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1291: The decades-long movement to kill FEMA
Episode 1291
Hurricane season officially begins in June. And in the event of a big storm, local and state governments often rely on help from the Federal Emergenc…
5 months, 1 week ago
1290: What cats and dogs hear + A 'smell map' of the nose
Episode 1290
Animal neuroaudiologist Pete Scheifele joins us to answer some burning questions from SciFri listener Paul: Why can dogs and cats hear a wider range …
5 months, 1 week ago
1289: How do you study microplastics in a plastic-filled lab?
Episode 1289
The news we hear about plastic is often alarming: We have a spoon’s worth of plastics in our brains, and there are microplastics in our hearts, lymph…
5 months, 1 week ago
1288: What is ibogaine, and why is it in the news?
Episode 1288
In mid-April, President Trump issued an executive order to set aside funding and loosen the bureaucratic process at the FDA to fast-track psychedelic…
5 months, 1 week ago
The long history of birds, from velociraptors to pigeons
Comparing a backyard sparrow to a fearsome velociraptor seems odd, but modern birds are indeed living dinosaurs. Scientists are finding more and more…
5 months, 1 week ago
1286: Your DNA is constantly mutating, and that’s a good thing
Episode 1286
Our bodily systems are rife with mutations. In fact, your DNA is mutating right now. These errors, and attempts to repair them, are a key to understa…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
1286: Maine nearly became the first state to ban data centers
Episode 1286
Data centers make controversial neighbors: They’re loud, they use a lot of water, and can drive electricity prices up. Following public concern and o…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
1285: What urban design tells us about democracy
Episode 1285
The way ancient societies like the Greeks, Maya, and Khmer Empire built their cities can tell us a lot about how a place was governed. Did rulers liv…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
1284: Listening for the cosmic ‘dark ages,’ from the lunar far side
Episode 1284
What did the universe look like before any stars turned on? Astronomers call that time the “dark ages,” and while they think it may be possible to se…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
1284: How do you describe nature? Two poets help us
Episode 1284
To mark Earth Day, we asked you to tell us about your favorite places on the planet. You took us to the woods near Traverse City, Michigan, to a lake…
5 months, 2 weeks ago