Ira and guests talk about the physics and materials science that go into the making of a baseball bat.

Learn from a tomato farmer in Pennsylvania describe his battle with late blight during the summer of 2009.

Plants have a reputation for staying put. But some plants are moving so quickly, we can't see their motions. Biologist Joan Edwards and physicist Dwight Whitaker broke out the high-speed cameras to capture the story of exploding peat...

Why do we find cockroaches disgusting and spiders scary? Fear of snakes and spiders are two of the most common phobias in the world and researchers say evolution likely plays a role. But what explains our aversion to harmless insects--it...

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco discusses a proposal for the creation of a national climate forecasting department akin to the National Weather Service.

Genetic analysis of DNA from a single prehistoric finger bone may point to a new branch of the human family tree.

The discovery of unusual skeletal remains on the islands of Palau suggests that the so-called 'hobbits' found several years ago in Indonesia may have been dwarf humans, not a separate species.

An interview with primatologist Richard Wrangham, the author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. He believes that cooking food led to humans' evolutionary success. Aired Aug. 28, 2009 [28:02]

In his new book The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change, former vice president Al Gore takes a sweeping census of the variables affecting the future of life on Earth, including everything from robosourced labor and millisecond stock...

The Great Barrier Reef has been losing its live coral at a disturbingly rapid rate. The crown-of-thorns starfish has played a big part in this, as you will learn in this podcast and video. Aired Oct. 5, 2012. [Audio: 8:23; Video: 1:30]

An interview with glaciologist Ian Joughin about the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland, the fastest moving glacier in the world. In 2012, researchers observed that this glacier was speeding up even more, and was traveling at a rate of 150...

Former climate change skeptic Richard Muller describes his evolving views on climate change science.

Apiculturist Eric Mussen discusses the plight of the modern honeybee and the threats the tiny pollinators face from disease and pesticides.

A look at research into the behavior of bees as they work at pollinating flowers. Caffeine, which is present in nectar, turns out to be something that helps bees to remember types of flowers they have visited. Aired Mar. 8, 2013 [29:21 min]

Sam Penix and Sam Lewontin, of Everyman Espresso in New York City, and Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, percolate over how to get the most out of your grounds. From the chemex to the wood neck, the brewmasters filter out...

Brewing coffee is a never-ending science project, according to barista Sam Penix, owner of Everyman Espresso in New York City.

Coffee beans are filled with oils that emerge from coffee grounds under high pressure. These oils form the crema--the frothy stuff on top of an espresso.

Get the scoop on coffee flavor with Harold McGee's counter-top chemistry experiment.

Presents audio and video news reels of the launch of the first space shuttle, Sputnik, in 1957 along with related information and links.

In this hour of Science Friday, we'll take a look at all things fungal -- from shiitakes to mold, and everything in between.

Find out about studies of the drug Ketamine, and how it affects the brain and depression.

Researchers report in the journal Science that after sorting through 500 billion billion possible moves, they've been able to create a computer program that will never lose a game of checkers.

In academic circles, citations are a measure of success. We'll talk about some of the year's most-cited papers, and why other scientists found them so noteworthy.

Research published this week indicates that elephants in protected areas in the wild live longer, healthier lives than those in captivity. [23 mins. 10 secs.]