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.
17:18
Killer Whales Seen Making Kelp Tools To Scrub Their Backs
Researchers have observed a population of orcas that cut and position kelp tools between their bodies to scrub each other’s backs.
New Telescope Captures The Cosmos In Groundbreaking Detail
The telescope has the largest digital camera ever made. It’s so precise that one image alone contains 10 million galaxies.
How Scientists Made The First Gene-Editing Treatment For A Baby
Last month, a baby got the world’s first personalized gene-editing treatment. What will this mean for the millions of others with genetic diseases?
You Do Realize… That’s Impossible
Physicist Suchitra Sebastian may have discovered a new state of matter. But the hardest part was convincing the doubters.
12:20
Alaska Issues Its First-Ever Heat Advisory
The National Weather Service issued the heat advisory earlier this week, with temperatures in central Alaska climbing to the mid-80s.
17:00
Understanding Sunscreen Ingredients And Which Ones You Need
Picking a sunscreen can be overwhelming. We’ll break down what to look for, and what ingredients matter.
17:00
You Can Whistle While You Work—But How Does A Whistle Work?
Whistling requires attention to your mouth, muscles, and breath. Here’s how it works, and how to get better at it.
29:00
Is It Time For A New Model Of The Universe?
Is the Hubble constant—a key part of how we measure the expansion of our universe—in a crisis? Some cosmologists say yes.
17:00
How To Fight The Brain’s Desire For Revenge
The new book “The Science of Revenge” explores the neuroscience of revenge, and how its addictive potential could make it dangerous.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Biochemist Virginia Man-Yee Lee has spent her career unlocking the proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Her secret? Happiness.