Scientific American

Science Quickly

Science EN ↓ 1942 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.

Author

Scientific American

Episodes

Extinction Wipes Out Evolution's Hard Work 05.08.2019 3:18

By killing off many of New Zealand’s endemic birds, humans destroyed 50 million years’ worth of evolutionary history. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

London Is Crawling with Drug-Resistant Microbes 03.08.2019 2:49

Nearly half of bacteria gathered in public settings around the city were resistant to two or more commonly used antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Male Black Widows Poach Rivals' Approaches 01.08.2019 3:10

Mating is risky business for black widow males—so they hitchhike on the silk threads left by competitors to more quickly find a mate. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Babies Want Fair Leaders 31.07.2019 4:11

Babies as young as a year and a half want leaders to fix situations in which they see someone else being treated unfairly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parrots Are Making the U.S. Home 30.07.2019 3:47

Released or escaped parrots are now living in most states and are breeding in at least 21. For some, it’s a second chance at survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science News Briefs from All Over 29.07.2019 3:29

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Guatemala to Australia, including one about the first recorded tornado in Nepal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tourist Photographs Help African Wildlife Census 25.07.2019 3:29

Photographs snapped by safari tourists are a surprisingly accurate way to assess populations of African carnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Ants, the Sky's the Compass 23.07.2019 3:17

Computer modeling revealed that insects with a celestial compass can likely determine direction down to just a couple degrees of error. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Two Moonships Were Better Than One 20.07.2019 3:50

Engineer John Houbolt pushed for a smaller ship to land on the lunar surface while the command module stayed in orbit around the moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Small Scoop, One Giant Impact for Mankind 19.07.2019 5:00

Just before Neil Armstrong climbed back into the lunar module, he scooped up a few last-minute soil samples--which upturned our understanding of planetary formation. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigating the Zombie Ant's "Death Grip" 18.07.2019 2:59

Researchers dissected the jaws of ants infected with the Ophiocordyceps fungus to determine how the fungus hijacks the ants' behavior. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attractive Young Females May Have Justice Edge 16.07.2019 3:53

Youths rated as attractive were less likely to have negative encounters with the criminal justice system—but only if they were women. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tobacco Plants Made to Produce Useful Compounds 15.07.2019 4:00

A proof-of-concept study got transgenic tobacco plants to make a useful enzyme in their chloroplasts, not nuclei, minimizing chances for transfer to other organisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rhinos and Their Gamekeepers Benefit from AI 11.07.2019 4:51

Starting in 2017, an artificial intelligence monitoring system at the Welgevonden Game Reserve in South Africa has been helping to protect rhinos and their caretakers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Backpack Harvests Energy as You Walk 10.07.2019 2:56

The pack produces a steady trickle of electricity from the swinging motion of your stuff. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Baseballs Are Flying in 2019 09.07.2019 4:06

An analysis of the 2019 edition of the Major League baseball points to reasons why it's leaving ballparks at a record rate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Hot Dog Histology 03.07.2019 3:12

A lab analysis found that even an all-beef frankfurter had very little skeletal muscle, or "meat." So what’s in there? Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mind and Body Benefit from Two Hours in Nature Each Week 01.07.2019 3:53

People who spent at least two hours outside—either all at once or totaled over several shorter visits—were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientist Encourages Other Women Scientists to Make Themselves Heard 30.06.2019 3:51

Geneticist Natalie Telis noticed few women asking questions at scientific conferences. So she publicized the problem and set about to make a change. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Male Bats Up Mating Odds with Mouth Morsels 27.06.2019 3:29

Males that allow females to take food right out of their mouths are more likely to sire offspring with their dining companions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists Fool Flies with "Virtual Tastes" 26.06.2019 3:33

By switching fruit flies' sensory neurons on and off with light, scientists were able to create the sensation of sweet or bitter tastes. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wheat Plants "Sneeze" and Spread Disease 25.06.2019 3:13

Wheat plants' leaves repel water, which creates the perfect conditions for dew droplets to catapult off the leaves—taking pathogenic spores for the ride. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elite Runners' Microbes Make Mice Mightier 24.06.2019 4:40

Mice that were fed bacteria isolated from elite athletes logged more treadmill time than other mice that got bacteria found in yogurt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science News Briefs from around the World 23.06.2019 3:32

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Canada to Kenya, including one about how humans thousands of years ago in what is now Argentina butchered and presumably ate giant ground sloths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antiperspirant Boosts Armpit and Toe-Web Microbial Diversity 21.06.2019 3:12

Rather than wiping microbes out, antiperspirants and foot powders increased the diversity of microbial flora in armpits and between toes. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices