Reporting in Science, Gabriel Villar and colleagues say that tiny water droplets can be engineered to work together sort of like cells -- moving in concert, passing electrical signals. Villar built a machine that fabricates these...

Researchers are using time-lapse photography to study the biomechanics of plant movement--including how cucumber tendrils curl.

A sound artist explains how to make a working electric guitar using only wood, bits of hardware, wire, a magnet, and a guitar string. Aired Mar. 05, 2010. [3:06]

Students in MIT's Tangible Media Group break down the barriers of graphic interfaces and allow users to touch and manipulate pixels in real life.

A couple explain why they decided to live in a 140-square-foot home on a trailer bed that they designed themselves, and take us on a tour through their home. Aired June 28, 2013. [4:37]

Scientists have used the Swedish Solar Telescope to study the stringy perimeter of sunspots, the penumbra, to learn how it forms. Aired June 3, 2011. [2:32]

The owner of a cockatoo discovered it dancing to the Backstreet Boys, posted a video of it to YouTube, which was seen by neuroscientists. They performed an experiment on the bird to see if it was actually responding to the music, and,...

Scientists investigated what makes the skin on fingers wrinkled after being soaked in water. They were able to relate it to internal blood pressure but could not confirm what use this phenomenon might have. Aired Jan. 11, 2013. [3:25]

Researchers from Georgia Tech decided to study the urination behavior of different animals. They observed Youtube videos, animals in the real world, and lab animals. They came to a conclusion that all animals with a bladder two-thirds...

An interview with two young entrepreneurs who have developed a machine that can print micro solar panels for the home owner. Aired Sept. 21, 2012. [4:13]

Scientists published a study in 2010 that claimed they had discovered an alien bacterium that could create its own DNA with arsenic. Other scientists were skeptical and tried to duplicate their results, without success. In this podcast,...

Scientists discuss their Human Microbiome Project in which they documented the genetic identity of the microorganisms (bacteria, germs, viruses, etc.) that live on the human body. They found that people carry ten times more microbes than...

Scientists discuss images of a bacterium that reveals a protective protein coat, and the potential applications of the research.

Astronomers have been able to measure where the point of no return is at the edge of a black hole that is 50 million light-years away. Aired Oct. 5, 2012 [12:43 min]

Neuroscientists are using fMRI technology to study what happens in the brain when a someone is no longer able to resist temptation, such as to have dessert, and loses their self-control. Aired June 22, 2012 [15:06 min]

It has been a commonly held belief that the morning-after pill interrupted the implantation of a fertilized egg and is akin to abortion. But doctors now say this is not the case. Instead it delays or inhibits ovulation. Aired Jun. 15,...

Listen to this discussion of a Video Pick of the Week, which is a visit by a biologist to the interior of a bat cave, using innovative equipment to record the bats. Includes a link to the video. Aired Sept. 7, 2012. [5:44]

Architect Antony Wood discusses what makes a skyscraper great. Innovations include features that adapt to the environment, enrich the lives of their inhabitants, are sustainable, and are beautiful to look at. Aired June 22, 2012 [8:49min]

An interview with Doron Weber, author of Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir. His son Damon had a heart transplant at the age of sixteen and later died. Weber talks about the family's anguishing experience and the failings of the medical...

It is possible to drink too much water in hot weather. A discussion with Douglas Casa, of the Korey Stringer Institute, about how to stay hydrated in a healthy way when being physically active on a hot day. He also talks about the move...

An interview with Marc Abrahams, author of This is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens, and other WTF Research. He is an expert in strange science, and talks about what we can learn from unusual and weird experiments....

A discussion with Rakesh Agrawal, principal analyst of reDesign mobile, about how map apps are designed and how they can be made better. This interview followed on the heels of Apple's release of its own map app, which was a huge...

A discussion with Catharine Conley, NASA's planetary protection officer, over a misstep prior to the launch of the Mars Curiosity Rover, where a drill might have been contaminated with Earth microbes. She explains that it was resolved...

A discussion with Steven Strogatz, author of The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity. Strogatz makes concepts such as infinity understandable in an entertaining way. Aired Oct. 5, 2012 [28:53 min]