Science Friday

with Ira Flatow

The source for entertaining stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.

  • Should Pluto be a planet again?

    Apr 2, 2026
    In 2006, a vote by the International Astronomical Union determined that Pluto was no longer a planet. The decision sparked a heated public debate, and many planetary scientists disagr...
  • Harnessing the superpowers of silk

    Mar 31, 2026
    A listener recently called in asking how they might get a pair of functioning web shooters so they could operate as a local Spider-Man. While web shooters (sadly) don’t exist, we can ...
  • Is Punch the monkey really just like us?

    Mar 26, 2026
    When Punch the monkey was abandoned by his mother, zookeepers gave him a surrogate and unexpected source of comfort: a stuffed animal. Videos of Punch snuggling the stuffie went viral...
  • Could bird flu still spark a pandemic?

    Mar 25, 2026
    Bird flu has flown off the national news radar, with only scattered, local reports of dead birds in parks and poultry farms. Is it simply no longer a concern, or have cuts to federal ...
  • The secret powers of flowers

    Mar 24, 2026
    Flowers peeking up through the soil are a welcome sight after a long cold winter—and are one of the first markers of spring. Biologist David George Haskell argues that flowers aren’t ...
  • Apple: trying to think different for 50 years

    Mar 23, 2026
    The Apple Computer Company was founded on April 1, 1976, and in the 50 years since, the company has evolved from a handful of Silicon Valley misfits to a global technology and media p...

Pagination