On Today's Podcast
How do you figure out if microplastics are affecting pregnancy?
Microplastic researchers are trying to find answers about pressing health concerns while navigating the challenges of a new field of science.
Listen NowAugust 21, 2026
Microplastics have been found throughout the body, including in placentas and reproductive organs. What does that mean for pregnancy? Plus, little red dots appear all over images from the James Webb Space Telescope. They may belong to a new cosmic category called black hole stars. And, environmentalists and tribes are using state-level public trust doctrines to fight development.
How to Cook on Mars (Recipe Included)
Whipping up a yummy Martian snack isn’t as hard as it might seem.
36:13
Preserving Science News in an Online World
Experts discuss how the internet impacts public perception of science.
4:50
Dung Beetles Use Cosmic GPS to Find Their Way
Dung beetles use light from the Milky Way to help them navigate at night.
5:08
How Owls Turn Heads
How do these birds turn their heads 270 degrees without damaging their blood vessels?
47:18
Are We Losing the Race Against Climate Change?
China burns as much coal as the rest of the world combined. But it also leads in clean tech, and has a national climate change policy in place. A look at how the world is tackling climate change–with or without us.
How Owls Turn Heads
How do owls turn their heads 270 degrees without damaging their blood vessels? X-rays and dissections may provide an answer.
And the Award Goes to…
The 2012 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge winners are in.
February Book Club Pick: ‘Gorillas in the Mist’
Dian Fossey’s memoir of her work with the gorillas is next on our reading list.
Spider Webs, Tractor Beams, and Beer
This week, I’m focusing on some really geeky—I should say Benjie*—research that caught my eye. Be ready for some gorgeous graphics and hi-tech talk.
SciFri Book Club Open Thread: ‘The Andromeda Strain’
Here are some ideas to get the conversation started.
The Minimalist Brain
Artist Greg Dunn combines his two passions: neuroscience and Asian-inspired painting.
19:20
Canine Conundrum: How Dog Became Man’s Best Friend
Scientists have long debated how—and when—dogs first became domesticated.
22:42
Shoring Up the Nation’s Crumbling Coastlines
Can beaches be rebuilt to face fiercer storms and rising seas? Is there even enough sand to do it?
4:27
Months After Sandy, Mucking and Gutting
Mold has become a concern for residents of a Sandy-damaged neighborhood in Queens.
7:12
Cold Snap Shakes Up Winter Weather Outlook
Climatologist Jeff Weber explains why this winter could pack a punch.
9:57
Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Encoded in DNA
If all the world’s information were encoded as DNA, it would fit in the back of a station wagon.
5:06
Turning Girl Scout Cookies Into Graphene
Scientists have transformed baked goods into graphene, worth two million times the price of gold.
24:17
The Book Club Catches ‘The Andromeda Strain’
The Science Friday book club chats about Michael Crichton’s 1969 classic sci-fi thriller.
Mold Compounds Sandy’s Destruction
The Rockaways, a Queens, N.Y. neighborhood, is still recovering from Sandy. Debris from fires lingers on the streets, and buildings torn apart by the storm are crumbling on the beach. But those with restored heat and power have another concern: mold.