Audio
Listen to Science Friday live on Fridays from 2-4 p.m. ET, or listen to our daily podcast
May 2, 2025
An astronomer explores the cosmos and the limits of what science can test. Plus, how the mysterious properties of pasta—like how it bends, coils, and breaks—have been tested by physicists for decades. And, millions of years ago, iguanas somehow got from North America to Fiji. Scientists think they made the trip on a raft of fallen vegetation.
Learning From the Things That Annoy Us
Why you have to overcome irritation in order to examine it.
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.
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.
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.
Spacecraft Records ‘Chorus’ of Space Sounds
What do Earth’s radiation belts sound like? Wonder no more.
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?
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.
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.
Curiosity Rover Gets the ‘Scoop’ on Mars
Did the rover shed a piece of plastic while collecting its first scoop of Martian soil?
2012 Nobel Prizes Recognize Pioneering Science
This year’s Nobel laureates changed our understanding of our bodies and the world around us.