On Today's Podcast
A Delicious But Invasive Mushroom Could Affect Fungal Diversity
Golden oyster mushrooms have escaped from home growing kits into the wild. Plus, the ancient origin story of the humble potato plant.
Listen NowSeptember 5, 2025
A sand dune is much more than just a big pile of sand. But how do sand dunes work, and what else do scientists want to know about sand? Plus, candles, hairstyling products, and other common items can produce toxic air pollution that lingers in our homes. And, former CDC scientist Demetre Daskalakis left his post, citing political interference and a lack of science in decision-making at the agency.
Where Do We Go From Here? Environmentalism, at a Crossroads
An excerpt from James Gustave Speth’s memoir “Angels by the River.”
From Antlers to Tusks: Our Obsession With Extreme Animal Weapons
An excerpt from “Animal Weapons.”
I’m Not a Dinosaur, I Just Play One on Stage
A behind-the-scenes look at how the cast and crew of “Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular” brings life-size dinosaurs to life in an theatrical setting.
Interns at National Labs Do Real Science
Brookhaven National Laboratory provides a glimpse into the culture of the U.S. Department of Energy’s summer undergraduate laboratory internship program.
12:08
U.S. High-Speed Internet Lags Behind on Price, Cost
For less than $40 a month, residents of Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bucharest, and Paris can enjoy lightning-fast Internet download and upload speeds of 1,000 Mbps.
22:17
Apple Science, From American Beauty to Zestar
Between new crosses and old heritage varieties, there’s a world of apples beyond the Red Delicious.
12:08
Piecing Together the Puzzle of Insect Evolution
One hundred researchers studied 144 insect species to fill in the blanks of insects’ evolutionary history.
17:48
Opening Up the Synthetic Biology Toolkit
Synthetic biologist Christopher Voigt and biotechnologist Stephen Streatfield discuss current trends in synthetic biology.
17:17
Spilling Our Guts: Decreased Diversity in the Human Microbiome
How can hospital stays and the evolution from apes to humans change the diversity of our microbiome?
12:40
George Washington Carver: Renaissance Man
Carver was a painter, singer, and piano teacher, taught farmers the virtues of crop rotation, and developed hundreds of recipes for peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecans.
10 Questions for Allen Bard, Father of Modern Electrochemistry
Allen Bard might be known for pioneering research in electrochemiluminescence, among other contributions to science, but he counts his students as his proudest achievement.
Death Under Glass
An exhibit at Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum offers a peek through a forensic pathologist’s microscope.
11:42
Ebola Vaccines Fast-Tracked As Outbreak Slows
Jon Cohen, a staff writer covering the outbreak for Science magazine, says that despite the vaccines’ success in monkeys, their efficacy in humans is far from guaranteed.
8:41
Could This 3-D Printer Print Itself?
This week, HP announced its new 3-D printer, which it claims can print materials strong enough to lift up a car—and do it 10 times faster than anything on the market today.
8:39
Scientists Sniff Smelly Comet
The Rosetta spacecraft has detected the scent of a comet…and it stinks.
8:07
Countering Memory Loss With Cocoa Compounds
Researchers try to counteract age-related memory decline with cocoa flavanols.
8:01
Creature Double Feature
Witness two tales that will make your skin crawl and your mind reel with fear and curiosity.
11:33
Doctors ‘Unwrap’ a 3,000-Year-Old Mummy
Radiologists use CT scans to piece together the life, and death, of Egyptian mummies.
17:34
A Haunted House Turned Scientists’ Lab
Scientists turn Pittsburgh’s ScareHouse into a real-world lab to discover why some brains thrive on fear.