A Moment of Science

Chewers, crunchers, smooshers, and suckers. How do you eat? 03.11.2023 2:00 ↓

While we all have different tastes when it comes to food, the process of chewing seems to be something we share.

How do aardvarks eat? 02.11.2023 2:00 ↓

Aardvarks are mighty predators in the insect world. How do they do it?

Were myths of unicorns based in reality? 01.11.2023 2:00 ↓

Unicorns are a legend, but there is growing evidence that the legend may have been inspired by a real animal.

Our closest relatives can plan ahead, too 31.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Bonobos, our closest great ape relative, and orangutans, our most distant great ape relative, also appear to be capable of planning ahead.

Do you hear what I hear? 30.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Are there other ways plants respond to their environments that we just can’t perceive?

How much water is in that glass? 27.10.2023 2:00 ↓

How does the shape of a glass affect how much you drink? A scientist set out to examine just this, and the results are rather astounding.

Changing a koala's stomach microbiome 26.10.2023 1:59 ↓

Koalas are more than just picky eaters. A Moment of Science looks into what makes their stomachs so sensitive

Keep your magnets away from that meteorite 25.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Are you looking for a new hobby? Do you love the thrill of discovery? Are you the kind of person who enjoys the great outdoors? Then meteorite hunting might be for you.

It's easy being green for the palo verde 24.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Not just any old plant has what it takes to survive desert heat.

The orchid with a distinctive body odor 23.10.2023 2:00 ↓

There are orchids that smell like rotting meat and orchids that smell like fish to attract pollinators. This one smells like us.

We carry around our own bacterial clouds 20.10.2023 1:59 ↓

Just like Pigpen and his cloud of dust, we have a cloud of bacteria that follows us everywhere

How do camels avoid getting thirsty? 19.10.2023 2:00 ↓

A camel can travel hundreds of miles, over several days, without stopping to drink. On today's Moment of Science, we'll learn how camels survive the dry desert.

What do alcoholism and having a sweet tooth have in common? 18.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Compared to craving other things, such as alcohol for example, having a yearning for sweets seems relatively harmless.

Warming up with a nice cup of nectar 17.10.2023 2:00 ↓

A warm drink on a cold day is a great combo, and humans aren't the only species to discover this.

The hidden world inside lava caves 16.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Do you live near a dormant volcano? You might have a weird wonderland right beneath your feet.

These caves were formed by lava 13.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Kazumura is a lava cave over forty miles long, the largest in the world!

The sort-of giant cavefish of India 12.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Deep in some underground pools lives a shadowy creature. Its existence has remained hidden away—until now.

What causes heavy rain? 11.10.2023 1:59 ↓

Some days rain falls in a light, calm sweep across the earth. On other days rain falls in a torrential downpour, flooding the ground below. So, what causes this difference?

Swear words increase pain tolerance, but only "traditional" ones 10.10.2023 2:00 ↓

If we stub our toes or get other sudden injuries, sometimes a swear pops out. Could they be helpful?

The chemical that keeps swarming locusts from eating each other 10.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Locusts gather into huge, ravenously hungry migratory swarms.

Shakespearean words on the brain 06.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Hearing or reading language used in this shifted way causes a sudden jump in brain activity.

The spa of the sea 05.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Cleaner wrasse have made it their jobs to clean their fish friends.

The epidemiological consequences of climate change on mosquito niche range 04.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Where and how we interact with mosquitos has become complicated by climate change.

A new layer of Earth's core 03.10.2023 2:00 ↓

Researchers study earthquakes to learn more about our planet's interior, and new information came to light in 2023.

The importance of rediscovery and the nose-horned lizard 02.10.2023 2:00 ↓

A researcher found a nose-horned lizard in 2018, which hadn't been seen for 130 years!