The possibilities of 3D printing seem to be endless. At the cutting edge is Jack Beuth, professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He argues that in the next five years, metal 3D printing will provide key advances. It could revolutionize the fields of aerospace defense alternative energy and more.

Working professionally with mushrooms tends to be the domain of mycologists and chefs, but a San Francisco bay startup called MycoWorks is toying with the latus like roots of mushrooms called mycelium to turn the living organism into a substance as tough and pliable as leather or as rigid as wood.

Design and creativity are front and center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Professors and students alike are partnered with a local organization in Rochester, New York to improve access to people with a variety of disabilities through innovative technology solutions.

A British researcher is challenging how we look at death and aging. Researcher Aubrey de Grey argues that aging is a curable disease if scientists approach it as an engineering challenge. Up next reporter Andrea Vasquez talks to de Grey via Google hangout.

Lack of heat is consistently the number one complaint during a New York City winter. In 2015, the city we received more than 200,000 heat related complaints mostly from lower income neighborhoods, but these tenants now have a tech-savvy ally. Heat Seek is a mobile app and a sensor that collects and graphs temperature data helping tenants hold their landlords accountable and to stay warm.

For athletes it can mean the difference between a win and a loss. Turf grass isn’t just an aesthetic choice, it’s an evolving science and a sixty-billion dollar industry. At the Joseph Valentine Turf Grass Research Center, a 17 acre research facility in University Park, Pennsylvania, scientists are learning how turf is impacting sports.

Brewing beer takes patience and scientific accuracy. From basements to brew pubs to the home of Budweiser in St. Louis, brewers are always tinkering with their recipes and cooking up new experiments. Reporter Ann Marie Berger takes us behind the scenes of the beer brewing industry in St. Louis, Missouri.

A North Carolina biotech company is using spider DNA to transform silkworms to produce spider silk, a fiber tougher, lighter and more flexible than most fibers.

Following the 2016 presidential election, many voters are looking for ways to stay engaged in the political discourse and some startups are leveraging data and technology to help. Maria Yuan is the founder of one such endeavor, an online platform called “Issue Voter.” She joins us today to discuss the role of technology in fostering civic engagement.

For dancers with disabilities, traditional wheelchair designs can limit mobility and artistic expression. Science Friday brings us the story of a choreographer who was inspired to create a smart-power wheelchair enabling dancers to move in new direction.

Less than half a century ago, grizzly bears were on the path to extinction. Now a group of biologists at Yellowstone National Park are placing a watchful eye of grizzly populations by outfitting them with collars to track their every move. By knowing their whereabouts, biologist can help protect grizzlies from existing threats.

You’ve heard of Neil Armstrong but what about Eunice Smith. In her book Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly tells the story of the human computers, a group of black female mathematicians who at the peak of the space race and the civil rights movement worked behind the scenes at NASA. Reporter Andrea Vasquez talks to Shetterly via Google Hangout.

As the maker movement has gathered increasing momentum over the last several years, makers have been showcasing their ingenuous inventions from tentacle lamps to video games. Now one innovator and former wall street executive is finding ways not just to fuel is passion for gadgets, but to share it with students around the country.

Snowboarders hit the slopes each year to seek thrills but that rush of adrenaline is actually dictated by physics. Now, a snowboard shop in Winfield, Pennsylvania, is using science to pioneer a new kind of snowboard.

Growing up you may have had a shelf with a few simple pop-up books, pull the tab and the cows head moves from side to side. Today’s pop-ups are feats of engineering. Science Friday talks to pop-up artist Matthew Reinhart about the mechanisms and structures that drive his designs.

Dr. Keolu Fox, a human geneticist and post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego is advocating for minority inclusion in genome sequencing.

Columbia University neuroscientist, Rudy Behnia answers the questions, how do you measure vision?

Whether you call them cutis anserine, horripilation or just plain “chicken skin,” goosebumps are a mysterious part of our bodies’ fight or flight response. So why do our hairs stand up when we feel fear, cold or intense emotion? As we find out in this segment from NPR science reporter, Adam Cole, there’s more to those bristling bumps than you might think.

North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to rare fireflies that can synchronize their flashing light patterns. Six flashes at a time, at first independently, then in unison, make up an elaborate mating dance that can only be seen for two weeks each year.

Earthquakes are a powerful force of nature, but nature isn’t always responsible for causing earthquakes. Some earthquakes are man-made. A new type of 3D software can now help estimate the likelihood of these man-made earthquakes. We go inside the lab at San Antonio’s Southwest Research Institute to learn more.