What Lemurs Can Teach Us About Human Evolution
An excerpt From “The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales From Human Evolution.”
Dissect a Silkworm Cocoon
Learn about the insect origins of silk by dissecting a cocoon and “degumming” it to reveal the protein that scientists use for constructing new materials.
5:34
A Potential ‘Missing Link’ Between the Brain and Immune System
Researchers describe previously undiscovered lymphatic vessels in the brains of mice.
The Medical Wonders Of Worm Spit
David Kaplan explains how bioengineers at Tufts University craft silk into a myriad of medical materials.
11:52
The Thirty-Meter Telescope, A Cancer-Killing Virus, and a Fossil Find
Hawaii Public Radio reporter Molly Solomon talks about a new proposal for Hawaii’s Thirty-Meter Telescope, and reporter Rachel Feltman sums up the week in science news.
10:24
Chew on This: Jaw Fossils Provide Evidence of New Hominin
Scientists uncover evidence of new hominin species in the Afar region of Ethiopia.
7:59
We’re at Least a Little Like Yeast
Scientist swap out yeast genes for human ones, with an almost 50 percent success rate.
10:52
A Tiny, Living Identification Badge: Your Microbiome
The specific combinations of strains of bacteria that live on and in a person can be used to identify an individual—even up to a year later.
5:50
Chicken Beaks and Dinosaur Snouts
Scientists traced the evolution of dinosaurs to birds through the beak of a chicken.
77:37
Science Friday, Live From Huntsville
Hear the full show as Ira and Science Friday take the stage at Huntsville, Alabama’s own U.S. Space & Rocket Center.