''Science Friday'' (known as ''SciFri'' for short) is a weekly call-in

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

that broadcasts each Friday on public radio stations, distributed by

WNYC Studios WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor of podcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio. WNYC Studios is a subsidiary of New York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City. History In May 2015, WNYC began distributing its shows '' ...

, and carried on over 500 public radio stations. ''SciFri'' is hosted by science journalist

Ira Flatow Ira Flatow (; born March 9, 1949) is a radio and television journalist and author who hosts WNYC Studio's popular program ''Science Friday''. On TV, he hosted the Emmy Award-winning PBS series '' Newton's Apple'', a television science program f ...

and Flora Lichtman and is produced by the Science Friday Initiative. The program is divided into two one-hour programs, with each hour ending with a complete sign-off. The focus of each program is news and information on

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

. The show originated as the Friday episode of the daily call-in talk show ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial ...

'', but was spun off as a series in its own right when ''Talk of the Nation'' was canceled in June 2013. The ''Science Friday'' radio program is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

organization. The Science Friday Initiative is an independently run organization with a governing board of directors and executive director. In addition to the radio program and podcasts, the organization creates educational and digital content, finds underwriting for the program, and hosts public science events. ''Science Friday'' is also available in a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

ing format and is one of the most popular iTunes downloads, frequently in the top 15 downloads each week. ''SciFri'' podcasts are downloaded over 23 million times per year. ''SciFri'' has broadcast excerpts from the annual

Ig Nobel Prize The Ig Nobel Prize () is a satirical prize awarded annually since 1991 to promote public engagement with scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name of the award is a ...

ceremony on the Friday after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

Funding

The Science Friday Initiative accepts tax-deductible donations on behalf of the radio program. ''Science Friday'' is funded by stations fees that broadcast the program, by individual donors, by advertising underwriters, and by foundation grants including the

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support origina ...

, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is an American foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore and his wife Betty I. Moore in September 2000 to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements ...

, and Heising-Simons Foundation. Formerly the program was supported by the Noyce Foundation, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, and the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

. Science Friday has received federal funding from the US

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

History

''SciFri'' was created when the National Science Foundation agreed to fund a weekly science talk-show on NPR. After the Gulf War in 1991, NPR created the daily talk show ''

'', with ''Science Friday'' originating as the Friday edition of that series. ''Talk of the Nation'' ended its run in 2013, after which ''Science Friday'' became a standalone series and moved from NPR to

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...

in 2014. ''Science Friday'' maintained an island (Science Friday Island) in

Second Life ''Second Life'' is a multiplayer virtual world that allows people to create an Avatar (computing), avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user-created content within a multi-user online environment. Developed for person ...

, including an open-air theater with live audio and video feeds of the broadcast. That venue is no longer in operation. On November 9, 2012, ScienceFriday, Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in New York state court against a long-running Denver radio program, titled ''Real Science Friday'', hosted by two young earth

creationists Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation, and is often pseudoscientific. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary ...

including Colorado pastor and radio personality Bob Enyart. The show was re-titled ''Real Science Radio''. On April 11, 2018, distribution of the show changed hands once more when it went from PRI to

. Science Friday introduced Flora Lichtman as a regular host of Science Friday in January 2025.

Undiscovered

''Science Friday'' launched a spinoff podcast in collaboration with

entitled ''Undiscovered'', which debuted in early 2017. The show is hosted by Elah Feder and Annie Minoff. The show is about the

history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...

References

External links

* {{WGBH 1991 radio programme debuts American talk radio programs Science podcasts Science radio programs Science and technology in the United States Public Radio International programs

Funding

History

Undiscovered

See also

References

External links