On Today's Podcast
What The Label Of ‘Genius’ Tells Us About Our Society
In “The Genius Myth,” Helen Lewis argues that who we call a genius reveals more about our values than any objective measure of brilliance.
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?
5:51
How Much Will The House Tax Plan Cost Grad Students?
Two graduate students have developed an online calculator to estimate the effects of the House tax plan.
11:48
No Bones About It: Neolithic Women Were Very, Very Strong
Women in prehistoric Central Europe performed enough manual labor that they were likely stronger than modern athletes.
17:11
In The South, Examining An HIV Epidemic
In the U.S., 44 percent of people living with HIV reside in the 10 southern states.
9:53
Super Strong Robot ‘Muscles’ Inspired By Origami
The flexible muscles have a skeleton inspired from the delicate paper folds of origami—and they can lift objects a thousand times their own weight.
6:59
Alan Alda Wants To Know: ‘What Is Climate?’
In his annual Flame Challenge, Alan Alda is calling on scientists to answer a seemingly simple, but complex question.
27:15
Life In The Internet Slow Lane
The internet grew for decades without 2015’s net neutrality rules. So what happens if the FCC repeals them?
The Glittery Jewels Of The Bee World
These dazzling tiny bees are major pollinators.
47:37
From Cat Rheology To Operatic Incompetence
The 2017 Ig Nobel Prizes saluted the strange and silly in scientific studies.
12:23
Mining Coal For Clues About Ancient Environments
Geologist Jen O’Keefe uses pollen and spores fossilized in coal to study the environment millions of years ago.
16:57
After Cassini, A Mission To Icy Planets Full Of Diamond Rain?
Researchers want to see what a closer look at Uranus and Neptune could tell us about our pale blue dot.
17:42
How Do Bats Communicate?
Bioacoustician Laura Kloepper uses ziplines, drones, and hawks to decode the mysterious communication of bats.
The Hidden Science Beneath Kentucky
The Science Friday team follows researchers deep underground to discover Kentucky’s geologic past.
In A Lunar City, A Mission Gone Awry
The moon is an unforgiving landscape, making life there no walk in the park.
6:58
Women More Likely To Be Injured When Heading Soccer Ball
Plus, a dire environmental warning and some dietary caution ahead of Thanksgiving.
4:50
Coal Ash Pollution In Kentucky Lake Is Worse Than Expected
Will Kentucky loosen regulations for toxic power plant byproduct?
8:01
Visualizing Anatomy Unseen
This veterinary surgeon was confounded by how little we know about animal anatomy. So, he created a method to see all the way down to the smallest capillary.
29:38
How Andy Weir Engineered A Lunar City In ‘Artemis’
In his new novel, author Andy Weir creates a sprawling moon metropolis—just to see if he could break it apart with lunar felony.
6:22
Who Killed The Passenger Pigeon?
Possibly the most abundant bird ever to live, the passenger pigeon was surprisingly low on genetic diversity.
10:48
Crows, A Bird That’s Not Bird-Brained
An ode to the brainy antics of the corvid family, from funerals to tool use to human facial recognition.