On Today's Podcast
What urban design tells us about democracy
Archaeologists can use the design of ancient temples, plazas, and cities to piece together the story of how a place was governed.
Listen NowApril 24, 2026
The LuSEE-Night mission would place a radio telescope on the far side of the moon to listen for signals of the cosmic “dark ages.” Plus, the design and layout of ancient temples, plazas, and cities provide clues about how societies were governed. And, everyday DNA mutations can help us understand immune function and aging—and even mitigate harm caused by some inherited diseases.
The Albedo Effect, Urban Heat Islands, and Cooling Down Your Playground
Explore the albedo effect by designing a school playground with lower surface temperature, then learn how soot from wildfires changes the albedo of the Greenland ice sheet.
Above the Ice, an Artist Goes Deep
Artist Justin Brice Guariglia will be collaborating with NASA in Greenland to explore how its icy landscape is changing.
7:44
Footprints in Time, a Stolen Gene, and a Mark on the Moon
Science writer Nadia Drake describes some of the week’s stories in science, including the discovery of more than 400 ancient footprints frozen in time in Tanzania.
4:11
A Carbon Contradiction
Reservoirs are both sources of renewable energy and one of the world’s biggest producers of greenhouse gases.
11:40
That’s Not What the Doctor Ordered
What happens when direct-to-consumer lab tests take physicians out of the equation?
17:26
Scientists Develop a Hornless Cow Through Gene Editing
Researchers used gene editing to develop a dairy cow that doesn’t grow horns.
17:10
Are Digital Assistants Smart Enough to Do Their Jobs?
As tech companies battle to develop the best digital assistant, we ask how they measure up, and why we so often fail to connect.
35:09
Science in the Crosshairs
How Congress, lawsuits, and other challenges are shaping scientific debate over climate science, fetal tissue research, and more.
What Your Lips Might Say About You
Researchers are studying what lip prints and other subtle physical traits might reveal about the etiology of cleft lip and palate.
Grabbing the Horns From the Bull
Alison Van Eenennaam and colleagues at UC Davis, along with researchers at the biotech company Recombinetics, aim to develop a genetically hornless cattle that might one day replace cows whose horns must be physical removed through expensive and painful methods.
7:15
A Limit to Lifespan, Genetic Preference for Flavors, and Hurricane Matthew’s Power
A new look at mortality suggests that even as average lifespan increases, there’s still a hard cap on how long we can live.
5:03
The Fairy Tale Of The Nobel Prize
The Nobels are supposed to honor the best of science, but the awards have their flaws.
7:09
Constructing Eye-Popping Pop-Up Books
Pop-up designer Matthew Reinhart engineers paper cut-outs that move and extend, sometimes reaching nearly two-feet tall.
17:35
Astronaut Mike Massimino’s Bumpy Ride Into Space
Astronaut Mike Massimino talks about his journey from the suburbs of Long Island to the crew of two shuttle missions to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
12:12
The Future of Your Commute
As rideshare companies like Uber strike deals with cities to supplement or replace traditional transit options and parking lots, we ask: What is the future of commuting?
What It’s Like to Walk in Space for the First Time
Astronaut Mike Massimino describes his first spacewalk during the famous mission to repair the Hubble telescope.
16:28
Planning Out a Trip to Mars
Elon Musk has laid out a goal of a million humans colonizing Mars. Are we ready?
26:41
Golden Record 2.0
We review the sounds, images, and videos our listeners chose to represent our world.
Splat! Model Lunar Impacts Using Water Balloons
In this resource from International Observe the Moon Night, use water balloons to model how the moon’s largest impact basins were created.