Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: What Happens When You Levitate Flies?
Everything is a little bit magnetic, says physicist Richard Hill, of The University of Nottingham. So with a powerful magnet, it is possible to levitate almost anything--strawberries, water, insects. In a recent study, Hill levitated...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Pied Piper of Fish
Maurizio Porfiri wants to build robots that can herd fish like sheepdogs. Sound fishy? He's farther along than you might expect. A few years ago, Porfiri, a mechanical engineer at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University,...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Moths Can Escape Bats by Jamming Sonar
For over 50 million years, bats and moths have been engaged in an evolutionary arms race: bats evolving new tricks to catch moths, and moths developing counter-measures to escape bats. William Conner, a biologist at Wake Forest...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: This Beetle Puts the 'Extreme' in Extremity
For the Japanese horned beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomous), size matters. Its horn, which can be two-thirds the length of the rest of its body, is its key to mating success.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Finding Glow in the Dark Millipedes
Forget fireflies, some millipedes glow in the dark too. We found out about the phenomenon from SciFri listener Chris Lavin, who stumbled upon fluorescing blue millipedes during an evening stroll near her home in Canyon, Calif. [3:57]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Desktop Diaries: Tim White
From snake skins to bear teeth, White's office is not short on artifacts.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Science Project: Coffee
Get the scoop on coffee flavor with Harold McGee's counter-top chemistry experiment.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Inner Beauty of Naked Mole Rats
How do naked mole rats live to 30 years without getting cancer? Research by Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov of the University of Rochester show how these aesthetically challenged creatures live long, cancer-free lives.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Desktop Diaries: Sylvia Earle
How do you become a scientist? "It's really easy: you start out as a little kid and then you never grow up," says explorer and biologist Sylvia Earle. Step into her office.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: James Watson: Studio Session
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick pieced together the structure of DNA the now-famous double helix. To celebrate the release of a new annotated and illustrated edition of his 1968 book, The Double Helix, James Watson reflects on...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Wild California Condors Made Here
In 1982, fewer than two dozen California condors existed. Now, over 200 live in the wild, thanks in part to The Peregrine Fund -- the largest California condor breeding center in the U.S.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Comet's Tail Shines Light on Sun
In 2011, comet Lovejoy traveled through the sun's corona and lived to tell the tale. But its tail was the most telling. Reporting in the journal Science, Cooper Downs, says that the wiggle of the comet's tail helps explain the sun's...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Step Into an Optical Illusion
In Demon Hill, the rules of gravity don't apply as you expect them to. Down is not down, exactly. The room, created by Los Angeles artist Julian Hoeber and on display at the Harris Lieberman Gallery in New York, is modeled on a stock...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Getting a Leg Up: High Jump Explained
Explains the biomechanics of the high jump, where an athlete propels him- or herself over a bar. The world record for this is over eight feet. Aired Jul. 20, 2012. [4:45]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: 2012 Nobel Prizes Recognize Pioneering Science
Nobel laureates from 2012 changed our understanding of our bodies and the world around us.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Ice Age Co Stars: Horses, Camels, and Cheetahs
Discusses some of the animals that lived in North America during the Ice Age, ones that are usually overlooked, and reasons they either went extinct or evolved and survived. Aired Sep. 28, 2012 [21:39]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: How Wood Smoke Is Dirtying Alaska's Air
The air quality in Alaskan cities such as Fairbanks has been determined to be worse than most places in the United States, and is having adverse effects on residents' health. The source of this pollution is the smoke from wood stoves,...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Identifying the Real Culprit Behind Killer Vascular Diseases
Contrary to what was previously believed, researchers now think that stem cells cause artery blockages, leading to heart attacks and stroke. Aired Jun. 8, 2012 [18:04 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Art Meets Geek in Toni Dove's Studio
Toni Dove employs infrared motion-sensing, voice recognition software, 3-D mechanical projection screens, video puppets, and lots of other tech to bring her mixed media productions to life. [4:30]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: How Secure Are Electronic Voting Machines?
The security of electronic voting machines is a concern, as there are fears that they could be hacked into. An expert discusses the technology behind them. Aired Nov. 2, 2012 [16:31 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: A Millipede That (Almost) Lives Up to the Name
No millipede has 1000 feet, but the species Illacme plenipes comes closest, with up to 750 feet! Entomologist Paul Marek, who rediscovered the rare species a few years ago in California's coastal mountains, calls counting legs and...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Hello, Is There Anybody Out There?
An interview with Jill Tarter, who works for the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute looking for evidence of life in outer space. Aired May 10, 2014 [24:20 min]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Rap Nerdy to Me
MC Frontalot and Dr. Awkward rap about data encryption, video games and the nerd life.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Super Sized Snapshot
Meet a Polaroid camera that weighs 235 pounds and takes 2-foot-tall instant snapshots.