On Today's Podcast
Isabella Rossellini on how acting connects to animal cognition
Should we anthropomorphize animals or not? An actor and an ecologist share what they’ve learned about animal cognition.
Listen NowOctober 23, 2026
CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna discusses the evolution of gene-editing technology and what it takes to be a good scientist. Timekeepers around the world voted to stop using leap seconds, but what does that mean for us? Plus, how "problem bears" help test engineers evaluate consumer products, author Kazuo Ishiguro on emotional truth in our age of AI, and the science of apple varieties.
Plunging Into the Science of BASE Jumping
The physics and neuroscience of jumping off cliffs.
In Twitter We Trust: Can Social Media Sway Voters?
Scientists are examining how social media can influence the opinions of voters.
The SciFri Book Club Falls For Mr. Feynman
The Science Friday Book Club discusses the classic book “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
Plunge Into the Science of BASE Jumping
BASE stands for the objects the practitioners of the sport jump from: buildings, antennas, spans, earth. Wingsuits are sometimes involved; parachutes, always.
Scientists in the Dark Over Birth of the Moon
Two new studies present very different ideas about how the Moon was formed—a riddle that one scientist says may never be solved.
Making Sense of Presidential Polls
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the presidential polls? A neuroscientist and statistician talk about how to make sense of the election—and why not all votes are created equal.
Winter Weather Predictions—Science or Folklore?
The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts winter weather months in advance. But how scientific are those predictions? And are NOAA and Accuweather any better at the art of seasonal forecasting?
Spacecraft Records ‘Chorus’ of Space Sounds
What do Earth’s radiation belts sound like? Wonder no more.
New Program Spurs Solar Development on Public Land
The plan identifies 285,000 acres of public land in six Western states for solar energy projects.
When Infections ‘Spillover’
Will the next human pandemic start in an animal? Writer David Quammen talks about Ebola, HIV and other diseases that ‘spillover’ from animals to humans.
How One Guy Raised $1.3 Million for a Tesla Museum
The money will be used to turn Nikola Tesla’s final laboratory into a museum.
Learning From the Things That Annoy Us
Why you have to overcome irritation in order to examine it.
Geek My Pumpkin
Maniac Pumpkin Carvers Marc and Chris carve hundreds of pumpkins each fall, which go for a few hundred bucks and rarely end up on stoops. They gave us some tips for how to bring our pumpkins to the next level this Halloween.
The Secret to Making Ultrastrong ‘Gorilla Glass’
Gorilla Glass isn’t unbreakable. But it’s twice as durable as regular glass—at half the thickness.
Feds to Debate Marijuana as Medicine
A federal appeals court is set to hear the scientific case for marijuana’s therapeutic effects.
Tracking the Ozone Hole, as It Waxes and Wanes
The Antarctic ozone hole reaches its largest size by late September—but then it disappears again.
Enter an Optical Illusion
Gravity doesn’t behave as expected in a new art exhibition in New York City.
Fifty Years Ago, a Bright Idea
Inventor Nick Holonyak describes the creation of the visible light-emitting diode, or LED.
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?