Science Friday
@scifri.bsky.social
Entertaining & educational conversations about science, tech, + more. Hosted by Ira Flatow and Flora Lichtman. From WNYCStudios.
🔊 This is the sound of a vulture-bone flute inside a cave. Want to know what singing inside an ancient tomb would have sounded like? Check it out: buff.ly/7oVubJ6
January 3, 2026 at 10:24 PM
🔊 This is the sound of a vulture-bone flute inside a cave. Want to know what singing inside an ancient tomb would have sounded like? Check it out: buff.ly/7oVubJ6
❄️ In a conversation from January 2025, psychologist Kari Leibowitz said it's only natural for plants and animals to slow down "in some way in the winter." She shares how to thrive in the coldest months: buff.ly/uphOGGR
January 3, 2026 at 3:18 PM
❄️ In a conversation from January 2025, psychologist Kari Leibowitz said it's only natural for plants and animals to slow down "in some way in the winter." She shares how to thrive in the coldest months: buff.ly/uphOGGR
🗺️ “ A map can be like a giant selfie with a very fun filter. It's a picture of your community through a particular lens,” says Andrew Middleton, owner of The Map Center. Here are some of the maps *you* shared with us: buff.ly/UujCTdW
January 3, 2026 at 12:41 AM
🗺️ “ A map can be like a giant selfie with a very fun filter. It's a picture of your community through a particular lens,” says Andrew Middleton, owner of The Map Center. Here are some of the maps *you* shared with us: buff.ly/UujCTdW
🎉💪🏽 New year, new exercise resolutions. For some, that means pushing the limits of human endurance.
Are Ultramarathoners Just Built Different?
Ultramarathoners can run with what seems like superhuman stamina. But are their bodies much different than the rest of ours?
buff.ly
January 2, 2026 at 6:52 PM
🎉💪🏽 New year, new exercise resolutions. For some, that means pushing the limits of human endurance.
Essential science news headlines ✔️
A spoonful of the awe-inspiring 🥄✨
Get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Monday: buff.ly/DkmfNKd
A spoonful of the awe-inspiring 🥄✨
Get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Monday: buff.ly/DkmfNKd
January 2, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Essential science news headlines ✔️
A spoonful of the awe-inspiring 🥄✨
Get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Monday: buff.ly/DkmfNKd
A spoonful of the awe-inspiring 🥄✨
Get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Monday: buff.ly/DkmfNKd
New year, new you? From your cells’ perspective, yes. 🎉
Your Cells Are Always Building A Whole New You
Over the past year, most of your body has replaced itself cell by cell. What can we learn from other animals’ dramatic feats of regeneration?
www.sciencefriday.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:02 PM
New year, new you? From your cells’ perspective, yes. 🎉
Trivia time! Metamorphic rocks are formed when preexisting rocks are transformed through heat and pressure. Which common mineral is metamorphic rock? Leave your best guess in the comments.👇🏽
A. Marble
B. Limestone
C. Granite
D. Obsidian
A. Marble
B. Limestone
C. Granite
D. Obsidian
January 1, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Trivia time! Metamorphic rocks are formed when preexisting rocks are transformed through heat and pressure. Which common mineral is metamorphic rock? Leave your best guess in the comments.👇🏽
A. Marble
B. Limestone
C. Granite
D. Obsidian
A. Marble
B. Limestone
C. Granite
D. Obsidian
Massive flocks of blackbirds. Balding cardinals? Birders @corinanewsome.bsky.social and @rosemarymosco.com share why common bird species are fabulous—and sometimes very, very surprising: buff.ly/3hFQVr0
January 1, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Massive flocks of blackbirds. Balding cardinals? Birders @corinanewsome.bsky.social and @rosemarymosco.com share why common bird species are fabulous—and sometimes very, very surprising: buff.ly/3hFQVr0
Advances in renewable energy and GLP-1 drugs. Geoengineering conspiracy theories. Journalists @sophiebushwick.bsky.social and @maggiek.bsky.social share this year’s biggest—and most surprising—science stories.
A Look Back At 2025 In Science, From Federal Cuts To Space Junk
There was major science news in 2025. Plus, underreported developments in geoengineering and a triumph for furniture rearrangement.
buff.ly
December 31, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Advances in renewable energy and GLP-1 drugs. Geoengineering conspiracy theories. Journalists @sophiebushwick.bsky.social and @maggiek.bsky.social share this year’s biggest—and most surprising—science stories.
In a recent study, scientists picked through a dozen nests belonging to bearded vultures. They discovered hundreds of artifacts—including a sandal that could be more than 700 years old. #PictureOfTheWeek
December 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
In a recent study, scientists picked through a dozen nests belonging to bearded vultures. They discovered hundreds of artifacts—including a sandal that could be more than 700 years old. #PictureOfTheWeek
🍄 Mushroom hunting is increasingly popular. Now, a wave of foraging groups by and for people of color could also help close the “nature gap”: buff.ly/PvRIV53
December 31, 2025 at 12:18 AM
🍄 Mushroom hunting is increasingly popular. Now, a wave of foraging groups by and for people of color could also help close the “nature gap”: buff.ly/PvRIV53
🎶 Get ready to rumble! In hopes of improving vocal health care, researchers are learning how death metal singers safely produce extreme vocal distortions: buff.ly/CX8RaR6
December 30, 2025 at 6:55 PM
🎶 Get ready to rumble! In hopes of improving vocal health care, researchers are learning how death metal singers safely produce extreme vocal distortions: buff.ly/CX8RaR6
"In theory, if you want a hepatitis B shot for your infant... if you want to get a COVID vaccine, you can get it." @kffhealthnews.org's @jackie-fortier.bsky.social and Arthur Allen share what this administration’s stance on vaccines has meant for access and uptake.
How Did Vaccine Policies Actually Change In 2025?
After a year of near-daily headlines about changes to vaccine policy, what has actually changed? And what do we need to know?
buff.ly
December 30, 2025 at 1:07 PM
"In theory, if you want a hepatitis B shot for your infant... if you want to get a COVID vaccine, you can get it." @kffhealthnews.org's @jackie-fortier.bsky.social and Arthur Allen share what this administration’s stance on vaccines has meant for access and uptake.
🤩 📚 From black hole theory to a butterfly’s “goo” phase: Explore 11 recommended reads from kid lit experts @mahnazdar.bsky.social and @jenswanbooks.bsky.social. Plus, recommendations for picking great STEM books for youth: buff.ly/sLfesi1
December 30, 2025 at 12:39 AM
🤩 📚 From black hole theory to a butterfly’s “goo” phase: Explore 11 recommended reads from kid lit experts @mahnazdar.bsky.social and @jenswanbooks.bsky.social. Plus, recommendations for picking great STEM books for youth: buff.ly/sLfesi1
"Humans have always had memes and fads and trends. That’s not new. But the fact that the algorithm compounds natural human behaviors is," says @etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy. Here’s how social media is exaggerating the forces that shape language—and what skibidi toilet Labubu really means. 🚽
What The Sigma Is Algospeak?
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but “Algospeak” author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook.
buff.ly
December 29, 2025 at 6:53 PM
"Humans have always had memes and fads and trends. That’s not new. But the fact that the algorithm compounds natural human behaviors is," says @etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy. Here’s how social media is exaggerating the forces that shape language—and what skibidi toilet Labubu really means. 🚽
🌋 Volcanologist Tamsin Mather reflects on her experience standing next to an erupting vent on Sicily's Mount Etna. Hear her answer listeners' burning volcano questions: buff.ly/FElaLVZ
!["The amazing thing about being near an erupting volcano is that the booming sounds are incredible. You hear them through your ears, but you also feel them through your body. It's not just because they're so loud... You're also feeling the vibrations because they're coming from inside the Earth, actually traveling through the ground and up
through your body." —Dr. Tamsin Mather
[Quote on a blue background with a transparent photo of Mount Etna's vent behind the text.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rjtifgmgwnacwa24lqp4tpsy/bafkreiavn2a4qmettnllsywtnw4rty5oaroff7q6h5k7j2bjedf2jlwvey@jpeg)
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
🌋 Volcanologist Tamsin Mather reflects on her experience standing next to an erupting vent on Sicily's Mount Etna. Hear her answer listeners' burning volcano questions: buff.ly/FElaLVZ
Scientists collected a newly identified amoeba from California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. It can survive at the temperature of a medium-well steak. Plus, a distant lava planet shows signs of an atmosphere: buff.ly/lTpusXX
December 29, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Scientists collected a newly identified amoeba from California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. It can survive at the temperature of a medium-well steak. Plus, a distant lava planet shows signs of an atmosphere: buff.ly/lTpusXX
A wonderful reminder from physicist and author Sean M. Carroll. 📖
December 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
A wonderful reminder from physicist and author Sean M. Carroll. 📖
Be in the know about our Friday show! 📻 Sign up for SciFri's Radio Preview weekly newsletter now: buff.ly/YPPvA2a
December 28, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Be in the know about our Friday show! 📻 Sign up for SciFri's Radio Preview weekly newsletter now: buff.ly/YPPvA2a
Did you know this fact from paleoecologist Emily Lindsey? She and fellow scientific consultant @tetzoo.bsky.social share what went into getting "Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age" right: buff.ly/3gAzCGf
December 27, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Did you know this fact from paleoecologist Emily Lindsey? She and fellow scientific consultant @tetzoo.bsky.social share what went into getting "Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age" right: buff.ly/3gAzCGf
What the sigma is "algospeak"? 🤔
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but TikToker and author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook: buff.ly/oa5pAo6
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but TikToker and author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook: buff.ly/oa5pAo6
December 26, 2025 at 11:46 PM
What the sigma is "algospeak"? 🤔
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but TikToker and author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook: buff.ly/oa5pAo6
You might think sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler is chopped, but TikToker and author Adam Aleksic says we should let Gen Alpha cook: buff.ly/oa5pAo6
What's the latest news on black holes? And, in this weird liminal space between the holidays, what *is* time? Physicist Sean M. Carroll tackles these questions and more. ⚛️
Tangling With Entanglement And Other Big Ideas In Physics
Physicist Sean Carroll takes on back holes, Schrödinger’s cat, and other big physics concepts that had our audience wondering.
buff.ly
December 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
What's the latest news on black holes? And, in this weird liminal space between the holidays, what *is* time? Physicist Sean M. Carroll tackles these questions and more. ⚛️
Happy Science Friday! Here’s what we’re covering today on the show. Listen on your local public radio station, 2-4 p.m. ET. ❄️ ⚛️ 🎸
Learn more here: buff.ly/8Em9q7x
Learn more here: buff.ly/8Em9q7x
December 26, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Happy Science Friday! Here’s what we’re covering today on the show. Listen on your local public radio station, 2-4 p.m. ET. ❄️ ⚛️ 🎸
Learn more here: buff.ly/8Em9q7x
Learn more here: buff.ly/8Em9q7x
Psychologist and author Kari Leibowitz thinks northern Norway "is a very magical winter wonderland." Moving there also exposed her to a perspective "where people were really doing things to embrace the season." She'll help you embrace it, too. ☃️
The Science Of Thriving In Winter—By Embracing It
A psychologist and author of “How To Winter” explains what we can learn from people thriving in the coldest, darkest parts of the world.
buff.ly
December 25, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Psychologist and author Kari Leibowitz thinks northern Norway "is a very magical winter wonderland." Moving there also exposed her to a perspective "where people were really doing things to embrace the season." She'll help you embrace it, too. ☃️
🎄Time to deck the halls with sea slugs! (We wish.) Which fun fact about these mollusks is actually fiction?
A. Some can weigh up to 30 pounds.
B. Some can survive decapitation.
C. Some can perform photosynthesis.
D. Some have brains larger than their bodies.
A. Some can weigh up to 30 pounds.
B. Some can survive decapitation.
C. Some can perform photosynthesis.
D. Some have brains larger than their bodies.
December 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
🎄Time to deck the halls with sea slugs! (We wish.) Which fun fact about these mollusks is actually fiction?
A. Some can weigh up to 30 pounds.
B. Some can survive decapitation.
C. Some can perform photosynthesis.
D. Some have brains larger than their bodies.
A. Some can weigh up to 30 pounds.
B. Some can survive decapitation.
C. Some can perform photosynthesis.
D. Some have brains larger than their bodies.