Science Friday

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Oct. 16, 2015

Sexual Harassment Allegations, Doggie Dementia, and Cuban Internet

BuzzFeed News science reporter Azeen Ghorayshi talks about the sexual harassment accusations against astronomer Geoff Marcy, as well as other selected short subjects in science.

Oct. 16, 2015

Can Science Help Build Happier Cities?

Cognitive neuroscientist Colin Ellard studies how our streetscapes shape our bodies, brains, and behavior.

Oct. 16, 2015

The Hunt for Dark Matter

In this week’s Video Pick, scientists hunt for dark matter deep below the Earth’s surface.

dark matter

Oct. 16, 2015

Forecasting the Flu

Researchers seek to track the flu using nasal swabs and search engine queries.

flu

Oct. 16, 2015

Do or DIY This Halloween

Green fire, magic mirrors, fiber optic fairy wings—just a few of the ways to geek out this Halloween with do-it-yourself projects.

halloween, diy

Oct. 16, 2015

Can You Hear Me Now? Why Mobile Audio Still Lags

Will services like HD voice—which doubles the sample rate for voice calls—clear up our mobile audio quality issues?

Oct. 09, 2015

Pluto’s Haze, a Michigan Mammoth, and Antioxidants and Skin Cancer

Pluto’s blue skies, a woolly mammoth in Michigan, and whether antioxidants help with the treatment of skin cancer.

pluto, antioxidants, woolly mammoth

Oct. 09, 2015

2015 Nobel Prizes: Mysteries of the Cosmos and Our DNA

This year's crop of Nobel Prizes were unveiled this week, and the awards go to parasite-zapping drugs, a DNA repair kit, and the mystery of missing neutrinos.

nobel prize

Oct. 09, 2015

Anxious About Math? Count an Elephant’s Toenails

An iPad app helps first graders improve how well they do in math.

Oct. 09, 2015

Could Gene Therapy Be One Step Closer to the Clinic?

An experimental gene therapy for treating congenital blindness is reported to have positive outcomes in a Phase III clinical trial.

Oct. 09, 2015

Sherry Turkle: Reclaiming Conversation

In her new book, Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle discusses the power of face-to-face conversation in a time of “always on” technological connection.

Oct. 09, 2015

Where ‘Postnatural’ Organisms Find a Home

At Pittsburgh’s Center for PostNatural History, modified organisms are the star attraction.

Oct. 02, 2015

Paxil Reanalysis, Mouse Drug Avatars, and Pricey Patties

Amy Nordrum of the International Business TImes joins us for a roundup of her top science stories this week.

Oct. 02, 2015

From Dothraki to Valyrian: Building the Languages of Game of Thrones

Language creator David J. Peterson explains how he constructed Dothraki and the Valyrian languages for the TV series Game of Thrones.

Oct. 02, 2015

Concern for Climate Change Is Great Among Latinos

Climate change researcher Nicole Hernandez Hammer talks about the effects of climate change on Florida’s Latino communities.

Oct. 02, 2015

On Mars, Signs of a Wetter World

Planetary scientist James Wray describes the evidence for present-day liquid water on Mars.

Oct. 02, 2015

Science Goes to the Movies: The Martian

An astronaut and a NASA engineer weigh in on The Martian, on this edition of Science Friday’s “Science Goes to the Movies.”

Oct. 02, 2015

Plants in Space!

This week on The Macroscope, plant biologists send a lowly weed to the International Space Station to study its growth in zero gravity.

Sep. 25, 2015

Virus Fishing, Mantis Shrimp Boxing, and Carbon Cutting Bryozoans

Mantis shrimps pack a punch, and bryozoans might be an effective carbon sink in Antarctic waters.

Sep. 25, 2015

Is Sneaker Innovation Changing How We Move?

From pouring rubber in a waffle iron to incorporating titanium, sneaker innovation is constantly changing—but how does it affect our performance?

Sep. 25, 2015

A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie

Over 83 detective books, Agatha Christie killed hundreds of characters using poison, with great scientific accuracy.

agatha christie

Sep. 25, 2015

Why ‘Generic’ Doesn't Mean ‘Cheap’

Two experts on the drug industry talk about price spikes, FDA backlogs, and why some generic meds can cost nearly as much as brand-name pills.

Sep. 25, 2015

Will Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Electric Cars Drive Us Into the Future?

The Toyota Mirai—a hydrogen fuel cell car—takes to the road this fall.

Sep. 25, 2015

Trash Talk: Uncovering the Waste in U.S. Landfills

American landfills may be crowded with twice as much waste as previously thought, according to a new study.

Sep. 18, 2015

Arctic Mosquito Swarms, Our Shrinking Moon, and a ‘Dislike’ Button

Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post joins us for a roundup of her top science stories this week.

Sep. 18, 2015

A Science Hero, Lost and Found

In The Invention of Nature, historian Andrea Wulf restores forgotten explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt to his rightful place in science history.

Sep. 18, 2015

Keeping an Eye on Our Celestial Companion

Dean Regas, outreach astronomer at the Cincinnati Observatory and co-host of the PBS series Star Gazers, shares moon-viewing tips and a dose of lunar lore.

Sep. 18, 2015

Mapping Out Neutrino Hotspots Here on Earth

Neutrinos form on our own planet and can be used to probe the deepest parts of the earth.

Sep. 18, 2015

Unlocking Parkinson’s Disease

Science journalist Jon Palfreman shares his own journey with Parkinson’s disease and new treatments for patients.

Sep. 18, 2015

Is Deep-Sea Exploration Worth It?

Sylvia Earle and other researchers discuss how humans fit into the future of deep sea exploration.

Sep. 11, 2015

Testing Ocean DNA, Americans Pass a Science Quiz, and Polar Bear Diets

KQED’s Lauren Sommer talks testing ocean DNA and other science news stories from this week.

Sep. 11, 2015

The Science of Story Time

Studies have shown that talking with your child promotes literacy. Now a new study in Psychological Science suggests reading to them may give them an even bigger edge.

Sep. 11, 2015

Does Air Pollution Deflate Urban Bikers’ Health?

A new study is mapping how much air pollution city bikers encounter on their daily routes.

Sep. 11, 2015

Meet 'Homo Naledi,' Another Long-Lost Relative

Deep in a South African cave, in the so-called "dark zone" where no light penetrates, paleoanthropologists have made an extraordinary find: more than 1,500 bones, from at least 15 hominin individuals.

Sep. 11, 2015

Science and Diplomacy

What role can science and scientists play in negotiating global issues?

Sep. 04, 2015

Arctic Climate Change, Pot Pesticides, and Student Data

Brooke Borel, from Popular Science, shares her top stories from this week in science, and New York Times reporter Natasha Singer debates the pros and cons of collecting student data.

climate change, arctic, student data

Sep. 04, 2015

Macroscope Video: A Cure for the Colorblindness Blues

Using gene therapy, visionary researchers Maureen and Jay Neitz may have finally created a cure for the colorblindness blues.

colorblindness, monkeys, colorblind

Sep. 04, 2015

A Tribute to Oliver Sacks

Neurologist, writer, motorcycle racer, weightlifter, swimmer, and enthusiast of ferns, cycads, cephalopods and minerals—Oliver Sacks was a modern day renaissance man. Here we celebrate his life with recollections from friends and personal interviews.

oliver sacks, tribute

Sep. 04, 2015

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Teacher Edition

Teachers Nell Herrmann and Tchnavia Merrick tell us about their science-filled summer vacations.

teaching, summer vacation, summer, teacher, teach, science teacher, educator

Sep. 04, 2015

The Forgotten History of Autism

In his new book, NeuroTribes, science writer Steve Silberman documents how politics and self-promoting scientists have altered our understanding of the condition over the years.

autism, asperger's, neurology

Sep. 04, 2015

Is Modern Dating the Worst?

How text messages, profile pictures, and changing expectations factor into modern dating.

online dating, dating, romance

Aug. 28, 2015

Urban Ecosystems, Turing Nanopatterns, and Serving Sizes

Brandon Keim, a freelance science reporter, shares this week's top science news.

serving size, wildlife, ecology

Aug. 28, 2015

The SciFri Book Club Talks ‘The Soul of a New Machine’

After three weeks of reading, the SciFri Book Club regroups to discuss Tracy Kidder’s 1981 true-tech tale, The Soul of a New Machine.

the soul of a new machine, tracy kidder

Aug. 28, 2015

LEDs Could Light the Way to Future Networking

Engineers are researching how LEDs could help with the broadband “capacity crunch.”

LEDs, lights, energy

Aug. 28, 2015

Can Rooftop Solar and Utilities Get Along?

Rooftop solar is booming. But as more homegrown energy comes online, utilities foresee an economic squeeze—which is leading to nasty fights over the future of utilities and the grid.

Cleantechnica, solar, utilities

Aug. 28, 2015

Putting Scientific Research to the Test

Out of 100 psychology studies, researchers were able to reproduce the original results in less than half.

science, reproducibility project, global biological standards institute

Aug. 28, 2015

Birds to Spot in Your Yard This Fall

Autumn is a good time to observe birds changing their plumage and behavior, and an opportunity to spot birds commuting south from their Arctic summer homes.

birds, fall migration

Aug. 28, 2015

From Hawking, a New View of Black Holes

At a recent scientific meeting, physicist Stephen Hawking outlined a possible solution to a paradox about information in a black hole.

sean carol, stephen hawking, black hole

Aug. 21, 2015

Crowdsourcing Planetary Names, Female ‘Viagra,’ and a Vomit Machine

BuzzFeed News science editor Virginia Hughes shares her top stories from this week in science, and Scientific American editor Lee Billings discusses crowdsourced planetary names.

addyi, fda, sex drive, exoplanets, vomit machine

Aug. 21, 2015

Employee or Datapoint?

The data employers are gathering on their employees aren't always a fair measure of efficiency or success, and in some cases, it's an invasion of privacy.

tracking, technology, tracking technology, amazon, workplace

Aug. 21, 2015

How to Be a Garden Whiz

Could urine be the gold standard when it comes to fertilizing your garden?

urine, pee, gardening, golden rule

Aug. 21, 2015

Do You Understand the Richter Scale?

Seismologist Lucy Jones explains what earthquake magnitude means and why we should measure earthquakes differently.

earthquake, richter scale

Aug. 21, 2015

Museum Plays Art and Technology Matchmaker

LACMA’s Art & Technology program brings together artists and tech companies to see what the two can create together.

lacma, art and technology

Aug. 21, 2015

A Play About Medical Ethics, Ripped From the Headlines

Inspired by a real court case, the play Informed Consent explores the ethics of genetic research.

informed consent, play, genome, blood sample

Aug. 14, 2015

El Niño Vs. the Blob, Yeast Painkillers, and a Butter Bummer

This week’s news roundup takes us to San Francisco, where Ira is joined by KQED science and environment reporter Lauren Sommer.

lauren sommer, el nino, cholesterol, butter, roberto ferdman

Aug. 14, 2015

How Big Blazes Shape Landscapes

Scientists are closely monitoring how forest vegetation shifts after catastrophic fires, and discovering a few surprises.

wildfires, california, vegetation, forest, sally thompson, water, yosemite national forest, scott stephens

Aug. 14, 2015

The Strangely Social Life of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

A new study reveals surprising mating, dwelling, and feeding behaviors in one rare species of octopus.

octopus, cephalopod, pacific striped octopus, richard ross

Aug. 14, 2015

Pregnant Pause: Panda Pregnancy Is a Game of Wait and See

When it comes to figuring out whether or not a giant panda is pregnant, there’s no clear clue.

pregnant, pregnant pandas, pregnancy, pierre comizzoli

Aug. 14, 2015

Gold King, and Other Abandoned Mines Plague Colorado

The EPA accidentally triggered a blowout at the Gold King mine in Colorado, releasing three million gallons of wastewater into the Animas River.

mine, animas river, gold king mine, environment

Aug. 14, 2015

A Candidate's Voice Might Sway Your Vote

Voters tend to prefer politicians with deeper voices—a sign of strength and competence, says political scientist Casey Klofstad.

politicians, voice, pitch, deep voice

Aug. 14, 2015

App Chat: Assistive Technology

In this episode of Science Friday’s “App Chat” series, we take a look at assistive technology.

assistive technology, deafness, blindness, disability, deaf, blind, hearing impaired, vision impaired

Aug. 07, 2015

The SciFri Book Club Reads ‘The Soul of a New Machine’

This August, the SciFri Book Club reads Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the creation of a new computer.

book club, the soul of a new machine, tracy kidder, scifri book club

Aug. 07, 2015

Venomous Frogs, a Polar Bear World Record, and Printing Pills

A polar bear dives longer than ever before, and researchers in Brazil discover two venomous frogs.

polar bear, frog, fda, 3d printing

Aug. 07, 2015

A Climate Plan, and a Survey of the Changing Arctic

A look at President Obama's Clean Power Plan, and a check-in on ongoing research around the Arctic.

climate change, pizzly bear, arctic ocean, arctic

Aug. 07, 2015

Rats on the Job

The average rat sleeps all day and eats garbage all night...but some of them have jobs to get to.

rats, rat police

Aug. 07, 2015

Keeping Cool (Without Making Global Warming Worse)

The global demand for air conditioning isn't sustainable, so what other options do we have?

ac, air conditioning, global warming

Aug. 07, 2015

Can Babies Take a Joke?

New research finds that children can distinguish between joking and pretending.

children, babies, humor

Aug. 07, 2015

Video Pick: The Unlikely Tale of a Tenacious Snail

For over 70 years, no one had seen the oblong rocksnail, until one spring day in 2011.

Jul. 31, 2015

Polio-free Nigeria, Ant Cooperation, and Tweet Takedowns

Brooke Borel, of Popular Science and the blog Our Modern Plagues, shares this week's top science news.

polio, vaccination, plague, ant, crazy longhorn ants, crazy ants, ants, crazy longhorn ant, crazy ant, twitter, plagiarism

Jul. 31, 2015

Deconstructing School Discipline

Researchers rethink discipline in an effort to break down the “school-to-prison” pipeline.

civil rights, expulsion, seclusion, discipline, prison, school to prison pipeline

Jul. 31, 2015

Can Intestinal Bacteria Shape Response to Early-Life Stress?

A new study investigates the link between the gut and the brain in mice.

microbiome, gut bacteria, mood, anxiety, depression

Jul. 31, 2015

So Flashy: The Chemistry Behind a Firefly’s Glow

Scientists work to understand the chemistry and benefit of firefly flashes.

fireflies, firefly, bioluminescence,

Jul. 31, 2015

A Device to Visualize Your Climate Change Future

In Marin County, California, augmented reality binoculars are helping locals visualize sea level rise—and plan for it.

climate change, marin county, california, global warming, public perception

Jul. 31, 2015

Walking While Texting Akin to Walking While Drunk

Researchers sent “wexters” through an obstacle course and found that they took more steps, deviated from the path, and slowed down more than regular walkers.

texting, walking, wexting, smart phone, text

Jul. 31, 2015

Wearable Technology Goes Way Back

Google Glass, Fitbits, and the Apple Watch are just the latest products in a long evolution of wearable technology.

google glass, fitbits, apple watch, fitbit, wearable technology, wearable tech, wearables

Jul. 31, 2015

Black-Market Marijuana Farming Is Far From Green

Illegal pot farms north of San Francisco are repeating many of the environmental sins of the logging era, like clear-cutting and road building.

marijuana, pot, pot growing, clear cutting, logging, road building, environment

Jul. 24, 2015

An HIV Mystery, the Search for E.T., and a Bug Bite Itch Zapper

BuzzFeed News science editor Virginia Hughes shares her top stories from this week in science, and astronomer Seth Shostack debates the pros and cons of attempting to contact E.T.

e.t., virginia hughes, hiv, e.t., seti, aliens, extraterrestrials

Jul. 24, 2015

Tips and Hacks for Navigating Recreational Drones

From pocket-size drones to camera-equipped quadcopters, drone educator Steve Cohen navigates us through tips for buying and building personal drones.

drones, steve cohen, remote-control helicopter

Jul. 24, 2015

Can Studying Dolphins Give Insight Into Human Disease?

Dolphins can switch in and out of a metabolic syndrome that resembles pre-diabetes in humans.

dolphins, diabetes, health

Jul. 24, 2015

Bacterial Hunger Games

Is it time to stop killing bacteria, and start pitting them against each other?

hunger games, bacteria, bacterial

Jul. 24, 2015

A Twist in the Tale of Native American Origins

Two studies detect a DNA link between indigenous Amazonians and native Australians and New Guineans.

native americans, dna

Jul. 24, 2015

Closer to Earth, 2.0, and a New Horizons Update

NASA’s Kepler program has located a planet close in size to Earth, orbiting in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own sun. Plus, new data about Pluto.

kepler-452b, jon jenkins, nasa

Jul. 24, 2015

Do Know-It-Alls Really Know It All?

Scientists find that self-described experts are more likely to claim knowledge of phony information.

expert, expertise, know-it-all, david dunning, stav atir

Jul. 24, 2015

In a Mountain of Data, Signs of a New Class of Particles

Scientists working on CERN’s LHCb experiment report that they’ve found evidence of a so-called pentaquark particle.

pentaquark, cern, large hadron collider

Jul. 17, 2015

iBubble Wrap, Fossilized Owl Vomit, and Deadly Temperature Swings

Brandon Keim, a freelance science reporter, shares this week's top science news.

brandon keim, owl vomit, bubble wrap, ibubble, packing material, climate change, invasive species

Jul. 17, 2015

New Horizons Reveals Unexpected Worlds

Ice mountains and gaping canyons are just a few of the surprising features the New Horizons spacecraft beamed back this week.

new horizons, pluto, charon, moons, kuiper belt, mission to pluto, cathy olkin

Jul. 17, 2015

Redefining the Kilogram

All the scales in the world are calibrated against a 125-year-old chunk of metal in a vault on the outskirts of Paris. Now scientists are looking to redefine the standard of what “kilogram” really means.

derek muller, jon pratt, kilo, kilogram

Jul. 17, 2015

Can Video Games Be Used As Teaching Tools?

Are Minecraft’s digital building blocks the teaching tools of the future?

minecraft, zach klein, video games

Jul. 17, 2015

A Sci-Fi Writer Keeps His Eye on ‘Spaceship Earth’

In his new novel, Aurora, sci-fi writer Kim Stanley Robinson puts the dream of interstellar colonization under the microscope.

aurora, kim stanley robinson, interstellar colonization

Jul. 17, 2015

Total Meltdown: The Rate of Ice Cream Collapse

A food scientist explores how the microstructure of ice cream controls the rate at which it melts.

ice cream, maya warren, melting, ice cream cone, scoop

Jul. 17, 2015

Why Do Screams Make You Shudder?

Human screams have a unique audio quality not found in other types of speech.

current biology, scream, howl, scary, David Poeppel

Jul. 10, 2015

'Biological Aging,' Debunking Signs of Cometary Life, Triceratops Kin

Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post joins us for a roundup of the top science stories this week.

biological aging, rachel feltman, daniel belsky

Jul. 10, 2015

New Horizons Prepares for Pluto Close-Up

The New Horizons probe is about to capture its prize: a close-up of Pluto.

pluto, new horizons, cassini

Jul. 10, 2015

Is Climate Change the Plight of the Bumblebee?

Climate change has caused bumblebee habitats in North America to retreat by as much as 190 miles in some areas.

bumblebee, bumblebees, pollination, pollinator, climate change, range, habitat, migration

Jul. 10, 2015

Lollipops Meet Lasers in This Lab

Science documentary producer Emily Driscoll stopped by a Willy Wonka-like math lab to see what lollipops can teach us about fluid dynamics.

lollipop, lollipops, fluid dynamics, tootsie pop, tootsie roll pop

Jul. 10, 2015

Forget-Me-Not: How Prions Maintain Memory

Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel discusses the role of prions in maintaining long-term memories.

eric kandel, memories, prions

Jul. 10, 2015

The Ultimate Geek Road Trip

Geek Atlas author John Graham-Cumming help us plot the ultimate geek road trip, with sites spanning the history of science, technology, and mathematics.

geek atlas, road trip, geed road trip, randal olson, big bang, john graham-cumming

Jul. 10, 2015

Astronomers Play Hide-and-Seek with Supermassive Black Holes

Researchers estimate that there are millions of supermassive black holes hidden in the universe.

black holes, supermassive black hles, george lansbury, astronomer, galaxy

Jul. 03, 2015

Bringing Nature Back to Man-Made Spaces

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which was once a chemical weapons manufacturing site, is now one of the nation’s largest urban wildlife sanctuaries.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, colorado