Podcast Episodes

Footage Shows How Narwhals Use Tusks To Hunt And Play

Episode 1148

We’re taking a polar plunge into the science of sea unicorns, also known as narwhals!

Narwhals are mysterious arctic whales with long, twirly tusks protruding from their foreheads, like a creature out…

Published on 1 week, 6 days ago

Have Astrophysicists Spotted Evidence For ‘Dark Stars’?

Episode 1147

Astrophysicists may have spotted evidence for “dark stars,” an unusual type of star that could possibly have existed in the earliest days of the universe, in data from the James Webb Space Telescope.…

Published on 2 weeks ago

AI Was Supposed To Discover New Drugs. Where Are They?

Episode 1146

AI is everywhere these days, and though there’s debate about how useful it is, one area where experts think it could be game-changing is scientific research. It promised to be particularly useful for…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

How Math Helps Us Map The World

Episode 1145

It’s easy to take maps for granted. After all, most of us have a pretty good map in our pockets at all times, ready to show us how to get anywhere on the globe. But to make a map useful, you have to …

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

The Science Of Replacing Body Parts, From Hair To Hearts

Episode 1144

It seems like every week, there’s a new headline about some kind of sci-fi-esque organ transplant. Think eyeballs, 3D-printed kidneys, pig hearts.

In her new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

It’s Not Just You—Bad Food Habits Are Hard To Shake

Episode 1143

Remember “The Biggest Loser”—the show where people tried to lose as much weight as quickly as possible for a big cash prize? The premise of the show was that weight loss was about willpower: With eno…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

100 Years Later, Quantum Science Is Still Weird

Episode 1100

In July 1925, physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote a letter to Wolfgang Pauli sharing his new ideas about what would eventually become known as quantum theory. A hundred years later, that theory has bee…

Published on 3 weeks ago

An Off-The-Grid Nobel Win, And Antibiotics In Ancient Microbes

Episode 1142

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three people whose combined discoveries outlined the role of the peripheral immune system—how the immune system knows to attack just foreign …

Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago

World Space Week And Promising Climate Tech Companies

Episode 1141

It’s World Space Week, and we’re fueling up the rocket for a tour of some missions and projects that could provide insights into major space mysteries. Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi joins Host Flora …

Published on 3 weeks, 3 days ago

The Story Behind The Largest Dam Removal In U.S. History

Episode 1140

The Klamath River, which runs from southern Oregon to California, used to be a top salmon run. But after a series of hydroelectric dams was installed along the river around 100 years ago, salmon popu…

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago