60-Second Science

How Does the World's Largest Seabird Know Where to Fly?

Joseph Polidoro — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

Wandering albatrosses navigate thousands of miles using “the voice of the sea.”

Without the Moon, Human Society Might Not Exist

Clara Moskowitz, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

The moon helps us keep time, inspires religions and shapes science, yet it still keeps secrets from us.

The Strange and Beautiful Science of Our Lives

Brianne Kane, Carin Leong — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 19:30:00 GMT

Nell Greenfieldboyce discusses her new book Transient and Strange, the intimacy of the essays and the science that inspired them.

The Surprising Health Benefits of Dog Ownership

Andrea Thompson, Elah Feder — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 19:10:00 GMT

Dogs are good for you, science says.

Podcasts of the Year: Cleo, the Mysterious Math Menace

Tulika Bose, Allison Parshall, Carin Leong — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 20:55:00 GMT

In 2013 a new user named Cleo took an online math forum by storm with unproved answers. Today she’s an urban legend. But who was she? A 2023 editor's pick.

Podcasts of the Year: Talking to Animals using Artificial Intelligence

Kelso Harper, Sophie Bushwick — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Advanced sensors and artificial intelligence could have us at the brink of interspecies communication

How to Avoid Holiday Hangovers

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Alexa Lim — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The holidays are a time for indulgence, but there are ways to drink alcohol without suffering the painful effects.

Podcasts of the Year: What Better Gift for the Holidays Than a Monstrous Mystery?

Jeffery DelViscio, Flora Lichtman — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

We’re looking back at 2023 for our favorite podcast shows and one about the largest bird to ever fly the skies just flew to the top of the list.

Are Orcas Friends or Foes?

Carin Leong — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:00:00 GMT

The stories we tell about orcas might say more about us than about them

Turns Out Undersea Kelp Forests Are Crucial to Salmon

Starre Vartan — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The beloved fish that feed orcas and humans depend on kelp forests’ unique habitat.

Researchers Just Created the World's First Permafrost Atlas of the Entire Arctic

Emily Schwing — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The Arctic Permafrost Atlas, which took years to create, is both beautiful and sobering, given the pace of climate change.

A New Type of Heart Disease is on the Rise

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Elah Feder — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:46:00 GMT

Problems with the heart, kidneys and metabolic health are all connected

AI Can Now Read Your Cat's Pain

Tulika Bose, Sophie Bushwick — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Thanks to researchers, new AI tech is delving into feline feelings to see when cats could need medical help.

These Researchers Put Sperm Through a Kind of 'Hunger Games'

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The research focused on figuring out what enables certain sperm to gain some competitive advantage over millions of others fighting for the same prize.

Is Too Little Play Hurting Our Kids?

Joseph Polidoro — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:00:00 GMT

A long-term decline in unsupervised activity may be contributing to mental health declines in children and adolescents.

How Misinformation Spreads through Conflict

Tulika Bose, Sophie Bushwick — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 23:30:00 GMT

Three experts break down how misinformation and propaganda spread through conflict and how to debunk it yourself.

Why Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Falling

Josh Fischman, Carin Leong, Alexa Lim, Tanya Lewis — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Fewer kids got their routine childhood vaccines since before the pandemic. Are lack of access and a loss of trust in science to blame?

Climate Adaptation Can Backfire If We Aren't Careful

Andrea Thompson — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:15:00 GMT

The choices we make in how we adapt to climate change can sometimes come back to bite us

The Members of This Reservation Learned They Live with Nuclear Weapons. Can Their Reality Ever Be the Same?

Ella Weber — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples are learning more about the missiles siloed on their lands, and that knowledge has put the preservation of their culture and heritage in even starker relief.

What Would It Mean to 'Absorb' a Nuclear Attack?

Ella Weber — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The missiles on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota make it a potential target for a nuclear attack. And that doesn’t come close to describing what the reality would be for those on the ground.

If You Had a Nuclear Weapon in Your Neighborhood, Would You Want to Know about It?

Ella Weber — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota has had nuclear missile silos on its land for decades. Now the U.S. government wants to take the old weapons out and replace them with new ones, and it’s unclear how many living there know about that.

Just One U.S. Reservation Hosts Nuclear Weapons. This Is The Story of How That Came to Be

Ella Weber — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT

15 nuclear missiles deployed in underground concrete silos across the Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota. It took displacement and flood to get them there.

How Did Nuclear Weapons Get on My Reservation?

Ella Weber — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 13:45:00 GMT

A member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation digs into a decades-long mystery: how 15 intercontinental ballistic missiles came to be siloed on her ancestral lands.

Quick Naps Are Good for Your Brain

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Lydia Denworth — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Daytime naps of about 30 minutes really improve your thinking and may spark creativity.

Funding for Research on Psychedelics Is on the Rise, Along with Scientists' Hopes for Using Them

Rachel Nuwer — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

As interest and support for psychedelic research grows, scientists share their hopes for the future.

Do You Need to 'Trip' for Psychedelics to Work as Medicine?

Rachel Nuwer — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Psychedelic researchers are engaged in heated debate over whether the mind-altering effects of the drugs are necessary for realizing their therapeutic potential.

The Search for New Psychedelics

Rachel Nuwer — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:00:00 GMT

As companies join the hunt, can the field of mind-altering synthetic substances stay true to its original pioneering spirit of wonder, curiosity and connection?

What Are Ultraprocessed Foods, and Are They Bad for You?

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Lori Youmshajekian, Carin Leong, Elah Feder — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:30:00 GMT

More than half of our diet consists of foods that have been industrially processed in some way, and they may be harmful to our health

These Creatures Are Probably the Closest Thing Nature Has to Real Werewolves

Brian Gutierrez — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Under the right conditions, the spadefoot tadpole will transform into a voracious predator of its own species.

The World's Most Frightening Animal Sounds like This

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Lions, tigers, bears: this creature sends all of those beasts running for the hills.

The Tale of the Rotifer That Came Back to Life after 25,000 Years in an Icy Tomb

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Can something spring back to life if it last moved around when woolly mammoths roamed the earth? The answer appears to be yes.

Generative AI Models Are Sucking Up Data from All Over the Internet, Yours Included

Sophie Bushwick, Lauren Leffer, Tulika Bose, Elah Feder — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

In the rush to build and train ever larger AI models, developers have swept up much of the searchable Internet, quite possibly including some of your own public data—and potentially some of your private data as well.

Some Parents Show Their Kids They Care with a Corpse

Emily Schwing — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 18:00:00 GMT

If you’re a silphid beetle, a dead body is all your children really want, and it’s your job—no matter how difficult—to get one for them.

How to Handle This New COVID Season

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio, Elah Feder — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT

The dangerous virus is still here. Here’s how you can stay safe.

As Arctic Sea Ice Breaks Up, AI Is Starting to Predict Where the Ice Will Go

Emily Schwing — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Sea ice is changing fast. Are forecasts created by artificial intelligence the best way to keep up with the pace of a warming climate in the far north?

Scientists Argue Conservation Is under Threat in Indonesia

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Researchers have been banned from working in Indonesia’s tropical rain forests after the government disagreed with their scientific conclusions.

A Soggy Mission to Sniff Out a Greenhouse Gas 'Bomb' in the High Arctic

Jocie Bentley — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

A needlelike tower, hung with sensors, “sniffs” the air above the Arctic Circle for signs of catastrophic thaw in the sodden ground below.

This Indigenous Community Records the Climate Change That Is Causing Its Town to Erode Away

Jocie Bentley — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 14:00:00 GMT

In a tiny village north of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, the Inuvialuit of Tuktoyaktuk have taken climate science into their own hands.

Journey to the Thawing Edge of Climate Change

Jocie Bentley — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT

What is a permafrost thaw slump? Just imagine a massive hole with an area the size of more than nine football fields—and growing—where ice-cold ground once stood.

A Popular Decongestant Doesn't Work. What Does?

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Carin Leong, Elah Feder — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:00:00 GMT

The popular decongestant phenylephrine is not effective, an FDA panel found. Here’s what to use instead.

The State of Large Language Models

Sophie Bushwick, Lauren Leffer — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 16:00:00 GMT

We present the latest updates on ChatGPT, Bard and other competitors in the artificial intelligence arms race.

Song of the Stars, Part 3: The Universe in all Senses

Timmy Broderick, Jason Drakeford, Carin Leong — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:00:00 GMT

An astronomy festival in Italy opted to make all of its events and workshops multisensory. The organizers wanted to see whether sound, touch and smell can, like sight, transmit the wonders of the cosmos.

Song of the Stars, Part 2: Seeing in the Dark

Timmy Broderick, Jason Drakeford, Carin Leong — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT

A blind astronomer “sonified” the universe’s most explosive events: gamma-ray bursts. By listening to, rather than looking at, the data, she made a critical discovery and changed the field of astronomy.

Song of the Stars, Part 1: Transforming Space into Symphonies

Timmy Broderick, Jason Drakeford, Carin Leong — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Space is famously silent, but astronomers and musicians are increasingly turning astronomical data into sound as a way to make discoveries and inspire people who are blind or visually impaired.

This Researcher Captured Air from the Amazon in Dive-Bombs--And Found Grim Clues That the Forest Is Dying

Daniel Grossman — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:00:00 GMT

One researcher has been hiring planes to strafe the sky over the Amazon rain forest to collect the air coming off the trees, and what she is finding is cause for alarm.

Should You Get a Blood Test For Alzheimer's?

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Carin Leong, Alexa Lim — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Consumers can now get easy tests for Alzheimer’s. But these tests may not really help patients that much—yet.

Ada Limón's Poem for Europa, Jupiter's Smallest Galilean Moon

Brianne Kane, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón discusses her involvement in NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and the inspiration behind her poem, which will travel onboard the spacecraft.

How the Woolly Bear Caterpillar Does Something Pretty Amazing to Survive the Winter

Kate Furby, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Caterpillars can’t regulate their body temperatures, so they have to come up with a totally different strategy to make it through the coldest months of the year.

Bees 'Buzz' in More Ways Than You Might Think

Shayla Love, Jeffery DelViscio — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:00:00 GMT

A honeybee swarm has as much electric charge as a thundercloud, and the insects’ mass movements in the atmosphere might even have some influence on the weather.

Scientists Are Beginning to Learn the Language of Bats and Bees Using AI

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:00:00 GMT

The new field of digital bioacoustics is using machine learning to try decipher animal speak, including honeybee toots and quacks and whoops.

Trying to Train Your Brain Faster? Knowing This Might Help with That

Karen Hopkin, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:30:00 GMT

Are you working really hard to learn something? Remember this counterintuitive fact, and you might improve your learning curve.

This Tick Bite Makes You Allergic to Red Meat

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Carin Leong, Alexa Lim — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:00:00 GMT

The bite of the lone star tick makes people allergic to a sugar found in mammalian products, and many doctors don’t know about it.

This Lesbian Monkey Love Triangle Tells Us Something Really Interesting about Darwin's 'Paradox'

Natalia Reagan — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 14:00:00 GMT

A “Darwinian paradox” is that homosexual activity occurs even though it does not lead to or aid in reproduction. But if you visit three capuchin monkeys in Los Angeles, they’ll show you how beneficial their liaisons are.

What the Luddites Can Teach Us about AI

Sophie Bushwick, Elah Feder — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:00:00 GMT

The Luddites did not hate technology—but they did fight the way it was used to exploit humans.

A Pig Kidney Was Just Transplanted Into a Human Body, and It Is Still Working

Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio, Alexa Lim — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Xenotransplants could help to solve the organ transplant crisis—if researchers can get the science right.

Migratory Birds Are in Peril, but Knowing Where They Are at Night Could Help Save Them

Jacob Job — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Light is a very dangerous, if not so obvious, threat to birds who migrate at night. But researchers are using weather radar to track birds and provide “lights out” forecasts to help keep their paths clear of visual distraction.

Artificial Intelligence Is Helping Us 'See' Some of the Billions of Birds Migrating at Night

Jacob Job — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Science is turning to machines to unlock the secrets of the vast, mysterious pulse-of-the-planet phenomenon that is nocturnal migration.

Here's How You Go Birding in the Middle of the Night

Jacob Job — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

If you really want to challenging your bird identification skills, try using them at night, when bird calls are less than 100 milliseconds long.

Using Human-Sized Microphones and Hay Bales, They Unlocked the Mysteries of Bird Migration

Jacob Job — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

For thousands of years, no one truly knew how birds migrated—that is, until a few unlikely pioneers sat in an empty field with hundreds of pounds of kludged together recording gear and waited to hear sounds that no one had ever captured.

They Tap Into the Magical, Hidden Pulse of the Planet, but What is the Nighttime Bird Surveillance Network?

Jacob Job — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

On any given night, dense clouds of dark, ghostly figures pass over your head as you sleep. Maybe you never knew they were there, but there are people out there who are deciphering all the unseen movement that happens amid the darkness.

Hearing Aids Stave Off Cognitive Decline

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Carin Leong, Elah Feder — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Hearing aids may help maintain better brain functions in older people and better health overall.

In This Ancient Garden, Plants Can Cure or Kill You

Shayla Love, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:45:00 GMT

Apothecaries founded this famous garden—one of the most ancient botanical gardens in Europe—to teach their students which plants poison and which plants cure.

The Fungi Economy, Part 3: Can Climate Modeling from Space Save Our Forests?

Meg Duff, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Here’s how scientists are planning on getting underground fungi data from space using satellites.

The Fungi Economy, Part 2: Here's How Plants and Fungi Trade beneath Our Feet

Meg Duff, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 13:30:00 GMT

Atmospheric carbon is a currency that plants use to “buy” nutrients from fungi in the soil. To find out where this economy will go next, the devil is in the details. And the details are in the dirt.

The Fungi Economy, Part 1: Just like Us, Trees Are Experiencing Inflation

Meg Duff, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Like us, plants and fungi have complex economies. By burning fossil fuels, we’ve been devaluing their currency.

Could Weight-Loss Drugs Curb Addiction? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 12

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Lauren J. Young, Alexa Lim, Tulika Bose — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic might help people tackle substance abuse as well as shed pounds.

How to Roll a Joint Perfectly, according to Science

Sophie Bushwick, Tulika Bose, Elah Feder — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Scientists used a smoking machine—complete with a 3-D-printed mouthpiece—to figure out how to get the most cannabinoid per puff.

Here's How AI Can Predict Hit Songs With Frightening Accuracy

Sophie Bushwick, Lucy Tu — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 22:00:00 GMT

New AI technology predicts hit songs—by listening to someone’s body.

Are You a Lucid Dreamer?

Gary Stix, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:30:00 GMT

A sleep researcher who studies what dreams can tell us about the possible onset of some mental disorders believes lucid dreamers might hold a lot of answers in their head.

Here's What 'Oppenheimer' Gets Right--And Wrong--About Nuclear History

Lee Billings, Jeffery DelViscio, Carin Leong — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Here’s what a historian who has studied J. Robert Oppenheimer for two decades has to say about the new Christopher Nolan film on the father of the atomic bomb.

How Stress Messes With Your Gut

Carin Leong, Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups can be traced to mental stress

Should We Care About AI's Emergent Abilities?

Sophie Bushwick, George Musser, Elah Feder — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Here’s how large language models, or LLMs, actually work.

Just like People, Orangutans Get Smoker's Voice

Starre Vartan — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:00:00 GMT

New research has discovered that wildfire smoke hurts these primates’ voice—and health.

Doctor AI Will See You Now

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Carin Leong — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:00:00 GMT

ChatGPT and other AI programs can offer medical advice. But how good are they?

El Niño is Back. What Does That Mean For You?

Andrea Thompson, Jeffery DelViscio, Elah Feder — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The famous climate pattern El Niño could usher in a new hottest year on record and will have domino effects on the world’s weather.

The Kavli Prize Presents: How Your Brain Maps the World [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 19:00:00 GMT

John O’Keefe shared the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience in 2014 for discovering that neurons in the hippocampus encode an animal’s location and create a cognitive map for navigation.

This podcast was produced for the Kavli Prize by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors.

The Universe Is Abuzz with Giant Gravitational Waves, and Scientists Just Heard Them (Maybe)

Lee Billings, Jeffery DelViscio, Alexa Lim, Tulika Bose — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 01:00:00 GMT

Researchers, using the galaxy as a detector, believe they have detected gravitational waves from monster black holes for the first time.

Poisons and Perils on the Salton Sea

Kate Furby, Tulika Bose — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Toxic dust plagues marginalized communities on the shores of this disappearing salt lake.

These Ants Are Probably Better at Navigating Than You Are

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Desert ants living in the featureless salt plains of Tunisia count their steps and erect tall entrances at their nests to find their way back home.

How to Cool Down Fast in Summer Heat

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Your body has a secret cooling method, and scientists explain how to use it.

Follow a Hurricane Expert into the Heart Of the Beast

Andrea Thompson — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 20:00:00 GMT

Along with an expert, we take you into some of nature's most monstrous storms.

Have Astronomers Seen the Universe's First Stars?

Carin Leong, Lee Billings — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The James Webb Space Telescope is giving us our first glimpse of stars in the early universe.

Cleo, the Mysterious Math Menace

Allison Parshall, Tulika Bose, Carin Leong — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

In 2013 a new user named Cleo took an online math forum by storm with unproved answers. Today she’s an urban legend. But who was she?

MDMA Moves from Party Drug Back to Therapy Tool

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Alexa Lim, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The party drug MDMA could soon be approved for treating people with severe PTSD.

Five Things You Need to Know about Wildfire Smoke Right Now

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Where is it coming from? How long will it last? What's in the smoke? Whose health is at risk? How do you clean your own air?

These Predators Had a Face like an Axe and Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Flora Lichtman — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Terror birds were the grizzly bears of birds, the great white sharks of the land, Jack the Ripper but with feathers. They were also truly fascinating.

This Thunderous Goose Relative Was Built like a Tank with the Wings of a Songbird

Flora Lichtman — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Officially, these prehistoric birds are the dromornithids, but everyone who studies them calls them thunderbirds—and for good reason.

This Gargantuan Bird Weighed as Much as a Sports Car

Flora Lichtman — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The elephant bird was the heaviest bird to ever walk the earth. Also, its eggs were 150 times the size of a chicken egg and thick as a dinner plate.

This Massive Scientific Discovery Sat Hidden in a Museum Drawer for Decades

Flora Lichtman — Wed, 31 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The fossil was a prehistoric bird called Pelagornis sandersi, and its wings stretched out twice as wide as those of the great albatross.

The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding the Machinery of the Cell [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Tue, 30 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

James Rothman shared The Kavli Prize in Neuroscience in 2010 for discovering the molecular basis of neurotransmitter release. How did a biochemist come to win such a prestigious prize in neuroscience?

What the End of the COVID Emergency Means for You

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Lauren J. Young — Wed, 24 May 2023 11:00:00 GMT

What you pay for tests, vaccines, and medicine will change

Heat Waves Are Breaking Records. Here's What You Need to Know

Andrea Thompson, Kelso Harper, Alexa Lim — Mon, 22 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

From North America to South Asia, summer heat waves are becoming longer, stronger and more frequent with climate change.

Why We're Worried about Generative AI

Sophie Bushwick, Tulika Bose — Fri, 19 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

From the technology upsetting jobs and causing intellectual property issues to models making up fake answers to questions, here’s why we’re concerned about generative AI.

Dismantling the PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Legacy [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 18 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

More sustainable ways of removing persistent chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the environment are on the horizon.

Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder through the 'Community' of Ella

Josh Fischman, Rebecca J. Lester, Jeffery DelViscio — Wed, 17 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

We learn the story of “Ella,” a patient with 12 different personalities, or “parts,” and of her therapist, who helped her form a peaceful community—many selves in one body and mind.

Is Time Travel Even Possible?

Lee Billings, Clara Moskowitz, Alexa Lim, Tulika Bose — Mon, 15 May 2023 15:45:00 GMT

Two SciAm editors duke it out to see if wormholes and multiverses could in fact exist.

Parrot Babies Babble Just like Us

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 12 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Parrot nestlings spend time stringing together jumbled mixtures of sound—a rehearsal for more adult conversations

A 19th-Century Obscenity Law Is Being Used Again to Limit Abortion

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis — Wed, 10 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Recent rulings on the abortion pill cite the Comstock Act, a 150-year-old law that’s still on the books

These Mini Ecosystems Existed Underfoot of Dinosaurs, but Our Parking Lots Might Pave Them to Extinction

Christopher Intagliata — Mon, 08 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Vernal pools are safe havens for creatures such as fairy shrimp, and they have lived through the end of the dinosaurs, the breakup of Pangaea and multiple ice ages. But humans are paving them over.

This $600-Million Room Contains the World's Largest Collection of These Tiny Endangered Animals

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 05 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Inside a vault at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles lies a microscopic population of immense value—the repository for vernal pool fairy shrimp.

Surviving in the Ephemeral Pools of Life

Christopher Intagliata — Wed, 03 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Carpets of gold, burrowing toads and fairy shrimp all depend on vernal pools—habitats that, most of the time, do not exist.

This Fleeting Ecosystem Is Magical, and You Have Probably Never Heard of It or Even Noticed It

Christopher Intagliata — Mon, 01 May 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Vernal pools are home to spectacular residents such as fairy shrimp, but these unusual natural wonders are under threat.

The Bad Side of 'Good' Cholesterol

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio, Alexa Lim — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Very high HDL cholesterol levels almost double your risk of heart problems.

AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Humans are building meaningful relationships with AI chatbots. What will the consequences be?

A Mission to Jupiter's Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way

Clara Moskowitz, Lee Billings, Kelso Harper — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:00:00 GMT

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.

The Surprising Backstory behind Witch Hunts and Reproductive Labor

Tulika Bose — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Two of the foremost experts on witch hunts talk about the link between the formation of domestic labor and the rise of witch hunting.

What You Need to Know about GPT-4

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper, Tulika Bose — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The AI GPT-4 has emergent abilities—but that’s not why it’s scary.

Good News for Coffee Lovers

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Kelso Harper — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count.

Meet the Magnificent Microbes of the Deep Unknown

Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

These two researchers journey toward the center of Earth—via windows to the crust—to find bacteria that can breathe iron, arsenic and other metals that would kill us pretty quickly.

How Zombifying Fungi Became Master Manipulators

Allison Parshall — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more.

Science Has New Ideas about 'Oumuamua's Weirdness

Lee Billings, Meghan Bartels, Jeffery DelViscio — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood.

Open Offices Aren't Working, so How Do We Design an Office That Does?

Kelso Harper, George Musser — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Insights from Deaf and autistic communities could finally make office spaces better for everyone.

Cosmos, Quickly: Remembering the Genius of Vera Rubin

Tulika Bose, Clara Moskowitz, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Vera Rubin went from a teenager with a cardboard telescope to the “mother of dark matter.” Some of her colleagues and mentees weigh in on her fascinating life and how she was a champion for women in astronomy.

Long COVID's Roots in the Brain: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 3

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Kelso Harper — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system.

If AI Starts Making Music on Its Own, What Happens to Musicians?

Allison Parshall — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Music made with artificial intelligence could upend the music industry. Here’s what that might look like.

Music-Making Artificial Intelligence Is Getting Scary Good

Allison Parshall — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Google’s new AI model can generate entirely new music from text prompts. Here’s what they sound like.

Artificial Intelligence Helped Make the Coolest Song You've Heard This Week

Allison Parshall — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Machine-learning algorithms are getting so good that they can translate Western instruments into Thai ones with ease.

Space Force Humor, Laser Dazzlers, and the Havoc a War in Space Would Actually Wreak

Lee Billings, Clara Moskowitz, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

In the inaugural episode of Cosmos, Quickly, we blast off with Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno of the Space Force, who is charged with protecting our space in space, particularly from Russia and China.

Squeak Squeak, Buzz Buzz: How Researchers Are Using AI to Talk to Animals

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The burgeoning field of “digital bioacoustics” is helping us understand animals like never before.

RSV Vaccines Are Coming At Last: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 2

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval.

If the Mathematical Constant Pi Was a Song, What Would It Sound Like?

Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:00:00 GMT

Every year on Pi Day, we have a reason to celebrate one of math’s most famous symbols. But this year we speak to someone who has captured it in song.

How To Stop a (Potentially Killer) Asteroid

Lee Billings, Tulika Bose — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 11:00:00 GMT

We slammed a $330-million spaceship the size of a dairy cow into an asteroid the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Here’s what we’re learning about how our first step in planetary defense could save us in the future.

The Scientific Secret to Soothing Fussy Babies

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Some animals’ babies physically relax when their parents whisk them away from danger. The same thing works for tiny, wailing humans.

How Helper Sharks Discovered the World's Largest Seagrass Ecosystem

Joseph Polidoro — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Scientists partnered with tiger sharks to map seagrass—the unsung hero of ocean conservation.

How the Woolly Bear Caterpillar Turns into a Popsicle to Survive the Winter

Kate Furby — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Some caterpillars have evolved with antifreeze in their body cavity, allowing them to become cater-Popsicles to survive cold winters. But climate change could threaten that.

The Pandemic's Mental Toll, and Does Telehealth Work? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 1

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Hosts Josh Fischman and Tanya Lewis explore the pandemic’s mental health toll on teens and young adults. They also delve into the effectiveness of telehealth, which has been booming since the start of the pandemic.

Does Not Being Able to Picture Something in Your Mind Affect Your Creativity?

Stefano Montali — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 13:30:00 GMT

Researchers who study aphantasia, or the inability to visualize something in your “mind’s eye,” are starting to get a sense of how to accurately measure the condition and what it may mean for those who have it.

Sorry, UFO Hunters--You Might Just Be Looking at a Spy Balloon

Sophie Bushwick, Tulika Bose — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 11:00:00 GMT

From space aliens to foreign surveillance, we spoke to experts to find out what’s really going on with the balloon brouhaha.

Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 20:00:00 GMT

Successfully mitigating the impacts of climate change will rely heavily on innovation in science and technology.

How Do We Find Aliens? Maybe Unlearn What We Know About 'Life' First

Clara Moskowitz, Sarah Scoles — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Science might be redefining what “life out there” really means.

Love and the Brain: Do Partnerships Really Make Us Happy? Here's What the Science Says

Shayla Love — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 12:00:00 GMT

How romance affects our well-being is a lot more complicated than “they lived happily ever after.”

Love and the Brain: The Animal Matchmaker and the Panda Romeo and Juliet

Shayla Love — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 11:00:00 GMT

In fair zoo-ona, a pair of star-cross’d pandas take their life. And we learn about whether or not animals can fall in love.

Love and the Brain: How Attached Are We to Attachment Styles?

Shayla Love — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Are you “anxious,” “avoidant” or “disorganized?” So-called attachment styles have taken the Internet by storm. But it turns out there’s a lot more to unpack than people think.

Love and the Brain, Part 1: The 36 Questions, Revisited

Shayla Love — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Host Shayla Love dives into the true story behind the now infamous 36 questions that lead to love.

Coming Soon to Your Podcast Feed: Science, Quickly

Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 15:00:00 GMT

A new era in Scientific American audio history is about to drop starting next week. Get ready for a science variety show guaranteed to quench your curiosity in under 10 minutes.

The 60-Second Podcast Takes a Short Break--But Wait, There's More

Jeffery DelViscio — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 20:00:00 GMT

Scientific American’s short-form podcast has been going for 16 years, three months and seven days, counting today. But it’s time for us to evolve.

Is Your Phone Actually Draining Your Brain?

Shayla Love — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 10:30:00 GMT

A new study puts the “brain drain hypothesis”—the idea that just having a phone next to you impacts your cognition—to the test to see if the science passes muster.

Why Your Dog Might Think You're a Bonehead

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:00:00 GMT

The verdict is in: female dogs actively evaluate human competence.

Alaska's Protective Sea Ice Wall Is Crumbling because of the Climate Crisis

Emily Schwing — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 20:00:00 GMT

A massive storm slammed into Alaska’s western coast, and there was no ice to stop it.

It's the Bass That Makes Us Boogie

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Concertgoers danced more when music was supplemented with low-frequency bass tones.

How Vaccines Saved Money and Lives and China's Zero-COVID Protests: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 44

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:45:00 GMT

Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.

'Chatty Turtles' Flip the Script on the Evolutionary Origins of Vocalization in Animals

Pakinam Amer — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Recordings of more than 50 species of turtles and other animals help scientists reassess the origins of acoustic communication in vertebrates.

Tardigrades, an Unlikely Sleeping Beauty

Ashleigh Papp — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 11:00:00 GMT

Researchers put this ancient critter through a subzero gauntlet to learn more about what happens to their internal clock while surviving the extreme.

A Burned Redwood Forest Tells a Story of Climate Change, Past, Present and Future

Sarah Goodwin, Shannon Behrman — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:30:00 GMT

From the ashes of the giants of Big Basin Redwoods State Park arise a history of fire suppression and real questions about what happens to the forests in a drought-stricken West Coast going forward.

Antivirals Could Reduce Long COVID Risk and How Well the New Boosters Work: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 43

Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 10:30:00 GMT

In this new episode of our coronavirus podcast, we discuss a study that looked at the effects of Paxlovid on long COVID symptoms, and we also talk new bivalent boosters and immunity.

A Honeybee Swarm Has as Much Electric Charge as a Thundercloud

Shayla Love — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 13:00:00 GMT

New research shows that bees “buzz” in more than the way you might think.

These Punk Rock Penguins Have a Bizarre Breeding Strategy

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 20:30:00 GMT

New Zealand’s erect-crested penguin lays two eggs but rejects the first one—the opposite of how most birds prioritize their offspring.

The Viral Triple Threat and Why You Need a Booster: COVID, Quickly, Episode 42

Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 10:30:00 GMT

COVID, flu and RSV are surging. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself.

What You Need to Know about Iran's Surveillance Tech

Sophie Bushwick, Tulika Bose — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Scientific American technology editor Sophie Bushwick explains how Iran is using surveillance tech against vulnerable citizens.

Delivering Equitable Lung Cancer Care [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 19:00:00 GMT

As recent advances improve the prospects of detecting and catching lung cancer early, a new challenge arises: how to ensure people worldwide, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances, benefit from new clinical tools.

New Halloween 'Scariant' Variants and Boosting Your Immunity: COVID, Quickly, Episode 41

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 09:30:00 GMT

In a new episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about the variants that are likely to be around this winter and how boosters help even if you’ve already had the disease.

These Hawks Have Figured Out How to See the Bat in the Swarm

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:00:00 GMT

New research shows that birds of prey attempting to grab a bat from a roiling mass of the flying mammals have developed a way to cope with the confusion.

Naps Not Needed to Make New Memories

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Rats kept awake after exploring novel objects remembered the original items but not where they’d seen those objects, raising interesting questions about human sleep.

How the Pandemic Shortened Life Expectancy and New Drugs on the Horizon: COVID, Quickly, Episode 40

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 10:00:00 GMT

In this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about why we’ve had years shaved off our average collective life since 2020. Also, we talk about “mabs” and why you might want to know what they are.

Engineering the Treatment of Early-Stage Lung Cancer [SPONSORED]

Scientific American Custom Media — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Early-stage lung cancers are not only difficult to diagnose—they’ve also proved difficult to curatively treat.

Rediscovered Red Wolf Genes May Help Conserve the Species

Fionna M. D. Samuels — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:00:00 GMT

A surprising new gene discovery in coyotes may help conserve the critically endangered wolf.

What the Disease Feels Like, and Presidents Can't End Pandemics: COVID, Quickly, Episode 39

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:30:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, Josh Fischman gets COVID, and President Joe Biden says the pandemic is over.

These Spiders Use Their Webs like Huge, Silky Ears

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 14:00:00 GMT

A study of orb-weaving spiders shows that the arachnids’ webs pick up a range of sounds—and that they are always “listening” for vibrations coming in over them.

Chewing Consumes a Surprising Amount of Energy

Christopher Intagliata — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Chomping on food takes so much energy that it shaped human evolution. Our ancestors spent many hours a day chewing, which may have shaped our teeth and jaws.

These Bats Buzz like Bees to Save Their Own Lives

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:00:00 GMT

New research has discovered the first case of acoustic mimicry between a mammal and an insect—an acquired skill that could just save certain bats’ skin.

Unvaxxed Kids and 8 Days a Week (of Isolation): COVID, Quickly, Episode 38

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 09:00:00 GMT

This is our second back-to-school special episode of COVID. Quickly. Today we talk about two big issues: the low vaccination rates among the littlest kids and how long you should quarantine after being sick (actually).

Listen to Images from the James Webb Space Telescope

Camilo Garzón — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 15:00:00 GMT

It turns out that making new views of the universe accessible to those with vision impairment has required some deep thought—and carefully chosen words.

These Tiny Pollinators Can Travel Surprisingly Huge Distances

Christopher Intagliata — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 19:00:00 GMT

It turns out that hoverflies may fly hundreds or even thousands of miles—all to help pollinate our flowers and vegetables.

During a Heat Wave, You Can Blast the AC, but What Does a Squirrel Do?

Ashleigh Papp — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 18:00:00 GMT

Although recent spikes in temperature affect all of us, our urban critters have had to find their own ways to beat the heat. Sometimes they “sploot.”

Back-to-School Special: Kids, Tests and Long COVID Reassurance: COVID, Quickly, Episode 37

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Tulika Bose — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 14:45:00 GMT

This is our back-to-school special episode of COVID, Quickly. We’ll talk about why COVID testing is about to become a school problem—and about whether or not kids are at risk for long COVID.

This Artificial Intelligence Learns like a Baby

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Engineers at the company DeepMind built a machine-learning system based on research on how babies’ brain works, and it did better on certain tasks than its conventional counterparts.

Understanding the Inner Workings of Stars [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Conny Aerts is an astrophysicist and a pioneer of asteroseismology. This year she shared the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics for her research and leadership that has laid the foundations of solar and stellar structure theory, and revolutionized our understanding of the interiors of stars.

Dogs Actually Tear Up When Their Owners Come Home

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Our puppies’ eyes well up, a reaction caused by oxytocin, which makes us want to take care of them even more.

A Lifelong Quest to Improve Mental Health among Cancer Patients [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Recognizing those who are making a meaningful impact in the lives of cancer patients, the Cancer Community Awards, sponsored by AstraZeneca, presents an individual or organization with the President’s Award. We reconnected with Margaret Stauffer, the 2021 winner, to hear more about what’s happened since she received the award.

How Next-Generation Sequencing Can Enable Precision Oncology [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Celebrating those who enhance the ability to provide the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, the Cancer Community Awards, sponsored by AstraZeneca, presents an individual or organization with the Catalyst for Precision Medicine Award. We prepared for this year’s awards by reconnecting with the 2021 winner, Dr. Colin Pritchard, to hear more about what’s happened since he received the award.

Hawking, a Paradox and a Black Hole Mystery, Solved?

Clara Moskowitz, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 14:00:00 GMT

We do not have a theory to tell us everything about how a black hole works, but new research is shedding a least some light on one of their many mysteries.

Monkeypox Update and Homing in on Long COVID: COVID, Quickly, Episode 36

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 09:00:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we take a few minutes to talk about the other virus making headlines—and then return to long COVID.

Fueling Patients' Drive to Treatment [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Celebrating those who significantly improve access to cancer care for underserved populations, the Cancer Community Awards, sponsored by AstraZeneca, presents an individual or organization with a Catalyst for Change Award. We spoke with the 2021 award winner, Tomma Hargraves, to learn more about what’s happened since she received the award.

Researchers Created a Potion That Turns Loud Lions into Placid Pussycats

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 13:00:00 GMT

A single whiff of oxytocin, a chemical that some call the “love hormone,” promotes tolerance among lions at a wildlife sanctuary.

Reaching the Root of Disparities in Cancer Care [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Celebrating those who strive to overcome disparities in cancer care to bring quality services to their patients, the Cancer Community Awards, sponsored by AstraZeneca, created the Catalyst for Equity Award. We spoke with Dr. Anne Marie Murphy, executive director of Equal Hope and winner of the award in 2021, to learn more about what’s happened since her organization received the award.

For Some Dolphins, the Key to Mating is Rolling with a Tight, Noisy Crew

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:00:00 GMT

A pair of studies show that male bottlenose dolphins rely on wingmen when wooing mates—and that they cultivate these friendships by being vocal.

A Source of Integrative Support for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Patients [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Celebrating those who are making a patient’s experience as easy as possible during an extraordinarily difficult time, the Cancer Community Awards, sponsored by AstraZeneca, presents an individual or organization with a Catalyst for Care Award. We spoke with the 2021 winner, Unite for HER’s founder and CEO Sue Weldon, to hear more about what’s happened since her organization received the award.

How Common Are Reinfections? And How Trust Can Beat the Virus: COVID, Quickly, Episode 35

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 13:00:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about getting reinfected with the coronavirus just a month or two after an earlier bout—and the difference that trusting others can make in a pandemic.

The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding Molecules [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Jacob Sagiv is a chemist who studies properties of self-assembled monolayers. This year, he shared The Kavli Prize in Nanoscience for his research.

Transforming the Trajectory of Lung Cancer [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Lung cancer is the number-one cause of cancer deaths in the world. But how many lives would be saved if doctors could diagnose and treat it before it progresses?

Polar Bears That Persist

Fionna M. D. Samuels, Tulika Bose — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 16:00:00 GMT

A new subpopulation of Greenland polar bears offers insights into how this species might hang on as Arctic ice disappears.

Omicron's Nasty New Variants and Better Boosters to Battle Them: COVID, Quickly, Episode 34

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Tulika Bose — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 10:30:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about the increase in new Omicron subvariants. Should fall vaccine boosters contain standard Omicron or some of those new subvariants instead?

A Remote-Controlled Carnivorous Plant?

Karen Hopkin — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 18:30:00 GMT

Researchers design an artificial neuron that can trigger closure of a Venus flytrap.

Kids' Vaccines at Last and Challenges in Making New Drugs: COVID, Quickly, Episode 33

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 13:00:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we discuss some parents breathing a collective sigh of relief and the paradox of how effective vaccines can make it harder to create new drugs to treat patients who get the coronavirus.

How AI Facial Recognition Is Helping Conserve Pumas

Ashleigh Papp — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 15:15:00 GMT

Researchers tricked out conventional camera traps to snap headshots of Puma concolor, revealing a better way to track the elusive species.

The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Huda Zoghbi is a clinician-scientist who studies the molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. This year she shared the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for discovering the genetic pathways behind serious brain disorders.

Female CEOs Change How Firms Talk about Women

Karen Hopkin — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Appointing women to leadership positions renders organizations more likely to describe all women as being powerful, persistent and bold.

COVID Death Rates Explained, Dismal Booster Stats and New Vaccines

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio, Tulika Bose — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:00:00 GMT

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we clear up some data misconceptions, get to the bottom of the booster uptake issue and talk Novavax.

Hedgehogs Host the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Bacteria resistant to methicillin emerged in hedgehogs long before the drug was prescribed to treat infections.

Meerkats Are Getting Climate Sick

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 14:00:00 GMT

For meerkats in the Kalahari Desert, rising temperatures spark deadly outbreaks of tuberculosis.

'Where Are Vaccines for Little Kids?' and the Latest on Long COVID

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Tue, 31 May 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between.

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Your Phone Could Be Used to Prosecute for Getting an Abortion: Here's How

Sophie Bushwick, Tulika Bose — Sat, 21 May 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Technology editor Sophie Bushwick breaks down the precedent for using your phone to monitor personal health data.

If Sea Ice Melts in the Arctic, Do Trees Burn in California?

Emily Schwing — Thu, 19 May 2022 16:00:00 GMT

A new study links sea ice decline with increasing wildfire weather in the Western U.S.

How to Care for COVID at Home, and Is That Sniffle Allergies or the Virus? COVID Quickly, Episode 30

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Mon, 16 May 2022 14:30:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

How Astronomers Finally Captured a Photo of our Own Galaxy's Black Hole

Seth Fletcher, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Thu, 12 May 2022 14:40:00 GMT

It took hundreds of researchers and many telescopes to capture an image of the black hole at the middle of our Milky Way.

Two-Headed Worms Tell Us Something Fascinating about Evolution

Ashleigh Papp — Tue, 10 May 2022 14:00:00 GMT

Researchers looked back at more than 100 years of research and found that a fascination with annelids with mixed up appendages was strong—and that research still has relevance today.

The Harmful Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade

Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Fri, 06 May 2022 20:45:00 GMT

A landmark study of women who were turned away from getting the procedure found that being forced to have a child worsened their health and economic status.

Safer Indoor Air, and People Want Masks on Planes and Trains: COVID Quickly, Episode 29

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Tulika Bose — Mon, 02 May 2022 22:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Climate Change Is Shrinking Animals, Especially Bird-Brained Birds

Shahla Farzan — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:00:00 GMT

As the world warms, many animals are getting smaller. For birds, new research shows what they have upstairs may just make a different in how much smaller they get.

Cosmic Simulation Shows How Dark-Matter-Deficient Galaxies Confront Goliath and Survive

Joanna Thompson — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:00:00 GMT

A research team finds seven tiny dwarf galaxies stripped of their dark matter that nonetheless persisted despite the theft.

Venturing Back to the Office and the Benefits of Hybrid Immunity: COVID Quickly, Episode 28

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Tulika Bose — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 22:30:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Science Finally Has a Good Idea about Why We Stutter

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 15:00:00 GMT

A glitch in speech initiation gives rise to the repetition that characterizes stuttering.

Love Computers? Love History? Listen to This Podcast

Katie Hafner, The Lost Women of Science Initiative — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 17:00:00 GMT

In the newest season of Lost Women of Science, we enter a world of secrecy, computers and nuclear weapons—and see how Klára Dán von Neumann was a part of all of it.

Probiotics Could Help Save Overheated Corals

Sarah Vitak — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Think of the process as a kind of marine fecal transplant—except the restorative bacteria do not come from stool; they come from other corals.

The History of the Milky Way Comes into Focus

Christopher Intagliata — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:00:00 GMT

By dating nearly a quarter-million stars, astronomers were able to reconstruct the history of our galaxy—and they say it has lived an “enormously sheltered life.”

Second Boosters, Masks in the Next Wave and Smart Risk Decisions: COVID Quickly, Episode 27

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 17:45:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

New Research Decodes the Sea Cow's Hidden Language

Ashleigh Papp — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Florida manatees are “talking” up a storm, and a team that has been recording those sounds for seven years is starting to understand the chatter.

Does This Look like a Face to You?

Karen Hopkin — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Science—and experience—show that we most definitely see faces in inanimate objects. But new research finds that, more often than not, we perceive those illusory faces as male.

Some Good News about Corals and Climate Change

Christopher Intagliata — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 20:00:00 GMT

A nearly two-year-long study of Hawaiian corals suggests some species may be better equipped to handle warmer, more acidic waters than previously believed.

Florida Gets Kids and Vaccines Wrong and Ukraine's Health Crisis: COVID Quickly, Episode 26

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Tulika Bose, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 18:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Are You Better Than a Machine at Spotting a Deepfake?

Sarah Vitak — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 17:00:00 GMT

New research shows that detecting digital fakes generated by machine learning might be a job best done with humans still in the loop.

A Treasure Trove of Dinosaur Bones in Italy Rewrites the Local Prehistoric Record

Emily Schwing — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 15:00:00 GMT

New fossils are changing a decades-old story about the species that roamed the Mediterranean 80 million years ago.

Chimps Apply Insects to Their Wounds

Christopher Intagliata — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 16:00:00 GMT

It is not clear whether the act has medicinal benefit or is merely a cultural practice among the animals.

The Push to Move Past the Pandemic: COVID Quickly, Episode 25

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 19:30:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Researchers Analyzed Folk Music like It Was DNA: They Found Parallels between Life and Art

Karen Hopkin — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Using software designed to align DNA sequences, scientists cataloged the mutations that arose as folk songs evolved

How Hong Kong 'Sees' Invisible Tailpipe Emissions and Pulls Polluters Off the Road

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 16:00:00 GMT

The city has deployed a system of sensors to flag highly polluting vehicles. Nearly all of them have been repaired, helping to clean Hong Kong’s air.

This Maine Farm Is Harvesting the Sun's Power while it Picks the Blueberries

Teresa L. Carey — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:00:00 GMT

In Rockport, Me., an array of nearly 11,000 solar panels will soon begin a solar harvest as the sweet berries growing below them ripen on the bush.

Tracking Outbreaks through Sewers, and Kids' Vaccines on Hold Again: COVID Quickly, Episode 24

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 19:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

The Romantic Temptation of the Monogamous Prairie Vole

Ashleigh Papp — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:00:00 GMT

The small rodents are one of the few known monogamists in the wild—and their faithfulness was put to the test in a lab.

Answering an Age-Old Mystery: How Do Birds Actually Fly?

Emily Schwing — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Equally surprising is the fact that we still do not know how birds actually stay airborne.

More Kids Get COVID, Long Haulers and a Vaccine Milestone: COVID Quickly, Episode 23

Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 16:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

What Is the Shape of This Word?

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 15:00:00 GMT

What shape do you see when you hear “bouba”? What about “kiki”? It turns out that nonsense words that evoke certain shapes have something to say about the origins of language.

Tiger Sharks, Tracked over Decades, Are Shifting Their Haunts with Ocean Warming

Christopher Intagliata — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Using a combination of fishing data and satellite tracking, scientists found that the sharks have shifted their range some 250 miles poleward over the past 40 years.

How Marine Wildlife Can Coexist with Offshore Wind [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Harnessing the wind to blow back emissions is not without its own impacts, so researchers are developing technologies to coexist with whales and other ocean-dwelling species.

COVID Quickly, Episode 22: Colds Build COVID Immunity and the Omicron Vaccine Delay

Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

The Surprising Physics of Finger Snapping

Karen Hopkin — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT

You might not think that you can generate more body acceleration than a big-league baseball pitcher, but new research shows you can.

Salvador Dali's Creative Secret Is Backed by Science

Christopher Intagliata — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 15:00:00 GMT

The painter described falling into the briefest of slumbers to refresh his mind. Now scientists have shown the method is effective at inducing creativity.

A Growing Force of Fiery Zombies Threatens Cold Northern Forests

Emily Schwing — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Wildfires, appearing dead in winter, are actually smoldering and then bouncing back to life in spring to consume increasingly more land in the Far North.

Listen to This New Podcast: Lost Women of Science

Katie Hafner, The Lost Women of Science Initiative — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 16:00:00 GMT

A new podcast is on a mission to retrieve unsung female scientists from oblivion.

Canary Islands Eruption Resets Volcano Forecasts

Christopher Intagliata — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 17:00:00 GMT

A volcanologist says the eruption on the island of La Palma is a unique window into the “personality” of basaltic volcanoes.

COVID Quickly, Episode 21: Vaccines against Omicron and Pandemic Progress

Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 18:30:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

As Forests Burn, a Climate Puzzle Materializes in the Far North

Emily Schwing — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:00:00 GMT

A 15-year study of where carbon lies in boreal forests has unearthed a surprising finding.

Astronomers Spot Two Dust Bunnies Hiding in the Early Universe

Christopher Intagliata — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 15:00:00 GMT

The scientists found several previously hidden galaxies that date back to 13 billion years ago—and many more might be missing from our current census of the early universe.

COVID Quickly, Episode 20: The Omicron Scare, and Anti-COVID Pills Are Coming

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 17:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

To Better Persuade a Human, a Robot Should Use This Trick

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:00:00 GMT

A new study finds that, for robots, overlords are less persuasive than peers.

Redo of a Famous Experiment on the Origins of Life Reveals Critical Detail Missed for Decades

Sarah Vitak — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 16:00:00 GMT

The Miller-Urey experiment showed that the conditions of early Earth could be simulated in a glass flask. New research finds the flask itself played an underappreciated, though outsize, role.

COVID Quickly, Episode 19: Mandate Roadblocks, Boosters for All and Sickness in the Zoo

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 18:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

Flocking Together May Have Helped Dinosaurs Dominate the Earth

Christopher Intagliata — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 16:00:00 GMT

A fossil bed in Patagonia provides evidence of complex social structure in dinosaurs as early as 193 million years ago. And scientists say that herding behavior could have been key to the beasts’ success.

Engineered Bacteria Use Air Bubbles as Acoustically Detonated Tumor TNT

Sarah Vitak — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 20:00:00 GMT

Ultrasound triggered cells home in on tumors and then self destruct to deliver damage or therapeutics from inside.

COVID Quickly, Episode 18: Vaccines for Kids and the Limits of Natural Immunity

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 17:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

These Bugs Produce Smelly Defenses That Need to Be Heard to Be Believed

Karen Hopkin — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT

You read that right. Researchers have taken the chemical defenses of some insects and turned them into sounds, which, it turns out, repel people just as well.

For Some Parents, Hiding a Dead Body Shows How Much You Care

Emily Schwing — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT

Over millions of years of evolution, some beetles have learned to dampen the stench of decay to help their young thrive.

Date of the Vikings' First Atlantic Crossing Revealed by Rays from Space

Christopher Intagliata — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:00:00 GMT

By dating the remnants of trees felled in Newfoundland, scientists have determined that the Norse people likely first set foot in the Americas in the year A.D. 1021.

COVID Quickly, Episode 17: Vaccine Lies and Protecting Immunocompromised People

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:30:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

How Can an Elephant Squeak Like a Mouse?

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:00:00 GMT

New research using a camera that can “see" sound” shows some elephants can produce high-pitched buzzing with their lips.

Beethoven's Unfinished 10th Symphony Brought to Life by Artificial Intelligence

Teresa L. Carey — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT

Nearly 200 years after his death, the German composer’s musical scratch was pieced together by machine—with a lot of human help.

The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding the Universe [Sponsored]

Scientific American Custom Media — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 17:00:00 GMT

Ewine van Dishoeck received the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics in 2018 for elucidating the life cycle of interstellar clouds and the formation of stars and planets. What other mysteries of space are left to be uncovered?

A Canary in an Ice-Rich, Slumping Rock Glacier in Alaska

Emily Schwing — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 21:00:00 GMT

Here’s what we can learn about climate change and infrastructure from Denali National Park’s only road.

COVID Quickly, Episode 16: Vaccines Protect Pregnancies and a New Antiviral Pill

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT

You can listen to all past episodes here.

The Mystery of Water Drops That Skate Across Oil at Impossible Speeds

Sarah Vitak — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 14:00:00 GMT

The speed of these self-propelling droplets on a hot-oil surface seemed to defy physics until researchers broke out the super-slow-motion camera.