On Today's Podcast
‘Project Hail Mary’ brings a new kind of alien to the big screen
Move over, Ryan Gosling: Rocky the alien is the breakout star of the big-budget movie adaptation of "Project Hail Mary."
Listen NowMarch 20, 2026
Move over, Ryan Gosling: Rocky the alien is the breakout star of the movie adaptation of "Project Hail Mary." Plus, how a particle accelerator, a robot, and 2,000 ants came together to paint a picture of biological diversity. And, a mathematician analyzed 150 years of women’s fashion to understand 20-year trend cycles, and how “optimal distinctiveness” dives change.
Overheard at SXSW 2015
Science Friday web producer Chau Tu is in Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive + Film.
Kitchen Math: How To Eat π Pies
Methodically slice up four pies to reach the irrational number pi.
11:52
As Ebola Infection Rates Decline, Will Vaccine Search Continue?
Will momentum for developing an Ebola vaccine and treatment stay on track as infection rates decrease?
10:01
Puzzling Polio-like Paralysis Baffles Doctors
Doctors are trying to piece together a puzzling polio-like paralysis that might be associated with a respiratory illness.
7:11
When a Seven-Foot-Long Arthropod Swam the Seas
Fossils found in Morocco might help explain how modern-day insects, crustaceans, and other arthropods got their shapes.
15:36
‘ResearchKit’ Taps iPhone Users for Clinical Trials
Apps on the new platform allow iPhone users to enroll in clinical trials on heart health, Parkinson’s, or asthma. But critics say the smartphone-driven studies have flaws.
22:48
Rise of the Bot Author
Algorithms already write financial and sports news articles. Could they break into fiction?
14:52
SciFri Celebrates π
This year holds an unusually special treat for enthusiasts of the constant π: March 14, 2015 approximates π not just to the usual three digits (3.14) but to five: 3.14.15.
6:45
Food Failures: Crafting Pie Crust
The science behind baking the perfect pie crust.
0:35
How An 11-Year-Old Named A (Dwarf) Planet
Venetia Burney, age 11, came up with the name “Pluto” for a newly-discovered planet 85 years ago this week.
The Art of Scent in Los Angeles
A nonprofit in Los Angeles opens the door on the secretive world of perfuming.
Beauty and the Brain: Understanding Our Responses to Art
The field of neuroaesthetics uses techniques of neurology to understand our response to art.
There Is Such a Thing As Too Much Medical Care
An excerpt from “Less Medicine, More Health.”
22:06
One Hundred Years of General Relativity
Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity on December 2, 1915.
9:03
Dawn Arrives at Ceres
Mission director and chief engineer Marc Rayman gives an update on the Dawn mission, scheduled to arrive in orbit around dwarf planet Ceres this week.
14:31
Avoid the Doctor—For Your Health
How much medical care is too much medical care?