Science Friday
Fridays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the trusted source for news about science, technology, and other cool stuff. Each week host Ira Flatow mixes it up with people in the know and those who want to be. It's brain fun, for curious people. For over 22 years, Science Friday has brought the top stories in science to radio listeners and given them a chance to join in the discussion by asking questions and making comments during the live broadcast.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/
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In Einstein and the Quantum: The Quest of the Valiant Swabian, theoretical physicist A. Douglas Stone writes that whereas Einstein is best known for his theory of relativity, his truly revolutionary idea was the development of quantum theory — an idea that escaped many of the age's most brilliant minds.
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Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield, author of the new book An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, has flown three space missions, including 144 days on the International Space Station. Hadfield talks about life in zero gravity, his one fear while in orbit, and how he went from test pilot to astronaut.
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With the astronaut flick Gravity dominating box offices and dinner table conversation, Science Friday brings in the experts to fact-check. In our first installment of "Science Goes to the Movies," astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Don Pettit answer your Gravity questions and explore the real risks of spaceflight.
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In his new book Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life, Craig Venter writes of the brave new world synthetic biology may some day deliver: from consumer devices that print out the latest flu vaccine to instruments on Mars landers that analyze Martian DNA and teleport it back to Earth to be studied�"or recreated.
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Beneath their nearly blind and hairless appearance, naked mole rats have evolved hidden molecular adaptations for life underground. In this week's video pick, new research by Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov of the University of Rochester shows how these aesthetically challenged creatures live long, cancer-free lives.
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Current treatments for the Ebola virus only work when they are given immediately after infection. A recent study published in Science Translational Medicine describes a new antibody cocktail that was effective in macaques up to four days after infection. Lead author Gary Kobinger discusses how the treatment targets the virus's quick replication process.
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The U.S. government shutdown may be over, but J. Marshall Shepherd, president of the American Meteorological Society, says American science has suffered a lasting blow. He says the shutdown has delayed potentially life-saving research, weakened our international credibility, and signaled to youth that government science may not be a wise career option.
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Modern science infographics can show everything from rising temperatures to population growth�"if you know how to read them. The Best American Infographics 2013 editor Gareth Cook and neuroscientist Stephen Kosslyn explain how to be a savvier infographics reader, and how to spot graphics that mislead.
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It's a rivalry as old as forests themselves: the ancient battle between trees and their competitors, the vines. But now, ecologists say, the vines are winning. Bill Laurance, of Australia's James Cook University, says increased forest fragmentation and a boost in carbon dioxide may be contributing to the vines' domination.
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This week a handful of scientists got the wakeup call of a lifetime: news they had won the Nobel Prize. This year's recipients predicted the existence of the Higgs boson, figured out how cells transport materials, and used computer programming to map chemical reactions. Winners and experts discuss the research behind this year's awards, and what comes next.