On Today's Podcast
Attention, Trivia Nerds! It’s A Food Science Fact Feast
Flora and “Part-Time Genius” co-host Mangesh Hattikudur put one lucky listener to the test with food science trivia.
Listen NowNovember 14, 2025
Neuroscientists are manipulating memories in mice in an effort to develop treatments for brain disorders. Plus, picking through a dozen vulture nests, scientists discovered hundreds of artifacts, including a sandal that could be more than 700 years old. And, Nobel prize winner Ardem Patapoutian tells the story of how he immigrated to the US, found belonging in science, and did groundbreaking work on sense of touch.
7:29
Instead Of Cooler Temperatures Post-El Niño, Scientists Clock Record Highs In 2017
Plus, could a human outrun a T-rex? And other short subjects in science.
4:35
Can We Pay People To Save The Rainforest?
Small cash payments can keep landowners from selling trees for firewood. But are there loopholes?
17:06
Creating A Soundtrack For Stories Of Spaceflight
Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and art historian James Merle Thomas took inspiration from the sounds of NASA missions for their latest album.
11:52
More Comprehensive Patient Care Can Slow Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s
A care program that included medication coupled with caregiver education, home assessments, and personalized patient training slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms much more than medication alone.
9:59
Particles Behaving Badly
Physicists have observed subatomic particles decaying in a way that doesn’t jibe with the predictions of the Standard Model, suggesting, if the results are correct, that there could be undiscovered particles at play.
23:46
The Alchemy Of Air
Science writer Sam Kean tells the story of the gases that have shaped human history.
17:37
A Mission To Save The Planet (From The Next Asteroid)
NASA’s moving forward with plans for a missile designed to deflect asteroids.
It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s Snarge!
Every day, the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab receives dozens of envelopes filled with the remains of birds scraped off the sides of airplanes.
When Waters Rise, Who You Gonna Call? The Netherlands
The Dutch know a thing or two about water management, and they’ve got a new plan.
The Next Big Engineering Tool Of The 1960s? Nuclear Bombs
In an era marked by fear of nuclear bombs, Operation Plowshare took a look at their potential to create.
7:31
A New Iceberg The Size of Delaware, Peering Into Jupiter’s Red Spot, And A Quantum Photon Entanglement
The cracking Larsen C ice shelf is now 12 percent smaller. Plus, a new close-up of Jupiter’s giant storm.
4:30
For Farmers, Rotating Livestock Pays Off
Amy Mayer from Iowa Public Radio talks about the environmental and economic benefits of diversifying livestock on farms.
26:27
Are We Facing Electrical Gridlock?
The influx of renewable energy and smart appliances threaten to overload our aging electrical grid.
8:20
Creating The Perfect Ice Cube
Researchers at Ohio State University have come the closest yet to mimicking a type of ice crystal found only in earth’s upper atmosphere.
12:20
A Peek Into The Sex Lives Of Algae
A new study found that single-celled diatoms can have sex, and that ammonium makes them frisky.
16:54
Chasing Coral, And Climate Solutions, In New Documentary
In the story of dying coral reefs, a call to action.
17:31
Ants Exhibit Towering Engineering Skills
Ants are known for their elaborate underground tunnels and caverns. But ants also build tall, Eiffel Tower-like columns—with their own bodies
Sci Fri Science Club: Freeze Challenge
We challenge you to create something totally new, and totally frozen.
Desktop Diaries: Michael Pollan
In the latest installment of our Desktop Diaries video series, we’ll take you into the home office (and garden) of the famous food and nature author Michael Pollan.