On Today's Podcast
mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise
In the wake of funding cuts to mRNA vaccine research, we revisit a February story about a promising vaccine for pancreatic cancer.
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.
7:21
Protoplanet Moon Impact, Drunk Lorises, and More
In this week’s news roundup, Rachel Feltman from the Washington Post’s Speaking of Science blog talks about the protoplanet impact that may have created the moon’s Imbrium Basin.
Can I Recycle That? Five Tips for Better Sorting
Pointers for sifting through your paper and plastics.
When Eels Attack!
Electric eels zap fish and other underwater prey, but what would make them leap out of the water and shock an animal like a horse?
A Heritage Site That’s Out Of This World
This Apollo 11 poster will have you dreaming of a lunar vacation.
Still Birds Take Flight
Deborah Samuel’s photographs bring life to the ornithology collection at the Royal Ontario Museum.
16:24
The Real Science In The New Ghostbusters
How physicists made a movie about ghosts a bit more realistic.
4:31
A Climate Tradeoff for Fuel-Efficient Engines?
Fuel-efficient direct injection engines are taking over the market for new vehicles. Here’s why they might be an imperfect solution.
17:35
Sorting Out Your Recycling Questions
Darby Hoover from the Natural Resources Defense Council answers your blue and green bin questions.
17:11
The Health Costs Of Racism
Research suggests that even hearing about racist incidents can cause mental and physical health problems for people of color.
12:20
Tracking Online Terrorist Networks With Mathematical Models
Researchers tracked the growth and decline of online extremist networks through models typically used to map complex systems in the natural world.
17:38
Will Pokémon Go Push Augmented Reality Forward?
Tracking the ways that augmented reality could transform how we interact with the digital world.
7:49
Sex Differences in Pain Perception, and More
In this week’s news roundup, Buzzfeed’s Virginia Hughes talks about how the sexes may perceive pain differently, and how one scientist is calling for more female mice in pain studies.
Women in Science: An Illustrated Who’s Who
Illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky’s new book is a clever introduction to women scientists through history, starting with the ancient polymath Hypatia.
Burping Bioacoustics
Explore the field of bioacoustics by recording and analyzing the sound waves of human burps.
The Big Sort: An Insider’s Tour Of A Recycling Plant
Every day at the Sims Municipal Recycling facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, roughly 800 tons of recyclables meander through a tangle of machines, scanners, and conveyor belts.
Hearing Color Through A Cyborg
At the electronic music festival Moogfest, self-described cyborg artist Neil Harbisson showed an audience what it’s like to hear color.
6:12
The Art, and Science, of the Biodesign Challenge
A competition challenges art and design students to face the brave new world of biotechnology.
17:29
Building Better Violins…With Science
Self-taught scientist and luthier Carleen Hutchins brought new scientific rigor to violin-making.
4:50
Does Human Specimen Research Always Need Consent?
Why scientists don’t want to ask your permission to study your old blood samples.
11:34
As the Climate Warms, What Toll Will Heatwaves Take?
With an eye on New York City, an epidemiologist looks at how many deaths extreme heat could cause, and how we can prevent them.