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PODCAST

Science Friday

Science Friday, as heard on PRI, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well.

society & culture

All Episodes

18:46

885: NASA’s Europa Clipper Heads To Jupiter’s Icy...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/21

On October 14, NASA launched Europa Clipper, its largest planetary mission spacecraft yet. It’s headed to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, which could have a giant ocean of liquid water hidden under its icy crust. And where there’s water, scientists think there may be evidence of life. The spacecraft is equipped with nine different instruments and will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa, scanning almost the entire moon. SciFri producer Kathleen Davis talks with Dr. Padi Boyd, NASA astrophysicist and host

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18:35

884: Pandas Return To Washington, D.C. | A...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/18

Two giant pandas on loan from China have arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Also, originally from Central Asia, Kernza doesn’t need to be replanted every year, unlike crops such as corn and soybeans. Pandas Return To Washington, D.C., Zoo On Tuesday, two VIPs (Very Important Pandas) arrived at Washington’s Dulles International Airport, en route to new quarters at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. The arrival marks a new chapter of “panda diplomacy,” which

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23:49

883: How Health Misinformation Spreads | A Play About...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/17

The Basics Of How Health Misinformation SpreadsHealth misinformation can circulate quickly on social media: false claims about vaccines, ads pushing suspicious-looking supplements, politicians making claims about contraception or abortion that don’t match the science. As November nears, Science Friday is spotlighting the science that’s shaping the election with a short series about health misinformation. Ira is joined by Irving Washington, senior vice president and executive director of the Health

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17:40

882: Searching The Universe For Clues To The Ultra-Small

Science Friday ·

2024/10/16

What exactly is … everything? What is space-time?At one extreme, you’ve got the weird rules of quantum physics that deal with subatomic particles. At the other extreme, you’ve got the vast expanses of space, such as spinning galaxies and black holes. By mapping the cosmic microwave background, surveying the distribution of galaxies around the sky, and listening for gravitational waves, researchers are studying the cosmos for clues to the quantum. They hope that by finding patterns in some of these

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18:12

881: What Makes ‘SuperAgers’ Stay Healthy For So Long?

Science Friday ·

2024/10/15

A common worry among older adults is how their brains and bodies might decline as they age.A small but fortunate group will live past their 95th birthdays, while staying cognitively sharp and free of major health complications. They’re called “SuperAgers.” Researchers are working to figure out some of the genetic factors behind SuperAgers’ longevity—and how that knowledge might help the rest of the population live longer and healthier lives. Ira talks with Dr. Sofiya Milman, director of Human

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18:33

880: Asheville Was Never A ‘Climate Haven.’ Nowhere Is.

Science Friday ·

2024/10/14

For years, Asheville, North Carolina, has been billed as a “climate haven,” a place safe from the touch of climate change-exacerbated disasters. But last month, Hurricane Helene called that label into question. Some of the worst damage of the storm occurred inland, in Western North Carolina. Data visualization designer David McConville lived in Asheville for about 20 years, before moving to California. “Watching people idealize Asheville was a little bit crazy-making,” McConville says. “There were

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19:35

879: The Science Behind Hurricane Milton |...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/11

Hurricane Milton caused a major storm surge, but also a reverse one. And, Lake Michigan's surface temperature has been above average nearly every day this year so far. All five Great Lakes are heating up. The Science Behind Hurricane Milton On October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, Florida, then barrelled across the state. This comes just a couple of weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the southeastern US. Hurricane Milton dumped up to 18 inches of rain in some places,

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18:36

878: How Campaigns Use Psychology To Get Out The Vote

Science Friday ·

2024/10/10

We’re one month away from the presidential election. The campaigns are in high gear, trying to get their messages out, and hoping that those messages will be enough to motivate voters to both go to the polls—and to vote in their favor. But just how solid are people’s political opinions at this point? Can anyone be swayed at this point by another debate, campaign ad, or stump speech talking point? And how do campaigns judge the mood of the electorate to better position their messages? Dr. Jon

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18:33

877: How Gut Microbes Are Linked To Stress Resilience

Science Friday ·

2024/10/09

The phrase “go with your gut” is often used to say one should follow their intuition in the face of a big decision. Recent research in the journal Nature Mental Health shows the gut really could have a big impact on mental health and decision-making. This study shows a clear link between people who handle stressful situations well and certain biological signatures in their microbiomes. Certain metabolites and gene activity in study participants were associated with high emotional regulation and

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17:31

876: How Magnetic Brain Stimulation Helps Relieve...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/08

As the surgeon general has stated, we are in a mental health crisis. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. And a major challenge is that depression can be difficult to treat, especially for people who don’t respond well to talk therapy or antidepressants. But there’s a relatively new technique that seems to have a significant positive impact on people with treatment-resistant depression, even sending many of them into remission. It’s called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

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23:31

875: How The Origin Of Life On Earth Can Help Find...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/07

The origin of life on Earth has been mulled over by scientists for centuries. We now know that life’s building blocks are RNA, amino acids, and cells. But if life originated from the primordial ooze of early Earth, could that process be unfolding elsewhere in the universe? The search for life elsewhere in the universe is at the center of the book Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life, by Mario Livio and Jack Szostak. Dr. Livio, an astrophysicist previously with the Space Telescope Science

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18:18

873: Herbicides Approved For Public Land | Hidden...

Science Friday ·

2024/10/03

This summer, the Bureau of Land Management approved seven herbicides to fight invasive plants in the West. Also, when scientists analyzed the swirls in the famous painting, they found Van Gogh depicted forces of nature with startling accuracy.What Newly Approved Herbicides Could Mean For Federal Land Invasive plants are a big problem across the western US. Cunning interlopers like cheatgrass, leafy spurge and red brome can outcompete native vegetation, crowd habitats and steal water and other vital

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18:16

867: How Are AI Chatbots Changing Scientific Publishing?

Science Friday ·

2024/09/25

Since ChatGPT was released to the public almost three years ago, generative AI chatbots have had many impacts on our society: They played a large role in the recent Hollywood strikes, energy usage is spiking because of them, and they’re having a chilling effect on various writing-related industries.But they’re also affecting the world of research papers and scientific publishing. They do offer some benefits, like making technical research papers easier to read, which could make research more

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19:11

863: Physicists Create Heaviest Antimatter Nucleus |...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/19

The heaviest antimatter nucleus to date was spotted in a particle accelerator. It could provide new insights into the nature of matter. And, research indicates different songbird species might intentionally travel together during migration, giving each other a possible boost in survival.Physicists Create Heaviest Antimatter Nucleus Yet Antimatter is one of science’s great mysteries. It is produced all around us for fractions of a second, until it collides with matter, and the particles annihilate

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18:25

861: To Confront Climate Change, Imagine Getting It...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/17

Part of the reason it’s difficult to talk about climate change is that it can be hard to see a long-term positive outcome for people and the planet. But Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and co-founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, argues that to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we have to start by asking ourselves, what if we get it right?She’s the author of a new book with that same title, What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. In the book, she poses that

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17:59

860: What Research Shows About Smartphone Bans In...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/16

Kids and teens are back in school, and the battle over the smartphones in their pockets is becoming more prominent. For years, teachers and parents have lamented about the distractions these devices cause in and out of the classroom. Last year, the US surgeon general declared a youth mental health crisis, citing social media as a significant factor, and more than 40 US states are suing Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, arguing that the company intentionally manipulated their apps to addict

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24:37

859: First Citizen Spacewalk | First Successful...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/13

SpaceX Crew Completes First Citizen Spacewalk Big news in the world of commercial space flight: On Thursday morning, Jared Iasaacman and Sarah Gillis, members of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, became the first civilians to complete a spacewalk. The mission is a collaboration between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Isaacman, a billionaire tech entrepreneur. While outside the spacecraft, the two crew members conducted mobility tests on their spacesuits. SciFri Producer Kathleen Davis talks with Jason Dinh,

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18:02

858: ‘Time Capsule’ Rocks And Earth’s Mantle |...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/12

Samples of 2.5 billion-year-old mantle rocks found at spreading ocean ridges could put bounds on models of how the planet formed. And, researchers decreased the amount of lignin in poplar tree wood, making it stronger and slower to deteriorate.‘Time Capsule’ Rocks Provide Clues About Earth’s Mantle If you’re looking to really learn about the history of our planet, look to geology. Ancient rocks can provide a time capsule of the conditions in which they formed. But even the geologic record has its

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25:22

854: An Asteroid Impact, Spotted In Advance | Extreme...

Science Friday ·

2024/09/06

ESA officials said it was only the ninth time an asteroid was spotted before reaching Earth’s atmosphere. And, as the climate changes and summer temperatures linger, educators are increasingly worried about keeping kids safe from heat exhaustion.An Asteroid Impact, Spotted In Advance On Wednesday, an asteroid named 2024 RW1 burned up in the atmosphere above the Philippines. As asteroids go, it was not especially notable. Astronomers say objects the size of 2024 RW1, which was about a meter in

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17:59

852: Why Eels Are So Mysterious—And In Demand

Science Friday ·

2024/09/04

Eels have fascinated humans for thousands of years, even captivating big thinkers like Aristotle and Freud. Despite having been around for some 200 million years, eels are still rather mysterious creatures. For example, scientists still aren’t sure exactly how they spawn.But those unanswered questions haven’t stopped humans from wanting to eat them. So much so that they’re now endangered in some areas—and a lucrative criminal enterprise has risen up to poach baby eels from the wild. Guest host

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