Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Why We Trust
Almost all obituaries of the late Walter Cronkite referred to how trusted he was. But why do we trust some people and not others?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Gardening With Native Plants
Rather than filling your home landscape with exotic plants from the local nursery or home center, why not plant species that should be in your landscape naturally? The idea of planting 'native plants' has received plenty of attention,...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Luther Burbank and the 'Garden of Invention'
Ira talks with Jane Smith, author of a new biography of plant cultivation pioneer Luther Burbank.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Fall Gardening
The frost is on the pumpkin in some parts of the country - how did your garden grow? In this segment, we'll talk about fall gardening, from crops that can be planted now, to what you can do now to prepare your garden for next year. [35...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Hidden Science of Christmas Trees
Researchers report that they've been able to block the decay process that causes cut Christmas trees to shed their needles.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Probing the Secret Life of Compost
Composting-pioneer Malcolm Beck explains the art and science of fertilizing organically.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Yes, We Do Have Bananas, for Now
America's widely eaten banana variety, the Cavendish, could be wiped out by a fungus.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Unsavory Story of Industrially Grown Tomatoes
Barry Estabrook discusses supermarket tomatoes and the people who pick them in Tomatoland.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Exploring Multiple Personalities in "Sybil Exposed"
Did a writer, therapist, and patient create the sensational tale of multiple personality disorder? [32 mins. 52]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Predicting When Space Junk Will Come Home to Earth
This weekend, another satellite is scheduled to crash to Earth, just a month after the last one.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Science Diction: The Origins of the Bunsen Burner
Historian Howard Markel talks about chemist Robert Bunsen and how his namesake apparatus came to be.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Vampire Bats and Other Blood Suckers
In this Halloween edition of Science Friday, we'll talk with Bill Schutt, the author of a new book called "Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures."
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Secret of the Mummy's Dna
We'll get a Halloween-day look at new DNA analysis of Oetzi, a mummified man from 5300 years ago who was discovered in a melting glacier in the Italian Alps.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: New Milky Way Measurements
The Milky Way galaxy is bigger, heavier, and faster-spinning than researchers once thought.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Solar Systems and a Mysterious Cosmic Ghost
How does a disk of gas and dust turn into a solar system?A new study suggests conditions had to be just right to make our solar system. Plus, a mysterious cosmic object is stumping astronomers.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Physics of Santa
How does Santa make it to all those houses in just one night, unobserved? Physics!
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: In a Flash of Gamma Rays a Star Is Gone
Was a star eaten by a massive black hole?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Science Behind Strong Bridges
Ira and guests talk about bridge engineering and our nation's infrastructure.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Hurricanes and Global Warming
Discusses scientific research to determine if hurricanes were becoming more severe as a result of global warming. At that time (2008), they were unable to identify a solid connection but said it could not be ruled out. Aired Apr. 18,...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Flotsametrics
What can floating debris teach researchers about the world's oceans? We'll talk with the author of a new book about the data to be learned from observing shoes, rubber ducks, and other wayward flotsam. [17 mins. 49]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Noaa Administrator Jane Lubchenco
Earlier this month, Jane Lubchenco was confirmed as the administrator of NOAA. We'll talk with her this hour.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Squid Invasion Off California Coast
In recent years, Humboldt squid have been spotted in increasing numbers off the coast of California. We'll talk about the invasion of the jumbo squid, and possible causes for the phenomenon.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Squid, Octopus, Cuttlefish: Masters of Camouflage
In less than a second, cephalopods can change the color, pattern and shape of their skin.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Stem Cell Research Funding Update
Will revised rules regarding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research have the intended effect?