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

Harder-Working Snakes Pack Stronger Venom 25.04.2019 4:01

Snake venom toxicity depends on snake size, energy requirements and environmental dimensionality more than on prey size. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

River Dolphins Have a Wide Vocal Repertoire 24.04.2019 3:09

Freshwater dolphins are evolutionary relics, and their calls give clues to the origins of cetacean communication in general. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Honeybees Can Put Two and Two Together 23.04.2019 3:18

The tiny brain of a honeybee is apparently able to calculate small numbers' addition and subtraction. Annie Sneed reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4/20 Traffic Accidents Claim Curbed 20.04.2019 4:38

A deeper data dive calls into question a 2018 study that found a spike in fatal traffic accidents apparently related to marijuana consumption on this date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hyena Society Stability Has Last Laugh 19.04.2019 3:42

Female hyenas keep their clans in line by virtue of their complex social networks. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gluten-Free Restaurant Foods Are Often Mislabeled 18.04.2019 2:53

One in three gluten-free dishes tested at restaurants contained gluten—especially GF pizzas and pastas. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Chickens Can Teach Hearing Researchers 17.04.2019 4:32

At an April 9th event sponsored by the Kavli Foundation and produced by Scientific American that honored Nobel and Kavli Prize winners, neuroscientists James Hudspeth and Robert Fettiplace talked about the physiology of hearing and the possibility of restoring hearing loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobelist Says System of Science Offers Life Lessons 16.04.2019 4:28

At an April 9th event sponsored by the Kavli Foundation and produced by Scientific American that honored Nobel and Kavli Prize winners, economist Paul Romer talked about how the social system of science offers hope for humanity and for how we can live with each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Squeezed Potassium Atoms Straddle Liquid and Solid 12.04.2019 2:44

At extreme pressures, potassium atoms can be both liquid and solid at the same time, a phase of matter known as "chain melt." Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Urban Coyote Evolution Favors the Bold 11.04.2019 4:19

Coyotes become fearless around people in just a few generations—which isn’t good for their longterm co-existence with humans in cities. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Computers Turn an Ear on New York City 10.04.2019 3:24

NYU’s “Sounds of New York City” project listens to the city—and then, with the help of citizen scientists, teaches machines to decode the soundscape. Jim Daley reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whitening Strips Alter Proteins in Teeth 09.04.2019 3:02

Hydrogen peroxide in whitening treatments penetrates enamel and dentin, and alters tooth proteins. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Infrared Light Offers a Cooler Way to Defrost 08.04.2019 3:40

Light tuned to a specific frequency warms ice more than water—which could come in handy for defrosting delicate biological samples. Adam Levy reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spider Monkeys Optimize Jungle Acoustics 04.04.2019 2:47

The monkeys lower the pitch of their "whinnies" when they're far from the rest of their group, which might help the calls travel further through jungle foliage. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tennessee Whiskey Relies on Missing Ingredients 02.04.2019 3:39

Food chemists precisely measured how charcoal filtration contributes to Tennessee whiskey's smoother flavor. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a Word for Today 01.04.2019 3:07

English lacks some words that other languages pack with meaning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bumblebee Queens Prefer Layovers to Nonstop Flights 28.03.2019 3:18

Scientists tracked bumblebee queens with radar when they emerged from hibernation and found the bees take only brief flights en route to a new nest. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scenic City Sights Linked to Higher Happiness 26.03.2019 3:28

Tracking the location and mood of 15,000 people, researchers found that scenic beauty was linked to happiness—including near urban sights like bridges and buildings. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tech's Brain Effect: It's Complicated 25.03.2019 3:37

We don't yet know what the immersion in technology does to our brains, but one neuroscientist says the answer is likely to be that there's good, there's bad, and it's complex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daylight Brings Toxic Beetles Together for Safety 22.03.2019 3:49

During daylight hours, hundreds of bombardier beetles of multiple species will congregate together to more effectively ward off any predators not afraid of a lone beetle's toxic spray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solar Jets Cause Standing Waves in Earth's Magnetic Field 19.03.2019 4:13

When jets of charged particles from the sun hit our magnetosphere, some of the ensuing ripples travel toward the northern and southern poles and get reflected back. The resulting interference allows standing waves to form, like on a drumhead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sing Solo for Higher Fidelity 18.03.2019 3:47

By tracking duetting choir singers, researchers found that when an individual singer's pitch drifts off tune their partner’s tend to too. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edible Insect Breeding Led to Larger but Not Necessarily Better Larvae 14.03.2019 3:24

Researchers aiming to lower the cost of mealworms were able to double the worms' size, but the larger larvae had fewer eggs and weaker offspring. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Busting Earth-Bound Asteroids a Bigger Job Than We Thought 12.03.2019 3:36

A new model suggests smashing killer space rocks with insufficient force could let gravity pull the pieces back together. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weekday–Weekend Sleep Imbalance Bad for Blood Sugar Regulation 11.03.2019 4:03

Weekday sleep deprivation with weekend make-up sleeping seems to be worse for blood sugar control than even chronic sleep deprivation alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices