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Science Friday

Science Friday

It's brain fun, for curious people. Science, technology, and other cool stuff.

A close-up view of a male blue orchard bee, also known as Osmia lignaria. This type of bee, which is native to North America, is known to be one of the world's best pollinators.

Book creates buzz about native bees of North America

Science

When you hear the word “bee,” you probably picture a honeybee. As a new book shows, though, many bees native to North America defy conventionalism and remain relatively unknown on their own continent

Bats have a specialized thin skin that allows their wings to change when a muscle is activated with every beat cycle of the wings.

Researchers explore the fascinating biomechanics and neuroscience of bats

Science
Before the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, five states had "red flag" statutes called gun violence restraining orders. Recently, Florida became the six state to add the statute.

Researchers still struggle to get funding to study gun violence

Culture
Since the inception of commercial air travel, the insides of airplane cabins have been associated with a higher likelihood of catching a cold or other spreadable disease. New research has sought out to see if scientific facts back up those sentiments.

Study examines how diseases really spread during air travel

Health
Recent released information about Russians hacking into American power systems has raised several concerns about the overall security of the U.S. energy grid as a whole.

Can the US protect its power grid from hackers?

Conflict
A group of panelists address an audience at the State of the Net Conference in January. The panel consists of (from left to right) Jason Kaplan, Hilary Swab Gawrilow, James Cross, Mercina Tillmann-Dick and Justin Herman.

Women look to make their voices heard in new space created by male-dominated blockchain boom

Culture

Blockchain has turned from a movement to an overall tech boom — or possibly a revolution. Yet the space containing blockchain pioneers is only made up of five percent women … for now.

Contrary to classic depictions of a tyrannosaurus rex, paleoartist Gabriel Ugueto says that the massive carnivores likely were covered in small feathers on the top of their bodies.

Turns out, dinosaurs probably had feathers. This artist is using science to draw more accurate pictures.

Arts

Think you know what a tyrannosaurus rex looked like? Based on recent fossil findings, you may be surprised.

Grace Hopper sits behind the UNIVAC (universal automatic computer) keyboard in the early '60s. As a mathematician and rear admiral in the US Navy, she helped design the UNIVAC I and many other related systems.

New book sheds light on overlooked women pioneers who paved the way for today’s internet

Books

Sure, you have heard of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. But what about Grace Hopper and Elizabeth Feinler?

Those who have the neurological condition synesthesia often automatically see colors when they hear music or see numbers or letters.

Study begins to reveal genetic ties behind a neurological phenomenon

Music

When you listen to a song, you hear music … but do you see an accompanying color with it?

The Tiangong-1 space station passes over the moon in this photo taken in September 2013. The station is scheduled to make a crash landing in Europe within the next few weeks.

Chinese space station likely to land in Europe in a few weeks

Technology

Scientists know that a Chinese space station will be re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere within a couple of weeks. The exact time of that happening, though, is a little fuzzy.

Latest Episode

Beach Health, Extraterrestrial Communication, Maggots. April 13, 2018, Part 1