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.
That chlorine smell at the pool? It’s pee
The chlorine in swimming pools reacts with our urine and sweat, producing volatile chemicals that are potentially harmful to breathe.
Can you learn to love the scorpion?
Fossils suggest there were ancient scorpions over 3 feet long. Terrifying? Perhaps, but there’s a lot to love about these arachnids.
FDA approves a well-known sunscreen ingredient—finally
The FDA approved the first new sunscreen ingredient in over 20 years—one that’s long been used around the world. What took so long?
Why do sports announcers talk like that?
A linguist breaks down “sports announcer talk,” from inverted speech and rising pitch to the world-famous goal roar.
Swords, cannibalism, poison: inside the world of killer microbes
Some microbe species have evolved to stab, bomb, cannibalize, or poison each other. Can we harness their weapons for good?
When music transports you to a different place
Musical daydreams are a phenomenon shared across humankind. What do they tell us about our brains?
A vast whale graveyard + Zombie sea cucumbers
A massive “whale graveyard” contains whale remains dating back 5 million years. Plus, some detached parts of sea cucumbers don’t seem to die.
How extreme athletes like Alex Honnold keep their cool
Everyone has stressful moments. But for some athletes, keeping calm can be the difference between life and death.
Parenting tips from the animal kingdom
How poison dart frogs deal with their kids asking for snacks, and other parenting inspiration from the animal kingdom.
How the US patent system keeps drug prices high
Pharmaceutical companies can use overlapping patents to extend their exclusive rights to a drug, delaying production of cheaper generic forms.