On Today's Podcast
Can ‘Suggestion-Box Science’ Make Public Health More Useful?
An epidemiologist's visit to her hometown helped her understand how to put positive community impact at the center of public health research.
Listen NowMarch 6, 2026
Astronomer and Queen guitarist Brian May teams up with astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson to bring the cosmos to 3D. Plus, Frances Arnold’s game-changing technique of “directed evolution” creates enzymes with unusual capabilities. And, how did we come to think of society's toughest problems as something for individuals to manage rather than governments to regulate?
23:10
Microexpressions: More Than Meets the Eye
By studying split-second facial expressions, psychologists hope to uncover hidden emotional cues.
18:12
The Myth Of Multitasking
Psychologist Clifford Nass says multitasking may be killing our concentration and creativity.
Gear for Your Coffee Grounds
Coffee experts percolate over how to get the most from your grounds. From the chemex to the wood neck, the brewmasters filter out reasons to choose one brewing device over another.
Science Standards for the Next Generation
Newly released science standards expect students to be capable of designing experiments and making evidence-based arguments.
Smuggled Dinosaurs, Sick Sea Otters, Hairy Tongues, and More
A roundup of science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
Black Silicon and Smart Wind Turbines
Very quietly, solar and wind technologies are making some important advances. Here are a couple examples.
11:34
Ancient Earth May Have Smelled Like Rotten Eggs
Bacteria-like creatures living nearly two billion years ago belched hydrogen sulfide, the signature stench of rotten eggs.
17:25
17-Year Cicadas Primed to Emerge
After spending 17 years underground, millions of Brood II cicadas are expected to emerge this spring.
11:16
Scientists Try to Take Antimatter’s Measurements
How can you measure the mass of a particle of antimatter? Might it fall up?
5:24
Living Inside the Box
Brooklyn residents Michele Bertomen and David Boyle designed and built a house made of shipping containers.
29:51
Michael Pollan: You Are What You Cook
Pollan once advised, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Now, he tells us how to cook it.
15:34
To Combat Rising Seas, Why Not Raise Up the Town?
Planning for the next Sandy, a New Jersey mayor has proposed lifting up his town. But at what cost?
Fermenting with Sandor Katz
Sandor Ellix Katz, self-proclaimed “fermentation revivalist” and author of “The Art of Fermentation” (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012) discusses the two “cultures.”
Living Inside the Box
Michele Bertomen and David Boyle bought an empty 20-by-40-foot lot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and built a home constructed from shipping containers.
Is Cooking Baked Into Our Biology?
According to the “cooking hypothesis,” the advent of cooked food altered the course of human evolution.
The SciFri Book Club Takes a Walk
Get ready to trail along with writer Bill Bryson.
Time Crystals, Canine Conservationists, Copycat Monkeys, and More
A roundup of science stories or studies that blow our mind, tickle our funny bone, or generally strike our fancy.
Science Project: Coffee
Get the scoop on coffee flavor with Harold McGee’s counter-top chemistry experiment.
April 19th SciFri Broadcast to Air at Later Date
NPR’s continuing live coverage of events in Boston will preempt today’s Science Friday. The recorded April 19th program will be broadcast nationwide in our regularly scheduled timeslot on a later date.