Scientific American

Science Quickly

Science EN ↓ 1982 episodes

Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.sciencequickly.com

Author

Scientific American

Episodes

Surviving in the Ephemeral Pools of Life 03.05.2023 10:31

Carpets of gold, burrowing toads and fairy shrimp all depend on vernal pools—habitats that, most of the time, do not exist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Fleeting Ecosystem Is Magical, and You Have Probably Never Heard of It or Even Noticed It 01.05.2023 8:50

Vernal pools are home to spectacular residents such as fairy shrimp, but these unusual natural wonders are under threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do We Need To Save the Whales Again? 28.04.2023 8:25

A scientist who does whale necropsies — or in layman's terms, whale autopsies — tells us why so many dead whales are washing up on beaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bad Side of 'Good' Cholesterol 26.04.2023 9:14

Very high HDL cholesterol levels almost double your risk of heart problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them 24.04.2023 13:38

Humans are building meaningful relationships with AI chatbots. What will the consequences be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Mission to Jupiter's Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way 19.04.2023 8:43

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Surprising Backstory behind Witch Hunts and Reproductive Labor 18.04.2023 8:31

Two of the foremost experts on witch hunts talk about the link between the formation of domestic labor and the rise of witch hunting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What You Need to Know about GPT-4 14.04.2023 10:42

The AI GPT-4 has emergent abilities—but that’s not why it’s scary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good News for Coffee Lovers 12.04.2023 11:06

A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet the Magnificent Microbes of the Deep Unknown 10.04.2023 13:32

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Zombifying Fungi Became Master Manipulators 07.04.2023 13:07

The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science Has New Ideas about 'Oumuamua's Weirdness 05.04.2023 6:10

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Open Offices Aren't Working, so How Do We Design an Office That Does? 03.04.2023 12:44

Insights from Deaf and autistic communities could finally make office spaces better for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cosmos, Quickly: Remembering the Genius of Vera Rubin 31.03.2023 11:57

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long COVID's Roots in the Brain: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 3 29.03.2023 12:16

Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If AI Starts Making Music on Its Own, What Happens to Musicians? 27.03.2023 16:16

Music made with artificial intelligence could upend the music industry. Here’s what that might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music-Making Artificial Intelligence Is Getting Scary Good 24.03.2023 16:46

Google’s new AI model can generate entirely new music from text prompts. Here’s what they sound like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial Intelligence Helped Make the Coolest Song You've Heard This Week 22.03.2023 14:39

Machine-learning algorithms are getting so good that they can translate Western instruments into Thai ones with ease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Space Force Humor, Laser Dazzlers, and the Havoc a War in Space Would Actually Wreak 20.03.2023 15:06

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Squeak Squeak, Buzz Buzz: How Researchers Are Using AI to Talk to Animals 17.03.2023 11:20

The burgeoning field of “digital bioacoustics” is helping us understand animals like never before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RSV Vaccines Are Coming At Last: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 2 15.03.2023 10:22

A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the Mathematical Constant Pi Was a Song, What Would It Sound Like? 14.03.2023 10:57

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How To Stop a (Potentially Killer) Asteroid 10.03.2023 9:08

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Scientific Secret to Soothing Fussy Babies 08.03.2023 6:01

Some animals’ babies physically relax when their parents whisk them away from danger. The same thing works for tiny, wailing humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Helper Sharks Discovered the World's Largest Seagrass Ecosystem 06.03.2023 6:55

Scientists partnered with tiger sharks to map seagrass—the unsung hero of ocean conservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices