Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Smallpox
We'll talk about the history of the international effort to eradicate smallpox worldwide.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Infection
About 100,000 people die every year due to infections acquired in a hospital, according to a new government report. In this hour, we'll look at the problem, and talk about some of the infectious organisms that put patients at risk, from...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Virus in Your Genes
Many vertebrate species contain snippets of viral genetic code within their genomes -- and according to new research, it's not all from the likely suspects.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Exosolar Planet Update
We'll hear about new work in the field of discovering exosolar planets -- including research that used the Hubble Space Telescope to take optical images of a planet orbiting a star some 25 light years away. [12 mins. 29]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Statins as Preventative Medicine?
Should statin drugs be given as preventative medicine to help reduce heart problems?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Music and Cardiovascular Health
Can your music playlist affect your cardiovascular health?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Jane Goodall
In this segment, Ira talks with primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall about her work in studying chimpanzees, preserving habitats, and what lies ahead for the field of evolutionary science.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: A New Approach for Antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats in medicine today. In this segment, Ira and guests talk about new approaches to developing antibiotics that could lead to new methods for treating drug-resistant diseases.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Deep Bacterium Goes It Alone
Researchers studying a sample of bacteria from water taken from a crack in a South African gold mine -- nearly 3 kilometers below the surface of the Earth -- have found that the ecosystem in the crack consists of only one organism.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Stomach Bug May Help Battle Asthma
Could a bacterium thought to be responsible for stomach ulcers help ward off childhood asthma?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: A Real Computer Bug?
A group of scientists reports that they have created modified E. coli bacteria capable of performing one specific type of calculation. We'll talk with one of the researchers about the prospects for biologically-based computing in this...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Phages Fight Bacteria
In this segment, Ira and guests talk about bacteriophages -- bacteria-fighting viruses -- and their place in modern medicine.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Controlling Mosquitoes With Bacteria
Can a bacterial infection be a useful weapon in the fight against mosquito-borne illnesses?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Antimicrobial Copper?
Using copper for some surfaces might cut down on hospital-acquired infections.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Contaminating Planets
What steps should planetary explorers take to prevent contaminating other planets with life from Earth?
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: The Body's Bacteria
A new study of the critters that live on the human body find that our skin is home to a much wider variety of bacteria than previously thought.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Time for a Swim? What's in That Pool?
Just in time to beat the heat - we'll talk about the somewhat disturbing chemistry of swimming pool water.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Mars Water
Although it's been years since the first publications of signs of water on Mars, support for the idea of lots of liquid water in the planet's past keeps coming in.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Building New Neurons
Researchers report the discovery of a chemical that can encourage the formation of new neurons, at least in mice.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Amygdaloids
The Amygdaloids, a band of neuroscientists, play from their new album on the audio recording. The band is led by Joseph LeDoux, a professor and a member of the Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology at NYU.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Diseases of the Garden
A fungus that targets basil plants, and other scourges of the summertime garden.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Booting Up a Synthetic Cell
Researchers have inserted an artificially-produced genome into bacterial cells -- and the resulting cells appear to function normally.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Synthetic Biology Competition
We'll get the results of a recent student competition centered around the design and construction of living machines.
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Research Misconduct
How well does science police itself? We'll talk what researchers do when they encounter misdeeds.