On Today's Podcast
Is that garbage can bear resistant? These bears will find out
In the name of safety, test engineers turn pill bottles over to kids, launch dead chickens through jet engines, and let bears loose on coolers.
Listen NowOctober 16, 2026
A free-floating seaweed called sargassum is exploding in the Atlantic Ocean, clogging up coastlines from West Africa to the Caribbean. Attachment styles have taken off as a way to understand relationships. But does the science behind it line up with popular interpretations? Plus, the latest on commercial space stations, a mission to bring a sample from a Martian moon, and space-based weapons.
11:52
Don’t Stress! How To (Probably) Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
A lack of discipline isn’t what might undermine your goals, but rather an abundance of stress.
10:54
Could an ‘Ocean’ of Water Be Trapped Within the Earth?
Rocks deep within the earth’s mantle could sequester water for billions of years and release small amounts to the surface.
23:23
Families Geek Out! Try These DIY Experiments at Home
“Bill Nye the Science Guy” writer Lynn Brunelle and “Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments” author Mike Adamick share fun science experiments parents and kids can do at home.
A New Era of Medicine, Centered on Smartphones
An excerpt from “The Patient Will See You Now.”
This Insect’s Got Gears
The cogs allow the planthopper nymph to synchronize movement of its hind legs.
Science Friday Home Science Highlights of 2014
Our best home experiments and maker projects from 2014.
The Best of Science Friday, 2014 (Picked by Our Staff)
SciFri staff members recommend their favorite stories from the past year.
40:50
2014 Science Year in Review
From the Ebola outbreak to the Rosetta mission to a comet, a look at the biggest science stories of the year.
5:55
Birdie in Flight
The aerodynamics of the badminton birdie, along with a complex chain of movements executed by players, enables it to reach 200 mph.
23:12
John McPhee Assembles California
In this 1993 interview from the Science Friday archives, writer John McPhee talks plate tectonics and global geology.
23:43
SciFri Live: Science Movie Quiz
You may know science, but how well do you know movie science?
Birdie In Flight: The Science of Badminton
The key to the badminton’s speed is the unique aerodynamic shape of the birdie and the kinetic movements by players.
The Fight Against Blight: Restoring the American Chestnut
Researchers have developed a blight-resistant species that’s nearly identical to the American chestnut tree.
Christmas Tree Combustion
A home holiday experiment that explores combustion using festive fuels such as fir, pine, spruce, and cedar.
11:54
Does Mars Have What It Takes to Support Life?
NASA’s Curiosity rover finds evidence of methane and organics on the Red Planet.
23:12
Scientists Speak Out About Attacks on Science
Bioengineer John Dabiri and conservation biologist Terrie Williams, two targets of Senator Tom Coburn’s 2014 “Wastebook” look beyond the caricatures painted by politicians and pundits to tell the story of their research.
9:21
Weighing In on the ‘Good Carb, Bad Carb’ Debate
Curbing “high glycemic” carbs may not benefit healthy eaters.
7:09
Under The Influence Of Beer Foam
A team of fluid mechanics researchers at Princeton University dive into the anti-sloshing physics of foam.
7:20
Moving Ice May Mean More Melting for Greenland
By 2060, Greenland’s seasonal “supraglacial” lakes will double in number and move farther inland.