Future Fibers May Be Spun From Slime
The hagfish or “slime eel” shoots out slime containing silk-like fibers of remarkable strength.
Alan Alda’s Challenge to Scientists: What Is Time?
Calling all scientists! How do you explain the concept of time to an 11-year-old?
How Science Can Keep Your Christmas Tree Merry and Bright
Rick Bates, of Penn State University, shares handy tips for how to care for your Christmas tree.
Is It Possible to Create a Mind?
What does intelligence really mean? Can we build a machine that thinks as humans do?
A View from the Flip Side
Ten days is all it takes your brain to right a world that looks upside down.
Ask a Quantum Mechanic
Teleporting data, time travel, quantum computers. Sci-fi or science reality? ‘Quantum mechanic’ Seth Lloyd joins us to talk about the mysteries of the quantum world.
‘Instant’ Looks at Polaroid’s Land
Edwin Land, the inventor behind Polaroid, is the subject of a new book by Christopher Bonanos.
No Joke — Why Even Tragedy Gets a Laugh
A comedian and a neuroscientist walk into a bar… er, nevermind. Tig Notaro and Robert Provine talk about why we laugh at even the grimmest of subjects.
‘Escape Fire’ Exposes Flaws of American Healthcare
The film tells the stories of a soldier addicted to painkillers, and a doctor with no time for her patients.
Blue Whale Barrel Roll Caught on Camera
Biologists are using data tags and a National Geographic Crittercam to study the dining habits of the largest animal on the planet.