On Today's Podcast
A Halloween Monster Mashup, And A Spooky Lakes Tour
Tales of the amazing capabilities of bats, spiders, and snakes. Plus, a guided tour of some of the world’s spookiest lakes.
Listen NowOctober 31, 2025
Why do we find joy in the scary and the macabre? Two psychology experts weigh in on humans’ affinity for horror and desire to get spooked. Plus, tales of the amazing capabilities of bats, spiders, and snakes. And, a guided tour of some of the world’s spookiest lakes.
7:42
How India Made it to Mars on the First Try
Although Mars is one of our closest planetary neighbors, it has foiled many space-faring nations wishing to explore it.
34:33
How Sexual Harassment and Bias Undermine Women’s Access to Scientific Careers
What will it take to bring true equity to research labs?
Embark On A 360-Degree Geologic Expedition
Learn how to decipher some of the physical processes that shaped the land structure, or “geomorphology,” of parts of California in this virtual field trip.
Breakthrough: Portraits Of Women In Science
Explore our short film anthology that follows women working at the forefront of their fields.
Breakthrough: Snapshots from Afar
In the second episode of Science Friday and HHMI’s series “Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science,” three scientists share stories about India’s first interplanetary mission—a mission to Mars.
Bringing Color Back To The Dead
Conservators at the American Museum of Natural History are experimenting with how to recolor fading taxidermy displays.
The Stars Behind Our Stellar Classification System
Author Dava Sobel explains how a group of women astronomers helped develop the classification system that scientists use to identify stars today.
7:17
The Fate of Kratom, Hidden Oil Spills, and Celebrities of Science
Will the DEA ban a potentially promising drug for treating opioid addiction?
5:00
The Cost of Co-Pay Drug Coupons
Co-pay drug coupons can provide a discount for prescription medicines, but can carry a steep price in the long term.
17:30
An Exit Interview With U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil
What will be the legacy of the Obama administration’s “big data” programs?
17:10
How You—and the Science Club—Broke It Down
The Science Friday Science Club meets to wrap up their latest project, devoted to the idea of disassembly.
12:22
21st Century Cures Act Will Hasten Drug Approval
Patient advocates say the Act will get life-saving new drugs to patients faster. But critics contend that looser FDA regulations will raise the number of unsafe and ineffective drugs that make it to consumers.
16:43
The Female Astronomers Who Captured the Stars
At the beginning of the 20th century, a team of female astronomers at the Harvard College Observatory worked to classify the stars.
17:22
Views From Aloft: The Art of Space Photography
Astronaut Don Pettit has taken hundreds of thousands of photos from the International Space Station.
Space, Seen Through A Window
Astronaut Don Pettit has taken thousands of mesmerizing images during his three missions to the International Space Station.
7:41
Dormouse Telomeres and Cat Tongues
Most animals’ DNA shortens with age, but scientists are studying an animal that increases its genetic strands as it grows older—the dormouse.
4:20
Not All Soles Are Created Equal
Boots made for extreme winter weather may be easily succumb to an icy sidewalk.
27:44
The Best Science Books Of 2016
Time travel, microbes, black holes, and polar bears.
7:19
Cassini’s Final Year, And Juno’s First
One mission is winding down. Another has just begun. A look at what’s next for each.
12:22
Do You Know What’s in Your Medical Record?
The first step to taking ownership of your medical data is to ask for it. Then it’s up to you how to share and store it.