On Today's Podcast
Why it's so hard to tell the age of a fungus
One of the world’s largest organisms is an Oregon fungus thought to be over 8,000 years old. But what does age mean to a fungus, anyway?
Listen NowAugust 28, 2026
Medical AI tools are transcribing patient visits, responding to doctors' questions, and analyzing scans. What are the benefits—and the risks? Plus, how GPS transformed from a niche military technology to one we rely on every day. And, the science behind the "nervous system reset," and how genetics work could help restore American chestnut trees more quickly.
2012 Nobel Prizes Recognize Pioneering Science
This year’s Nobel laureates changed our understanding of our bodies and the world around us.
Curiosity Rover Gets the ‘Scoop’ on Mars
Did the rover shed a piece of plastic while collecting its first scoop of Martian soil?
Step Into an Optical Illusion
In Demon Hill, the rules of gravity don’t apply as you expect them to. Down is not down, exactly. The room, created by Los Angeles artist Julian Hoeber and on display at the Harris Lieberman Gallery in New York, is modeled on a stock roadside attraction.
Starfish Blamed For Great Barrier Reef Coral Loss
Crown-of-thorns starfish are partly to blame for the Great Barrier Reef’s alarming loss of coral cover.
What Your Genes Can Tell You About Your Memory
Researchers are studying how gene regulation influences memory.
How Astronomers Measured The Edge Of A Black Hole
The black hole resides at the center of a galaxy located 50 million light-years from Earth.
From Stem Cells to Eggs (and Beyond)
Stem cells can be turned into heart, liver, and brain cells—but what about a whole new organism? A study in Science explains the transformation from stem cell to egg to mouse pup.
Why Online Maps Sometimes Lose Their Way
Mapping streets is easy. The trick is pinning down businesses and giving accurate turn-by-turn directions.
This Beetle Puts the ‘Extreme’ in Extremity
The horn of a Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) can grow to be two-thirds the length of the rest of its body. And size matters.
Analyzing the Evidence on DNA
“All DNA evidence is not created equal,” says Greg Hampikian, Director of the Idaho Innocence Project. He’ll tell us why DNA ‘evidence’ sometimes leads to the wrong conclusion.
Fires and Invasive Grass Threaten American West
Cheatgrass, an invasive weed, chokes out native sagebrush—and sets the stage for massive blazes.
Ice Age Co-Stars: Horses, Camels, and Cheetahs
Move over mammoths—many lesser-known beasts roamed North America during the Ice Age too.
The Biology of Birds of Prey
We’ll check in with biologists studying American kestrels, prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, and other raptors that nest in Idaho’s Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Plus, bringing back the California condor.
Wild California Condors Made Here
By 1982, fewer than two dozen California condors lived in the wild. By 1985, only one wild breeding pair was known to exist.
Can Government Bans Tackle Obesity?
Experts debate whether government regulations are an effective way to fight the obesity epidemic.
Printing Solar Panels in the Backyard
A Kickstarter-funded project aims to build a machine to print micro solar panels.
What the Doctor Ordered: Building New Body Parts
Spray-on skin, made-to-order muscle, and print-out kidneys aren’t just science fiction anymore.
The SciFri Book Club Visits ‘Flatland’
Mathematician Ian Stewart joins the September book club meeting for a look at Edwin Abbott’s ‘Flatland.’
Printing Solar Panels in the Backyard
Imagine what you might do if you could print your own solar panels. That’s kind of the dream behind Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein’s Solar Pocket Factory.