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Blue Origin explosion hits NASA timeline + Artemis III crew Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn spacecraft exploded in an enormous fireball during a ground test a couple weeks ago, it sent shockwaves not only through the air, but through NASA’s timeline for the upcoming Artemis missions.

It also came at an especially bad time for Jeff Bezos’ rocket company—just days after it was awarded a slew of NASA contracts to deliver equipment to the moon. Blue Origin had also been expected to play a major role in the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, but that’s now more up in the air depending on how soon the company can rebuild its only launchpad.

And with NASA’s Artemis III crew announcement this week, Guest Host Jane Lindholm sits down with space reporters Ken Chang and Brendan Byrne to break it all down and what’s next for the space program.

Guests:

Ken Chang is a science reporter at the New York Times, where he covers NASA and the solar system.

Brendan Byrne is a space reporter for Central Florida Public Media and host of the podcast “Are We There Yet.”

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com .

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Why can I handle tequila but not rum? Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

‘Tis the season for porch beers and happy hours, and we’re taking on listener questions about how alcohol affects us. Like, is a glass of wine at dinner really good for you? And why do sugary drinks give us hangovers?

Joining Guest Host Jane Lindholm to answer these questions and more are brewer and chemist Tom Shellhammer and neuroscientist Jacqui Barker.

Guests:

Dr. Jacqui Barker is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Dr. Tom Shellhammer is a brewer and the Nor’Wester Professor of Fermentation Science at Oregon State University.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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AI + turfgrass science in the most high-tech World Cup yet Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest one yet, and FIFA is trying to make it the most high-tech, too. The federation has partnered with tech giant Lenovo to launch Football AI Pro, which is designed to analyze over 2,000 different metrics and deliver real-time insights to coaches, players, and analysts. Guest Host Jane Lindholm chats with ESPN writer Ryan O’Hanlon about how AI analytics actually play out in soccer.

Plus, how a team of researchers grew 16 stadiums’ worth of FIFA-class turf. Turfgrass scientist Jackie Lyn Guevara breaks down the importance of perfectly uniform turf, how the turf was designed, and what she’ll be looking out for during the matches.

Guests:

Ryan O’Hanlon is a staff writer at ESPN and the author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution.”

Dr. Jackie Lyn "Jack" Guevara is an assistant professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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How extreme athletes like Alex Honnold keep their cool Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Elite athletes spend a lot of time training their bodies for strength, endurance, coordination, and precision. But what about their brains? Can psychology help athletes achieve peak performance?

Joining Flora Lichtman to talk about this are professional climber Alex Honnold and Jessica Bartley, psychologist for U.S. Olympians and Paralympians.

Guests:

Alex Honnold is a professional climber, founder of the Honnold Foundation, and host of the Planet Visionaries Podcast: in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Dr. Jessica Bartley is senior director of psychological services for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com .

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Parenting tips from the animal kingdom Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve ever been a child, had a child, or seen a child face down in a supermarket aisle screaming, you know that parenting can be tough. But humans aren’t the only ones raising their young, so how do animals deal with toddlers that won’t follow directions or little ones that are constantly begging for snacks?

Parent and science journalist Elizabeth Preston, who wrote the book “The Creatures' Guide to Caring,” joins Host Flora Lichtman to tackle some SciFri listeners’ parenting problems, from dawdling to the bedtime pop-out.

Read an excerpt from “The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care.”

Guest: Elizabeth Preston is a science journalist and the author of “The Creatures' Guide to Caring.”

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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Wait, is my washing machine playing Schubert? Jun 06, 2026

Show notes

A few weeks ago, we talked to two sonic branding experts who compose music for household appliances. And we played for them a song “sung” by a washing machine that they didn’t really appreciate. But many of our listeners immediately identified the tune, a famous melody by 19th-century composer Franz Schubert.

And, as our guest tells us, it’s not just any tune—it’s one of Schubert’s most beloved compositions, “The Trout,” which he returned to several times during his short but prolific career.

L. Michael Griffel, a Schubert expert and former head of the music history department at The Julliard School, joins us for our mea culpa to “Die Forelle.”

A transcript for this episode will be added to the original segment page: Who’s composing music for my washing machine?

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A virus hunter in Nigeria has thoughts on the Ebola outbreak Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There’s no specific treatment or vaccine for this strain, unlike the more common Zaire strain that caused the 2014 outbreak.

Molecular biologist Christian Happi has dedicated his career to improving genomic sequencing capabilities and virus monitoring across the continent of Africa. He joins Flora to discuss the challenges of the current outbreak and his vision for better disease surveillance.

Guest:

Dr. Christian Happi is a distinguished professor at Redeemer’s University and runs the Institute of Genomics and Global Health in Nigeria.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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How did Neanderthals deal with illness and injuries? Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

If you look up where medicine originated, or the earliest medical interventions, you’ll probably find yourself reading about ancient Greece or Egypt or Mesopotamia. But what about before that? How did early humans treat illnesses or cope with injuries? What did a Neanderthal do if she broke a rib or had a toothache?

Flora digs into these questions with archaeologist Penny Spikins and microbiologist Laura Weyrich. They chat about ancient treatments like antibiotics and root canals, why Neanderthals were always getting hurt, and how they took care of themselves—and each other.

Guests:

Dr. Penny Spikins is a professor of the archaeology of human origins at the University of York in England.

Dr. Laura Weyrich is an associate professor of anthropology and bioethics at Pennsylvania State University.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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Looking for life in the clouds of Venus Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

A group of researchers and private investors are planning a series of privately funded missions to Venus, hoping to find signs of life. That may seem like a startling possibility. Although Venus is a close neighbor to Earth, it has a smothering atmosphere of carbon dioxide that has allowed the planet’s surface to heat to temperatures that would melt lead. There’s crushing pressure. And to top it off, there are clouds of sulfuric acid.

Astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sara Seager joins Host Ira Flatow to explain why she thinks life on Venus might be possible, high up in the clouds. Seager has conducted lab experiments that indicate various biomolecules could survive there, despite the toxic conditions. She’s leading a series of proposed private missions to the planet, to study the atmosphere, conduct habitability studies, and even bring back a sample of Venusian cloud material.

Guest:

Dr. Sara Seager is an astrophysicist and a professor of physics, planetary science, and aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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Meet the drug developer taking on wildlife diseases Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

Many of the forces driving species to extinction—habitat destruction, pollution, climate change—also fuel the spread of disease. And plants and animals around the globe are facing their own little pandemics, from cancer to fungal diseases.

But what if we could treat them with cutting-edge medicines? Is there something drug developers could do to help? Chemist Tim Cernak thinks so. He has been developing drugs for people for 20 years, but his patient roster has started to include sea turtles, frogs, and giant reptiles. He talks with Flora about why he’s making drugs for wildlife and why more chemists should join in.

Guest:

Dr. Tim Cernak is an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com .

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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