Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Rubik and His Cube

9th - 10th
His simple-yet-complex cube puzzle took the world by storm in the 1980s. Ira talks with Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube, about science and engineering.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Is Human Violence on the Wane?

9th - 10th
In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker argues that violence is decreasing.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Office Hours With Michio Kaku

9th - 10th
Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku takes Science Friday on a tour of his office.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Large Hadron Collider Set to Start Up

9th - 10th
The massive Large Hadron Collider at CERN is just a few weeks away from startup. The particle accelerator has passed several key performance tests, and is on track to send the first beam of particles through the ring of the accelerator...
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Antonio Damasio: Self Comes to Mind

9th - 10th
Where does consciousness 'live' in the brain? Why are we conscious - and how did consciousness evolve?
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Food Allergies

9th - 10th
Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk -- all ordinary foods that can have serious consequences if eaten by an allergic person. We'll talk about food allergies and how to diagnose and treat them. [30 mins. 34]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Rare Mother to Fetus Cancer Transmission Described

9th - 10th
Researchers have identified an instance of a pregnant mother transmitting cancer cells to her offspring.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Of Genes and Antibodies

9th - 10th
Researchers say they've identified the gene that tells the body to produce one type of immune antibody.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Cancer Vaccine Update

9th - 10th
We'll hear about new research into using vaccines to help the body battle melanoma.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Influenza Research

9th - 10th
Why does the flu affect different people differently? We'll hear about new research into what makes the virus work.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Researchers Discover How Bleach Disinfects

9th - 10th
Bleach is commonly used as a disinfectant -- but now, for the first time, researchers have described just how bleach works to kill bacteria.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology

9th - 10th
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues took up the idea of synthetic biology this week.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Camouflaging Red Blood Cells for Transfusion

9th - 10th
Could matching blood types be a thing of the past?
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Restructuring Space Flight

9th - 10th
This week, President Obama rolled out details of how changing budgets and changing priorities will affect NASA. We'll talk about the future of the agency, including plans for a larger role for private business in space flight.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Living and Working in Space

9th - 10th
Last week scientists reported definite signs of water hidden in darkened craters on the moon. Does that find change human plans for the exploration of space? Should it?
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Solar Sail Spacecraft

9th - 10th
The Planetary Society plans to power a spacecraft using the pressure of sunlight reflecting off huge solar sails.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Should Humans Return to the Moon?

9th - 10th
NASA plans to return humans to the moon by 2020, but a review committee is weighing other options.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Carbon Sequestration

9th - 10th
New research says that basalt formations in the Northeastern US could serve as massive sinks for carbon dioxide.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Deep Carbon Observatory

9th - 10th
As people gather in Copenhagen for climate change talks, a new project is getting underway to better understand the carbon cycle deep below the Earth's surface.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Supervolcano on the Rise

9th - 10th
The remnants of a supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park are on the rise -- though researchers say there's no cause for alarm.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Understanding Oil Geology

9th - 10th
With response teams still working to seal the Deepwater Horizon well, we'll take a look at the geology of undersea oil fields. What makes some locations better drill sites than others?
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: The Poles, They Are a Changin'

9th - 10th
A Florida airport recently had to close its main runway to repaint directional signs, due to the changing location of magnetic north. We'll talk about the planet's magnetic field.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Pick of the Week: Fluorescent Rocks

9th - 10th
Under ultraviolet light, some minerals glow.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: The Oil Spill and the Limits of Science

9th - 10th
Are there some challenges that are beyond us, despite money, intelligence, and desire?