May 9, 2025
Some car designers are turning from touchscreen controls back to physical buttons. Two researchers explain why that could be better. Plus, geneticists used CRISPR gene editing to grow bigger tomatoes and eggplants without sacrificing flavor. And, an executive order could change the political tides for deep sea mining.
23:09
Pioneering Western Water Management Strategies
The 19th-century geologist John Wesley Powell charted paths through the American West—and proposed ideas about developing the land with climate and ecology in mind.
What Did Ancient Whales Look Like?
Author and curator Nick Pyenson describes the similarities and differences between humans and our distant mammalian relatives.
These Science Books Were Made For Summer. Take Our Word For It.
The SciFri staff recommends our favorite summertime science beach reads.
7:33
After A Long Wait, More Telescope Delays
NASA announced that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope would be pushed back yet again, and more headlines from this week in science.
4:43
Genetic Tests Reshape Bull Market For Beef Producers
When it comes to raising beef, farmers face choices beyond “well, medium, or rare?”
7:39
Radiolab Investigates Our ‘Magical Organs’
In a limited-run series called ‘Gonads,’ Radiolab producer and host Molly Webster explores the fascinating world of embryonic development.
20:31
Hive Mind: Inside The Complicated World of Bee Colonies
Bumblebee colonies in urban areas may be more successful than those in the country. Also, how do honeybees choose a new queen?
25:07
Your Summer Science Reading List 2018
Ira Flatow and guests give you the best summer reading assignment ever.
25:57
Chasing Whales Through Time
Paleontologist Nick Pyenson pieces together the evolutionary story of how whales came to be the majestic, awe-inspiring animals we know today.
Mapping The Journey Of Marine Animal Migrations
Locked within each map is a story.
7:42
What Are The Economics Of Immigration?
New research finds migrants and refugees boost the economies of countries they come to within just two years.
4:23
A Possible Oasis In A Sea Of Dying Coral
Pockets of coral in the Pacific and western Atlantic “escape, resist, or rebound” bleaching events while their neighbors die off.
17:12
Will We Ever Know How Moderate Drinking Affects Our Health?
The National Institutes of Health just shut down a major study of the health effects of ‘moderate’ alcohol consumption. Now what?
15:47
After 8 Undersea Days, Cephalopod Week 2018 Draws To A Close
We wrap our tentacles around our cephalo-bration of octopus, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus, and other undersea friends.
12:29
The Coyotes Of Chicago
WBEZ’s Curious City and wildlife biologist Chris Anchor explore how coyotes living in Chicago make a home in an urban environment.
17:40
Science Friday Presents: ‘Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Meteorite’
A scientist goes toe-to-toe with capitalism for a meteorite prize in a play performed live in Chicago’s Harris Theater.
24:56
How Abstract Math Can Analyze Social Injustice
Abstract math can be a tool to better understand power structures in society, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng, and to examine the injustice between groups.
Model The Texture-Changing Structures of Cuttlefish Skin: Papillae
Recreating this impressive feat of camouflage takes only a balloon and a bit of duct tape.
Haikus By Cephalo-Poets
The mighty cephalopod never fails to inspire. This year, cephalo-lovers around the world set their tributes to verse.
The Seamstress And The Secrets Of The Argonaut Shell
Known since Aristotle, no one understood the argonaut octopus—until a 19th-century seamstress turned naturalist took it upon herself to solve its mysteries.