Science Friday

Sarah Carstens, addictions clinical director who treats patients, and Joseph Schacht, addiction researcher running GLP-1 clinical trials, discuss GLP-1 drugs and reports of reduced cravings. They cover types of evidence, how these drugs might change motivation to drink, brain mechanisms and access, the need for therapy alongside meds, and why caution and trials matter.

Dr. Shane Gero, sperm whale biologist who leads long-term studies in Dominica, recounts witnessing a newborn birth surrounded by over ten whales. He describes how multiple adults—many not closely related—helped lift and support the calf at the surface. The conversation explores cooperative care, matrilineal social structure, and whether such behaviors point to whale culture.

Kyle Chan, a Brookings fellow who studies Chinese tech and industrial policy. He breaks down China’s push into EVs and batteries. He explains how industrial policy, manufacturing scale, and low prices let companies like BYD expand globally. He contrasts U.S. approaches and how policies shape who wins the clean-energy transition.

Kate Grumke, a senior environmental reporter who covered regional research, and Dr. Susie Dai, a University of Missouri professor working on engineered algae, discuss bioengineered algae that clumps and sinks microplastics. They describe surprising local finds, lab results showing high removal rates, scaling with confined reactors at wastewater plants, and how this work grew from biofuel research.

Rebecca Boyle, science journalist and author who writes about lunar science, and Brendan Byrne, space reporter covering launches and regional aerospace, discuss Artemis II’s launch and what comes next. They describe launch atmosphere, Orion systems checks, mission milestones, program risks, and long‑term plans for lunar missions. They also explore what Earth would be like without the moon.

Dr. Amanda Bosh, executive director of the Lowell Observatory and planetary scientist who studies Pluto and Kuiper Belt objects. Alan Stern, planetary scientist and leader of the New Horizons mission who argues dwarf planets are planets. They debate the IAU’s 2006 decision, orbit-clearing and the dwarf planet label. They discuss New Horizons discoveries, Pluto’s active geology and why the debate keeps resurfacing.

Dr. Trisha Pasricha, physician-scientist and neurogastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard, author of You've Been Pooping All Wrong. She tackles poop stigma and why talking about bowels matters. She covers posture tips like squatting and footstools, warning stool colors to watch, how fiber and the microbiome help, walking for bloating, and links between the gut and brain.

Fiorenzo Omenetto, a biomedical engineer who turns silk into sensors and vaccine tools, and Cheryl Hayashi, a spider-silk biologist who studies how spiders spin and use multiple silk types. They explore silk’s many functions, from ballooning and underwater tricks to tough, programmable biomaterials. The conversation ranges from spider weaving choreography to engineering silk for diagnostics and preservation.

Hassan Jawahery, an experimental particle physicist at UMD, explains the discovery of an extra-heavy baryon made of two charm quarks. Eric Bellm, Rubin Observatory alert lead and astronomer, describes a real-time system that sent 800,000 alerts on its first night. They discuss how the particle was detected, its fleeting nature, and how massive alert streams are filtered and followed up in minutes.

Daniel Litt, an associate professor studying AI’s interaction with math, and Emily Riehl, a Johns Hopkins category theory researcher, discuss AI’s leap from flubbed arithmetic to contest-level wins. They debate AI-generated proofs, the rise of ‘vibe-proving,’ risks of bogus preprints, and the role of formal proof assistants. The conversation weighs changing workflows, verification standards, and what mathematicians will need going forward.