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.
17:28
A Trip Back In Time With Jane Goodall
Listen to highlights from our first interview with the primatologist and winner of this year’s Templeton Prize.
11:15
A Bowl Full Of Pasta Engineering
Researchers created pasta that can fold itself like origami, making shapes like boxes and flowers.
5:55
How To Take A Bite Of The Brood X Cicada Swarm
Chef Bun Lai explains how to see this summer’s cicada swarm as a sustainable snack.
17:23
How Do We Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy?
50% of American adults are now considered fully vaccinated. How do we get everyone else on board?
East Palo Alto Community Rises Up To Face Rising Seas
As the threat of sea level rise looms over the Bay Area, community members in flood-prone East Palo Alto search for solutions.
Teachers! Collaborate At SciFri’s Educator Phenomena Forum
On July 21-22, Science Friday is hosting a phenomena-based learning sessions specially designed for K-12 STEM teachers. PD and cool science!
Serendipity And Syzygy: Fortunate Accidents
How syzygy saved the Suez ship, and how a country’s name ended up inside the word “serendipity.”
Unpacking The Demand For Multilingual Science Media
Audiences tell us how they engage with and share science stories in multiple languages.
11:34
Zombie Wildfires Can Rage On For Months
Zombie wildfires are forest fires that ignite in the summer and pop back up during the spring.
16:52
Can A New Vaccine Put An End To Malaria?
More than 400,000 people die from the mosquito-borne disease every year. But a new vaccine may soon aid efforts to fight the disease.
12:05
Americans’ Online Security Needs An Update
Ransomware attacks, like the one that shut down an American gas pipeline last week, are on the rise.
9:16
In West Virginia, Opioid Distributors Are Finally On Trial
The county with the worst drug overdose rate in the country is attempting to prosecute the massive companies that fueled its crisis.
8:06
Video Game Skills May Make Better Surgeons
Gaming may help boost skills needed for robotic surgery and laparoscopy.
14:10
What A Rare Baseball Collision Tells Us About The Physics Of The Game
After two balls collided, physicists explain how the event occurred—and how science is changing the way America’s pastime is played.
3:33
The Resonating Room Tones Of Composer Alvin Lucier
Known for his experimental and electro-acoustic music, Alvin Lucier composes with the sounds that surround us.
17:08
How Do You Solve a Problem Like World Vaccination?
If you thought vaccinating the whole U.S. was hard, the challenges only grow on a worldwide scale.
Reflecting On The Wild With Jane Goodall, Winner Of The 2021 Templeton Prize
A look back on the groundbreaking chimpanzee research and humanitarian career of Jane Goodall.
Saving The American West’s Sagebrush Sea
Once considered a rangeland weed, this cornerstone of America’s desert ecosystems is under threat.
11:45
Fully Vaccinated Can Unmask Often, CDC Says
Plus the WHO details a “lost month” in the pandemic, an update on the Colonial pipeline hack, and research on why cats love sitting in boxes.
14:06
Ever Wonder Why Big Cereal Chunks Are Always On Top?
The science of the “brazil nut effect” has implications from drug manufacturing to avalanche planning.