Topic: Physics

August 1, 2018 Color Blind Glasses - New eyeglasses can reduce color blindness.
May 15, 2018 Shrimp-Inspired Navigation - The mantis shrimp’s ability to see circular polarized light inspires an underwater GPS system.
May 4, 2018 Wind Temperature - Moving air feels colder than still air, but what does the thermometer say?
April 18, 2018 Atomic Tweezers - Optical tweezers let scientists combine single atoms into molecules.
April 11, 2018 Baseball on the Moon - Could a well-thrown baseball sail from the moon’s surface into orbit?
December 1, 2017 Snow White - A listener asks: What makes snow white?
October 31, 2017 Solar Butterflies - A butterfly’s wings inspires more efficient solar cells.
March 9, 2017 Mountain High - Have you ever been to a high altitude and found yourself gasping for breath? One listener asked why that happens.
March 6, 2017 The Mpemba Effect - A strange phenomenon of freezing water has baffled scientists for decades.
December 8, 2016 Physics of Tomorrow - In a special issue of Physics Today, scientists speculate about the physics of the 22nd century.
November 30, 2016 Similar Snowflakes - A listener asks: Why do snowflakes appear so similar to each other?
November 28, 2016 Star Distance - Astronomers calculate the distance to the furthest stars by comparing them to stars they know.
October 27, 2016 Restoring Touch - Scientists are learning the complex nerve signals that allow us to experience the sensation of touch.
August 29, 2016 Weather Bombs - Storm-induced seismic waves may help scientists see Earth’s interior.
August 25, 2016 Tree Ring Clocks - Spikes in radiation caused by historic solar flares could help archaeologists precisely date ancient events.
August 11, 2016 Earthquakes & Ancient Temples - Geologists in India are measuring damage to ancient temples in order to better understand past earthquakes.
August 8, 2016 Sunflowers in Motion - Sunflowers have an internal clock to guide their growth.
August 1, 2016 Jupiter’s Hot Spot - Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is heating the gas giant’s upper atmosphere from below.
July 8, 2016 Metal in Microwaves - If metal isn’t supposed to go in microwave ovens, why do some of them have metal racks?
June 16, 2016 Glowing Slime - Glowing blue slime from the sea could be useful in biomedical research.
April 18, 2016 Silver Ants Keep Cool - Ultra-reflective silver ants stay cool in desert temperatures topping 120˚ Fahrenheit.
March 30, 2016 Pluto’s Origins - A violent collision between two worlds may have given rise to Pluto and its satellites.
February 16, 2016 Hands-on Physics - Experiencing physics phenomena first-hand can boost students’ learning of the subject, and leads to changes in the brain.
February 8, 2016 Untying Laces - Why won’t shoelaces stay tied?
January 14, 2016 Light & Energy Roundup - Engineers demonstrate a new way to harvest the wasted energy of an incandescent light bulb.
December 30, 2015 Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Deep Mantle Plumes - Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Seismic imaging reveals the existence of plumes of hot rock reaching deep into Earth’s mantle.
December 10, 2015 Knuckle Cracking - Cracking your knuckles sets off a tiny “firework explosion” in the joint.
October 26, 2015 Magnetic Monarch Migration - Monarch butterflies use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide their migration.
October 23, 2015 Energy from Body Heat - Our bodies produce a surprising amount of heat, which could be turned into electricity.
July 29, 2015 Cooling from Nature - Engineers are designing more efficient cooling systems inspired by physical processes in nature.
July 23, 2015 Bright Clouds - Marine microorganisms make clouds brighter and more reflective.
July 22, 2015 Jumping Robots - A soft-bodied, high-jumping robot really gets around.
July 2, 2015 Muon Inspection - A cosmic way to see inside concrete and metal objects.
January 28, 2015 Rescuing Ancient Scrolls - Physicists decipher ancient scrolls that were burned and buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago.
January 19, 2015 High Flying Geese - The world’s champion high-altitude migratory bird uses a unique “roller-coaster” flight strategy to save energy,
September 2, 2014 Recycled Solar Panels - Engineers are creating highly efficient solar cells from recycled lead-acid car batteries.
July 31, 2014 Bat Light - Bats navigate using polarized light.
March 13, 2014 Wind Temperature - Moving air feels colder than still air, but what does the thermometer say?
December 25, 2013 Far-Out Mega Planet - An enormous planet, orbiting a star at a tremendous distance, challenges theories of planet formation.
December 4, 2013 Metal in Microwaves - If metal isn’t supposed to go in microwave ovens, why do some of them have metal racks?
November 27, 2013 Glowing Slime - Glowing blue slime from the sea could be useful in biomedical research.
August 27, 2013 Seal Bombs - Underwater explosions scare sea lions away from commercial fishing operations. But the noise could be impacting whales and dolphins.
August 26, 2013 Metal in Microwaves - If metal isn't supposed to go in microwave ovens, why do some of them have metal racks?
July 15, 2013 Evolution of the Fastball - Human anatomy is uniquely evolved to throw spears - and baseballs.
June 27, 2013 Expanding Under Pressure - Under the right conditions, a material can actually expand and become less dense under pressure.
May 23, 2013 How Fluoride Works - Fluoride protects teeth in surprising ways.
May 21, 2013 Aging Color Vision - Our eyes’ ability to detect color deteriorates with age, but our brains compensate.
May 17, 2013 Podcast for 17 May 2013 - VISION SCIENCE - A camera modeled after the compound eyes of insects. How the brain compensates for worsening color vision as we age. And, could electrical simulation to the brain improve math performance? Also: Young people are still flocking to tanning booths, despite the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma.
May 13, 2013 Insect-Inspired Camera - The compound eyes of insects have inspired the design of a new camera.
April 30, 2013 Podcast for 19 April 2013 - GIANT SNAILS & ANCIENT TREES - Giant aliens attack Florida, unsticking geckos, the worlds within carnivorous plants, and mapless migrant monarchs.

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