Half of the cells in the brain are neurons, the other half are glial cells.
When scientists first discovered glia over a century ago, they thought that they simply held the neurons together. Their name derives from a Greek word that means glue.
In the past decade, researchers have come to understand that glial cells do so much more: They communicate with neurons and work closely with the immune system and might be critical in how we experience pain. They even play an important role in regulating the digestive tract.
Ira is joined by Yasemin Saplakoglu, a staff writer at Quanta Magazine who has reported on these lesser-known cells.
Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
Finding Purpose In A ‘Wild Life’
Archeopteryx Specimen Unveiled | Trees And Shrubs Burying Great Plains' Prairies
JWST Detects An Atmosphere Around A Rocky Exoplanet | Boeing Plans To Fly Humans To The ISS Next Week
Challenging The Gender Gap In Sports Science
What Martian Geology Can Teach Us About Earth
How Louisiana Is Coping With Flooding In Cemeteries
Inside Iowa State’s Herbarium | Science-Inspired Art From ‘Universe of Art’ Listeners
Science From Iowa’s Prairies | Planning To Go See Cicadas? Here’s What To Know
Maybe Bonobos Aren't Gentler Than Chimps | Art Meets Ecology In A Mile-Long Poem
When Products Collect Data From Your Brain, Where Does It Go?
Visualizing A Black Hole’s Flares In 3D
The 4,000-Year History of Humans and Silk
Flint’s Water Crisis, 10 Years Later | Underwater Cables Could Help Detect Tsunamis
Fighting Banana Blight | Do Birds Sing In Their Dreams?
Why Is Solving The Plastic Problem So Hard?
What Worsening Floods Mean For Superfund Sites
The Global Mental Health Toll Of Climate Change | Capturing DNA From 800 Lakes In One Day
Clean Energy Transition Progress | Avian Flu In Cattle And Humans Has Scientists Concerned
A Cheer For The Physics Of Baseball
Carbon Cost Of Urban Gardens And Commercial Farms | Why There's No Superbloom This Year
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Fresh Air
Science Vs
The NPR Politics Podcast
Marketplace
The Daily