At the beginning of the 20th century, the newly discovered element, radium, was used in everything from body lotion to tonic water. But when the poisonous side effects of radium took hold, a group of working-class women launched a groundbreaking battle that influenced the future of scientific discovery and workers’ rights. Kate Moore, the Author of The Radium Girls joins us to discuss.

Bacteria and viruses hitch a ride inside droplets of all kinds—sneezes, raindrops, toilet splatter. By reviewing footage of different types of drops, an applied mathematician records and measures where they disperse in order to better understand how diseases spread.

People often make moral decisions based on either emotion or reason. But perhaps there is a third factor prompting your decision making. Psychology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Dale Cohen is looking for the answer.

Luke Groskin, Producer at Science Friday, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the making “Droplets”.

Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease and one of the top ten causes of death in the world. At the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio Texas, scientists are working towards a vaccine and hopefully, someday, a cure for the disease.

VR World NYC is the largest VR entertainment center in the Western Hemisphere. In this segment, we take a step inside VR World and see how visitors are exploring an entirely different reality.

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease known to affect people’s memories and cognitive abilities. While there’s no cure, researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas are analyzing the disease and the role of our brain’s neurons.

Loneliness can have real consequences for older people in terms of happiness and health. In New York, one organization is taking the senior center online—creating a platform for socialization from the comfort of home.

Technology for the blind tends to rely heavily on auditory cues to convey information. Now WearWorks, a Brooklyn, New York based technology company is developing a device that communicates to the visually impaired through touch. Keith Kirkland, CEO and Co-Founder of WearWorks joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss this topic.

To track a hurricane, forecasters rely heavily on the work of hurricane hunters who fly directly into the eye of the storm in order to collect vital data. In this segment, we meet the hurricane hunters and find out about the specialized aircrafts and instruments that make these missions possible.

The emerging field of soft robotics deals with the development of robots comprised of materials similar to those found in living organisms like the creation of a synthetic soft muscle tissue. Hod Lipson, professor of mechanical engineering and data science at Columbia University joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss this topic.

Stem education is imperative for 21st-century students. A tech entrepreneur combines learning, food, and fun--taking her creation on the road to share with cities nation-wide.

A San Antonio, Texas company has developed the world’s first holographic toy that allows you to hold a hologram in your hand, changing the way we interact with the virtual world.

A scientist in Canada has come up with a new way of creating body parts using produce found in your kitchen. Andrew Pelling, Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa, joins Hari Sreenivasan via google hangout to discuss his research.

3D printing is poised to bring a new era of medication delivery to patients. Vivek Gupta, Assistant Professor of industrial pharmacy at St. John’s University in Queens, New York, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how this will change the future of medicine.

If you think snails are harmless and even delicious delicacies, you may be surprised by the cone snail. These marine creatures are armed with deadly venom that can kill worms, fish, and even, in rare cases, people. However, a biochemist found that compounds in their venom have the potential to provide novel treatments for a host of illnesses.

As ocean water warms and ice sheets around the world melt, climate change has caused ocean levels to rise. And almost everyone in the North Carolina coastal town of Swan Quarter can feel the effects. This segment is part of an ongoing public media reporting initiative called Peril and Promise, telling the human stories and solutions of climate change.

It seems unimaginable that humans could alter the chemistry of the world's oceans. But scientists at mote marine laboratories in Sarasota, Florida are researching how we have altered the pH of oceans and estuaries. This segment is part of an ongoing public media reporting initiative called Peril & Promise, telling the human stories and solutions of climate change.

Advancements in technology now afford scientists greater opportunities to explore space. In 2006, New Horizons spacecraft was launched on a mission to take images of Pluto. Flyover images from the spacecraft reveal a new perspective on Pluto.

Today’s vehicles are highly computerized, putting them at a greater risk of being compromised by hackers. Thankfully, researchers are developing a system to protect your car’s software against cyber attacks. Justin Cappos, Professor at New York University Tandon School of Engineering joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.