Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Being Bilingual Not Only a Boon for Native Tongues

9th - 10th
Psychologist Janet Werker discusses findings that children who have a bilingual upbringing appear to have more sensitive perceptive capabilities.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Have We Grown Too Fond of Technology?

9th - 10th
An interview with Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. She discusses what we may be losing from our preoccupation with computing devices. Aired Feb. 25, 2011 [23:38]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Getting a Sense of How We Taste Sweetness

9th - 10th
An interview with taste scientist Robert Magolskee about his research that found new paths for our bodies to experience the taste of sweetness. Aired Mar. 11, 2011 [15:22]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Geron to End Embryonic Stem Cell Research

9th - 10th
An interview with Leonard Zon from Howard Hughes Medical Institute about the announcement by Geron Corporation that they would discontinue research into the use of embryonic stem cells for treating spinal cord injuries. Aired Nov. 18,...
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Gene Mutations Offer Clues on the Autistic Brain

9th - 10th
A discussion of scientific research into the cause of autism, and a possible connection between genetic mutations and brain development in the autistic individual. Aired June 10, 2011 [30:24]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Big Questions in Cosmology

9th - 10th
Find out how particle physics and cosmology fit together in this scientific discussion.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Hunting for Traces of America's First Inhabitants

9th - 10th
Archaeologists discuss their discoveries of evidence of inhabitants in America going back up to 15,000 years or more. Aired Mar. 25, 2011 [17:28]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Growing a Revolution: America's Founding Gardeners

9th - 10th
The first four presidents were keen gardeners. Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison all enjoyed gardening, and these were interwoven into their political personas. Learn about some of the features of their gardens and what made them...
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Attack of the Black Hole

9th - 10th
Astronomers have captured an image of a jet of radiation leaving a black hole at the center of one galaxy to strike the edge of neighboring galaxy.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Hurricanes, Climate and Weather

9th - 10th
An interview with scientists meeting to discuss the connection between climate change and hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina. Aired Jan. 25, 2008 [9:55]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Google Ocean?

9th - 10th
An interview with Sylvia Earle from National Geographic and John Hanke from Google. They discuss the latest release of Google Earth which lets one explore the oceans. Aired Feb. 6, 2009 [17:47 min]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: A Census of the Oceans

9th - 10th
A worldwide effort is underway to perform a census of the world's oceans, pulling into one location information about species from around the world. We'll check in on the progress of the project.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Bali Climate Conference Wrap Up

9th - 10th
Join delegates at a UN climate conference as they discuss a roadmap that guides the international community approach the issue of global warming.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Gullibility

9th - 10th
Why do some people fall victim to scams and deception? A psychology professor, who himself fell for a scam, discusses the role of gullibility in scams. Aired Jan. 9, 2009 [17:47 min]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Better Agriculture Through Charcoal?

9th - 10th
Researchers presenting work at the American Chemical Society say that adding charcoal to soil may provide a big boost to agriculture.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Chile Peppers

9th - 10th
In this segment, live from Tucson, Arizona, we'll take a scientific look at the chile pepper, from the chemistry and biology of a pepper's burn, to the psychology of why some people like it hot. Grab some salsa and listen in!
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Biofuels Research Roundup

9th - 10th
Ira talks with several researchers looking at innovative ways to harvest energy from plant materials, including gasoline-like chemicals, ethanol, and hydrogen production.
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Harvesting Energy From Walking

9th - 10th
An interview with Max Donelan, a researcher in bionics. He discusses a knee brace that is able to harvest energy from the motion of walking. Potential applications include generating power for portable medical devices, soldiers' devices,...
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Growing a Bioartificial Heart

9th - 10th
Scientists describe how they rebuilt a dead rat's heart by cleaning it and then injecting cells from a newborn rat into the heart structure that remained. The result was a functioning heart. Aired Jan. 18, 2008. [12:29] Links to a...
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: Health Care and Values

9th - 10th
An interview with a specialist in bioethics about how to balance important American values against the costs of health care in the Congressional debate over health care reform. Aired Nov. 6, 2009 [35:21]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: If Science Takes a Wrong Turn, Who Rights It?

9th - 10th
What happens when scientists make mistakes, as in bad science, scientific fraud, misrepresentation, and outright lying? Sometimes the results, despite being debunked or retracted, continue to circulate and be cited by others. Aired Aug....
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: How to Keep Data in the Cloud From Evaporating

9th - 10th
A discussion of online data storage and how to keep information stored in the Cloud safe. Aired Mar. 4, 2011 [17:40 min]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: How Music Works

9th - 10th
How do we perceive sounds as music or as noise? It all depends on the physics of sound. Aired Nov. 19, 2010 [19:21]
Audio
Science Friday Initiative

Science Friday: How We Hear

9th - 10th
Explains how the brain is able to understand sounds and speech. Aired May 29, 2009 [12:27]