Science Friday

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Getting the billion-dollar PRIMA space telescope off the ground Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

In late September 2026, NASA announced that a new telescope called PRIMA was getting a green light and advancing to something called Phase B of the development process. But what does that mean exactly? How does a billion-dollar space project get thought up, designed, approved, and constructed?

Flora talks with Jason Glenn, an astronomer who led the initial concept study for PRIMA, about the challenges ahead and the process of getting a massive space project off the ground.

Guest:

Dr. Jason Glenn led the concept study for the PRIMA space telescope, and is now a professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia.

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

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on making climate action cool Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is one of the most prominent voices in the climate movement. She’s a marine biologist by training, but as she saw the effects of the climate crisis intensify, she took on more public-facing advocacy work.

Her work is expansive: She helped organize the March for Science, she founded a think tank focused on coastal cities, she’s started two podcasts about climate solutions, and she’s published a couple books, most recently “What If We Get It Right?”

Flora sat down with Johnson on stage at a show produced by Grist to discuss the climate movement, climate solutions, and her path to becoming one of the foremost climate thinkers.

Guest:

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist and the author of “What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures.” She’s based in Brooklyn, New York.

The transcript this episode is available at sciencefriday.com.

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Could a whale swallow a human, 'Whalefall' style? Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

In the new movie “Whalefall,” a scuba diver (Austin Abrams) gets accidentally swallowed by a sperm whale. What follows is a tense battle against time and the whale’s digestive system, to escape before his air supply runs out.

But could a whale actually swallow a human? And how might this play out in real life? Joining Flora to weigh in are sperm whale biologist Shane Gero, and “Whalefall” director Brian Duffield.

Wondering how you’d fare inside a sperm whale’s stomach? Read more here.

Guests:

Brian Duffield is the director of “Whalefall.” He is based in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Shane Gero is a whale biologist and biology lead for Project CETI based in Ottawa, Ontario.

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

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Why do politicians talk like that? Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

With the midterms approaching, politicians are out in full force to convince voters to elect them. And that means that we’re hearing a lot of “politician speak.” You know it when you hear it: those folksy turns of phrase, the vague promises.

But what do linguists have to say about this vocal register? How has politician speak changed over time? Does the way someone pronounces their As signal something about their values? Sociolinguist Valerie Fridland joins Flora to decode politician speak.

Guest:

Dr. Valerie Fridland is a professor of linguistics at University of Nevada, Reno.

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

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Sargassum superblooms are choking coastlines around the Atlantic Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

An unwelcome visitor is arriving on beaches from West Africa to the Caribbean, and Brazil to Florida. It’s brown, it’s stinky, and it’s more abundant than ever: sargassum. This free-floating seaweed has become a major problem for coastal ecosystems, communities, tourism, and infrastructure.

So what is fueling the sargassum superbloom? And is there anything to do about it? Flora chats with satellite oceanographer Brian Barnes about sargassum biology, why the blooms are so hard to deal with, and what we could do about it.

Guest:

Dr. Brian Barnes is an oceanographer and associate professor at the University of South Florida.

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

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Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day and the women who made the internet Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

This year, October 13 marks Ada Lovelace Day, an observance that calls attention to the role of women in computing and technology. In this conversation from 2018, Ira talks with Claire Evans, author of “Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet,” about some of the women who played key roles in the development of computing. Then, Stacy Horn joins the conversation to describe her creation, EchoNYC, an early bulletin board service.

Guests:

Claire L. Evans is the author of “Broad Band: The Women Who Made The Internet.”

Stacy Horn is the founder of EchoNYC in New York, New York.

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

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Are attachment styles more than a social media trend? Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In the past few years, the idea of attachment styles has taken off, both online and in therapy offices. It’s gone from a niche psychological concept to a shorthand to describe how we show up in relationships. Here’s a crash course: Anxious attachment is when you seek constant reassurance. Avoidant attachment is when you flee when someone tries to get close. Fearful-avoidant, also called disorganized, is some combination of the two. And secure attachment is a more regulated approach to relationship stress.

But where does your attachment style come from? Do you have more than one? Can it change? And are the ideas we hear from influencers at odds with how psychologists understand attachment theory? Flora talks with neuroscientist Amir Levine, who has written two books about attachment styles, “Attached” and “Secure.”

Want to learn more about your attachment styles? Take this survey.

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

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The science and politics of the new mRNA flu vaccine Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

A new mRNA flu vaccine made by Moderna was approved by the FDA in August, and is currently available for people aged 50 and over. The promise of an mRNA vaccine for flu is that it can be spun up more quickly than a traditional vaccine, meaning it could better match the flu strain that’s circulating.

Is that what happened this year? How are the side effects? And how has dysfunction at the health agencies impacted rollout? Flora discusses these questions and more with vaccine researcher Anna Durbin.

Guest:

Dr. Anna Durbin is a vaccine researcher, professor of international health, and director of the Center for Immunization Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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What is the Kelvin wave on the West Coast? Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

A Kelvin wave has reached California and is creeping up the West Coast, raising both sea levels and concerns from government officials. This kind of massive internal wave begins in the western Pacific Ocean and then travels eastward to the Americas along the equator, and then up and down the coastline. While it might raise sea levels up to 12 inches, it stays below the surface instead of crashing on the shore.

Host Flora Lichtman speaks to oceanographer Andrew Leising to get the lowdown on what exactly a Kelvin wave is, and how wary West Coasters should be.

Guest:

Dr. Andrew Leising is a research oceanographer at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in San Diego, California.

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

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The punk rock life of cephalopods Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Cephalopods have a reputation for being smart and majestic. And while that may be true, the life of a cephalopod can also be dark and gritty. Have you heard of octopus death spirals? How about cephalopod cannibalism?

Host Flora Lichtman is joined by cephalopod experts Heather Judkins and Z. Yan Wang for a conversation about the weirdest parts of being a cephalopod, and to answer some listener questions.

Find more Cephalopod Week fun on our site!

Guests:

Dr. Heather Judkins is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Dr. Z. Yan Wang is an assistant professor of psychology and biology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

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

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