Science Friday

4.4 (6.3K)
Life Sciences
Updated Daily

Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.

15h ago

Blue Origin explosion hits NASA timeline + Artemis III crew

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn spacecraft exploded in an enormous fireball during a ground test a couple weeks ago, it sent shockwaves not only through the air, but through NASA’s timeline for the upcoming Artemis missions. It also came at an especially bad time for Jeff Bezos’ rocket company—just days after it was awarded a slew of NASA contracts to deliver equipment to the moon. Blue Origin had also been expected to play a major role in the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, but that’s now more up in the air depending on how soon the company can rebuild its only launchpad. And with NASA’s Artemis III crew announcement this week, Guest Host Jane Lindholm sits down with space reporters Ken Chang and Brendan Byrne to break it all down and what’s next for the space program. Guests: Ken Chang is a science reporter at the New York Times, where he covers NASA and the solar system. Brendan Byrne is a space reporter for Central Florida Public Media and host of the podcast “Are We There Yet.” Other episodes you may enjoy: Planning your photo ops for a trip around the moon The new frontier of cancer research is in space Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
1d ago

Why can I handle tequila but not rum?

‘Tis the season for porch beers and happy hours, and we’re taking on listener questions about how alcohol affects us. Like, is a glass of wine at dinner really good for you? And why do sugary drinks give us hangovers? Joining Guest Host Jane Lindholm to answer these questions and more are brewer and chemist Tom Shellhammer and neuroscientist Jacqui Barker. Guests: Dr. Jacqui Barker is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Tom Shellhammer is a brewer and the Nor’Wester Professor of Fermentation Science at Oregon State University. Other episodes you may enjoy: What Causes Red Wine Headaches? It May Be Quercetin The Physics That Makes Swing-Top Bottles ‘Pop’ Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 min
2d ago

AI + turfgrass science in the most high-tech World Cup yet

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest one yet, and FIFA is trying to make it the most high-tech, too. The federation has partnered with tech giant Lenovo to launch Football AI Pro, which is designed to analyze over 2,000 different metrics and deliver real-time insights to coaches, players, and analysts. Guest Host Jane Lindholm chats with ESPN writer Ryan O’Hanlon about how AI analytics actually play out in soccer. Plus, how a team of researchers grew 16 stadiums’ worth of FIFA-class turf. Turfgrass scientist Jackie Lyn Guevara breaks down the importance of perfectly uniform turf, how the turf was designed, and what she’ll be looking out for during the matches. Guests: Ryan O’Hanlon is a staff writer at ESPN and the author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution.” Dr. Jackie Lyn "Jack" Guevara is an assistant professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. Other episodes you may enjoy: We’re All Being Played By Metrics The Surprising Science Of Why Sneakers Squeak Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 min
3d ago

How extreme athletes like Alex Honnold keep their cool

Elite athletes spend a lot of time training their bodies for strength, endurance, coordination, and precision. But what about their brains? Can psychology help athletes achieve peak performance? Joining Flora Lichtman to talk about this are professional climber Alex Honnold and Jessica Bartley, psychologist for U.S. Olympians and Paralympians. Guests: Alex Honnold is a professional climber, founder of the Honnold Foundation, and host of the Planet Visionaries Podcast: in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Dr. Jessica Bartley is senior director of psychological services for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Other episodes you may enjoy: Can Better Equipment Eliminate Concussions In Sports? Olympic Ski Mountaineering, And Mountain Goat Climbing Feats Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 min
4d ago

Parenting tips from the animal kingdom

If you’ve ever been a child, had a child, or seen a child face down in a supermarket aisle screaming, you know that parenting can be tough. But humans aren’t the only ones raising their young, so how do animals deal with toddlers that won’t follow directions or little ones that are constantly begging for snacks? Parent and science journalist Elizabeth Preston, who wrote the book “The Creatures' Guide to Caring,” joins Host Flora Lichtman to tackle some SciFri listeners’ parenting problems, from dawdling to the bedtime pop-out. Read an excerpt from “The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care.” Guest: Elizabeth Preston is a science journalist and the author of “The Creatures' Guide to Caring.” Other episodes you may enjoy: How Do Animals Understand Death? Why It Took Decades For This Octopus To Be Recognized Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 min
6d ago

Wait, is my washing machine playing Schubert?

A few weeks ago, we talked to two sonic branding experts who compose music for household appliances. And we played for them a song “sung” by a washing machine that they didn’t really appreciate. But many of our listeners immediately identified the tune, a famous melody by 19th-century composer Franz Schubert. And, as our guest tells us, it’s not just any tune—it’s one of Schubert’s most beloved compositions, “The Trout,” which he returned to several times during his short but prolific career. L. Michael Griffel, a Schubert expert and former head of the music history department at The Julliard School, joins us for our mea culpa to “Die Forelle.” A transcript for this episode will be added to the original segment page: Who’s composing music for my washing machine? Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6 min
Jun 5

A virus hunter in Nigeria has thoughts on the Ebola outbreak

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There’s no specific treatment or vaccine for this strain, unlike the more common Zaire strain that caused the 2014 outbreak. Molecular biologist Christian Happi has dedicated his career to improving genomic sequencing capabilities and virus monitoring across the continent of Africa. He joins Flora to discuss the challenges of the current outbreak and his vision for better disease surveillance. Guest: Dr. Christian Happi is a distinguished professor at Redeemer’s University and runs the Institute of Genomics and Global Health in Nigeria. Other episodes you may enjoy: Inside the Nebraska quarantine facility responding to hantavirus Can ‘Suggestion-Box Science’ Make Public Health More Useful? Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 min
Jun 4

How did Neanderthals deal with illness and injuries?

If you look up where medicine originated, or the earliest medical interventions, you’ll probably find yourself reading about ancient Greece or Egypt or Mesopotamia. But what about before that? How did early humans treat illnesses or cope with injuries? What did a Neanderthal do if she broke a rib or had a toothache? Flora digs into these questions with archaeologist Penny Spikins and microbiologist Laura Weyrich. They chat about ancient treatments like antibiotics and root canals, why Neanderthals were always getting hurt, and how they took care of themselves—and each other. Guests: Dr. Penny Spikins is a professor of the archaeology of human origins at the University of York in England. Dr. Laura Weyrich is an associate professor of anthropology and bioethics at Pennsylvania State University. Other episodes you may enjoy: What Did It Feel Like To Be An Early Human? Your Pain Tolerance May Have Been Passed Down From Neanderthals Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 min

See All (1.3K)

Ira Flatow

Host
Flora Lichtman

Host
Kenneth Chang

Guest
Brendan Byrne

Guest
Christian Happi

Guest
Penny Spikins

Guest
Laura Weyrich

Guest
Roland W. Kays

Guest
Ruth Y. Oliver

Guest
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco

Guest

4.4

out of 5

6,281 Ratings

All of the above

5d ago

fan of in the bubble

There has not been an episode that I have not enjoyed. I’m curious about so much and I love Science Friday. It fills my curiosity beyond measure
Best science podcast out there

5d ago

mooneyk

I’ve listened to Science Friday’ for 30 years and it is the only podcast I listen to every day. I work professionally as a researcher in biology and the things I already know are treated very accurately and I listen to learn about things I don’t know. It’s entertaining and fun on top of all that.
Fall In Love With Science Every Episode

6d ago

LewickiLuke

Flora’s sincerity and excitement is so contagious. The topics covered are so diverse, and I never know what I’m going to learn each episode- and I love that. This podcast brings a sense of awe to my life in way no other one does. It’s easily my favorite show to recommend.
The Happy Hour at the End of the Radio Week

May 28

The Real Chris Fish

Thanks Flora for being one of the most thoughtful and impactful voices of science for the next generations. On a foundation of curiosity, compassion and joy that Ira and many other voices have established, your agility of mind and breadth of understanding expands what science contributes to today, and also who chooses to be a scientist. Thanks to producer Shoshannah Buxbaum and all of the SciFri team for 35 years of getting us together on “the back porch at the end of the radio week” to relax, have fun, meet new people, and learn cool stuff. Thanks for creating and sustaining this great tradition! ❤️🎵🔬🔭💫

Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.