Researchers are working on tech that could give you a two-minute heads up if a lithium ion battery is about to blow.

You could potentially build this technology into smoke detectors that are on the ceiling, but you could also put them potentially in a product to also provide detection.

It's Friday, December 6th, and you're listening to Science Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Deep Biedershmet. Lithium ion batteries power so many devices in our lives,

and companies like them because they can store a lot of energy in a small package. Unfortunately,

that means when those batteries are damaged, all that energy can lead to explosions

and fires.

But researchers have trained AI algorithms to predict when a lithium ion battery is about

to explode.

Thanks to a key sound, it gives off two minutes before going off.

We'll get to that story in a bit, but first, here's Ira Flato with the top news and science

this week.

Earlier this week, the US Supreme Court heard arguments that could change the food

and drug administration's power to regulate nicotine-based vapes.

It revolves around a case where the FDA denied applications of two vape companies that sell

flavored liquids in their products, citing that the liquids presented a danger

in addicting youth to nicotine. But a lower court rejected that denial, saying the agency was

inconsistent in its approval process. Well, here to read the tea leaves of this case and

enlighten us with the science news of the week

is Rachel Feldman, host of the popular science broadcast, the weirdest thing I learned this week

and Scientific Americans podcast Science Quickly. Welcome back to Science Friday, Rachel.

Thanks for having me, Ira. All right. Can you tell us what's going on with this case in the court?

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