Science Quickly

Analysis of alleged yeti samples found them to be from less fantastic beasts, such as bears, but also shed light on the evolution of those local bear populations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An analysis of voter opinions finds that half of Republican voters think climate change is happening, and would support regulating CO2 as a pollutant. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the World Conference of Science Journalists in October, Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, charged innovation outfits with changing the lives of the world's most disadvantaged.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A social scientist studies how car stickers turn the roads into actual information highways.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By listening to the calls of their brethren, chimps seem to be able to understand the mind-sets and perspectives of other chimps. Jason Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About half the honeybees in a test exhibited no sidedness, but the other half was split 50–50 between righties and lefties—perhaps to navigate obstacles more efficiently.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Researchers attached cameras to humpback whales and found that they flap their flippers to help power forward swimming.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Estimating cranberry harvests involves tedious hand-counting. But microwave analysis could change all that. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new analysis treats bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies as species in an evolutionary model—and finds bitcoin has no selective advantage. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salmon excavate streambed holes in which to lay eggs, setting off a chain of events that has surprisingly large geographical effects.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New World societies long ago likely had less income inequality than those in the Old World, and the difference might have been an oxen gap. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crested pigeon, found in Australia, has a modified wing feather that helps produce an alarm signal sound to warn other birds when there's trouble.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A campaign calls for the creation of a statue to recognize Félicette, the first cat to be sent into space.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bryde's whale has come up with a passive but more efficient feeding strategy in the hypoxic waters of the Gulf of Thailand.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Computer scientists borrowed insights from the fruit fly brain to create a more accurate search algorithm. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With some training, sheep were able to select a celebrity's face over that of a stranger they'd never seen. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SETI pioneer Jill Tarter and Berkeley researcher Dan Werthimer talk about how the discovery of nearby exoplanets is inspiring new efforts to gain info about these galactic neighbors.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On National Bison Day, a look at the role the Bronx played in reestablishing herds of bison on the American plains.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a sample of 98 woolly mammoth remains, researchers found that 70 percent were male—which suggests males were more likely to die accidentally. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists used muons, a by-product of cosmic rays, to image the interior of the Great Pyramid—and found a previously unknown space inside. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wood tiger moth is the first species known in which fluids from various parts of the moth’s body each target a different type of predator. Jason Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As news coverage of California's most recent drought intensified, water use trends went down—suggesting news might inspire consumers to conserve. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wintertime smog in China's northeastern provinces is so severe it blocks more than 20 percent of sunlight from reaching the region's solar panels. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wolves appear to have better cooperation skills than dogs—unless the pups partner up with humans. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Firearm deaths and injuries went up in California communities after gun shows in neighboring Nevada—but not after more strictly regulated California gun shows. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices