On Today's Podcast
mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise
In the wake of funding cuts to mRNA vaccine research, we revisit a February story about a promising vaccine for pancreatic cancer.
Listen NowAugust 22, 2025
Humans drove wolves nearly to extinction in the American West. Reintroducing them in 1995 was, and still is, controversial. Plus, the FDA and HHS plan to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes as part of the MAHA agenda. What does science say about their effects on health? And, astronomers found a supernova whose lighter outer layers had been stripped away, revealing an inner shell rich in silicon and sulfur.
12:07
Across The Country, A Spike In Coronavirus Cases
From Wyoming to Wisconsin, COVID-19 cases are on the rise.
17:07
Science Friday Book Club: Conjuring An Alternate History Of Colonization
This week, SciFri Book Club discusses Alberto Yáñez’s short story ‘Burn the Ships,’ and how a story about the past can still be science fiction.
17:05
Blockchain And Big Tech In China’s Countryside
Big tech companies in China are revitalizing rural areas with blockchain chicken farms and e-commerce villages.
They Burned All Their Ships
In Alberto Yanez’s short story ‘Burn the Ships,’ the Aztec people of Mexico reanimate the dead to fight their conquerors.
11:51
What Is The Status Of President Trump’s COVID-19 Case?
Reporter Umair Irfan discusses the experimental treatments President Trump received and who else in the White House may have been infected.
Breakthrough: The Galaxy Hunter
Learn about how astrophysicist Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil has defied odds—breaking cultural conventions and discovering a completely new kind of galaxy.
6:42
Talking About Black Holes And CRISPR With 2020 Nobel Prize Winners
Scientists awarded for discovering the Hepatitis C virus, the technique known as CRISPR, and black hole formation.
10:19
Doomscrolling? Here’s Non-COVID Science News You Might Have Missed
Stories lost amidst the focus on coronavirus, from a debate discussing climate, to the canniness of crows.
17:28
Science Friday Book Club: Technology, Magic, And Afrofuturism
Join us in reading Andrea Hairston’s short story about the tension between technology and magic, and a discussion about Afrofuturist literature.
17:16
A Breakthrough In A Mollusk Mystery
Freshwater mussels have been in decline for decades. New research shows viruses could be responsible.
29:20
Solar System Smackdown: Mars Vs. Venus
Both Mars and Venus have captured the interest of scientists, but which planet is the best candidate for finding signs of life?
Upgrade Your ‘Dumb House,’ Today
In this excerpt of the sci-fi anthology “New Suns,” Andrea Hairston’s short story ‘Dumb House’ follows a woman who resists upgrading her home with new technology.
Let’s Talk Black Holes, With New Nobel Prize Winner Roger Penrose
Last year, a winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics sat down with Pioneer Works to chat black holes, the universe, Penrose tilings, and consciousness.
Breakthrough: The Trauma Tracer
Follow Bianca Jones Marlin as she uses cutting-edge neuroscience to uncover how the effects of trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.
11:50
President Trump Tests Positive For COVID-19
What we might expect from the next few weeks of White House COVID news.
17:06
Fact Check My Feed: Could A COVID-19 Vaccine Come Out Before Election Day?
During this week’s debate, President Trump made misleading claims about a timeline for a COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s what the experts have to say.
12:15
New Study Shows No Second Chance For Antarctic Ice Shelves
A new study predicting major sea level rise magnifies the need for fundamental changes to forestall catastrophe.
17:22
Ask An Expert: Why Do We Itch?
A professor of molecular and cellular biology explains the neuroscience behind itching and scratching.
17:08
Digging For Answers To Avians’ Ancestors
Paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor studies prehistoric bird fossils found in China to answer questions about the evolution of dinosaurs and flight.
17:25
Read A Collection Of Science Fiction With The Science Friday Book Club
Join us in exploring the far-out and the familiar with a new speculative fiction collection, edited by Nisi Shawl.