On Today's Podcast
A Trailblazing Geneticist Reflects On Her Life And Work
Dr. Mary-Claire King was the first to link a gene to hereditary cancer risk with the identification of BRCA1. She was just getting started.
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?
Why You Can’t Bring A Jar Of Peanut Butter On A Plane—And Other Illusive Liquids
Peanut butter’s thick, sticky spread is not a solid, but a liquid. Explore the many curious properties of fluid materials that can be tricky to grasp.
7:39
NASA Loses An Opportunity, And Greenland Takes One
This week, we say goodbye to the rover that turned a 90-day mission into a 14-year journey on the Red Planet.
4:41
How Will Arizona Battle Drought In The Next Decade?
Arizona, and seven other states that use the Colorado River for water, is putting together a plan to address future drought and water needs.
12:16
Disappearing Insects Could Trigger Ecological Calamity
A new review suggests the world’s insects are facing catastrophic declines, which could ricochet through food chains—but entomologists say there are still uncertainties.
23:10
The Fluids That Flow Through Our Lives
Materials scientist Mark Miodownik takes a look at the science behind many of the liquids we encounter every day.
34:51
SciFri Book Club: ‘The Fifth Season’ Draws To A Close
It’s the end of the world as we know it. Plus, how real disasters shape society.
How Should You Prepare For Disaster?
Two disaster preparedness experts share tips on what to put in your “runny-sack.”
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The Origin Of The Word ‘Chocolate’
Every day, people around the word are speaking a tiny bit of the native language Nahuat.
Put Saturn’s Ring On It With Science Valentines
There’s only one way to say ‘I love you’ in 2019: with science.
7:44
In Trump’s State Of The Union, A Promise To End AIDS—But Silence On Climate Change
President Trump said he wants to end the spread of HIV in the U.S. by 2030. But he stayed silent on climate change.
4:19
Big Corporations Bet On Wind Power in Kansas
Fortune 500 companies are purchasing energy directly from wind projects to resell in hopes of turning a profit.
10:08
The Earth’s Core Might Be Younger Than Scientists Thought
The Earth’s inner core was once molten liquid and then solidified. New research suggests that may have happened much more recently than we thought.
6:31
The SciFri Book Club Gets Personal
Highlights from your discussion of N.K. Jemisin’s ‘The Fifth Season.’ Plus, how to add your voice to the conversation.
11:57
Putting Mosquito-Borne Illnesses On A Diet
New research finds that the same pathways in the brain that control human hunger can shut down a mosquito’s interest in biting you.
17:32
Exploring The Grand Canyon, Through Maps
A project aims to collect and organize maps of the iconic park to help tell its geologic and cultural stories.
17:07
Why Are We Obsessed With Pushing Buttons?
Rachel Plotnick discusses the development of buttons and what they reveal about our interactions with technology.
17:14
What Would You Pay For Faster, Smarter Government Data?
Calculating the financial and ethical cost of storing government data in the cloud.
Unfolding Stories In Maps Of The Grand Canyon
View historic maps of the Grand Canyon that tell tales of exploration of the national park.
‘You Press The Button.’ The Rest Is History.
You thought the hand-wringing around cell phone cameras was bad? Learn how controversial even adding a button to cameras was in this excerpt from Rachel Plotnick’s “Power Button.”