On Today's Podcast
Why Astronomers Are Excited About Comet 3I/ATLAS’ Close Approach
Comet 3I/Atlas is just the third known object to visit us from outside our solar system. So yes... we'll be talking about aliens.
Listen NowDecember 19, 2025
A newly identified amoeba can survive at the temperature of a medium-well steak. Plus, a distant lava planet shows signs of an atmosphere. And, this Christmas Bird Count, we salute the fabulous, underappreciated, common species. Here’s to you, house sparrow.
12:20
Tracking Online Terrorist Networks With Mathematical Models
Researchers tracked the growth and decline of online extremist networks through models typically used to map complex systems in the natural world.
17:38
Will Pokémon Go Push Augmented Reality Forward?
Tracking the ways that augmented reality could transform how we interact with the digital world.
7:49
Sex Differences in Pain Perception, and More
In this week’s news roundup, Buzzfeed’s Virginia Hughes talks about how the sexes may perceive pain differently, and how one scientist is calling for more female mice in pain studies.
Women in Science: An Illustrated Who’s Who
Illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky’s new book is a clever introduction to women scientists through history, starting with the ancient polymath Hypatia.
Burping Bioacoustics
Explore the field of bioacoustics by recording and analyzing the sound waves of human burps.
The Big Sort: An Insider’s Tour Of A Recycling Plant
Every day at the Sims Municipal Recycling facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, roughly 800 tons of recyclables meander through a tangle of machines, scanners, and conveyor belts.
Hearing Color Through A Cyborg
At the electronic music festival Moogfest, self-described cyborg artist Neil Harbisson showed an audience what it’s like to hear color.
6:12
The Art, and Science, of the Biodesign Challenge
A competition challenges art and design students to face the brave new world of biotechnology.
17:29
Building Better Violins…With Science
Self-taught scientist and luthier Carleen Hutchins brought new scientific rigor to violin-making.
4:50
Does Human Specimen Research Always Need Consent?
Why scientists don’t want to ask your permission to study your old blood samples.
11:34
As the Climate Warms, What Toll Will Heatwaves Take?
With an eye on New York City, an epidemiologist looks at how many deaths extreme heat could cause, and how we can prevent them.
7:25
A Jovian Arrival, Titan’s Chemistry, and a Goat’s Gaze
Researchers have found that Saturn’s moon Titan could have the right chemical conditions to create precursors to life. Plus, what a goat’s gaze has in common with puppy behavior.
10:13
A Geological Tour From 30,000 Feet Up
Flyover Country, a new app, will help you spot geological features during your next long-haul flight.
17:29
A New Threat to Cell Phone Videos?
Apple patents a technology that could stop our phones from recording concerts. How does it work, and could this be abused?
17:20
Protecting The Historic Human Record In Space
How could historically significant satellites, spacecraft, and landing sites be preserved in space?
A Peek at the Possibilities of Biodesign
An air purifier filled with spider webs, a toilet insert that filters estrogen, a cactus-like water harvester—these were just a few of the ambitious and creative ideas presented at the first Biodesign Challenge, which took place on June 23, 2016.
A Peek at the Possibilities of Biodesign
Art and design students envision the future of biotech.
12:02
Crowdsourcing Data, While Keeping Yours Private
“Differential privacy” allows companies to randomize user data, preserving individual privacy while pulling out larger trends.
26:18
Checking In on Our Planetary Neighbors
From Jupiter to Pluto, new windows into the origins of our largest and smallest friends around the sun.
12:07
Crime Algorithm, Space Junk, and Stem Cell Therapies
The legalities of algorithms to predict “high risk” criminals, and the dangers of unapproved stem cell therapies.