On Today's Podcast
Are Food Dyes Really Bad For You?
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?
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.
It’s Time For A Time Traveler Cocktail Party!
On August 21 in NYC, experience Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time’ through games and curious concoctions.
‘A Brief History Of Time’: Artist Challenge
The Science Friday Book Club invites you to submit your artistic imaginings of Stephen Hawking’s visions of the universe.
7:50
Trying To Build A Computer As Powerful As The Human Brain
Brain-inspired computing hits a new milestone, the neural networks of a noisy fish, and other subjects in science news.
3:56
Under Climate Change, The AC Giveth And The AC Taketh Away
Air conditioning can save lives on the hottest summer days. But as the climate warms, what happens when we need more cooling power?
17:13
Tracing A Neutrino’s 4 Billion Light-Year Journey
Scientists were able to pinpoint the origin of a high-energy neutrino to a supermassive black hole for the first time.
12:06
The Chemistry Behind Nerve Agents
Why a brush with the deadly substance isn’t always fatal.
9:51
Not The Last Straw, But A Different One
Companies are looking for alternatives to the ubiquitous plastic drinking straw.
7:06
The Scientific Strategy Of Soccer Dives
It’s all about the dynamics of risk and reward.
16:35
What Makes Your Brain Happy?
Laurie Santos studies primate cognition—and teaches about the psychology of happiness.
16:49
Read ‘A Brief History of Time’ With The SciFri Book Club!
This summer, we’re remembering the late Stephen Hawking and diving into his landmark work on black holes, the Big Bang, and the nature of the universe.
A Celebration Of Great Science Writing!
On August 16 in Chicago, ‘Undiscovered’ host Annie Minoff joins authors David Quammen and Sy Montgomery for an evening of literary discovery.
If You Smelt It, The Corpse Flower Dealt It
A corpse flower bloomed at the New York Botanical Garden. Its smell lives up to its name.
The Map That Changed How We View The West
John Wesley Powell’s map of the American West sectioned off by watersheds offered a bold new vision of the region.
12:03
Monkeys Try Their Hand At Stone Tools
One troop of capuchin monkeys has learned the art of using stone tools.
9:55
Protecting Eagles’ Nests Are Key To Conservation
In a national park in Minnesota, protecting a nest of eagles increased the number of breeding pairs of birds to nearly forty percent.
12:16
In The Distant Past, A Massive Space Collision
New simulations look at a possible ancient impact that was enough to knock the planet Uranus on its side.
9:06
A Genetic Future For A Near-Extinct Rhino?
How the northern white rhino could make a comeback—with a little help from its southern white rhino friends.
24:51
Science Goes To The Movies: Jurassic World 2
In ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,’ dinosaurs are at risk of extinction…again. Here’s what real paleontologists thought of the film.
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.