On Today's Podcast
Footage Shows How Narwhals Use Tusks To Hunt And Play
In a story from March, researchers used drones to study the mysterious arctic animals and learn new things about narwhal behavior.
Listen NowOctober 17, 2025
While some AI-designed drugs have made it to clinical trials, none of them have been approved. Why has it been harder than experts thought? Plus, in “Mapmatics,” a mathematician tells the stories of how math helps us track epidemics, map the seafloor, and plot a complex delivery route. And, the authors of “Food Intelligence” answer listener questions and discuss how our food systems make staying healthy an uphill battle.
Making the Shift To Electric Vehicles
Experts discuss electric car technology and the auto industry.
Losing Control In The Movies
A scientist stars as the main character in a new romantic comedy.
Picture An Embryo
Why does looking a picture of a human embryo elicit strong feelings?
Alan Alda Asks Scientists ‘What Is A Flame?’
Eleven-year-olds from around the world will judge entries to Alda’s “Flame Challenge.”
Archaeologists Revisit Iraq
Stony Brook University archaeologist Elizabeth Stone describes her recent trip to Iraq.
Sizing Up America’s High-Tech Talent
A panel of experts debate whether there is a shortage of scientists and engineers in America.
Adam Riess: One Cosmic Puzzle Solved, Many To Go
Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Adam Riess discusses the mysterious force known as dark energy.
Mount Everest Still Holds Mysteries For Scientists
On an upcoming trip, scientists will re-measure the peak’s altitude–a stat still under dispute.
Teenager Launches LEGO Shuttle Into Space
Raul Oaida sent the payload to space by way of a large helium balloon.
How A LEGO Shuttle Got To Space
Raul Oaida, 18-years-old, attached a LEGO shuttle, a video camera and a GPS tracker, to a huge helium balloon and sent them into space.
Gorilla Genome Sheds Light On Human Evolution
A study in Nature finds that gorillas are more like humans than previously thought.
How To Get More For Your Bite
A look at how genes, anatomy, history and culture affect the food choices we make.
A Workout Can Change Your DNA
New research shows that strenuous exercise can change your genes to boost energy metabolism.
Dark Matter Just Got More Mysterious
A smashup between two galaxy clusters left an unexpected amount of dark matter in its wake.
Can An Early Spring Confuse Nature’s Clock?
Tom Turpin and Kristin Schleiter discuss how an early spring can affect flower buds and bees.
Planet Or Not, Pluto’s Getting A Visitor
An update on the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.
Studying Locomotion With Rat Treadmills, Wind Tunnels
For some scientists, a regular day at the office is training a guinea fowl to run on a treadmill.
Partnerships Help Drugmakers Get Closer To Patients
A look at new partnerships that take drug development out of the clinic and into the real world.
Michael Mann, From The Trenches Of The ‘Climate War’
Michael Mann discusses his new book and his journey from computer geek to climate warrior.
‘Galileo’ Lives In A New Production
F. Murray Abraham stars in an off-Broadway production of Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Galileo.’