On Today's Podcast
A Delicious But Invasive Mushroom Could Affect Fungal Diversity
Golden oyster mushrooms have escaped from home growing kits into the wild. Plus, the ancient origin story of the humble potato plant.
Listen NowSeptember 5, 2025
A sand dune is much more than just a big pile of sand. But how do sand dunes work, and what else do scientists want to know about sand? Plus, candles, hairstyling products, and other common items can produce toxic air pollution that lingers in our homes. And, former CDC scientist Demetre Daskalakis left his post, citing political interference and a lack of science in decision-making at the agency.
17:22
Making Hollywood’s Digital Doubles
Now that Hollywood’s visual effects wizards can create convincing “digital actors,” will we still need the real thing?
11:55
Experimental Therapy Saves Monkeys From Deadly Dose of Ebola
ZMapp, the cocktail of antibodies used to treat two American aid workers infected with the Ebola virus, spared 18 severely ill monkeys from death.
No Waffling On The Numbers
Three delicious math games you can play on your waffles to build math fact fluency and geometry skills, from the folks at Bedtime Math.
What Can We Learn From On-Screen Psychopaths?
Few psychopaths who terrorize the big screen could pass a reality check, but those who do can be used as teaching tools for aspiring psychiatrists.
The Ultimate Bachelor Pad: Great Bowerbird’s Bower
Male great bowerbirds build these structures strictly to attract females for mating.
Classroom Strategy: Image of the Day
Three approaches for using images as gateways to instruction in grades 4-16.
22:52
Can the Bacteria in Your Gut Send Messages to Your Brain?
Researchers discuss how the microbiome might play a role in anxiety, depression, and autism.
6:51
Microbes Thrive in Antarctic Lake Buried Beneath Ice
Microbes have made a home in a lake trapped beneath an 800-meter-thick ice sheet in Antarctica.
17:38
The SciFri Book Club Talks ‘Dune’
The SciFri Book Club concludes its discussion of Frank Herbert’s ecological epic, “Dune.”
12:21
Oceans Act As the World’s Thermostat
Global temperatures hit a plateau at the turn of the 21st century. Now researchers say they’ve discovered where that missing heat was hiding: in the oceans.
7:34
Making “Masstransiscope”
A filmmaker uses science to transform the New York City subway into a movie theater.
9:49
Neanderthals and Modern Humans Mingled for Millennia
New, more accurate radiocarbon dating suggests the two cultures co-existed in Europe for nearly 5,000 years.
7:59
‘Evolutionary Misfit’ Finds Its Way Into the Family Tree
Scientists piece together how a 14-legged Cambrian worm is related to modern animals.
Tar Noir: Paleoforensics at the La Brea Tar Pits
Using paleoforensics, researchers recount the grim details of life and death at the the La Brea Tar Pits.
Millions Of Fossils Can’t Be Wrong
The Page Museum’s Chief Curator, John Harris, explains how paleontological and climatological research at the museum relies upon on tar pit’s prolific fossil deposits.
10 Questions for Biruté Mary Galdikas, Orangutan Expert
The primatologist chats about her adventures with the red ape, her affinity for the forest, and her advice to budding conservationists.
A Growing Starfish
Biologists photograph the first days of a fiery orange starfish common to Brazil’s rocky southern shores.
Dune Discussion Question: Week #4
The fourth and final discussion question for this summer’s SciFri Book Club selection, “Dune.”