Radio
Listen to Science Friday live on Fridays from 2-4 p.m. ET
February 14, 2025
A new book explores how one biologist’s work at the North and South Poles changed the way he sees the world and our place in it. Plus, the FDA approved a new, non-opioid painkiller. How does it work, and who is it for? And, Kinda baboons form long-term friendships between the sexes.
9:53
Ice Science a Slippery Quandary for Physicists
Friction researcher and avid curler Robert Carpick discusses the tricky physics of ice.
6:32
Crafting the ‘Fastest Ice on Earth’
Marc Norman obsessively monitors the ice at the Utah Olympic Oval to create the perfect skating surface.
19:12
Can Gaming Make Us More Social?
NYU’s Katherine Isbister imagines a future where technology connects us to other people, not avatars.
9:59
When Do Childhood Memories Start to Fade?
On average, adults’ earliest memories go back to the age of three.
9:12
What Pulled the Plug on the Bioluminescent Bay?
The glowing bioluminescent bay near Fajardo, Puerto Rico went dark for more than a week in November.
24:53
Meet Vermeer, the Engineer
A new documentary, “Tim’s Vermeer,” shows that the Dutch master painter was a tinkerer, too.
11:36
Greenland’s Fast-Moving Glacier Speeds Up
The Jakobshavn glacier reached speeds of more than 150 feet per day during the summer of 2012.
16:53
Alan Alda’s Challenge to Scientists: Define Color
Alda’s ‘Flame Challenge’ asks scientists to explain color—with children as the judges.
29:15
At Sundance, Scientists and Screenwriters Are Judges
What makes science work on-screen? This year’s Sundance judges weigh in.
34:21
Could There Be a Crisis in Physics?
Physicist Lawrence Krauss and Nobel Laureates Frank Wilczek and Brian Schmidt discuss current cosmic challenges.