On this episode of YS, we welcome comedian and writer Barry Friedman. Yes, that Barry Friedman.... A much-loved former citizen of Tulsa who's now living and working in Europe, Friedman was for years was a popular commentator on PRT's long-running StudioTulsa interview program; he joins us to discuss kinky ant queens, lasagna leakage, and the frustrating complexity of nature. Moreover — and as always — Yackers Matt Smith and Brian Cross boldly endeavor to confront many of the key questions of our age — i.e., do Martians have tacky taste? Is SIS (sperm inferiority syndrome) now running rampant? Do hornets somehow have a right to squat on your patio? And will Matt ever stop talking about fusion?
Got a question, comment, or correction? You can yack right back at us at YacketyScience@gmail.com.
Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Production help provided by Public Radio Tulsa's Scott Gregory.
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Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa, Kendall Hall, The University of Tulsa, and at The Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.
Guest Host: Barry Friedman
[Obligatory, Too-Lengthy Bio: Barry is a standup comedian, political columnist, and reporter. His work has appeared in The New Yorker; Esquire; The Progressive Populist; MediaPost; The Las Vegas Review-Journal; and AAPG Explorer, a magazine for petroleum geologists (which is noteworthy, considering how little Barry knows about petroleum geology and how he usually hurts himself filling his car with gas). Barry also appeared in the movie UHF with "Weird Al" Yankovic, setting a cinematic high-water mark for those who have since played (or who dream of someday playing) "Crony #2" in a major motion picture. The movie still provides him with $3.76 residual checks every time it plays at a Lithuanian drive-in or when some lost soul downloads it. Barry now lives in Portugal and hates referring to himself in the third person.]
Links:
Leopard Print Martians
Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars by ⦁ Hurowitz et al. ⦁ Nature⦁ ⦁ 645⦁ , 332–340 (2025).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09413-0
NASA’s Perseverance Rover
Kinky Ant Queens
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants by Juvé et al. ⦁ Nature⦁ (Sept. 3, 2025).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09425-w
Hornet Invaders
Asian hornets have a unique sound – and that could be the key to controlling their spread. (August 11, 2025)
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2025/08/asian-hornets-have-a-unique-sound-and-that-could-be-the-key-to-controlling-their-spread.page
Desktop Fusion
Electrochemical loading enhances deuterium fusion rates in a metal target by Chen et al. ⦁ Nature⦁ ⦁ 644⦁ , 640–645 (2025)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09042-7
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