Science Stories with Joe Johnson

From dragonflies that fly like fighter pilots to catnip that may rival DEET as a mosquito repellent, and a remarkable fungus that’s thriving in one of the most radioactive places on Earth—our resident science guy Joe Johnson shares some stories that caught his eye.

He talks about new research revealing how dragonflies win aerial dogfights, whether catnip could become a natural alternative for keeping mosquitoes away, and the mysterious black fungus inside the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone that’s been quietly feeding on radiation.

Image: Inside the ruined reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, scientists discovered a black mold known as Cladosporium sphaerospermum that not only survives extreme radiation but appears to thrive on it. (TechEBlog)