Ira Flatow

We take a look at science propositions and STEM candidates in the running. Plus, fracking remains controversial in Pennsylvania. And vampire bats take the Charismatic Creature Corner.

We’ve been trying to predict the outcomes of elections for a long time, and that might be a problem. Plus, a dream researcher explains how the brain reacts to crisis in dreams.

The return to school hasn’t been easy, but STEM educators are finding creative ways to teach kids. And SciFri Book Club explores what it means to be ‘sentient’ in science fiction.

Big tech companies in China are revitalizing rural areas with blockchain chicken farms and e-commerce villages. And the Scifri Book Club tackles chicanafuturism with ‘Burn the Ships.’

Astrophysicist Andrea Ghez on her decades of peering at the center of our galaxy—and the supermassive black hole she found there. Plus, a WWII shipwreck teaming with microbial life.

The 2020 Nobel Prizes honored CRISPR techniques and black hole topography studies. Then, SciFri Book Club reads Andrea Hairston’s short story about a woman who resists new technology.

Mars and Venus enter a solar system smackdown to sway your opinion on which is the best for finding signs of life. Plus, research shows viruses could be threatening freshwater mussels.

An expert explains the neuroscience behind itching and scratching. Then, a new study predicting major sea level rise magnifies the need for fundamental changes to forestall catastrophe.

More information on Trump’s positive COVID-19 test. Plus, Trump made misleading claims about a timeline for a COVID-19 vaccine. And, we kick off the fall SciFri Book Club.

Some birds use the sound their feathers make to relay messages. Plus, firefighting teams need to know where fires are moving. Infrared waves can help. 

Indigenous peoples burned their land for thousands of years to prevent larger fires. It might be important for future wildfire prevention. Plus, a new film about writer Oliver Sacks.

Wildfires and COVID-19 shine a light on the systemic issues in long-term care facilities. Plus, volcanologist Kayla Iacovino explains how crystals provide clues into why volcanoes erupt.

A record fire season has left 500,000 people in the West under evacuation orders and millions smothered in smoke. Plus, Senator Markey on the election and the environment.

The discovery of a medium-sized black hole offers new insights into how they form. Then, a WWII tragedy offers compelling evidence that public education and social distancing work.

Moss in the desert have learned to use rocks as sun shades. Plus, writer James Hamblin discusses breaking the rules around cleanliness.

Networks of fungi play a critical role in forest ecosystems—but climate change is decreasing their diversity. Plus, cells can solve mazes. What does this mean for cancer research?

Green spaces in cities are gaining importance in the face of climate change. Plus as resources are being devoted to fighting coronavirus, diseases like tuberculosis and HIV may resurge.

The underestimated importance of ventilation systems, and how they could stop the spread of COVID-19 indoors. Plus, scientists found a cold, dense gas in the Milky Way’s nuclear wind.

There’s still plenty we don’t know about the COVID-19, but your immune system seems to learn how to fight it off. Plus, Sarah McAnulty fields listener questions about cephalopods.

For parents of new babies, the pandemic creates new hurdles. Plus, after years of bad news for corals, some good news out of Florida.