A Moment of Science

A black and white closeup of raindrops on a car's window

Rain on the rear window

The next time you're driving during a rain shower, glance back at the rear window. You'll notice that while raindrops batter the front windshield, they seem to avoid the back window as long as the car is moving. How is that possible? Read More »

Recent Audio Podcasts

A giant bee, rediscovered

An illustration comparing the sizes of Wallace's giant bee and a much smaller species

Megachile pluto, commonly called “Wallace’s giant bee” is the world’s largest bee. And perhaps its most elusive.

Two mugs on a wooden table as seen from above: a smaller one with a shot of espresso and a larger one full of foamy milk and matcha sprinkled on top

Do you prefer the jolt of coffee or a more gentle start to your day with tea?

Model displays in a museum show the interior of the human body in a series of slices

Situs inversus totalis means that all the organs, blood vessels, and nerves in the chest and abdomen are flipped to the opposite side.

Square wave formations off the French coast with a tower in the foreground

Normally you’d just see waves coming in parallel to the shore. But what if there were also waves moving perpendicular to the shore?

A cat sitting on the Great Temple of Ramses II, next to a statue of a bird

A grave in Cyprus from 7500 BC shows a furry feline and human owner buried together. It’s the oldest known site of a tame cat.

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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.