Footage from Adel Djellouli
Djellouli, A., Albertini, G., Wilt, J. et al. Squeaking at soft–rigid frictional interfaces. Nature 650, 891–897 (2026). buff.ly/ah30MEc
Like watching basketball but hate the squeaky shoes? Maybe learning the science behind the sound will help ease your eardrums.
Listen to our podcast where we talked with physicist Adel Djellouli about his squeaky study: buff.ly/YjKuyrW
A galaxy-eat-galaxy universe
4. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL/DECam, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, SDSS Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt
5. ESA/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, J. Dalcanton
📸 Credit:
1. NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Acknowledgment: B. Whitmore (Space Telescope Science Institute)
2. ESA/Hubble and NASA, J. Dalcanton,Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Acknowledgement: L. Shatz
3. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton
5. In the constellation Virgo, 200 million light-years from Earth, these two spiral galaxies are connected by a luminous bridge of stars and interstellar dust.
4. These galaxies are having tidal interactions. The larger galaxy’s gravity is causing the smaller galaxy to stretch and distort. Gas, dust, and even solar systems can be pulled from one galaxy towards another because of these tidal forces.
3. This is a three-way clash between galaxies. Known as the Arp 195 system, it's featured in the “Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies”.
2. This image actually contains 3 galaxies. In the lower right galaxy, there is an orange knot on the upper arm. Analysis of the velocities shows this is likely another galaxy and not fully merged yet with the two larger ones.
1. These merging galaxies are the Antennae galaxies, named after their long antenna-like “tails”. The orange spots are the cores of the original galaxies. Located 62 million light-years away from Earth, this collision began hundreds of millions of years ago and is still happening.
These galaxies are colliding, merging, and tearing each other apart. It’s beautiful and destructive all at once.
Hear astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson and astronomer/Queen guitarist Brian May talk about seeing them in 3D on our podcast. buff.ly/UoaGdU2
After some massive snowstorms this winter, New York City is finally thawing out. But just how filthy did the city’s snowbanks get?
Swipe at your own risk to find out and hear the full story on our podcast. www.sciencefriday.com/segments/new...
Queen guitarist/astronomer Brian May and astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson talked with us about their stereoscopic book of galaxies, the collision of art and astronomy, and just how scientifically accurate our favorite Queen songs are. Listen to the full episode now. buff.ly/UoaGdU2
Missed our broadcast? Don’t worry! You can catch the full show on our website. www.sciencefriday.com/episodes/mar...
Happy Science Friday! Catch today’s show on your local public radio station, 2-4 pm ET.
We explore galaxies in 3D with Queen guitarist/astronomer Brian May and astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson, and also dive into “directed evolution” with Nobel Prize winner Frances Arnold.
Their new book “Islands in Infinity: Galaxies 3-D” is the first stereoscopic book on galaxies, turning flat images in 3D spacescapes using Brian’s patented 3D viewer.
They promise it will rock you. So open your eyes, look up to the skies, and listen to our podcast episode. buff.ly/UoaGdU2
Queen guitarist/astronomer Brian May and astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson sat down with us to talk about the intersection of art and astronomy, and the chaotic beauty of colliding galaxies.
Want to learn more? Listen to our podcast episode: www.sciencefriday.com/segments/res... Or dig into our article about the mini-forest movement: www.sciencefriday.com/segments/res...
“And so then they’re shading out weeds and they’re creating that microclimate that holds humidity inside, so you no longer need to water or weed after two or three years.”
📸
1: Dr. Nicholas Geron, Salem State University
2: Somerville High School Forest | Funded by SUGi
3-5: Alexandra Ionescu
“Since they’re planted close together, as they grow, they branch out, and they start to touch each other and form a canopy,” says Hannah Lewis, author of the book “Mini-Forest Revolution– Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World”.
This mini-forest, like many across the globe, follows the Miyawaki Method of densely planting specific native species to jump-start forest development.
Join us as as we discover a carbon-neutral island in Denmark, explore a biologist’s efforts to talk to whales, and meet the “father of global warming.”
Each week, we'll share discussion questions in our community group and newsletter. Ready to look at our planet a little differently?
This month’s SciFri Book Club pick is here! 📚
We’re reading “Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World” by @elizkolbert.bsky.social for March and April. Start reading with us:
buff.ly/WaRgEwO
New research shows that a modest amount of specialized cognitive training could reduce dementia risk by 25%. Plus, we talk with playwright Jake Brasch about his new play “The Reservoir” that shines a comedic light on cognitive reserve and shared experiences with failing memory.
Loved our episode on planting mini-forests? Want to learn more about the Miyawaki Method? Check out our latest article and see how people are attempting to fast-track forests in their communities. 🌳 🌲 🌳
Have you tried nervous system resets or vagus nerve stimulation to improve your health? Call us at 877-472-4374. ☎️
We’re working on a story about the vagus nerve and want to hear from you! Call us with questions, experiences, or social media claims about the nervous system you want fact-checked.
Over the river and through the woods to fungus-resistant chestnut trees and miniforests we go. 🎶🌳
Scientists are creating hybrids to increase the chestnut tree population. Plus, communities are using the Miyawaki method to plant miniforests.
Missed the show? Don’t worry! You can still listen to the full broadcast afterwards on our website.
buff.ly/8LBJQ04
Happy Science Friday! Do you think you can guess what scientists found in 290-million-year-old fossilized vomit? Or what a reporter found in samples of dirty snow in New York City? Comment your guesses and listen to the surprising answers in our show on your local public radio station, 2-4 pm ET.
On Feb. 12, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded its 2009 endangerment finding. That finding was the legal basis for the government’s regulation of greenhouse gases to protect public health and the environment. We talk with Andy Miller, an author on the endangerment finding.
