On Today's Podcast
Why cannabis’s health effects are so hard to study
Cannabis seems to be everywhere, in many forms. We're learning more about its effect on teenage brains and its usefulness as a therapeutic.
Listen NowSeptember 11, 2026
Scientists used fossil records and AI tools to reconstruct a soundscape of a Jurassic forest. Shorter courses of antibiotics may actually reduce antimicrobial resistance. Plus, a new study found a group of genes associated with fibromyalgia. And, as black bears return to their historic ranges across the U.S., human encounters are increasing. How can bears and people live in harmony?
Study May Link Pro Football, Brain Decline
A new study suggests that pro football players are more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases.
Tracking Viruses from Animals to People
Researchers discuss West Nile, hantavirus, and other diseases that cross from animals to people.
Oregon Power Project Needs the Motion of the Ocean
A generator that makes electricity from wave power is being prepared for installation off the Oregon coast.
Tour A Bat Cave
Nickolay Hristov uses a long-range laser scanner and portable thermal cameras to see bats in new ways.
The Importance of Strange Science
Science doesn’t have to be serious—you can always learn from it.
To The Bat Cave!
Bat biologist Nickolay Hristov, of UNC’s Center for Design Innovation and Winston-Salem State University, develops new techniques for filming and visualizing bats.
Meet Your Ancient Relatives — The Denisovans
Scientists sequenced the genome of a Denisovan—a distant cousin to modern humans and Neanderthals.
Time to Overhaul America’s Aging Bridges?
Experts say some 8000 bridges are in dire need of repair—but at what cost?
Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery
Researchers use time-lapse photography and a prosthetic plant to understand why cucumber tendrils twist.
Surveying the Mobile Landscape, Post Patent Battle
Will the Apple/Samsung patent ruling affect the phones and tablets consumers can buy?
Meet the Brains Behind ‘Bones’
Forensic anthropologist and writer Kathy Reichs talks about her new novel “Bones Are Forever” and her ongoing work on the TV crime-fighting series “Bones.”
Gazing Up at a Double Sun
Astronomers have found multiple planets orbiting a double star system.
The World Remembers Neil Armstrong
A goodbye to Neil Armstrong: Pilot, pioneer, and the first person to walk on the Moon.
Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery
Plants may be stationary, but they’re rarely still, says biologist Roger Hangarter, creator of the website Plants in Motion.
Curiosity Rover Zaps a Rock, Starts to Roll
The rover is on its way to Glenelg, an area where scientists hope to drill into bedrock.
Tree Rings Tell Tales of Ancient Fires and Climate
Are the movements of wildfires as predictable as the weather? And does climate change cause bigger, hotter blazes?
Mapping the Birthplace of Modern Languages
Scientists have traced the roots of languages like English and Spanish back to present-day Turkey.
‘Carbon Nation’ Tackles Climate Change, By Ignoring It
‘Carbon Nation’ bills itself as a ‘climate change solutions movie, that doesn’t even care if you believe in climate change.’
David Eagleman Gets Inside Our Heads
Neuroscientist David Eagleman exposes our unconscious minds in his latest book Incognito.
Science of Good Dancing
Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave filmed men dancing, converted the videos into dancing avatars and asked women to rate the avatars’ dancing ability.