Science Episodes

In 2008, photographer Stephen Mallon documented the dumping of 44 decommissioned subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean. Today, 2,400 cars line the ocean floor in six states from New Jersey all the way down to Georgia. But the list of materials being...

Coronavirus has spread around the world with unprecedented speed and effectiveness. So what is it about this virus that makes it so infectious? A combination of the virus’s unique microscopic structure, it’s stealthy style of infection, and today’...

As COVID-19 sweeps the globe heaps of misinformation comes with it. With so many ways and places to consume information it can be tough to determine fact from fiction. Cheddar spoke with Dr. Luiza Petra to verify or debunk some of these myths.

Whether it’s the President of the United States or one of your friends, people all over the country are claiming summer will help get rid of the Coronavirus. But solving our COVID-19 crisis won't be as easy as waiting for warm weather to set in.

In Morocco, researchers are helping local farmers protect insect populations and boost their yields. The project called Farming with Alternative Pollinators encourages farmers to grow a variety of insect-attracting plants alongside their main crop.

Hand sanitizer has become a scare commodity as Coronavirus has spread around the world. But you might be surprised to learn that plentiful, cheap soap is actually one of the most effective weapons we have against COVID-19. It all comes down to the...

Brazil still has hundreds of open landfill sites full of garbage. Now a university in the capital Brasilia is helping to implement a new, sustainable waste management system. The program aims to increase the proportion of waste that is recycled.

The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an urgent medical problem. At Germany's Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, a researcher from Indonesia is hoping to find potent antimicrobial substances in soil samples from mangrove swamps.

NASA warned that asteroid 2002 PZ39 will approach Earth. This asteroid is moving at a speed of nearly 55,000 km per hour relative to Earth and has a diameter of between 440 meters to 990 meters.

Southeast Asia has become the world’s largest importer of plastic scrap. Bales of imported plastic shipped in from the US, Europe and China flood ports in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Underground industries of illegal dump sites ar...

This week's viewer question was sent in by Arnulfo Quintanilla from El Salvador.

Scientists say that sensational headlines about an asteroid approaching Earth in April are misleading.

Since its launch, the Hubble Telescope has returned images of unprecedented beauty of a dynamic and changing universe. By looking closely at these images, Hubble’s Enduring Legacy reveals the findings of astronomers over its remarkable history.

Energetic Cambridge Professor Simon Schaffer brings to life the untold story of early robots – called androids or automata – extraordinary clockwork machines designed hundreds of years ago to mimic and recreate life.

Dairy milk consumption has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

There are decisions being made right now that could have an effect on global populations for generations to come. As part of this fictional project, we commissioned an artist to investigate some of the themes raised in the podcasts.

The Solar Orbiter, a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, is ready for lift-off. The mission aims to give close-up views of the Sun's polar regions and observe its magnetic activity.

Scientists will soon be able to predict solar storms with a special orbiter, set to launch in February. Its job is to track the visible surface of the sun and at the same time map its magnetic field, thereby providing glimpses into the inner life ...

Our sun is a huge ball of electrically charged gas that's been shining bright for around 4.5 billion years and providing the earth with heat and light. Without it, the rich diversity of life on earth would never have developed.

The Tomorrow Today viewer question this week comes from Salvador Salazar in Venezuela.

What exactly is coronavirus, and what's the best way to protect yourself? We checked in with Dr. Amesh Adalja to ask if surgical masks really keep you healthy, and what you should do instead.

This week's viewer question comes from Kal Mbye in Gambia.

The U.S. has become dependent on drones to monitor and target perceived threats. They may keep military officials out of the line of fire, but these unmanned aircrafts aren’t as autonomous as they seem. How much do you really know about how a dron...

Fears of subliminal messages have been present in pop culture for decades, but does it actually work? And where did it start?

The Star Wars opening crawl is arguably as iconic as light sabers and Darth Vader himself. hen A New Hope hit theaters in 1977 audiences rose to their feet during this intro crawl, cheering in unfiltered excitement. Over the past 42 years each of ...

Fasting is a practice that dates back centuries and still plays a role in many cultures and religions.

Fasting is a practice that dates back centuries and still plays a role in many cultures and religions.

It isn't only physicists who are fascinated by light. Poets too have been entranced by its powers. Photons have mysterious properties. Perhaps this is why we like to light candles when we're feeling contemplative.

Li-Fi, short for "Light Fidelity" is a wireless technology that uses LED light to share data. It is faster and safer than regular WiFi. And it could soon be put into practice.

MIndAffect is researching ways to let users control devices with just their minds.

Africa's first climate monitoring station is located on Mount Mugogo in Rwanda. Scientists there monitor levels of various greenhouse gases. They hope their data will help strengthen Africa's position at international climate negotiations.

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife recently announced they want to cure the world of all disease.

Blanketing the Antarctic ice sheet in artificial snow might sound outlandish. But could geoengineering help to counteract runaway climate change? One thing is clear: many of the ideas could be very risky.

In the Gorongosa National Park, young female scientists are cataloguing flora and fauna for a global genetic database. It will enhance our understanding of the diversity of life on earth and the roles different species play.

This week's viewer question comes from Osman Maiga in Uganda.

Cholesterol and heart attacks across the country are both down since 2013 due to improved medical advice.

Whether hard drives or electric motors, rare earth elements play a key role in a range of technologies. The metals mostly come from China. To ease dependence, researchers at the RWTH Aachen University are working on recycling the precious elements.

Travelling up and down the river, Alexander von Humboldt was ravished by the beauty and variety of the landscapes, flora and fauna. Today nature conservationists are battling to preserve the region's many threatened species.

If sap could be manipulated to make a plant more attractive to various pollinators, it would help secure harvests. A common plant pest is helping researchers in the process.

With TB as the leading infectious cause of death around the world, researchers have found a new vaccine that could save millions.

Botswana to set up boreholes to save elephants during the drought caused by climate change. At least 120 elephants have died in the Chobe area, last week.

Prof Jennifer Doudna, one the pioneers of Crispr-Cas9 gene editing, explains how this revolutionary discovery enables precise changes to our DNA.

Memory does not work like a video tape – it is not stored like a file just waiting to be retrieved. Instead, memories are formed in networks across the brain and every time they are recalled they can be subtly changed.

The first of a series of films called 'Five minute masterminds' starts with Prof Martin Rees, the astronomer royal.

Though not a new phenomenon, flat Earth theory has enjoyed a huge resurgence recently.

A Harvard study found that eating a handful of nuts frequently helps keep off excess weight gain.

Sound is a vital element of any film. But what about sounds you can't hear? In this video, Cheddar Explains how sub-bass sounds, and infrasounds can be used to mess with the human body - from discomfort, to straight-up anxiety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights long-term and unresolvable burnout not as a symptom, but a major health concern.