logo
episode-header-image
Today
17m 54s

Reconnecting with the night sky and rein...

SCIENCE FRIDAY AND WNYC STUDIOS
About this episode
Writer Craig Childs biked from the brightest sky to the darkest in our Book Club pick "The Wild Dark." Plus, the latest on light pollution. 
Up next
Yesterday
Amid shifting politics, can we build stable global health systems?
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has become the third-largest on record. And while the regional response is more robust than it was during the largest outbreak, in 2014-2016, the U.S. has now largely divested from global health initiatives ... Show More
18m 6s
Jul 8
How does the gut-brain connection work?
Gut feelings, trusting your gut, butterflies: We have lots of expressions about how our brains and our bowels are intertwined. But how well do we understand the science of this on the biomolecular level? And which of those organs is actually in the driver's seat? Flora churned th ... Show More
36m 46s
Jul 7
Investigating ‘flow state’ with the bassist from Phish
The band Phish has toured for over 40 years. One of the draws of their legendary live shows—which can go on for 8 hours—is finding moments of “flow,” when the band members lock into an improvised jam, finding new musical ideas in real time. Phish fans live for these transcendent ... Show More
18m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
121 - 2022 Science We Missed
<p>On today’s episode: How have COVID vaccines had lasting impact on menstrual cycles? Video games; do they rot your brain, or enhance it? What is the biological reason that women live longer than men? And how can sound help us understand protein folding? All that and more today ... Show More
51m 52s
Dec 2023
173 - Science You Missed in 2023
<p dir="ltr">On today’s episode: The plants have been screaming all this time and we haven’t been listening! A millenia-old mystery has been solved! Long COVID… what have scientists figured out about it so far? And the superstar of 2023 has made strides toward better outcomes for ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2022
5live Science JUNE SCI-LIGHTS
From conserving wildlife and ivory to Love Island fashion, predicting volcanic eruptions and the possibility of life on Venus, these are the science stories everybody ought to be talking about... 
50m 24s
Jul 2022
Chatbots that look like they're alive, and what colour wine bottles to avoid
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.The week the team review some of the scientific highlights of the last month, including what the James Webb telescope will reveal about our place in the Universe, how orcas are ... Show More
52m 9s
Dec 2023
COP28, swine flu, Bennu asteroid and digital twins.
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs, In this week's episode... what’s on the agenda for the COP28 climate summit? What do we know about the new strain of swine flu found in North Yorkshire? Samples from the Bennu ... Show More
51m 52s
Jun 2023
Helping A Man Walk Again With Science
This week's science news roundup reunites All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang with Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber to dig into the latest headlines in biomedical research, also known as cool things for the human body. We talk new RSV vaccines, vaccination by ... Show More
9m 38s
Sep 2023
Spinal cord injury treatments, red fire ants and asteroid samples.
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.In this week's episode... A breakthrough in treating spinal cord injuries, worrying news about red fire ants in Sicily, we look at what it means for us in the UK and NASA is se ... Show More
27m 41s
Sep 2025
Marsquakes, Vaccine Politics and Mammoth Microbiomes
This week’s roundup dives into Mars’s lumpy mantle, a nasal spray that may help prevent COVID and the growing confusion around vaccine access in the U.S. Plus, researchers link phone use while on the toilet to hemorrhoid risk, uncover ancient mammoth microbiomes and explain why s ... Show More
9m 45s
Oct 2025
How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs. Pr ... Show More
31m 30s
Nov 2023
Chickenpox, Champion Jockeys and Light Speed
Will Tingle and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.This week, the decision to give chickenpox vaccines to kids: what changed medics' minds? Also, spinal injuries, the building blocks of life and why the universe has a speed limit. ... Show More
27m 40s