On Today's Podcast
African Grey Parrots Are Popular—And It’s Fueling Illegal Trade
Talkative African grey parrots are charismatic internet stars. A global scramble to source and sell the birds threatens their survival.
Listen NowNovember 21, 2025
Flora and “Part-Time Genius” co-host Mangesh Hattikudur put one lucky listener to the test with food science trivia. Plus, talkative African grey parrots are charismatic internet stars. A global scramble to source and sell the birds threatens their survival. And, Google’s tool for predicting how proteins “fold” turns 5 this year.
The Plastic Battery That Doesn’t Explode
The inventor thinks the new technology could revolutionize the future of batteries.
7:37
CRISPR Patent Battles, a Super-Sized Space Launch, and the Rise of Commuter Drones
The U.S. Patent Office ruled in favor of the Broad Institute in an early case over rights to the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR.
4:33
A Mood Ring for Your Wrist
A new wearable aims to help people who feel socially awkward interpret others’ emotions.
16:29
Booting Up the Search for Better Batteries
New battery technology could make our devices safer, and help squeeze more power out of the grid.
11:57
How Will Net Neutrality and Telecomm Fare Under the New Administration?
The newly appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said that “net neutrality is a solution in search of a problem.”
17:19
The Price of ‘Free’ Internet Services? Your Privacy
As we trade more and more of our personal data to big companies in exchange for their services, internet users must decide for themselves where to draw the line on internet privacy.
16:10
How Humans Might Really Colonize The Solar System
The minds behind the “The Expanse” chat about space flight, space politics, and how they keep the show feeling real.
17:22
Which New Battery Technology Will Take Electric Vehicles To The Finish Line?
Lithium ion may be good enough for now, but experts say that new battery tech will bring EVs to the next level.
Tips to Keep Your Drinking Water Clean
A few key points from experts on the Flint water crisis.
The Mysterious ‘Alien Soil’ Growing Deep Underground
These labyrinthine ecosystems can be found growing on cave walls.
SciFri Book Club: Kim Stanley Robinson
Join us for a live conversation about climate change, fiction, and New York in the year 2140.
Make a Kite With Physics
Build a delta kite and explore some of the forces involved in flight. Challenge your design skills to improve your kite’s stability in the air.
07:21
An Advance Towards Male Birth Control, Sequencing the Quinoa Genome, and Slip-Off Gecko Skin
A male contraceptive gel prevented pregnancies for a year in rhesus monkeys.
4:30
Should A.I. Have a Role in Science Publishing?
Artificial intelligence won’t take over peer review anytime soon, but it may help combat fraud.
8:02
Consider the Universe. Now, Subtract Time and Gravity.
Holographic cosmology is a way of simplifying mind-boggling mathematical models of our universe. But it doesn’t necessarily mean we live in a hologram.
11:54
Why So (Heat) Sensitive?
A new plant-derived material claims the title of most heat-sensitive.
6:35
Harvesting Power From the Gut
Researchers have designed a battery that runs on stomach acid to power ingestible sensors.
25:14
From the Arctic to Enceladus: A Celebration of Unusual Ice
Researchers who study icy places have discovered uncanny phenomena.
