Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Tour a Bat Cave
Listen to this discussion of a Video Pick of the Week, which is a visit by a biologist to the interior of a bat cave, using innovative equipment to record the bats. Includes a link to the video. Aired Sept. 7, 2012. [5:44]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Tall Buildings a Cut Above the Rest
Architect Antony Wood discusses what makes a skyscraper great. Innovations include features that adapt to the environment, enrich the lives of their inhabitants, are sustainable, and are beautiful to look at. Aired June 22, 2012 [8:49min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Remembering a Son in Immortal Bird
An interview with Doron Weber, author of Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir. His son Damon had a heart transplant at the age of sixteen and later died. Weber talks about the family's anguishing experience and the failings of the medical...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Myths and Tips on Keeping Your Cool This Summer
It is possible to drink too much water in hot weather. A discussion with Douglas Casa, of the Korey Stringer Institute, about how to stay hydrated in a healthy way when being physically active on a hot day. He also talks about the move...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Importance of Strange Science
An interview with Marc Abrahams, author of This is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens, and other WTF Research. He is an expert in strange science, and talks about what we can learn from unusual and weird experiments....
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Mars Rover May Be Contaminated With Earth Microbes
A discussion with Catharine Conley, NASA's planetary protection officer, over a misstep prior to the launch of the Mars Curiosity Rover, where a drill might have been contaminated with Earth microbes. She explains that it was resolved...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Steven Strogatz: The Joy of X
A discussion with Steven Strogatz, author of The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity. Strogatz makes concepts such as infinity understandable in an entertaining way. Aired Oct. 5, 2012 [28:53 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: What Your Genes Can Tell You About Your Memory
Scientists have identified molecules that assist the formation of long-term memories. Epigenetic markers respond to stimuli and change gene expression, so the memories can be reactivated at a later time. Aired Oct. 5, 2012 [21:33 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Forty Years of the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, nearly unopposed. Conservation biologist Joe Roman and environmental historian Peter Alagona discuss how effective the Act has been in the last forty years and what steps could be taken for...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Look of Love
News you can use for Valentine's Day: When you gaze into your sweetheart's eyes, look for enlarged pupils. Psychologist Bruno Laeng, of the University of Oslo, says our pupils don't just respond to light, but to thoughts too. Studies...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Happy Birthday, Buckyballs!
A look back at the discovery of buckminsterfullerenes in 1985, and what that discovery led to later. Robert Curl, Richard Smalley, and Harold Kroto won the Nobel Prize for their work. Aired Sep. 10, 2010 [12:50 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Idea Factory: How Bell Labs Created the Future
Jon Gertner, author of The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, talks about the many revolutionary innovations that were developed at AT&T's Bell Labs, and how it came about that new ideas flourished...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Many Lifestyles of Muck Dwelling Microbes
Scientists are studying magnetic bacteria for their potential use in building biocomputers. Another microorganism that fascinates them is one that lives deep in the ocean and feeds off remnants from the time of dinosaurs. Aired June 1,...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: A New Stage Play Tackles Athletes and Concussions
Headstrong looks at the high price some athletes pay for staying in the game.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: What the Doctor Ordered: Building New Body Parts
The science of regenerative medicine is developing methods for manufacturing new body parts such as organs, tissues, and muscles. Aired Sept. 21, 2012 [23:20 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Neuroscientist Turned Crime Solver in Perception
A look at a television crime show, Perception, where a paranoid schizophrenic neuroscience professor works with the FBI, and how the writers make sure the science in the show is accurately portrayed. Aired July 20, 2012 [11:45 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Pre Surgery Routine Needs an Update, Says Doc
Robert Cima of the Mayo Clinic believes that we need to rethink how people prepare for colon surgery. Rather than cleansing the colon, he suggests patients should eat normally and take over-the-counter medications instead of strong...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Rep. Rush Holt: Science and Congress
Retiring Representative Rush Holt, with a background in physics, is one of a handful of members of Congress who understand science. In this interview, he talks about how this has helped him in politics. Aired June 13, 2014 [12:07 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Is Nasa Ready to Make the Leap to a Manned Mission to Mars?
An interview with planetary scientist Jonathan Lunine, along with guest Bill Nye, about what it would take to send a manned mission to Mars. They talk about government initiative, technologies, the cost, and international partners. Aired...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: It's a Material World
An interview with Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World. He discusses the properties of the materials that everyday objects are made of, and about new materials that...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Goat Brigade
A discussion and video that looks at Brush Goats 4 Hire, a business in California that hires out a herd of elite goats to clear out dry brush an vegetation that might fuel a wildfire. It's a much cheaper solution than hiring people and...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Epa's New Proposal to Curb Carbon Emissions
A discussion of a proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency that carbon emissions from power plants achieve a thirty percent reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2030. Aired June 6, 2014 [11:47 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Making Summer Travel Plans With Climate Change in Mind
When planning a trip, do you take climate change into consideration? Some popular destinations may not be the same in a few years, as the climate warms, ice melts, wildlife disappears, and waters rise. So you may want to visit them...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Laser Blast Can Regrow Teeth, in Rats
Researchers have been able to use lasers to activate dormant dental stem cells in a rat's gums, and have them transform into dentin cells and regenerate dentin in a damaged tooth. The procedure should be transferrable to humans, and...