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.
Beautiful botflies, luscious leeches, and the wonder of parasites
Sure, botflies are gross, but they also know just how to hitch a ride on a camel sneeze. An entomologist celebrates the world of parasites.
What lives in the fog? Pollution-eating bacteria
While fog itself is not alive, researchers found that it can contain an ecosystem, including bacteria that eat pollutants.
Amid shifting politics, can we build stable global health systems?
Virologist, policymaker, diplomat: Dr. John Nkengasong discusses the current Ebola outbreak, and how public health is inherently political.
How does the gut-brain connection work?
Two experts at the forefront of untangling the gut-brain connection explain its role in IBS, Parkinson’s, and depression.
Squirrel poop drops Ice Age clues + The neuroscience of laughter
Ancient squirrel poop provides a snapshot of life during the last ice age. And, how different types of laughter originate in the brain.
Growing lunar potatoes + Dealing with razor-sharp moon dust
As NASA prepares for long-term moon bases, scientists are working on how to grow food in lunar soil and deal with razor-sharp moon dust.
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.