On Today's Podcast
Hold the lettuce: Updates on the 'explosive' cyclospora outbreak
The cyclospora outbreak causing diarrhea for thousands has been linked to shredded lettuce. What's making it so hard to pinpoint a source?
Listen NowJuly 17, 2026
Sci-fi stories often imagine how humans would react to intelligent alien life. But what does the science say? Plus, botflies are gross, but they also know just how to hitch a ride on a camel sneeze. An entomologist celebrates the wonder of parasites. And, in a recent analysis, scientists argued that New Orleans should relocate. But planning for a city's future is about much more than geography.
Every Spring, This Bird Struts its Stuff
Across Utah, the Greater sage-grouse performs a striking dance routine each morning at dawn.
These Dinosaurs Should Appear in Jurassic Park 4
Author and dino-lover Riley Black suggests several reptilian relics that deserve the spotlight.
Why Do I Get Nostalgic?
That bittersweet longing for the past can have an important impact on the present.
12:16
Red Meat’s Heart Risk Goes Beyond the Fat
A chemical in red meat, L-carnitine, may increase the risk of heart disease in people and mice.
28:17
Down the Gullet: A Guided Tour of Your Guts
In Gulp., science writer Mary Roach travels through the intestines–and out the other end.
6:16
Poring Over The Science Of Coffee
Harold McGee explains the chemistry in your cup of joe.
11:53
Looking to Nature for Antibiotic Inspirations
Microbiologists are learning bacteria-killing tricks by studying phage viruses.
12:40
The Teenage ‘Troublemaker’ Fighting for Science
Zack Kopplin is campaigning to keep creationism off the science class syllabus.
20:38
Monitoring the Monarchs
Monarch expert Lincoln Brower discusses the decline in monarch butterfly populations.
Concocting The Perfect Cup Of Coffee
Brew-masters pore over the chemistry and craft of making a good cup of joe.
Mapping the Monarchs
Any orange-and-black beauties in your neck of the woods? Add a photo to our Spring Monarch Migration 2013 Google map.
The Story of Saliva
Why do newborns drool excessively? How many pints of saliva does a person generate daily? (Hint, it’s more than one.) And more spit mysteries excerpted from “Gulp: Adventures Down the Alimentary Canal.”
Will There Be Another Ice Age?
If carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, we likely have a long thaw ahead of us.
Milkweed for Monarchs
People can help monarch butterflies by planting milkweed, a plant the insects rely on for breeding and feeding.
What Scared the Fearless Woman?
Patients once considered insensitive to fear can experience the sensation in response to internal triggers, a new study shows.
What’s in a Label?
A new book looks at how the way we think and behave can be shaped by forces we aren’t aware of.
9:55
Tracking a Rise in ADHD Diagnosis
Researchers work to understand what might be behind a surge in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
23:32
‘Drunk Tank Pink’ Finds Clues to Behavior
In his new book, Adam Alter examines the way labels, symbols, and colors can affect human behavior.
7:32
President Obama Calls for a ‘BRAIN Initiative’
NIH Director Francis Collins discusses President Obama’s new ‘BRAIN Initiative’ research program.
4:17
Building Synthetic Tissues from Water Droplets?
Researchers turned tiny water droplets into cooperating networks that can change shape and pass electrical signals.