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May 16, 2025
The Department of the Interior seeks to remove the endangered species designation from the lesser prairie chicken. Plus, how well do we understand the long-term health risks to firefighters? And, highlights from SciFri’s live show in Columbia, Missouri.
16:04
For A Volcanic Prediction, Gaze Into The Crystalline Debris
Researchers are using magma trapped in crystal structures to study the life beneath volcanoes.
12:05
Does Faster Drug Approval Lead To Better Medicine?
Researchers say fast-tracked drugs are not being rigorously tested after the approval process.
26:38
Inevitable Or Accident? Tackling The Big Questions Of Evolution
Modern evolutionary science has some advantages Darwin didn’t. Here’s what we’re learning from DNA, experimentation, and more.
8:01
How The Blind Can ‘Watch’ A Solar Eclipse
Instead of pinhole cameras and solar filter lenses, researchers are using sound and vibrations to describe the scenes on August 21 to blind and low vision eclipse chasers.
17:16
Why Doesn’t Cherry Candy Taste Like Real Cherries?
Today’s fake flavors owe more to the chemistry of the past than their real fruit counterparts.
6:35
A Win For Einstein, Building A Bigger Salmon, And A Newly Named Dino
Astronomers sifting through years of stellar data have found that Einstein’s theories still hold up. Plus, other stories from this week in science.
5:20
Could ‘Green Spot’ Be Sign Of Trouble For Oroville Dam?
Dan Brekke of KQED gives an update on the the reconstruction of the Oroville Dam spillway that collapsed in February.
17:08
How To Make Spoof-Proof Biometric Security
Fingerprint scanners are standard on new smartphones, and new ID methods are coming. But security researchers say biometrics are still too easily duped.
16:52
Panting, Perspiration, And Puddles
How humans and other animals have evolved to beat the heat.
24:28
Probing Humanity’s Endless ‘Why?’
Curiosity drives much of our learning and creativity. Where do we get it from, and how does it change our brains?