Episodes

Primatologist Frans de Waal on the underestimated intelligence of animals, and an Earth Day tribute to endangered coral.

Orchids attract pollinators—and home gardeners—through deception. And composers help scientists listen in on their data.

How are fiction writers addressing a warming world? A look at the rise of “climate fiction.” Plus, “space archaeologist” Sarah Parcak on her latest ancient find.

Can a game make you laugh—or cry? We tap into the emotional side of video games. Plus, a soil scientist swoons for the microbial scent of spring.

Craig Venter describes his latest synthetic lifeform, JCVI-syn3.0. And a look back at the 1990s Crypto Wars in light of the Apple encryption debate today.

Sculptor Tom Sachs is on a mission to Mars, with equipment that’s 100 percent DIY. Plus, bringing warming temperatures and rising seas into the classroom.

In this episode, we dive into the world of cheese, from the microbes that help make it, to the chemistry that gives processed cheese its properties. Plus, two ophthalmologists focus on your eye questions.

NASA’s planetary protection plan against asteroid strikes, and chemists unravel an art history mystery.

We revisit a 1994 SciFri conversation on pandemics and ask: Has anything changed in the era of Ebola and Zika? Plus, Carlo Rovelli’s “Seven Brief Lessons on Physics.”

A look at the global impacts of El Niño, a ransomware attack on a California hospital, and Silicon Valley’s diversity gap.