Asha de Vos’ Journey From Deck Hand To Marine Science Leader
Growing up, Asha de Vos didn’t know of any Sri Lankans studying marine mammals. So she became the first.
A Trailblazing Geneticist Reflects On Her Life And Work
Dr. Mary-Claire King was the first to link a gene to hereditary cancer risk with the identification of BRCA1. She was just getting started.
A Nagasaki Survivor And Physician Recounts His Life’s Work
Dr. Masao Tomonaga was 2 years old when the US bombed Nagasaki. Eighty years later, he reflects on a lifetime of treating other survivors.
This Is Going To Kill Your Career
Betül Kaçar started out as a biochemist. But then she found her calling: investigating some of the hardest questions in evolutionary biology.
I Was Considered A Nobody
Katalin Karikó was ignored, demoted, and dismissed for decades. Then she won a Nobel Prize.
17:05
The Legacy Of Primatologist Frans de Waal
Dr. Frans de Waal, who died this month, helped humans understand the emotional lives of our closest living animal relatives.
17:30
The ‘Asteroid Hunter’ Leading The OSIRIS-REx Mission
In a new memoir, planetary scientist Dr. Dante Lauretta takes readers behind the scenes of a mission to secure a sample from the asteroid Bennu.
23:52
An AI Leader’s Human-Centered Approach To Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Fei-Fei Li of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI discusses the promise and peril of the ground-breaking technology.
Kevin Perry On Doing The Right Thing
Dr. Kevin Perry, an atmospheric scientist working to save the Great Salt Lake, talks about finding meaningful directions in his research.
Marisa Tellez On The Croc Within
Dr. Marisa Tellez shares how to have people skills like a crocodile scientist.
Murry Burgess On Inclusive Field Safety
Murry Burgess shares her experience managing social field safety and how what she learned has helped her support marginalized scientists.
Matt Covington On Facing Fears
Geoscientist Dr. Matt Covington has created a prolific caving career through facing his fears and following his passion in the field.
Rachel Lupien On Talking It Out
Paleoclimatologist Dr. Rachel Lupien shares why making time for conversation and connection with other scientists helped her find her own path in science.
Xiaodong Lin-Siegler On Failing Upward
Meet a scientist who studies how failure in the classroom can lead to success in life.
9:41
Meet The Activist Reimagining Climate Education
Young people like Sage Lenier are very worried about climate change. So she took ownership over her education.
Breakthrough: The Trauma Tracer
Follow Bianca Jones Marlin as she uses cutting-edge neuroscience to uncover how the effects of trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.
29:57
The Infinitely Surprising Career Of A Mathematician
Three mathematicians talk about the latest topics and their start in math.
8:53
This Astrophysicist Holds Star Data In The Palm Of Her Hand
Astrophysicist Nia Imara’s career merges art and astronomy to figure out how stars are born.
16:53
Turning To Space While Processing Grief
After her husband’s death, astronomer Michelle Thaller turned to space’s mysteries to find solace in grief.
16:51
‘I Will Not Be Vole Girl’—A Biologist Warms To Rodents
From land-mine sniffing rats to to the mice in your backyard, biologist Danielle Lee is asking big questions about how ecology shapes behavior.
8:33
Why This Scientist Shares Vulnerable Career Moments
After several rejections, a paleoclimatologist found support by sharing her story with other scientists.
How Utah Scientists Rang The Alarm About The Great Salt Lake
The shrinking Great Salt Lake puts Utah at risk of an ecological and public health emergency. Local scientists are stepping up, sharing actionable steps to help save it.
8:11
Protecting The Waterways Of The Navajo Nation
Hydrologist Karletta Chief monitors the rivers that flow through the Navajo Nation that have been impacted by runoff from surrounding mines and help the surrounding communities.
12:17
Where Are The Black Physicists?
A physicist and higher education researcher on what’s driving the absence of Black physicists—and what universities can do to change.
5:50
Desktop Diaries: Jill Tarter
“People have described my office as an eight-year-old’s daydream,” says SETI scientist Jill Tarter.
34:41
Remembering Roger Payne, Who Helped Save The Whales
Researcher Roger Payne died earlier this month, leaving behind a legacy of whalesong recordings that inspired global conservation efforts.
33:15
Are Animal ‘Pests’ Really The Villains We Make Them Out To Be?
Science writer Bethany Brookshire’s new book tries to untangle why we call some animals “pests.”
Breakthrough: The Slime Minder
Discover how Audrey Dussutour is breaking new ground in our understanding of animal cognition from an unexpected source: slime molds.
24:47
As Anthony Fauci Steps Down, A Look Back At His Storied Career
Science Friday has been interviewing Dr. Fauci since 1994, on topics ranging from COVID, to HIV/AIDS, to allergy research.
17:03
Appreciating The Brilliance Of Benjamin Banneker
From the stars to cicadas, this self-taught Black scientist left a long legacy.
Breaking The Mold Of What A Scientist Looks Like
When Dr. Danielle N. Lee’s dream to become a veterinarian didn’t work out, she learned there were other ways to work with animals in science.
Desktop Diaries: Temple Grandin
“I’m pure geek, pure logic,” says Grandin, an animal scientist at Colorado State University.
16:52
To Infinity and Beyond With Mathematician Eugenia Cheng
Infinity is not classified as a normal number, and some infinities are bigger than others. Mathematician Eugenia Cheng explores these and other conundrums of this complex concept.
Breakthrough: The Galaxy Hunter
Learn about how astrophysicist Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil has defied odds—breaking cultural conventions and discovering a completely new kind of galaxy.
16:57
Frenemies, Lovers, And The Fate Of The Cosmos: Our Galaxy Tells All
Astronomer and folklorist Moiya McTier’s new book is a saucy memoir written from the perspective of our very own Milky Way.
17:08
Digging For Answers To Avians’ Ancestors
Paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor studies prehistoric bird fossils found in China to answer questions about the evolution of dinosaurs and flight.
16:46
Remembering Frank Drake, Who Listened To The Cosmos
Remembering the inventive scientist and SETI pioneer who found a way to calculate the probability of discovering extraterrestrial life.
6:02
Desktop Diaries: Daniel Kahneman
A visit with psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences in 2002.
15:08
But Really, Can You Stand In Front Of The Microwave?
We’ve been nuking our food for 50 years. Why are some people still worried about their safety?
Desktop Diaries: Sylvia Earle
A moray eel, a flock of geese, and a shrunken head are just a few of things found in and around Her Deepness’ office.
Introducing Our Limited-Run Newsletter ‘Sincerely, Science’
What does it mean to be a scientist? This newsletter delivers personal stories from professional scientists to your inbox.