May 16, 2025
The Department of the Interior seeks to remove the endangered species designation from the lesser prairie chicken. Plus, how well do we understand the long-term health risks to firefighters? And, highlights from SciFri’s live show in Columbia, Missouri.
12:04
Chemists Make A Coating That Can Slow A Golf Ball’s Roll
An experimental coating could make golf balls roll more reliably on greens with different conditions.
16:51
Massive Iceberg Breaks Off Antarctica, Revealing Wonders Below
When the Chicago-size iceberg drifted away, scientists seized the opportunity to study the life and geologic formations hidden below.
10:15
Forecasting Cuts Leave Some Worried For Hurricane Season
Emergency response experts say that funding and staff cuts at the National Weather Service could mean less reliable weather forecasts.
5:57
Tips For Soothing Your Baby With Music, From A Music Therapist
Babies like music, but they generally have preferences. A music therapist reveals the best kinds of music to soothe a baby.
17:00
TikTok Is Shaping How We Think About ADHD
Mental health information on social media can be both revelatory and misleading. How do clinicians and their patients make sense of it?
12:07
NASA Astronauts Return To Earth After Extended Stay On The ISS
After nine months aboard the International Space Station, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally landed back on Earth.
17:02
Developing Faster, Simpler Tools To Treat Tuberculosis
TB kills more than a million people each year. Dr. Mireille Kamariza has spent her career developing better detection and treatment tools.
12:16
‘Delving’ Into The ‘Realm’ Of AI Word Choice
Certain words are overrepresented in text written by AI language models. A study investigates why such patterns develop.
17:15
DESI Data Strengthens Evidence Of Change In Dark Energy
Researchers built the largest 3D map of our universe yet. What they found supports the idea that dark energy could have evolved over time.
11:12
When Dwarf Lemurs Hibernate, Their Chromosomes Do Something Odd
The ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, typically shorten as an organism ages. But when some fat-tail dwarf lemurs hibernate, they lengthen.
5:54
The Physics That Makes Swing-Top Bottles ‘Pop’
A German physicist and homebrewer discovered brief, intense physical reactions that happen when you uncork a bubbly swing-top bottle.
17:18
The Many, Many Ways Tuberculosis Shaped Human Life
In a new book, author John Green traces how the disease has impacted culture, geography, and even fashion over the centuries.
A Young Tuberculosis Patient Gives A Tour Of The Hospital
In a new book, author John Green writes about visiting a tuberculosis hospital in Sierra Leone, where he met a TB patient not unlike his son.
Bring A Book To Our Science Read-In in San Francisco!
San Franciscans, bring a science book (or ask us about our favorites) and spend time reading in solidarity with fellow bookworms on April 28.
Revisiting Lessons Learned From World Of Warcraft’s Virtual Pandemic
In 2005, a software bug triggered a pandemic in the video game World Of Warcraft. It ended up foreshadowing many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Positive Childhood Experiences Offset Adversity
Adversity in childhood can affect our health later in life. But positive childhood experiences also have a profound impact.
Cómo las experiencias positivas en la niñez contrarrestan la adversidad
La adversidad durante la infancia puede afectar nuestra salud más adelante. Pero las experiencias positivas en la niñez también nos impactan.
12:15
10% Of NOAA Staff Laid Off, With More Cuts Possible
Layoffs at the agency, which releases weather forecasts and monitors extreme weather, could have serious implications.
10:35
Scientists Observe Fungi Creating Complex Supply Chains
Fungal networks in the ground ferry crucial nutrients to plants. But how do brainless organisms form complex supply chain networks?
7:12
A Rookie Robot Umpire Takes The Field
In this year’s baseball spring training, the new Automated Ball-Strike System is helping settle challenges to home plate pitch calls.