radio silent region, the Green Bank Telescope listens to the stars.
A Vision Of A New (Soggier) New York
The #SciFriBookClub sits down with Kim Stanley Robinson
On The Hunt For Desert Bees
We followed the biologists searching for an oil-eating bee in the California desert.
Five Ways to Think About Infinity
Infinity is weird. All the more reason to explore it, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng.
7:36
Climate Change Policy, Hormone Cycle on a Chip, and Titan’s Electric Dust
New executive orders from the Trump White House turn back elements of the Obama administration’s climate change policies.
4:40
Tweaking the Dinosaur Family Tree
New research could shift the classifications that describe relationships between groups of dinosaurs.
21:05
What-If Scenarios, Played Out Through Physics
What would happen if you stuck your hand in a particle accelerator or jumped off of the Space Station?