A Moment of Science

Why are parrots so smart?

When scientists study parrots, they often appear as smart as monkeys and other mammals. How is this possible? Read More »

Recent Audio Podcasts

Trust comes with old age

A group of older men all sitting and talking together, in black and white

The older we get, the more trusting we tend to become.

A long, skinny robber fly rests on a wooden surface

"Come inside my web," said the spider to the fly...

The butterfly Mitchell's satyr displays brown wings with yellow eyespots while sitting in grass

The rare butterfly Mitchell's Satyr used to be found all over the Midwest.

A glacier wall of blue ice rises against a grey sky

Blue ice is relatively rare to see, so how does this formation get made?

A pyrosome consisting of several small lights in a tube formation in the dark water

Pyrosomes might seem like a creature from science fiction, but they really exist. Learn all about them with today's A Moment of Science.

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A Moment of Science Blog

Surprising Science: How Fungi Can Help Conquer The Final Frontier

The fibers of mycelium in mushrooms cover a large area

Today's Surprising Science looks at the emerging field of astromycology and how fungi might just hold the key to our space exploration efforts.

Carlo Bononi’s Incoronazione della Virgine

Our last Surprising Science took us out of this world to learn more about how scientists determine potentially habitable planets. Today, we’re back on Earth to look at how some of our smallest life forms are impacting the art world.

How does introducing a new species impact an environment? The unique case of the Lazarus lizard shows there's more than one possible outcome.

Scientific breakthroughs can come from some surprising sources. Today's episode of Surprising Science looks at how different branches can create breakthroughs in other fields.