archive
Skunked? Tomato Juice Is Not The Answer
April 24, 2009 SciFri producer Annette Heist's terrier was sprayed by a skunk, sending her looking for a deodorizing remedy. Chemists William Wood of Humboldt State University and Paul Krebaum explain how to neutralize the stinky skunk spray molecules, and debunk the tomato juice remedy.
Vibrations Visualized With Sand And Sound
April 17, 2009 Shake a metal plate covered in sand at certain frequencies and intricate patterns mysteriously appear. Jon Jacobsen, a mathematician at Harvey Mudd College, explains why this 200-year-old demonstration still captivates scientists and students.
Candy Corn In Space: More Than A Snack
April 10, 2009 Astronauts are allowed special "crew preference" items when they go up in space. NASA astronaut Don Pettit chose candy corn for his five-and-a-half-month stint aboard the International Space Station. Find out what he did with it.
Give It A Shake, Cornstarch Comes Alive
March 13, 2009 A science fair project for the recession: combine cornstarch and water to make a fluid with bizarre physical properties. Physicists Harry Swinney and Robert Deegan explain why the mixture behaves like it has a life of its own.
For Robots In Sand, The Secret Is In The Step
March 6, 2009 Sand is difficult terrain for robots. But Daniel Goldman, a physicist at Georgia Institute of Technology, and his colleagues looked to lizards and cockroaches for inspiration, and figured out how to engineer a robot that isn't slowed by soft ground.
From Dirt To Web: Fossils Go Digital
February 13, 2009 Using CT scans, DigiMorph, a project run out of the University of Texas, has compiled hundreds of 3-D visualizations of fossils, skeletons and other specimens. Highlights from the collection included the famous hominid fossil "Lucy."
High-Speed Video Reveals Physics Of Splashes
February 6, 2009 Everybody knows that when a stone is dropped in water, a jet of water shoots up. Physicists Detlef Lohse and Heinrich Jaeger are combining math, theory and super high-speed videos to try to figure out the basic physics underlying the jet.
Scientists Dig Deep Sea Dirt Collection
January 30, 2009 In the basement of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is the world's largest collection of mud from the seafloor. Marine geologist Peter deMenocal and Rusty Lotti Bond, the collection's curator, show off the collection and explain what it's good for.
Behold The Mighty, Microscopic Water Bear
January 23, 2009 Microscopic water bears, also known as tardigrades, can withstand boiling, freezing, radiation, the vacuum of space and years of dehydration. Biologist Bob Goldstein of the University of North Carolina describes the creatures and why he studies them.
Painting With Light, Artists Make Images That Glow
January 16, 2009 Watch artists Michelle McSwain and Ryan Warnberg, collectively known as MRI, demonstrate how to paint with light. Vision expert Stephen Macknik, of the Barrow Neurological Institute, explains what the images teach us about the human visual system.
More Evidence That Eggnog Goes Better With Booze
December 19, 2008 It's a question that many people have on their minds this season: Does spiking the homemade eggnog safeguard it against salmonella? Eggnog expert and microbiologist Vince Fischetti of The Rockefeller University in New York runs some tests to find out.
Cooler Than Fruitcake: Fruit With Fizz
December 12, 2008 Looking for ways to jazz up that holiday party? Patrick Buckley, co-author of The Hungry Scientist Handbook, demonstrates how to make carbonated fruit. Materials required: fruit (the firmer the better), a pressure cooker and a handful of dry ice cubes.
Not Just For Doctors: X-Rays As Art
December 5, 2008 Nick Veasey has looked inside everything from airplanes to oranges. Veasey is an X-ray photographer and recently published a collection of his work. Science Friday digital producer Flora Lichtman stopped by a shoot to see the artist in action.
Take A Ride In A Car Of The Future
November 21, 2008 Science Friday director Charles Bergquist stops in at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems for a look at new car technologies. Down the road, cars may be able to drive themselves ... but will they be able to parallel park?