Science Friday
@scifri.bsky.social
Entertaining & educational conversations about science, tech, + more. Hosted by Ira Flatow and Flora Lichtman. From WNYCStudios.
What looks like a pile of dirt in our #PictureOfTheWeek deeply moved concrete researcher Admir Masic. The discovery of these raw construction materials at a Pompeii construction site gives insight into how the Romans formulated cement for their durable concrete. buff.ly/HI7p3B3
📷: Admir Masic
📷: Admir Masic
January 21, 2026 at 8:00 PM
What looks like a pile of dirt in our #PictureOfTheWeek deeply moved concrete researcher Admir Masic. The discovery of these raw construction materials at a Pompeii construction site gives insight into how the Romans formulated cement for their durable concrete. buff.ly/HI7p3B3
📷: Admir Masic
📷: Admir Masic
Scientists once thought that Greenland sharks, which can live for more than 400 years, must be essentially blind. 🧵 1/4
📷: A Greenland shark swimming. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / NOAA
📷: A Greenland shark swimming. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / NOAA
January 21, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Scientists once thought that Greenland sharks, which can live for more than 400 years, must be essentially blind. 🧵 1/4
📷: A Greenland shark swimming. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / NOAA
📷: A Greenland shark swimming. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / NOAA
Two conversations, one question: What happens when science and lawmaking collide?🔬
Anti-science bills are on the rise across the U.S. Plus, a Louisiana law limits whether regulators can use environmental data collected by communities.
Anti-science bills are on the rise across the U.S. Plus, a Louisiana law limits whether regulators can use environmental data collected by communities.
States Expected To See More ‘Anti-Science’ Bills This Year
In 2025, more than 420 bills were introduced to weaken public health measures for vaccines, milk safety, and fluoride. What will we see in 2026?
buff.ly
January 20, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Two conversations, one question: What happens when science and lawmaking collide?🔬
Anti-science bills are on the rise across the U.S. Plus, a Louisiana law limits whether regulators can use environmental data collected by communities.
Anti-science bills are on the rise across the U.S. Plus, a Louisiana law limits whether regulators can use environmental data collected by communities.
🌋 Scientists have discovered a construction site in Pompeii preserved in the volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius' eruption. It might hold clues to how we can improve our concrete today: buff.ly/NNxX08H
📷 : Admir Masic
📷 : Admir Masic
January 20, 2026 at 12:49 PM
🌋 Scientists have discovered a construction site in Pompeii preserved in the volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius' eruption. It might hold clues to how we can improve our concrete today: buff.ly/NNxX08H
📷 : Admir Masic
📷 : Admir Masic
“We grew up not knowing another family affected by Chagas disease,” says @dazeher.bsky.social, whose aunt died of the insect-borne disease. When she couldn’t find a book about it, she wrote her own: buff.ly/eLUdN6D
January 20, 2026 at 1:06 AM
“We grew up not knowing another family affected by Chagas disease,” says @dazeher.bsky.social, whose aunt died of the insect-borne disease. When she couldn’t find a book about it, she wrote her own: buff.ly/eLUdN6D
If you’ve ever struggled down a frozen sidewalk, you might have blamed the friction of your feet on the ice for making it slick. But something else entirely could've given you the slip.🧊
What’s Happening On The Slippery Surface Of Ice?
Conventional wisdom is that ice is slippery because it has a thin layer of water on top, but new research suggests something else is at play.
buff.ly
January 19, 2026 at 6:54 PM
If you’ve ever struggled down a frozen sidewalk, you might have blamed the friction of your feet on the ice for making it slick. But something else entirely could've given you the slip.🧊
🏃🏽 🚴🏽♀️ Do you have a friend, family member, or colleague who's an endurance athlete? Share this with them! buff.ly/CwE3QBw
January 19, 2026 at 12:52 PM
🏃🏽 🚴🏽♀️ Do you have a friend, family member, or colleague who's an endurance athlete? Share this with them! buff.ly/CwE3QBw
"I look at the resilience of the American scientific enterprise, of the scientists in that enterprise, the graduate students and postdocs, and I see it working its way up into the legislation," says @aaas.org CEO Sudip Parikh.
One Year Into Trump’s Term, Where Does Science Funding Stand?
The CEO of AAAS is cautiously optimistic about federal funding for science, even as uncertainty makes research challenging.
buff.ly
January 19, 2026 at 12:37 AM
"I look at the resilience of the American scientific enterprise, of the scientists in that enterprise, the graduate students and postdocs, and I see it working its way up into the legislation," says @aaas.org CEO Sudip Parikh.
🎧 Journalist @dazeher.bsky.social chronicles the history of Chagas disease, also known as kissing bug disease, and how it changed her family’s story: buff.ly/eLUdN6D
!["I very much grew up in the shadow of this disease. [My auntie] came into my life when I was 5 years old. I was the person in the family who was bilingual. So I was the child interpreter and translator for everyone, speaking about Chagas at that age in terms of interpreting between her and nurses and
doctors." —Daisy Hernández [Quote accompanied by a headshot of Daisy Hernández.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rjtifgmgwnacwa24lqp4tpsy/bafkreifsy46nmsutoya6kcakr5r5pgve6mbsljjdbfrs2nm6o3jkfut3qi@jpeg)
January 18, 2026 at 2:41 PM
🎧 Journalist @dazeher.bsky.social chronicles the history of Chagas disease, also known as kissing bug disease, and how it changed her family’s story: buff.ly/eLUdN6D
President Trump has moved to take control of Venezuela’s oil production, claiming that increasing output will lower prices for consumers. A petroleum engineer explains what it would take to extract and process the type of oil found in Venezuela.
Drilling Into The Details Of Venezuela's Oil
Not all oil is created equal. What does it take to extract and refine the "heavy" type of oil found in Venezuela? And what is it used for?
buff.ly
January 17, 2026 at 10:39 PM
President Trump has moved to take control of Venezuela’s oil production, claiming that increasing output will lower prices for consumers. A petroleum engineer explains what it would take to extract and process the type of oil found in Venezuela.
🛰️ As the head of NASA's mission to the Psyche asteroid, understanding the fundamentals of science is, well, fundamental to planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton: buff.ly/KGctcDn
!["It's a misunderstanding if you think that science is just about making absolute truths and knowing all the answers. Because, really, science is knowing all the questions
and keeping asking them." Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton [Quote is overlaid on an image of Earth from space with a night sky showcasing the Milky Way galaxy.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rjtifgmgwnacwa24lqp4tpsy/bafkreid4f3jvzcwrldrruyuyp3orwcu7ombznt2qfpckpoygzxwhesbpjm@jpeg)
January 17, 2026 at 3:23 PM
🛰️ As the head of NASA's mission to the Psyche asteroid, understanding the fundamentals of science is, well, fundamental to planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton: buff.ly/KGctcDn
🤔 Does the slipperiness of ice change with temperature? Can we actually control friction, stickiness, and adhesion? The field of tribology attempts to answer these questions—and more.
What’s Happening On The Slippery Surface Of Ice?
Conventional wisdom is that ice is slippery because it has a thin layer of water on top, but new research suggests something else is at play.
buff.ly
January 17, 2026 at 12:56 AM
🤔 Does the slipperiness of ice change with temperature? Can we actually control friction, stickiness, and adhesion? The field of tribology attempts to answer these questions—and more.
Some Parkinson’s patients experience sleep disorders and a diminished sense of smell years before motor symptoms appear. Researchers share other early signs of the disease—and efforts to study environmental factors that may contribute to it.
Teasing Apart The Causes And Early Signs Of Parkinson’s
Some Parkinson’s patients may experience strange symptoms, like smell loss and sleep disorders, decades before diagnosis.
buff.ly
January 16, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Some Parkinson’s patients experience sleep disorders and a diminished sense of smell years before motor symptoms appear. Researchers share other early signs of the disease—and efforts to study environmental factors that may contribute to it.
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/2NuWn58
Learn more here: buff.ly/2NuWn58
![What to expect on Science Friday's January 16 show: A James Webb Space Telescope audience question answered, how ancient Romans made concrete, secrets of Greenland shark eyeballs, and more. [image of a technician examining the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope before its launch in 2021.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rjtifgmgwnacwa24lqp4tpsy/bafkreidjkxrvpgbqx264qjcb7ru63yebxgdu2hjw5mcsemaud2mranwena@jpeg)
January 16, 2026 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/2NuWn58
Learn more here: buff.ly/2NuWn58
📚 Join the SciFri Book Club community and discover your new favorite read. Connect with fellow book-lovers, take part in author talks, and more: buff.ly/rZBsve1
January 16, 2026 at 1:28 AM
📚 Join the SciFri Book Club community and discover your new favorite read. Connect with fellow book-lovers, take part in author talks, and more: buff.ly/rZBsve1
👁️ Greenland sharks are masters of longevity—and so are their eyeballs. Research into how they maintain eyesight for hundreds of years could help us treat aging human eyes. Plus, a listener question about the James Webb Space Telescope gets answered.
What Greenland Sharks Are Teaching Us About Aging Eyes
Greenland sharks' eyes never seem to get old. Plus, exactly how flawless is the greatest eye in the sky, the James Webb Space Telescope?
buff.ly
January 15, 2026 at 6:42 PM
👁️ Greenland sharks are masters of longevity—and so are their eyeballs. Research into how they maintain eyesight for hundreds of years could help us treat aging human eyes. Plus, a listener question about the James Webb Space Telescope gets answered.
The parasite responsible for Chagas disease "can spend up to 30 years in the human body, quietly interrupting the electric currents of the heart, devouring the heart muscle." @dazeher.bsky.social's journey to understand the disease began with a family member's diagnosis.
The Hidden Disease That Haunted A Family
Daisy Hernández’s journey to understand the history and devastating toll of Chagas disease began in her aunt’s hospital room.
buff.ly
January 15, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The parasite responsible for Chagas disease "can spend up to 30 years in the human body, quietly interrupting the electric currents of the heart, devouring the heart muscle." @dazeher.bsky.social's journey to understand the disease began with a family member's diagnosis.
🦝 Scientists found that raccoons living in urban areas have shorter snouts than those living in the countryside, a trait commonly seen in domesticated animals. It doesn't mean you should expect a domesticated raccoon in your living room anytime soon: buff.ly/IavVf19
January 15, 2026 at 1:19 AM
🦝 Scientists found that raccoons living in urban areas have shorter snouts than those living in the countryside, a trait commonly seen in domesticated animals. It doesn't mean you should expect a domesticated raccoon in your living room anytime soon: buff.ly/IavVf19
Clues from an ancient Pompeii construction site frozen in time could improve today’s concrete. Plus, building AI data centers in space may sound like a lot of work—but some are drawn by the potential for unlimited solar power.
Secrets Of Ancient Concrete, And... Data Centers In Space?
What can we learn from a Pompeii construction site preserved in ash? Plus, tech companies look to build solar-powered data centers in space.
buff.ly
January 14, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Clues from an ancient Pompeii construction site frozen in time could improve today’s concrete. Plus, building AI data centers in space may sound like a lot of work—but some are drawn by the potential for unlimited solar power.
All homes in this #PhotoOfTheWeek were exposed to the Palisades Fire in 2025. The owner of the house that remains intact had done a home ignition assessment with a community brigade. Hear how this brigade is contributing to fire mitigation efforts in LA: buff.ly/6ImVvES
📷: Connor Nelson
📷: Connor Nelson
January 14, 2026 at 1:06 PM
All homes in this #PhotoOfTheWeek were exposed to the Palisades Fire in 2025. The owner of the house that remains intact had done a home ignition assessment with a community brigade. Hear how this brigade is contributing to fire mitigation efforts in LA: buff.ly/6ImVvES
📷: Connor Nelson
📷: Connor Nelson
It's SciFri trivia time! Every year, Tromsø, Norway, experiences "polar night," where the sun doesn't rise above the horizon at any point during the day. How long is polar night season in Tromsø? ✨
A. 1 week
B. 7 weeks
C. 10 weeks
D. 13 weeks
A. 1 week
B. 7 weeks
C. 10 weeks
D. 13 weeks
January 14, 2026 at 12:34 AM
It's SciFri trivia time! Every year, Tromsø, Norway, experiences "polar night," where the sun doesn't rise above the horizon at any point during the day. How long is polar night season in Tromsø? ✨
A. 1 week
B. 7 weeks
C. 10 weeks
D. 13 weeks
A. 1 week
B. 7 weeks
C. 10 weeks
D. 13 weeks
⚛️ The U.S. “has been investing in science for 80 years, and could tear a lot of that down with the stroke of one signature,” the CEO of @aaas.org told SciFri a year ago. Here’s what's happening with federal funding for science now.
One Year Into Trump’s Term, Where Does Science Funding Stand?
The CEO of AAAS is cautiously optimistic about federal funding for science, even as uncertainty makes research challenging.
buff.ly
January 13, 2026 at 6:51 PM
⚛️ The U.S. “has been investing in science for 80 years, and could tear a lot of that down with the stroke of one signature,” the CEO of @aaas.org told SciFri a year ago. Here’s what's happening with federal funding for science now.
☀️ Solar has gotten so cheap to build and install that it’s transforming many countries’ power grids. @billmckibben.bsky.social shares where solar adoption stands in the U.S.—and across the world right now.
Can The Rise In Solar Power Balance Out Clean Energy Cuts?
Solar power adoption has been rising fast. Amid recent federal efforts to limit clean energy, will it make a dent in our climate impact?
buff.ly
January 13, 2026 at 1:16 PM
☀️ Solar has gotten so cheap to build and install that it’s transforming many countries’ power grids. @billmckibben.bsky.social shares where solar adoption stands in the U.S.—and across the world right now.
Check out this Best of 2025 SciFri episode. 🔊
A breakthrough showed that a lithium deficiency could cause dementia in mice. But, due to cuts to the NIH, the research team behind it lost funding.
A breakthrough showed that a lithium deficiency could cause dementia in mice. But, due to cuts to the NIH, the research team behind it lost funding.
Lithium May Have A Role In Causing—And Treating—Alzheimer’s
This important breakthrough and other research projects have lost funding because of Trump’s cuts to the NIH.
buff.ly
January 13, 2026 at 12:48 AM
Check out this Best of 2025 SciFri episode. 🔊
A breakthrough showed that a lithium deficiency could cause dementia in mice. But, due to cuts to the NIH, the research team behind it lost funding.
A breakthrough showed that a lithium deficiency could cause dementia in mice. But, due to cuts to the NIH, the research team behind it lost funding.
President Trump has moved to take control of Venezuela’s oil production, claiming that increasing output will lower gas prices. A petroleum engineer explains what it would actually take to extract and process the "heavy" type of oil found in Venezuela.
Drilling Into The Details Of Venezuela's Oil
Not all oil is created equal. What does it take to extract and refine the "heavy" type of oil found in Venezuela? And what is it used for?
buff.ly
January 12, 2026 at 7:04 PM
President Trump has moved to take control of Venezuela’s oil production, claiming that increasing output will lower gas prices. A petroleum engineer explains what it would actually take to extract and process the "heavy" type of oil found in Venezuela.