On Today's Podcast
‘Underground Atlas’ Shows How Vulnerable Fungal Networks Are
Underground fungal networks are crucial to life on Earth. But a new map shows that less than 10% of fungal hotspots are in protected areas.
Listen NowAugust 8, 2025
Solar power adoption has been rising fast. Amid recent federal efforts to limit clean energy, will it make a dent in our climate impact? Plus, the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease have eluded scientists for decades. But a new breakthrough points to lithium as a possible explanation. And, Dr. Masao Tomonaga was 2 years old when the US bombed Nagasaki. Eighty years later, he reflects on a lifetime of treating other survivors.
34:08
The Many Ways COVID-19 Exacerbates Pre-existing Inequality
COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting Black, Latino, and Native American communities. Why?
The Bots And Bees
Two Harvard engineers master the RoboBee to create a future fleet of flying, mini machines.
Go On A Hunt For Metals!
A magnet and a penny will help you become a human metal detector.
Sip, Sketch, And Gaze At The Sun (Safely)
On May 12, join Science Friday and Adler Planetarium to look through a telescope at the Sun together, through the power of the Internet. Get inspired by what you see and make an artwork as we look up!
Looking Back At The 1918 Flu Pandemic, In Photos
Take a glimpse at archival photos of scenes and people living during one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
7:38
Strokes In COVID-19 Patients, Plus Trauma In Healthcare Workers
A handful of COVID-19 patients under the age of fifty have experienced strokes, raising questions about the virus.
4:32
Erosion Threatens A Unique Ecosystem
Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline is one of the most biodiverse places in the country. But that biodiversity is now washing away.
17:04
Navigating COVID-19 By The Numbers
Mathematical modeling can help guide tough decisions about how society should respond to COVID-19.
12:05
A Viral Battle In The Honey Bee Hive
An evolutionary arms race between bees and a virus may change hive behavior.
16:42
The Twists And Turns Of The Evolution Of Life On Earth
DNA sequences may help scientists fill in the story of evolution.
15:12
The Malus Domestica Detectives
A search for lost apple varieties bears fruit.
17:16
A Pandemic Precedent—Set in 1918
What can we learn from the United States’ response to the 1918 influenza pandemic?
An Experimental Valley Fever Treatment Paves A New Path For Research
When four-year-old Abraham came to UCLA’s children’s hospital, his immune system couldn’t fight off his severe valley fever. Then, clinicians tried a new therapy.
12:04
A Shifted Coronavirus Timeline
The first COVID-19 death in the U.S. was three weeks before we initially thought.
7:53
Citizen Science Projects To Soothe And Distract
Help scientists analyze their data while fighting tuberculosis and looking at pictures of cute raccoons.
12:10
The Challenging Path To A COVID-19 Vaccine
Are efforts to speed the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus adding risk to the process?
A Fever In The Dust
Although still unknown outside of the American West, Valley Fever is a severe fungal infection—and its territory may expand as the climate warms.
17:15
Thirty Years Of Stardom
After 30 years, the Hubble Space Telescope still offers sharp insight into space.
16:48
How An Undertaker Helped Develop Computers, And Other Untold Stories
A materials scientist on the unexpected stories of how our technologies came to be—and the surprising ways they’ve shaped us.