Science Friday

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Memories Change. But Can We Change Them On Purpose? Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

Our memories make us who we are—just ask Barbra Streisand. But despite the lyrics in many popular songs, memories aren’t frozen in time. When we call them up, the details shift and change. And neuroscience research shows that we might be able to take that a step further—to manipulate our memories and even implant false ones.

Neuroscientist Steve Ramirez joins Host Ira Flatow to explain how memory manipulation could revolutionize the way we treat brain disorders. They also discuss Ramirez’s book, How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist's Quest to Alter the Past, and how the sudden death of his friend and scientific collaborator made him rethink the role of memory.

Guest: Dr. Steve Ramirez is an associate professor of psychology and brain sciences at Boston University and the author of How to Change a Memory.

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

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Bearded Vulture Nests Hold Trove Of Centuries-Old Artifacts Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

Bearded vultures build giant, elaborate nests that are passed down from generation to generation. And according to a new study, some of these scavengers have collected bits and bobs of human history over the course of centuries. Scientists picked apart 12 vulture nests preserved in Spain and discovered a museum collection’s worth of objects, including a woven sandal that could be more than 700 years old.

Host Flora Lichtman talks with study author Ana Belen Marín-Arroyo, an archaeologist who studies ancient humans, about how the nests are giving us a glimpse into vulture culture as well as the lives of the people they lived beside.

Guest: Dr. Ana Belen Marín-Arroyo is an archeologist and professor of prehistory at the University of Cantabria in Spain.

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

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Why The Bassist From Phish Is Funding Research Into ‘Flow State’ Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

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 moments, but so do the musicians—to the point that Mike Gordon, the band’s bass player, is funding scientific research to better understand flow state.

Host Flora Lichtman sits down with Mike and his research collaborator, neuroscientist Greg Appelbaum, to unpack their research so far and how it’s helping to inform other neuroscience.

Guests:
Mike Gordon is bassist and co-founder of the rock band Phish.
Dr. Greg Appelbaum is a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.

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

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Even Nobel Prize Winners Deal With Imposter Syndrome Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

Around 25 years ago, Ardem Patapoutian set out to investigate the fundamental biology behind our sense of touch. Through a long process of gene elimination, he identified a class of sensors in the cell membrane that turn physical pressure into an electrical signal. He changed the game in the field of sensation and perception, and in 2021 shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work.

He joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about his research, the odd jobs he worked along the way, and how he found a sense of belonging in science.

Guest: Dr. Ardem Patapoutian is a professor and the Presidential Endowed Chair in Neurobiology at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

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

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Study Finds COVID mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Treatment Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Over the last five years, billions of people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. New research has found an unanticipated result of these vaccines: Cancer treatments are more effective for some vaccinated patients, and many live longer than their unvaccinated counterparts. This news comes at a time where the federal government is slashing funding for mRNA research.

Host Ira Flatow speaks to lead study author Adam Grippin and vaccine expert Eric Topol.

Guests: Dr. Adam Grippin is a radiation oncologist at the MC Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Eric Topol is a cardiologist and genomics professor at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

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

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Were Dinos On Their Way Out Before The Asteroid Hit? Maybe Not Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

One of the biggest debates in the dinosaur world is what was happening right before they went extinct. Were they already declining, or would they have thrived if not for the asteroid? Two recent studies shed some light on this question: one that analyzes a trove of fossils from New Mexico and suggests there was more diversity in the Americas than previously thought, and another that reanalyzes a long-debated juvenile T. rex fossil and finds it’s likely a separate, smaller species.

Host Ira Flatow is joined by authors on those separate studies, paleontologists Steve Brusatte and Lindsay Zanno.

Guests: Dr. Lindsay Zanno is division head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC.
Dr. Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

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

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Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Resolution On A TV? Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

As Black Friday approaches, you’re probably being inundated with ads for bigger, better televisions. But just how good is good enough? Are there limits to what our eyes can even make out?

Visual perception researcher Maliha Ashraf joins Host Flora Lichtman to describe her new study on display resolution—including a display calculator she and her colleagues developed to help you determine the optimal display characteristics for a given room. And retinal neuroscientist Bryan Jones joins the conversation to delve into the workings of human vision.

Guests:
Dr. Maliha Ashraf is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Dr. Bryan W. Jones is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh.

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

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Can A Billion-Dollar Barricade Keep Carp Out Of The Great Lakes? Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

Decades ago, non-native carp were brought onto fish farms on the Mississippi River to control algae and parasites. They escaped, thrived, and eventually flooded the Illinois River, outcompeting native species and wreaking havoc. If the carp find their way into the Great Lakes, they could do major damage to those vital ecosystems.

There’s a proposed project to stop the fish—but it’s expensive, and not everyone agrees it’s the best solution. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with WBEZ and Grist reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and carp expert Cory Suski.

Guests: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco is an environmental reporter at WBEZ and Grist.
Dr. Cory Suski is a professor of aquatic resources at the University of Illinois.

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

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Inside The Race To Save Wild Axolotls Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Axolotls are one of the most charismatic and beloved amphibians out there. But did you know that there’s only one place in the whole world where you can find them in the wild? It’s Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City.

There, scientists are scrambling to save them from extinction by creating refuges, using environmental DNA to track them down, and tag-teaming with the farmers who work on the lake. Luis Zambrano, one of the world’s leading axolotl experts, and Alejandro Maeda-Obregón, a molecular biologist, talk with Host Flora Lichtman about their work to protect these beloved amphibians.

Guests: 
Dr. Luis Zambrano is a leading expert on axolotls and an ecologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Dr. Alejandro Maeda-Obregón is a molecular ecologist at University College London who studies rare and endangered species.

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

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Endometriosis Is Common. Why Is Getting Diagnosed So Hard? Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

Endometriosis is a painful disease that occurs when endometrium-like tissue grows outside of the uterus. It’s extremely common—if you have a uterus, you have a 1 in 10 chance of getting it. Yet, it takes seven years on average to receive a formal diagnosis. What does the latest science tell us about the biology of the condition and how to treat it? And why do so many people have such a difficult time getting diagnosed?

Host Flora Lichtman is joined by endometriosis researcher and patient Linda Griffith to answer those questions and more.

Guest: Dr. Linda Griffith is a biological engineer and Scientific Director of The MIT Center for Gynepathology Research.

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

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