Flora has produced science media for 20 years across many formats. She got her start right here at Science Friday, working her way up from intern to fill-in host, and resident videographer. From there, she worked as a video producer for The New York Times, co-creating an Emmy-nominated film series that dramatized scientific discoveries using… paper puppets. She also was nominated for an Emmy for her writing on Bill Nye’s Netflix show “Bill Nye Saves the World.” She has created and launched a number of podcasts in various roles, including hosting Gimlet’s beloved “Every Little Thing,” which connected listeners to experts who could answer their burning questions. The show ran for five years and published over 200 episodes. In her previous role as Hypothesis Fund Managing Editor, she told the stories of world-class scientists pursuing bold new ideas in a new storytelling initiative, The Leap.
Making science accessible, relatable, and human has been a focus of Flora’s career. Some of her inspiration comes from her own experience in science: Long, long ago, she worked at a NATO oceanographic lab in Italy. For the lab’s research expeditions, she lived on a ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.
You can find her @flichtman on social media platforms.
Mating, Marriage, And Monogamy In The Age Of Apps
An evolutionary biologist weighs in on mating and dating in the age of apps. Is pair bonding passé? Is single the new married?
How Is Screen Time Affecting My Kid?
Researchers have correlated brain and behavioral changes in kids to increased time on phones and other screen devices.
The Largest US Particle Collider Stops Its Collisions
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, or RHIC, has ceased operation. What’s next for particle physics?
Olympic Ski Mountaineering, And Mountain Goat Climbing Feats
The mountaineering history behind “skimo,” a new Winter Olympic event. Plus, research into a true alpine champion, the mountain goat.
Why Worry About My Data If I Have Nothing To Hide?
It’s easier than ever for companies to collect your personal data and compile it into a profile for advertisers, ICE, and other agencies.
Should Ultraprocessed Foods Be Off The Menu?
New USDA dietary guidelines tell us to “eat real food.” Should policymakers get highly processed foods out of our stores and school lunches?
We’re All Being Played By Metrics
A new book explores what we lose when we’re always keeping score—at work, in life, even within ourselves. Can games help set us free?
Stressed About The World? Take A Cue From Cyanobacteria
In turbulent times, it helps to hear stories of resilience. What can we learn from 3.5 billion-year-old bacteria that eat light?
Untangling The History Of Dog Domestication
A new study suggests dogs began to diversify about 11,000 years earlier than we thought. Plus, a long-running experiment to domesticate foxes.
A Science Historian Tackles Ghostwriting In Scientific Papers
A science historian looks to the past to understand our current moment, and how ghostwriting in scientific papers is harming public trust.