Science Friday

4.4 (6.1K)
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.

3H AGO · BONUS

Can ‘Suggestion-Box Science’ Make Public Health More Useful?

Skepticism around public health policy, experts and institutions has left some researchers asking basic questions about their role and relationship with the public. Can public health be done better? Epidemiologist Erica Walker has a perspective on just that. She started off studying noise pollution, found her science wasn’t serving people as she hoped, and pivoted her approach in an effort to be more useful. Flora sits down with Walker to hear the story. Guest: Dr. Erica Walker is an assistant professor of epidemiology and director of the Community Noise Lab at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

18 min
1D AGO

Fixing Society's Toughest Problems? ‘It’s On You’

Ever heard an alcohol ad that tells you to “please drink responsibly”? Or a gambling ad that warns, "when the fun stops, stop”? Or been urged to reduce your carbon footprint? The message is basically the same: These products and activities have risks. But mitigating them, well, that’s on you. How did we get this idea that it's our personal responsibility to make a dent in big problems like climate change—and not the job of the government to impose regulations? That’s the focus of the new book It’s on You. Host Flora Lichtman talks with behavioral scientist and It’s on You coauthor Nick Chater, about how he and his colleagues played a role in shaping a narrative of individual responsibility, and how to change it. Guest: Dr. Nick Chater is a professor of behavioural science at Warwick University and coauthor of It's on You: How Corporations and Behavioral Scientists Have Convinced Us That We’re to Blame for Society's Deepest Problems. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

18 min
2D AGO

3D Images Of Galaxies Will Rock You (Ft. Queen)

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see." There’s something about space that captures the imagination of scientists and artists alike. Just ask astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson and astronomer Brian May (yes, THAT Brian May, guitarist of Queen). In their new book Islands in Infinity: Galaxies 3-D, they turn flat images of the galaxies to three dimensional spacescapes that leap off the page. Host Flora Lichtman talks with Ward-Thompson and May about the enchanting nature of space and the collision of art and astronomy. And yes, they get into the music. Guests: Dr. Brian May is an astronomer and the guitarist of Queen. Dr. Derek Ward-Thompson is an astrophysicist at the University of Lancashire in England. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

23 min
3D AGO

Slow Release Of Federal Science Funds Holds Up Research

Earlier this year, Congress pushed back on the Trump administration’s attempts to slash funding for many science research programs, and restored that money to the budget. But despite the funds existing in the budget, they have not yet been released to some researchers. Science journalist Alexandra Witze joins Host Ira Flatow to walk through the details of the government funding process, and her recent report in Nature about the funding slowdown. Guest: Alexandra Witze is a correspondent for the journal Nature. She's based in Boulder, Colorado. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

13 min
4D AGO

The Evolution Of An Enzyme Engineer Who Changed Chemistry

In nature, enzymes are the catalysts that make much of biology work. They jumpstart chemical reactions that either wouldn’t happen, or would happen super slowly. They break down food, build other molecules, extract energy, and more. What if we could harness evolution to engineer designer enzymes that do other specific jobs that benefit us? Putting that idea into practice changed the game for chemistry, and earned Frances Arnold the Nobel Prize prize in 2018. She called it “directed evolution.” Today, thousands of labs use her methods to coax enzymes into doing things no one ever thought of. She joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about where she sees this approach going in the future, and the personal evolution that brought her into science. Guest: Dr. Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

30 min
5D AGO

The Art And Science Of Staving Off Cognitive Decline

The new semi-autobiographical play “The Reservoir” spins a comedic narrative around cognitive reserve, the idea that doing brain-stimulating activities can prevent or delay the onset of dementia symptoms. It’s currently running at the Atlantic Theater Company and co-produced by The Ensemble Studio Theater in New York.* Host Ira Flatow talks with playwright Jake Brasch about his inspiration for the play and how to mesh science into the theater. Then, neurologist Marilyn Albert discusses some of the latest science of mental stimulation and dementia. After following a diverse group of older adults for 20 years, her research found that a modest amount of specialized cognitive training reduced dementia risk by 25%. You can try a very similar brain training exercise at home. *“The Reservoir” received funding from the Sloan Foundation, which also helps support Science Friday. Guests: Jake Brasch is a writer, performer, composer, clown, and writer of the new play “The Reservoir.” Dr. Marilyn Albert is a professor of neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

17 min
FEB 27

Into the Woods, From Chestnut Genetics To Tiny Forests

American chestnut trees once towered over the landscape, dominating forests in parts of the eastern United States. But in the late 1800s, a fungal blight virtually wiped them out across the country. Chestnut restoration scientist Jared Westbrook tells Host Ira Flatow how new genetic work could speed up efforts to breed fungal resistance into hybrid chestnuts and create a heartier chestnut population. Then, author Hanna Lewis introduces Ira to the concept of miniforests, self-sustaining native forest ecosystems on a tiny footprint, like an empty lot or a schoolyard. The planting method, developed by botanist Akira Miyawaki, can help “rewild” small parcels of land by jump-starting forest development. Read our full story, The Miniforest Movement Gains Ground In The U.S. Guests: Dr. Jared Westbrook is Director of Science for the American Chestnut Foundation in Asheville, North Carolina. Hanna Lewis is the author of the book Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World. She works for non-profit Renewing the Countryside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

18 min
FEB 26

EPA Rescinds The Legal Basis For Regulating Greenhouse Gases

On February 12, the Environmental Protection Agency dealt a major blow to the government’s power to fight climate change by rescinding a key piece of research called the endangerment finding. The finding, issued in 2009, basically says: Greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare—and because they’re harmful, they must be regulated. It's the legal basis for the federal government’s regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. So what does it mean that this finding has been thrown out? Host Flora Lichtman digs into this question with Andy Miller, an original author on the endangerment finding who spent more than 30 years working for the EPA. Guest: Dr. Andy Miller worked on air pollution and climate change at the EPA for more than 30 years. He was an original author on Endangerment Finding. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

12 min

See All (1.3K)

Ira Flatow

Host
Flora Lichtman

Host
Brian May

Guest
Derek Ward-Thompson

Guest
Jake Brasch

Guest
Marilyn Albert

Guest
Andy Miller

Guest
Michael Osterholm

Guest
David Condos

Guest
Brad Udall

Guest

4.4

out of 5

6,077 Ratings

This is what the Internet was supposed to feel like!

1d ago

Dr. Fabulous, esq

First - thank you Ira for finding Flora - as she assumes a greater roll in “SciFri” I have come to the conclusion that you are a visionary. I should have trusted you when you first introduced her, but I am a creature of habit and not very accepting of changes to my routine. But, Flora, you have won me over - your happy, breezy, but always reverent style is the perfect antidote to our current predicament. I think you make me smile AT LEAST once an episode, and I often listen to two a day. And your interviews are astounding - I was blown away by two in particular - Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold (from ditching school to driving a taxi to creating a whole new field of research) and Dr. Brian May (makes you reassess everything you thought about rock musicians - and astronomers…). Your ability to provide these amazing scientists with a platform to discuss their humanity gets me every time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was in graduate school back when the WWW was born on the NeXT computers - yes, I had one, but sold it to a computational science lab because I couldn’t get it to work with all the bioinformatics software the lab had for the Apple computers… But I digress. Back then we listened to Science Friday religiously - where else were we going to hear about great science in disciplines unrelated to molecular biology. Ira was a godsend in those days before the internet really took off. His fascination with all types of science was infectious, but, more importantly, it was broad and bolstered by interviews with icons and iconoclasts alike (grad students love iconoclasts). Indeed, other than Ira, Cell, Science, JBC, and Nature, we grad students got our popular science fixes via USA Today - okay, we got a lot of our information on the real world by reading USA Today, because the labware kitchen staff made it available to us when they let us eat lunch in there… But I digress again. The point is I have been listening, and loving Science Friday for a LONG time. If you are reading this, you should tune in. It will bring a smile to your face and amaze you at the same time. Flora and Ira - you guys ROCK.
M Adams

1d ago

mmadams2

Flora Lichtman might be the best interviewer of any genre. She actually listens to the interviewee and bases her questions on what the person is saying, not using some predetermined list of questions that she is determined to ask, while ignoring answers as so many others do. I absolutely love her shows.
Great Source of Science News

4d ago

JAMott50

I listen to this podcast every week and love it for the source of relevant and new science news. If you are curious about what’s going on in Science, then you should subscribe to this podcast!
POSITSCIENCE a POSIT SCAM

3d ago

Sarge4006

just listened to the podcast about cognitive brain training that reduced dementia risk by 25%. The “ positscience“ company website mentioned by the Johns Hopkins researcher produced a lengthy “quiz“ exactly like that used by Noom and other subscription driven services. After taking a long, time consuming “test” you are presented with a number of pay to play options. The particular program mentioned by the Johns Hopkins scientist was nowhere to be found. You should vet your recommendations much more thoroughly. As it is, you’ve served as a great promotion for a scam.

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.