Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week ...
Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week on NPR stations nationwide -- or online here!
Show allThere are hundreds of receptors in the human nose that ...
There are hundreds of receptors in the human nose that can pick up thousands of odors with each sniff. But how do we make sense of the scents? Smell researchers Stuart Firestein and Donald Wilson discuss the complexities of olfaction and how the brain sorts out what the nose picks up.
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Researchers reporting in the journal Science say they have discovered ...
Researchers reporting in the journal Science say they have discovered a new species of oil-eating bacteria living half a mile down in the Gulf of Mexico. Study author Terry Hazen discusses the finding and what these bacteria might mean for future oil spills.
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The future as imagined in science fiction sometimes becomes a ...
The future as imagined in science fiction sometimes becomes a reality. Michael and Denise Okuda, graphic designers for Star Trek, and John Underkoffler, science adviser on Minority Report , talk about envisioning the future.
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With daily reports of bedbugs in movie theaters and clothing ...
With daily reports of bedbugs in movie theaters and clothing stores -- let alone apartment buildings -- bedbug hysteria seems to be reaching new heights. Psychologist Kevin Ochsner studies how people regulate emotion and shares tips for how to get your bedbug fear under control.
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Construction is now under way on the world's biggest wind ...
Construction is now under way on the world's biggest wind farm in California's Mojave Desert. Federal and state regulators have given the green light to several large solar thermal projects in the Mojave as well. Ira Flatow and guests discuss the future of clean energy in the U.S.
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A federal judge has blocked President Obama's 2009 executive order ...
A federal judge has blocked President Obama's 2009 executive order expanding embryonic stem cell research. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGett (D-Colo.) and stem cell researcher Rudolph Jaenisch discuss the ruling's impact on scientists, and whether Congress can pass stem cell legislation.
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Margaret Atwood's new book The Year of the Flood describes ...
Margaret Atwood's new book The Year of the Flood describes a dystopic world full of evil corporations, barbaric criminals and science gone wrong. She talks about the real science in the novel and what can be done to keep her fiction from becoming reality.
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It's back-to-school season and college kids have a lot on ...
It's back-to-school season and college kids have a lot on their minds: can you compost pizza? What's more sustainable: kegs or cans? Can you have a party with low-flush toilets? Ira Flatow and guests discuss how students and universities are making the college life greener.
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Tiny pieces of plastic are aggregating hundreds of miles offshore ...
Tiny pieces of plastic are aggregating hundreds of miles offshore in concentrations equivalent to those in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," according to a Science study. Oceanographer and study author Kara Lavender Law talks about the new questions the study raises.
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Researchers say a type of meditation called integrative mind-body training ...
Researchers say a type of meditation called integrative mind-body training can strengthen connections in certain areas of the brain, even when practiced for as little as 11 hours. Psychologist Michael Posner describes the study, and explains the brain changes he documented.
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