The Surprising Science Of Why Sneakers Squeak

from Science Friday · host Flora Lichtman, Dee Peterschmidt

March Madness is almost upon us, which means basketball arenas across the country will be filled with the thunderous roar of fans and the surprisingly loud squeaks of basketball shoes. At his first NBA game, physicist Adel Djellouli was surprised by the constant noise from the court and wondered, why do basketball shoes squeak? Turns out, the physics of a squeak involves lightning bolts and earthquakes. Host Flora Lichtman talks with Djellouli about his research and the joy of investigating seemingly simple questions. Guest: Dr. Adel Djellouli is an experimental physicist at Harvard University. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What this episode covers

The forces that cause sneakers to squeak also create mini-earthquakes (shoe-quakes, if you will) and tiny lightning bolts.

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The Surprising Science Of Why Sneakers Squeak

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This episode was published on March 9, 2026.

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