Broadcasts

We dig into the details of the science of Tylenol and autism with a researcher who led one of the largest studies on the topic. Plus, roboticist Karen Liu combines machine learning and animation to teach robots to move and respond more like humans. And, at a lab in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, scientists are breeding corals to be more resilient to rising ocean temperatures.

Dr. Mary-Claire King was the first to link a gene to hereditary cancer risk with the identification of BRCA1 in the 1990s. She was just getting started. Plus, sooner or later, a sizable asteroid could impact a populated area on Earth. How are we preparing? And, the merlin, sandhill crane, and pileated woodpecker were once rare in North America. Environmental conservation fueled their resurgence.

Octopuses can use their suckers to detect harmful microbes on the surface of objects like crab shells, or their own eggs. Plus, a new book charts the millennia-old history of our fascination with aliens, and how myth transformed into research. And, golden oyster mushrooms have escaped from home growing kits into the wild. Could they affect fungal diversity in North American forests?

A sand dune is much more than just a big pile of sand. But how do sand dunes work, and what else do scientists want to know about sand? Plus, candles, hairstyling products, and other common items can produce toxic air pollution that lingers in our homes. And, former CDC scientist Demetre Daskalakis left his post, citing political interference and a lack of science in decision-making at the agency.

Archaeologists are taking another look at tattoos on preserved corpses and verifying ancient techniques with modern tattoo artists. Plus, an ER doctor reflects on Hurricane Katrina, 20 years later. And, we’re pulling a few of our favorite stories about the science of ice cream out of the freezer.

Humans drove wolves nearly to extinction in the American West. Reintroducing them in 1995 was, and still is, controversial. Plus, the FDA and HHS plan to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes as part of the MAHA agenda. What does science say about their effects on health? And, astronomers found a supernova whose lighter outer layers had been stripped away, revealing an inner shell rich in silicon and sulfur.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of two papers that sparked the field of quantum mechanics. Plus, a science journalist documents his quest to understand his own cluster headaches in the new book “The Headache.” And, what the cancelation of nearly $500 million in funding means for the future of mRNA vaccine research.

Solar power adoption has been rising fast. Amid recent federal efforts to limit clean energy, will it make a dent in our climate impact? Plus, the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease have eluded scientists for decades. But a new breakthrough points to lithium as a possible explanation. And, Dr. Masao Tomonaga was 2 years old when the US bombed Nagasaki. Eighty years later, he reflects on a lifetime of treating other survivors.

A workout can be a mental health boost—or a psychological strain. Two exercise researchers discuss what physical activity does to your mind. Plus, in a new book, mathematician Adam Kucharski traces our relationship to truth from the ancient Greeks to our AI reality. And, a researcher who studies the effects of extreme cold on the body throws a few drops of icy water on cold plunges.

Newly released images from the Parker Solar Probe are so detailed that scientists can see explosions and the flow of solar winds. Plus, menopause research began in earnest about 30 years ago. Two experts want you to know that we’ve actually learned a lot—and it’s not all bad. And, how fast did dinosaurs run? A longstanding equation for dino speed may be wrong.