Science can be an intimidating topic to explore, especially for those of us who struggled a bit (or a lot) in high school biology, chemistry, or physics (or all three!). Yet, a basic grasp of science is immensely important to understanding ourselves, the world around us, and the universe at large. If you're looking to dip your toes into the vast world of science, podcasts can be an amazing place to start.
Our picks for the best science podcasts run the gamut from general scientific trivia to earth science, from outer space to the inner workings of the human brain. They're all accessible to the average listener, and none require an advanced degree to grasp. Absolutely anyone can learn about scientific history, breaking science news, and visions for the future from these shows, which often feature interviews with a variety of interesting experts who provide valuable insight, context, and clarity.
If you're looking for interesting scientific tidbits packed into about an hour of entertainment, then Ologies is for you. Alie Ward is an actor, writer, and science enthusiast. Her quirky sense of humor and insatiable curiosity make her the perfect host for this podcast, where she interviews scientists from a broad range of subject areas about the parts of their research that most excite them. Ologies tells captivating stories about space, food, bugs, the human brain, and everything in between—all in a way that's easy to grasp, regardless of your expertise.
Level up your science knowledge in just 10 minutes a day with Short Wave. Co-hosted by journalists Emily Kwong and Sandhya Dirks, this excellent podcast from NPR focuses on new discoveries and the science behind top news stories—it's a great way to learn more about the world around you, no matter how busy your schedule. With episodes releasing every weekday, there's always something exciting to explore on Short Wave. Plus, there's a large archive of past episodes to keep you engaged during the hours in between.
This weekly podcast brings you strange and interesting scientific facts uncovered by the editors of the digital magazine Popular Science in the course of their work. The conversational format makes it feel like having a chat with some of your smartest, most entertaining friends. If you're the kind of person who loves to have a large arsenal of random fun facts, then The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week should be at the top of your listening list.
NPR fans may already be familiar with Science Friday, a podcast that takes a deep dive into scientific news and topics affecting our lives. Through lively discussions, host Ira Flatow and his scientist guests educate listeners about everything from the newest COVID vaccines to autism to the secret lives of wasps. This is the perfect podcast if you want to keep up with interesting developments in science and understand their impact on the world without needing a doctorate.
Many of the podcasts on this list focus on interviewing scientists about their research and work. But science affects everyone. In addition to scientists, The Story Collider interviews all kinds of people—comedians, firefighters, bartenders, artists, and beyond—about how science intersects with their lives. Host Erin Barker uses storytelling to connect scientific research with lived experiences, and episodes are recorded in front of a live audience. If you like your science balanced with humor and heart, you'll definitely want to give The Story Collider a listen.
We can learn a lot about ourselves and the world around us through learning about the food that sustains us. This informative and engaging podcast digs into the interesting science and history behind all kinds of food. In addition to interviewing food scientists, hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley take trips to labs, farms, and even archaeological digs to discover food's hidden secrets. From ancient feasts to beloved beverages to classic junk food, Gastropod show us that there's more than meets the eye to everything we eat.
Learn all about the science that shapes where we live in A Grown-Up Guide to Planet Earth, an Audible Original podcast created and hosted by geology professor Christopher Jackson. Each of the six episodes discusses a different layer of our planet, starting deep down at Earth's super-heated core and working its way up. Throughout, Professor Jackson interviews other scientists and experts about volcanoes, earthquakes, space, and more. If you enjoy the journey, consider listening to other podcasts in the same vein, including A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs and A Grown-Up Guide to Oceans.
If you've ever dreamed of being an astronaut or wondered about extraterrestrial life, then this NPR podcast is the perfect way to get a peek at outer space. Space reporter Brendan Byrne explores new developments in space travel, digs into past efforts to learn more about the universe, and interviews astronauts and engineers about the future of space exploration. Are We There Yet? is the perfect way to explore out-of-this-world scientific developments and envision where space travel is headed next.
In Don't Panic Geocast, field geologist Shannon Dulin and geoscientist John Leeman show us that earth science and technology can be fun. Episodes cover a variety of geology and meteorology topics, scientific news, fun facts, and interviews, all with enjoyable banter. From the fabled Coriolis force to real-world meteor craters, Dulin and Leeman present information in a way that's both entertaining and informative, whether or not you're a geology nerd.
We've all learned a lot about viral diseases and epidemics since the global health crisis born from 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. But epidemiologists Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke have been teaching listeners about infectious diseases and medical mysteries since way back in 2017. Each episode of This Podcast Will Kill You tackles a different disease, detailing its history, biology, and how scared you should be of it. Aiming to make infectious diseases acceptable dinner party conversation, the hosts regularly provide themed cocktail recipes. You'll never look at germs the same way again.
Take a trip through the London Science Museum with bestselling author Bill Bryson, courtesy of this riveting podcast. Bryson is known for books that make complex topics accessible, including A Short History of Nearly Everything. In this five-episode Audible Original series, he uses objects at the London Science Museum as windows into creations and concepts that changed the world. Museum curators make special appearances to teach us even more about the curiosities explored on Appliance of Science.
Our lives are full of familiar sounds, from commercial jingles and computer start-up sounds to sirens and subway announcements. But where did those sounds come from, and how do they work? In this podcast, sound designer Dallas Taylor takes a deep dive into the strange and unique sounds that fill our lives, how they were developed, and what jobs they perform. Twenty Thousand Hertz will make you look at—and listen to—the world differently.
This legendary WNYC Studios podcast, created by Jad Abumrad and hosted by journalists Lulu Miller and Latif Nassir, asks deep questions and uses investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. Known for its innovative sound design and ever-curious attitude, Radiolab is one of the most approachable and compulsively listenable ways to get some science into your podcast rotation.
Science, pop culture, and comedy collide on this mind-dazzling show, hosted by celebrity astrophysicist and bestselling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. StarTalk Radio is the perfect vehicle for Tyson's piercing intelligence and expertise as well as his delightful sense of humor. Comic co-hosts, celebrity guests, and visiting scientists regularly stop by to discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. As Neil says, "it's always best to keep looking up."
Are you interested in understanding a little more about your brain? If so, Hidden Brain is the podcast for you. Hosted by veteran science editor Shankar Vedantam, this show takes a journalistic approach to brain science that can be understood at all levels. Vedantam dives into a new focus weekly, covering widely relatable topics such as family bonds, passion, the price of revenge, the psychology of money, depression, and lying. This show isn't just about theory—it's about making actionable changes to improve your life.
From the team that gave us the outstanding Today, Explained daily news podcast comes Unexplainable, a show that dives into some of our most burning questions. The twist? The answers remain largely unknown. Joined by expert guests, co-hosts Julia Longoria and Noam Hassenfeld tackle mysteries from whether microbes can travel through space on meteorites to how many fish there actually are in the sea.
An esteemed neuroscientist, Dr. Andrew Huberman raises a vital question for everyone: How can we best harness our brain's tendencies to improve our life? Devoted to providing answers, Huberman Lab makes brain science widely accessible, immediately relevant, and utterly riveting. Featuring guest experts, weekly episodes discuss everything from neural plasticity to the role of adrenaline in boosting memory to the biology of aggression. Huberman believes in tough love, so be ready to hear some inconvenient truths when tuning in to his show.
In today's world of Twitter "experts" and AI-generated images, it has never been harder to discern fact from fiction. Science Vs is a podcast on a mission to do just that. While the show covers a wide range of topics, weekly releases tend to follow popular scientific trends, from whether vaping really causes cancer to the real goal of NASA's Artemis II. With 300+ episodes and counting, this is a delightfully binge-worthy show.
