WNYC

•

Channel • 21 Shows

Life Sciences

Life Sciences

Updated twice weekly
Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Documentary

Documentary

Updated weekly
Documentary

Documentary

Updated 13/04/2020
Politics

Politics

Updated 13/10/2023
Documentary

Documentary

Every two months
Documentary

Documentary

Updated 28/03/2025

17 HR AGO

Stressed About The World? Take A Cue From Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria may be the ultimate lesson in resilience. These 3.5 billion-year-old organisms have lived through hell-on-earth conditions, and found creative ways to persevere. While the state of the world feels out of control, Host Flora Lichtman talks to molecular microbiologist Devaki Bhaya about the planet’s ultimate survivalists. Guest: Dr. Devaki Bhaya is a molecular microbiologist at Carnegie Science in Stanford, California. The transcript for this episode is available at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

17 hr ago

•

18 min
3 FEB

The Growing Experiment Of Putting Solar Panels On Farmland

In an effort to make their farms more environmentally and economically sustainable, some farmers are experimenting with agrivoltaics: growing crops underneath solar panels. This dual harvest is working for some, but what will it take for agrivoltaics to work on a larger, more industrial scale? Joining Host Ira Flatow are journalist Jana Rose Schleis and environmental economics expert Madhu Khanna. Guests: Jana Rose Schleis is a news producer at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri. Her podcast series, “The Next Harvest,” is available on podcast platforms. Dr. Madhu Khanna is a professor of environmental economics and director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 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.

3 Feb

•

23 min
6 JAN

What Should Astronauts Do First When They Reach Mars?

When humans finally land on Mars, what should they do? A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine lays out the science objectives for a crewed Mars mission. Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who co-chaired the report committee, joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about the plans to send people to Mars. We’ll also get an update on the mission to survey the asteroid Psyche. Elkins-Tanton tells us how she managed the team that made the Psyche mission possible, and what she learned from her mistakes. Guest: Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton is a planetary scientist. She’s the head of NASA’s Psyche mission and director of UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. 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.

6 Jan

•

18 min
6 DAYS AGO

Should Ultraprocessed Foods Be Off The Menu?

The new dietary guidelines from the USDA call for Americans to “eat real food” and consume less “highly processed” food. But how? By some estimates, ultraprocessed foods make up nearly 60% of the average American adult diet, and they’re all over school lunch menus. Health policy expert Laura Schmidt and nutrition policy researcher Alyssa Moran join Host Flora Lichtman to talk about ultraprocessed foods and our food supply. What might they be doing to our health, and what steps could policymakers take to help Americans eat less of them? Guests: Dr. Laura Schmidt is a professor at the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Alyssa Moran is deputy director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at the University of Pennsylvania 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.

6 days ago

•

30 min
9 JAN

‘The Kissing Bug’ And The Story Of A Neglected Disease

Growing up, Daisy Hernández was told that her aunt had become ill from eating a bad apple. She watched as her aunt became sicker and sicker, and didn’t learn until years later that she was living with Chagas disease. It affects around 8 million people, mostly across the Americas, and yet many of us have never heard of it. Hernandez’s book, The Kissing Bug, is SciFri’s first book club pick of the year. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with Hernández about her book, the story of her aunt who died of Chagas, and how a disease that affects so many people can be so neglected. Read an excerpt of The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation's Neglect of a Deadly Disease. Guest: Daisy Hernández is a journalist and the author of The Kissing Bug. She’s based in Chicago. 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.

9 Jan

•

18 min
29/06/2020

Nancy Was Here

Team Nancy takes a final stroll down memory lane. Check out our open-sourced Queer Podcasts spreadsheet for more queer shows. To get you started, check out Afroqueer, History is Gay, LGBTQ&A, Flyest Fables, Making Gay History, Gender Reveal, and If These Ovaries Could Talk. Music in this episode by Jeremy S. Bloom, Josh Woodward (Once Tomorrow, Border Blaster), and Albert Behar. Theme by Alexander Overington.

29/06/2020

•

37 min
19/11/2025

Hawai‘i: Yo-Yo Ma and the Whales

Yo-Yo Ma has wanted to use his cello to communicate with whales for half his life. And, in Hawai’i he got a chance. With help from the Polyneisan Voyaging Society and hula master Snowbird Bento, Yo-Yo learns about the ancient art of Hawaiian chant, what one local singer describes to him as their “contribution to the orchestra of the world.” Then Ana and Yo-Yo board a legendary canoe, Hōkūleʻa, with local fishermen, seafaring captains, and marine biologists. The musicians play cello for whales through the hull of the ship, all in the red glow of volcano Mauna Loa’s active eruption. Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma and Snowbird Bento Listen to the Our Common Nature EP Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski Editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Yo-Yo Ma wants to know: what place do you love most? What reminds you that you are part of the Earth? Snap a photo of your favorite place on the planet and share it on social with the tag #ourcommonnature Visit the website at ourcommonnaturepodcast.org

19/11/2025

•

44 min
31 JAN · BONUS

The Middle + SciFri: How Can Trust In Science Be Restored?

We’re bringing you a special bonus episode from our friends at the live call-in show “The Middle with Jeremy Hobson.” Jeremy is joined by Science Friday Host Flora Lichtman and theoretical astrophysicist Priya Natarajan to talk about how trust in science can be restored. It took a hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Trump Administration has now elevated science skeptics to positions of power and proposed giant cuts in scientific research. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

31 Jan · Bonus

•

20 min
13/04/2020

Ida and Noa

Ida and Noa are sisters from Brooklyn. Noa tasted her first snail last summer and Ida passed the purple swim test at camp. Now she’s allowed to swim all the way out to the dock. This audio recorded by Ida's and Noa's father on vacation in Maine, inspired the idea for our podcast but it’s also the final episode of 10 Things That Scare Me. Thanks for listening to the show! Please email us at 10thingpod@wnyc.org, we're always listening. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

13/04/2020

•

7 min
28 JAN

How China Is Driving Down Electricity Costs With Renewables

In a speech last week in a speech at the World Economic Forum, President Trump said China was making a lot of wind turbines, but not using much wind power in their own country. Is that right? China studies professor Jeremy Wallace joins Host Ira Flatow to talk about the renewable energy landscape in China. They’ll dig into how China is flooding the world with affordable solar technology, making it the cheapest form of electricity in history. Plus, what energy tech China is manufacturing, what it's using domestically, and what it's exporting. Guest: Dr. Jeremy Wallace is the A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University 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.

28 Jan

•

13 min

WNYC is New York's public radio podcast home, producing award-winning shows like Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Science Friday, and more. Our podcasts bring groundbreaking journalism, unforgettable storytelling, and essential conversations to millions of listeners across the city and around the world.