Podcast Episodes

After CDC Director Is Ousted, More Senior Officials Resign

Episode 1116

On August 27, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the White House fired CDC director Susan Monarez after only a month on the job. Right after she was ousted, other senior leaders resigned from…

Published on 1 day, 16 hours ago

Meet 3I/Atlas, An Object From Another Solar System

Episode 1114

Earlier this summer, astronomers discovered something strange whizzing past Jupiter: an interstellar object. Scientists named it 3I/ATLAS. It’s only the third interstellar object ever observed, and i…

Published on 2 days, 16 hours ago

How Common Household Products Pollute Our Indoor Air

Episode 1113

You have probably given some thought to outdoor air pollution, whether it’s wildfire smoke or smog from traffic. You may even check AQI measurements on your phone. But what about the air inside your …

Published on 3 days, 16 hours ago

The Shape-Shifting Science Of Sand Dunes

Episode 1112

In some places, sand dunes protect shorelines from the onslaught of ocean waves. In other places, the dunes themselves are on the move, and threaten human structures.

Host Flora Lichtman talks with me…

Published on 4 days, 16 hours ago

Food Science Experts On Perfecting At-Home Ice Cream

Episode 1111

Summer may be winding down, but we’re not quite ready to let go of beach days, backyard cookouts, or ice cream cones. We love ice cream here at SciFri, so we’re pulling a few of our favorite ice crea…

Published on 5 days, 16 hours ago

An ER Doctor Reflects On Hurricane Katrina, 20 Years Later

Episode 1110

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, and the levees designed to protect New Orleans failed. Huge swaths of the city flooded, and 1,600 people were trapped inside Charity Ho…

Published on 1 week, 1 day ago

An Archaeologist And A Tattoo Artist Decipher Ancient Ink

Episode 1109

Researchers recently used near-infrared photography to get a detailed look at ancient artwork showing scenes of wild animals tangled in a fight. But these weren’t paintings on a cave wall. They were …

Published on 1 week, 2 days ago

What Lies Beneath The Outer Layers Of A Star?

Episode 1108

You might think of a star as a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is turned into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees. But researchers recently reported tha…

Published on 1 week, 3 days ago

How Have Gray Wolves Fared 30 Years After Reintroduction?

Episode 1107

Gray wolves are native to the Rocky Mountains, but decades of hunting nearly eradicated them from the western United States by the 1940s. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Par…

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

Are Food Dyes Really Bad For You?

Episode 1106

What do Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, lime Jell-O, and Kraft Creamy French Salad dressing have in common? They've all gotten a glow-up from artificial food dyes. Petroleum-based food dyes have become a target…

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago