Episode (200)
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A trailblazing geneticist reflects on her life and work
May 25, 2026It’s common knowledge that many diseases and conditions have some kind of genetic link. But that wasn't always the case. In 1990, long before the Human Genome Project tied so many health issues to dif...
Is that spooky old house full of ghosts, or just infrasound?
May 22, 2026Old creepy houses are a horror cliche, but why? Why do they freak us out? According to new research, it might have something to do with infrasound: a sound that’s below the range of human hearing, pot...
How do clinical trials work, and who can participate?
May 21, 2026We recently got a call from a SciFri listener in Florida who has autoimmune arthritis. He told us that over the years he’d taken 10 drugs, and each out eventually stopped working. He then tried to enr...
Use of herbicide linked to Parkinson's is on the rise in the US
May 20, 2026The herbicide paraquat is so toxic it’s banned in over 70 countries. But its use in the U.S. is growing, despite known links to Parkinson’s disease. In southeastern Mississippi, an industrial plant is...
Why does fashion repeat in 20-year cycles? Math has the answer
May 19, 2026Bucket hats. Low-rise jeans. Track suits. As you might’ve noticed, Y2K fashion is in right now. People say that fashion moves in 20-year cycles, and it turns out…it does! At least according to math. ...
Earth's ancient hydrogen, and fossilized vomit
May 18, 2026A recent study simulated the extreme temperatures and pressure of the Earth’s interior by squeezing a sample between diamonds and heating it with a laser. In those simulations, researchers found that ...
How yawning might help clear dirty fluid from the brain
May 15, 2026Just about every animal with a backbone yawns (maybe even dinosaurs), but why we do it is still something of a mystery. A SciFri listener from Texas recently spotted some research that suggests yawnin...
The new frontier of cancer research is in space
May 14, 2026An upcoming resupply mission will carry tumor samples to the International Space Station for research. Experiments in microgravity have yielded shocking results: Some tumors triple in size in just 10 ...
Who's composing music for my washing machine?
May 13, 2026Have you noticed that your newer appliances are serenading you? Many new washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, and vacuums have sonic signatures. But why? And who are the composers making music for t...
How El Niño shapes the world’s weather trends
May 12, 2026Scientists studying climate models say there’s a high chance this will be an El Niño year—and that we could be in for a “super” El Niño. The difference is indicated by sea surface temperatures in part...