On Today's Podcast
If An Asteroid Were Headed For Earth, Would We Be Ready?
Sooner or later, a sizable asteroid could impact a populated area on Earth. How is the US, and the world, preparing?
Listen NowSeptember 12, 2025
Octopuses can use their suckers to detect harmful microbes on the surface of objects like crab shells, or their own eggs. Plus, a new book charts the millennia-old history of our fascination with aliens, and how myth transformed into research. And, golden oyster mushrooms have escaped from home growing kits into the wild. Could they affect fungal diversity in North American forests?
17:27
Bringing Up A Baby—During A Pandemic
For parents of new babies, the pandemic creates new hurdles.
Refugee Families Find Shelter After Iowa’s Derecho
After days of sleeping in tents, cars, and on the ground, refugee families in Cedar Rapids have moved to temporary housing and received much needed aid.
11:46
Air Pollution Costs More Than Switching To Clean Energy
New research suggests air pollution may cost the US $700 billion dollars—more than transitioning to clean energy would cost.
16:27
Fossil Records Show Hell Ants Had “Mad Max” Style Mandibles
In this installment of Charismatic Creature corner, we look at an ancient that might have used its horn to pin down prey.
12:11
What Can Science Tell Us About Story Structure?
Researchers analyzed thousands of stories looking for linguistic clues to narrative structure.
17:04
Why Are Half The Pregnancies In The U.S. Unintended?
60 years after the introduction of the pill, we look at the effect of contraceptives—and how much progress has actually been made.
16:59
For These Robots, Sexism Isn’t The Problem
A researcher looking for gendered bias against robots found something else instead: We just don’t trust them at all.
16:59
Rethinking Our COVID-19 Testing Strategy
How might faster, cheaper tests help with better tracking of infectious COVID-19 patients?
Racial Injustice Is Increasing Chronic Disease In Black Americans
Systemic racism directly affects the health of marginalized communities, and it may be the cause of early health issues in Black Americans.
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Buscando microbios en el río Hirviente de Perú
En la Amazonía peruana, la bioquímica Rosa Vásquez Espinoza investiga las propiedades medicinales de los microbios que fluyen en el río sagrado.
Communal Eating With ‘Gastropod’
The science behind why sharing a meal means so much.
11:40
NYC Health Commissioner Steps Down After Butting Heads With Mayor
Plus more science news for the week, including the chemical linked to Beirut’s explosions.
17:00
This Peruvian Boiling River Holds More Than Meets The Eye
Scientists search for tiny but mighty bacteria with medical value.
19:37
Understanding Our Inevitable Cosmic Apocalypse
The universe will eventually end, writes cosmologist Katie Mack in her new book. But how? Will we get a cold lifeless soup, a bubble of doom, or matter tearing itself apart?
9:53
Making Day-Glo Glow More Brightly
Chemists find a way to make some of the brightest fluorescent objects yet.
16:36
Squid Gene-Editing Shows New Possibilities For Treating Genetic Diseases
A genetic breakthrough in squid research opens a new world for scientists.
Mapping Extreme Microbes In The Amazon’s Boiling River
Deep in the Peruvian Amazon, biochemist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza investigates the medicinal properties of microbes flowing in a sacred boiling river.