Science podcasts are a bright spot within the podcast industry as they counteract the growing number of conspiracy, extremist, and fact-free podcasts.
Science content that flows from official government agencies has become more suspect and unmoored from fact. Vaccines cause autism. They do not. Tylenol causes autism. It does not. Measles is a harmless disease. It is not. According to the CDC, the virus infects and destroys immune memory cells, erasing 20% to 75% of the body’s protection against other germs. This “immune amnesia” leaves people defenseless against common bacteria and viruses for months or up to a few years. Survivors face a higher risk of severe illness or death from other infectious diseases long after the rash is gone
The best science podcasts blend a rigorous investigation of a scientific concept along with a slice of humor. Dry, academic science podcasts are best left for nights when sleep evades us.
Dr. Lawrence Krauss is an American-Canadian theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and popular science author known for his work on dark matter, the early universe, and public science advocacy. His quote from a past conference presages what is occurring now. “The greatest danger to science is when ideology dictates the outcome of inquiry, turning evidence into an enemy of the state.”
Bill Nye, TV’s Science Guy, has said, “When you have politicians running around saying science is an opinion or that it’s ‘just a theory,’ it does not just hurt science education—it hurts our ability to solve real problems.”
According to Valuetainment, while smaller than true crime (24%) or politics (10%), science podcasts attract highly dedicated listeners who prefer deep dives into research and nature. According to the National Institutes Of Health (NIH), global studies show exponential growth in science audio series, with most shows produced by organizations or universities rather than independent creators. In fact, that NIH study found that the total number of science podcast series available grew linearly between 2004 and 2010, and then exponentially after that.
“Social media has created an army of influencers, pundits, uncredentialed experts, and political ideologues who inject politics into science,” asserts Dale Long, a social media expert. “Therefore, we are subjected to mouth taping advocates, promotion of Methylene Blue ingestion, an acceptance of raw milk, and drinking borax water.”
In this article, we will take a look at science podcasts that carry the mantle of the scientific method, which is a step-by-step process that people use to explore ideas, test questions, and learn how the natural world works through observation and experiments.
Fact or myth
Hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs is successful because of two primary reasons. First, Zukerman’s good-natured humor topples listener expectations about what a science podcast should sound like. Second, the unique mission of the podcast –using scientific investigative techniques to separate fact from myth – sparks interest, controversy and insight.
And they do so tongue-in-cheek but also with no fear of proclaiming “the data isn’t clear” or “we need more data for greater certainty.” Behind the wily wisecracks of Zukerman and the show’s refusal to take itself too seriously, Science Vs is deadly serious about facts, research, facts and conclusions. But it never seems to get too far ahead of its skis, making claims it cannot substantiate.
The proof of the show’s success is its consistent ranking as one of the most downloaded podcasts. Episodes of note include microplastics, ask Wendy anything, and what’s at the edge of space.
Science Vs is perhaps most famous for releasing an episode in February 2022 that directly contradicted a Joe Rogan episode with Dr. Robert Malone, an American physician and biochemist who helped lay early groundwork for mRNA technology and later became a prominent critic of COVID-19 vaccines after he felt slighted about the credit he didn’t receive in his mRNA research.
At the time, Rogan and Science Vs were both Spotify shows, so it was highly unusual and perhaps a risk to future employment that Science Vs dedicated an episode to refuting what the aggrieved doctor had said on Rogan.
In that Science Vs episode, host Zukerman and her producer Rose Rimler didn’t try to refute Rogan’s guest, avoid the low-hanging fruit of debunking every falsehood or misleading claim in the “Malone” episode. Instead, Zukerman and Rimler focused on the most appalling attempts at deception, such as misleading claims of fertility issues from a COVID vaccine. In addition, Science Vs did their best “paying attention to the man behind the curtain,” by exposing how Malone makes a misleading case against vaccines by cherry-picking data that supports his theory and ignoring all data that doesn’t fit his narrative.
The saga of Science Vs is the stuff of “little guy makes good.” Science Vs began in 2015, created by science journalist and host Wendy Zukerman and produced and distributed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In 2016, Zukerman and her show came to America, picked up by Gimlet Media. In 2019, Gimlet was sold to Spotify for $230 million. Then, in 2023, Spotify shuttered Gimlet, and Science Vs became part of Spotify Studios.
Since 2015, Wendy Zukerman and her team of intrepid researchers have been investigating what we think we know about science and putting those facts or myths to the test. In this current season, the show looked at tattoos and whether they are toxic, whether vaping causes cancer, the impact of tear gas on the human body, and, because of its light-hearted touch, its March 26th episode welcomed best-selling author and nerd Mary Roach to talk all about sex.
In the show notes, Zukerman prepares us for “uncovering the secrets of the female orgasm, detailing the bizarre methods of pioneering sex researchers like Masters and Johnson (including a famous penis camera), and getting into the nitty-gritty of how to sexually stimulate a pig in Denmark.”
When we can’t explain it
Scientists don’t really know what 95 percent of the universe is made up of. That fact is particularly shocking, considering we live in an age where humans seem to know it all.
That’s why Vox’s science podcast – Unexplainable – is especially timely because it takes listeners on a journey into the unknown and then explores that feeling when “you think you understand something and there’s just so much more.”
Unexplainable host Noam Hassenfeld reminds us that we don’t understand exactly how the nose works, or what’s going on inside the earth? And does anyone know about ball lightning?
Produced by Vox (now James Murdoch’s holding company, Lupa Systems) –known for quality, thoughtful podcasts – Unexplainable host Hassenfeld explains that the podcast isn’t about the answers. “It’s about the questions,” he says. Alex Trebek would have been proud of him.
Unexplainable launched its first episode in March 2021. Dutifully, that initial episode focused on the mystery of dark matter, which is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Therefore, dark matter can not be detected by electromagnetic radiation and can’t be seen directly.
The format of Unexplainable is straightforward and is smartly designed to enhance understanding rather than grovel for listeners. In the show, host Noam Hassenfeld is joined by an array of experts and Vox reporters each week to look at fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them. In July, the show joined the growing list of podcasts on Netflix.
Recent episodes have explored The Late Bronze Age, when the Trojan War supposedly took place, was way more modern than Homer made it seem. But around 1177 BCE, a vast network of interconnected societies suddenly collapsed. What caused arguably the greatest societal collapse in the history of the world? Hint: It’s a lot more complicated than the “Sea Peoples.”
Warming waters are an existential threat to coral reefs, and for people who want to restore them. But in the Republic of Palau, researchers are testing out an approach to help restored reefs survive hotter temperatures — before it’s too late.
Getting the Big Picture
Big Picture Science is produced at the SETI Institute’s radio studio in Mountain View, California. The program began with the title Are We Alone? in 2002 as a commercially-supported call-in show distributed to a handful of stations on Radio America by Bill Oxley and Seth Shostak, who actually broadcast from their respective living rooms in San Diego and Mountain View.
Big Picture Science
Big Picture Science exposes junk science, highlights new scientific discoveries, and finds the science in everyday life.
The show’s co-hosts are Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley. Shostak and Bentley have been doing for years, so they are comfortable as hosts, interviewers, and with each other. The co-hosts can geek out on hard science and still laugh at science nerdiness, and they can get tough with junk science theories and claims.
For example, in the June 29, 2026 episode, the show examined the current belief that blue light emitted from our devices as the key culprit behind our post-scrolling insomnia. The episode reveals that the scientific consensus is shifting in the face of surprising new research suggests that our glowing screens may play a smaller role than previously thought. is shifting.
Perhaps one of my favorite episodes is from April 20, 2026 and is titled Skeptic Check: Feeling Risky. With guest David Ropeik, a retired Harvard University instructor, and expert on the psychology of risk, the episode dives into the psychology of risk, find out about our exaggerated fears, as well as risks we don’t take seriously enough. For example, shark attacks are responsible for an average of six deaths a year gobally, while deaths from running into cows kills five times as many people. Yet there is no cow week on Discovery Channel. Just Shark Week.
Strictly Taboo
Ashley Hamer is a writer, podcaster, and science communicator in Chicago. She is the creator of Taboo Science and the former host and content lead of the science podcast Curiosity Daily.
Taboo Science
Here is the marketing pitch from Taboo Science: “Taboo Science is a podcast that answers the questions you’re not allowed to ask. It’s hosted by Ashley Hamer, a science writer and podcaster. Every episode dives into a different societal taboo to understand the science that makes it tick, the reasons we don’t talk about it, and the impact that has on society at large. Why don’t we eat people? Why are my swear words different than my parents’? And what makes porn, porn? It’s science class if science class had one of those anonymous question boxes. It’s Taboo Science.”
The podcast began in September 2020, and it didn’t pull any punches in its first several episodes. Topics included pornography, profanity, cannibalism, penises, and vaginas. I can just sense the uptight people who are organizing bans.
If you, as a listener, are into your science being serious stuff with people with PhDs speaking in solemn tones, Taboo Science is not for you. But if enjoy a beaker full of fun with your science lesson, and don’t mind your poop being referred to you as “butt nuggets,” then Taboo Science is for you. The most taboo episodes this year include its miniseries about the weird and colorful world of kinks and fetishes. Be prepared to be shocked. Or not.
Short and Sweet
Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives listeners a sneak peek behind the science headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.
The original host of the show was Maddie Sofia, who is an actual scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Rochester Medical Center.
NPR
Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because hosts Emily Kwong, Regina Barber, and Aaron Scott are so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episode of not is the August 19th show – More men are taking testosterone. What gives?.
Here’s the show’s summary: “If you’re a guy – or even just friends with a guy – and on the Internet, you may have noticed that testosterone discourse is everywhere. There’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing testosterone screenings for soldiers, Joe Rogan discussing hormone therapy, and influencers discussing high- and low-T levels. Those levels affect more than just sex. They also affect metabolism, bone health, muscle mass, red blood cell production and brain function. NPR science reporter Will Stone took a deep dive into it all: What deficiency looks like in men, what doctors recommend and what the research says about who actually needs testosterone replacement therapy.”
On the July 1, 2026 episode, the co-hosts told us: “The U.S. generates 292 million tons of trash each year – and that trash has to go somewhere. Sometimes, that’s to an incinerator, where it’s burned and turned into electricity. Proponents of incineration applaud the ability to generate energy from waste and divert garbage from landfills. Opponents worry about the potential health risks, especially to minoritized communities. Today on the show, we explore the good and the bad of waste-to-energy facilities – and even get to see one up close.”
The show is very much on brand for NPR and has the deft ability to present new discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.
The dark science –physics
The University of Chicago produces several podcasts such as Big Brains, Capitalisn’t, and Entitled.
Why This Universe?
I’ve read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History Of Time three times. Do I understand it? Not yet. However, I take solace in the fact that I listen to several physics podcasts and actually have a semi-vague idea of what they’re talking about.
The University Of Chicago produces Why This Universe, which is marketed as, “The biggest ideas in physics, broken down.” Co-hosts, theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman, answer questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more. The duo is adept at “performing a physics for dummies” on the show so even I can understand it.
One of the most intriguing physics podcasts is Sean Carroll’s Mindscape. His Mindscape podcast features fascinating conversations with brilliant minds from many fields, but naturally he also often chats with colleagues in physics, including Brian Greene, Janna Levin, Roger Penrose, and Carlo Rovelli. The show is intense, and I enjoy revisiting the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment, when I can imagine my car stuck in gridlocked traffic and at my destination at the same time.
Magazines aren’t dead, yet
Each week on the Science Podcast, host Sarah Crespi delves into the latest scientific discoveries with researchers and news writers from around the globe.
The podcast is designed like a print magazine, with each episode containing several distinct stories. I must confess that I miss print magazines. How else can I impress visitors to my home if i don’t have magazines spread out of my coffee table to exhibit my alleged intellectual prowess?
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an international organization serving 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, representing over 10 million individuals. The organization focuses on promoting scientific freedom, enhancing science education, conducting science policy analysis, fostering international collaboration, and building trust in scientific information.
Science Magazine
The publisher of Science Magazine is The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which publishes the Science family of journals, including Science, Science Signaling, Science Translational Medicine, Science Advances, Science Immunology and Science Robotics.
The host of the podcast, Sarah Crespi, has been interviewing scientists and science writers weekly since 2011.
She has a BA in biology from Reed College and a master’s in journalism from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University. Among her many roles at Science, she has also served as director of multimedia, leading video and audio projects for the magazine.
Her previous jobs include: zookeeper, clinical cytogenetics lab technician, and barista. In her spare time, she mediates cat fights, walks her dog, and ferries her young daughter to various activities.
The show has produced well over 600 episodes, and is a well-oiled machine. The show has a NPR vibe to it, and that’s a good thing, in case you were wondering. Crespi is a terrific host who may have a scientific brain but also displays a wry wit and self-deprecating humor. In the episode that included a segment on football helmet technology, Sarah Crespi and Staff Writer Adrian Cho talked football, with Crespi admitting her knowledge of football is severely limited by, well, interest!
But the episode told a fascinating story of how new technology is improving the football helmet. Adrian Cho explained that NFL concussions are down significantly from their high point in 2017, with new helmets a major factor. New 3D-printed materials for helmets, slots cut into helmets for more flex, and softer, more pliable materials have all improved head trauma safety for NFL and amateur players.
They conclude that better materials and testing have led to fewer concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in players, with plenty of room for improvement. At one point, Cho explains that a drill run by football coaches was exposed as a major contributor to head trauma, and that drill has been eliminated in most programs.
An episode emblematic of the show is the October 20, 2025, show, where they discuss the mysterious fate of Europe’s Neolithic farmers. They arrived from Anatolia around 5500 B.C.E. and began farming fertile land across Europe. Five hundred years later, their buildings, cemeteries, and pottery stopped showing up in the archaeological record, and mass graves with headless bodies started to appear across the continent. Contributing Correspondent Andrew Curry talks with host Sarah Crespi about what this strange transition might mean.
In that same episode, and for a complete change of pace, Editor for Life Sciences Sacha Vignieri discussed recent dog research published in Science, including tracing the movement of dogs alongside ancient human populations, examining when dogs first diversified, and probing the relationship between modern dogs’ breeds and their dispositions.
To me, Science Magazine Podcast is a welcome throwback to the early days of podcasting. There are no celebrities, no fanfare, and no ads. Just well-researched science about a wide range of topics. If you enjoy science, and haven’t bought into the RFK Jr. conspiracy theories, you will love this show.
Friday is Science Day
Science Friday has been on the air for over 34 years, having first aired on November 8, 1991. The show started as a segment on NPR’s daily talk show Talk of the Nation. It became an independent weekly series in June 2013 after Talk of the Nation ended. The program expanded to include popular podcasts, digital videos, and educational programs, adding Flora Lichtman as a co-host alongside long-time Ira Flatow.
Award-winning science correspondent and TV journalist Ira Flatow is the host of Science Friday, heard on public radio stations across the country and distributed by WNYC Studios. He anchors the show each Friday, bringing radio and Internet listeners worldwide a lively, informative discussion on science, technology, health, space, and the environment. Ira is also founder and president of the Science Friday Initiative, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit company dedicated to creating radio, TV, and Internet projects that make science “user-friendly.”
NPR
Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.
Even though the show is an NPR brand, it doesn’t shy away from controversial topics. Recently, it ran an episode about vaccine hesitancy with this summary: “President Trump has signed an executive order calling for a change to the childhood vaccination schedule. Specifically, he wants to separate the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, into three separate shots. There’s no scientific research to indicate that these changes would be beneficial, and the order has sparked backlash from medical associations and drug manufacturers.”
Then, in July, Science Friday did an episode on climate change, which is persona non grata in the current administration. Here’s the summary: “Back in May, a paper published in Nature Sustainability reignited a decades-old debate about coastal Louisiana: Should people leave? Climate researchers wrote that due to rising sea levels, coastal Louisiana has crossed the point of no return and that governments should be making plans now for places like New Orleans to relocate.
“Jessica Dandridge-Smith, who runs The Water Collaborative in New Orleans, spoke with Flora Lichtman about why this paper sparked such a strong reaction, and how she thinks about the possibility of relocation.”
Science gets diverse and fun
Lest you think that these Science podcasts are chock full of pasty white guys, we present Dope Labs, a Webby Award-nominated science meets pop culture podcast from Spotify Studios. The podcast is co-hosted by Dr. Titi Shodiya and Dr. Zakiya Whatley, Duke University graduates, rising star experts and women of color disrupting the STEM space (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) — who self-identify as “two of the dopest scientists and best friends you will ever meet.”
Dr. Zakiya Whatley believes in science education for all, formal or informal, across multiple platforms. Her efforts focus on broadening access to and persistence in STEM careers. Much of her work targets populations historically underrepresented in the sciences. Dr. Titi Shodiya works in the National Voluntary Lab Accreditation Program as a Program Manager for Calibration labs. She manages accreditation and accreditation activities for over 150 labs that cross disciplines all over the US and internationally.
Dope Labs
In each episode, the hosts serve up scientific principles with a healthy dose of tea—- unpacking pop culture through the black lens. From cuffing season to Cardi B, they’ll take what’s trending and put it under the microscope with the help of some very smart (and cool) scientific friends.
The podcast reinforces its mission: “At Dope Labs, we believe “science is for everybody” and our mission is to bring out the inner scientist in YOU (especially communities typically left out of the science field, many of which are women and people of color).”
Dope Labs has featured guests that delved into pertinent conversations around science denial, COVID-19 era anxiety, fintech and how technology can make shopping more accessible, representation and HBCUs, and more. An episode of note from March 1, 2026 – Reading Between the Lines: The Truth About Gen Z and Literacy – looked at the research behind the literacy panic. From international assessments to the Nation’s Report Card, the co-hosts broke down what the data really says, why the drops we’re seeing aren’t just a “kids these days” problem, and what gets lost when reading scores are conflated with intelligence.
This podcast is definitely worth a listen for several reasons. First, it’s entertaining and fun for a “science” show. Second, the co-hosts have an easy rapport that makes the podcast “ear worthy” and third, the show targets an underserved audience, especially dealing with STEM issues.
Taking the Pseudo out of Science
The podcast hosted by well-known board-certified family medicine physician Dr. Mike Varshavski is titled The Checkup with Doctor Mike, who is a popular online medical doctor and digital creator known for fighting health misinformation. His March 4, 2026 show is emblematic of the podcast. It is titled, “How To Talk To Your Anti-Vax Uncle with guest Dr. Steven Novella.
Spotify
This article is by no means a complete list of brilliant science podcasts. There are simply too many to review. I’d be remiss if i didn’t mention Radiolab for mind-bending soundscapes, Ologies with Alie Ward for humorous deep dives into specific scientific fields, and Science In Action, the long-running science podcast produced by the BBC World Service, hosted by British journalists Roland Pease and Marnie Chesterton, and scientist Adam Hart. The podcast explores the latest scientific discoveries, news, and debates, featuring interviews with researchers and experts from around the globe.
Let’s not forget Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon, with its uncanny ability to link science to history, with stories about the connection between Teflon and the A-Bomb, why our hunter-gatherer ancestors had perfect teeth, and why no one in Columbus’s time believed the world was flat. Kean then asks: “So why did so many children learn this bogus ‘fact’ in school? It all goes back to Rip van Winkle…”
Truth is, by its very definition, based on objective facts that have been stress-tested for accuracy. Can truth change? Sure. The world is not flat, and the earth is not the center of our solar system. And Lance Armstrong is not a good guy. But truth should not be tethered to our political beliefs either. Nor should it be a toy to be played with for the sake of ratings or to juice ad sales.
What Science is battling is what Bill Moyers, former PBS journalist and the eleventh White House Press Secretary from 1965 to 1967 during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, once observed is “the mass production of doubt to compete against fact. It’s a quiet revolution.”
Late in his career, Moyers was quoted as commenting, “The delusional is no longer the marginal.”
These Science podcasts mentioned here, and hundreds more not included, shed light on the nature of our reality. We should not forget that after the fall of the Roman Empire, societies lost the ability to make concrete, use aqueducts to move fresh water hundreds of miles, use wheel-spun pottery techniques, and work with bronze.
Humans are not always receptive to science and to using innovative approaches to achieve breakthroughs. For example, artisans in Mesopotamia and parts of Europe first used the wheel concept around 4,200 to 4,000 BCE for pottery. It took another 500 years for humans to adapt it for wheeled transport.
Science/Science Fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote in The Atlantic magazine in 1970, “”There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.”