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” drives change.
12:17
Flexible Insect Protein Inspires Super Rubber
Flexible insect protein surpasses the best synthetic rubbers.
17:47
Biting Into the First In Vitro Burger
A laboratory lunch over the first in vitro burger.
17:37
Climate Update: Warming Temperatures
A look at the social and environmental impacts of global warming worldwide.
Building the World’s Fastest Gumball Machine
Brett Doar and his colleagues at Applied Chaotics specialize in building Rube Goldberg contraptions and other kinetic devices.
6:02
Smartening Your TV With Google Chromecast
How does Google Chromecast fit into the media streaming market?
13:43
Hacking Under the Hood and Into Your Car
More computerized features in your car mean more hacking vulnerabilities.
9:25
Some Ground-Dwelling Dinos Had the Brains to Fly
Even Archaeopteryx‘s non-flying cousins had the motor and visual skills needed for flight.
11:34
Meet Nasutoceratops: Big-Nose Horned Face
Researchers dug up a new relative of Triceratops in the Utah desert. Its distinction? A huge nose.
4:29
Engineering in Service of a Dark Art
A biologist takes shadow puppetry to the next level.
11:49
For Asteroid Ideas, NASA Looks to the Crowd
When NASA asked the public for ideas on tracking and exploring asteroids, the agency received more than 400 ideas.
17:36
Teaching Newton’s Laws Through Rhyme
Science teacher Christopher Emdin knows how to get his students interested in science: Rap about it.
17:12
Reexamining the Definition of Cancer
Will redefining cancer help prevent overdiagnosis and overtreatment?
Moon Medicine, Super Shrews, Grizzly’s Best Friend, More
Each week we’ll round up links to science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
Carl Sagan Reflects On The Pale Blue Dot
A new image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft features Earth as a speck, recalling our planet’s first portrait taken from the outer solar system more than 20 years ago.
12:15
Melding Two Memories Into One
Researchers linked a mouse’s innocuous memory to a fearful one—essentially creating a false memory.
24:32
Phil Mickelson Takes a Swing at Science
Mickelson, an advocate for math and science education, says science sharpens his golf game, too.
9:00
‘Moth-ers’ Shine a Light on Nighttime Beauties
Much-maligned moths are more than the butterfly’s drab cousin.
