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.

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Scientific American

Episodes

Partnered-Up Men More Attractive to Women 09.02.2017 2:48

Women rate a man they see with an attractive woman as more desirable than an unattached man. Erika Beras reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gulf Dead Zone Makes for Shrimpier Shrimp 08.02.2017 3:24

The low-oxygen waters of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico result in smaller shrimp, and a spike in large shrimp prices. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frog Spit Behaves Like Bug-Catching Ketchup 06.02.2017 3:30

The amphibians' saliva is what's known as a "shear-thinning fluid," like ketchup—sometimes thick, sometimes thin and flowing. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Bowl Snacks Need These Exercise Equivalents 04.02.2017 3:27

Charles Platkin, director of the New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College, published tips on what it would take to burn off the calories we typically consume during the Super Bowl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arctic's Anti-Snowball Snowball Effect 02.02.2017 3:42

Arctic heat waves melt sea ice, which promotes more warming and even more ice loss. In other words, it’s a snowball effect—or in this case, an anti-snowball effect. Julia Rosen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Widening the Suez Canal Ushers In Underwater Invaders 31.01.2017 3:35

Nomadic jellyfish and poisonous puffer fish are the poster children of an invasion of non-native species into the Mediterranean, with environmental and economic costs. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hawaiian Crows Ready for the Call of the Wild 30.01.2017 4:30

The critically endangered birds have done well in captive breeding, meaning they may be ready once more for wild living, and the repertoire of calls associated with it. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Humble Fish with a Colorful Edge 28.01.2017 4:06

The cichlid, a small fish, has one of the most incredible visual systems known—which allows it to adapt to differently colored environments. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LSD's Long, Strange Trip Explained 26.01.2017 3:14

When LSD binds to serotonin receptors, it pulls a "lid" closed behind it, locking it in place for hours, and explaining its long-lasting effects. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Umbrellas Plus Sunscreen Best Bet to Beat Burns 25.01.2017 3:05

Sunscreen or beach umbrellas alone were unable to completely prevent sunburns—so researchers suggest combining the methods instead. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ants Use Celestial Cues to Travel in Reverse 24.01.2017 3:56

The six-legged savants appear to use celestial cues and three forms of memory, as they blaze a trail back to the nest. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High-Sugar Diet Makes Flies Drop Like...Flies 23.01.2017 3:48

A study examines the effects of a high-sugar diet on the life spans of fruit flies. Another studies how the flies’ appetite-suppressing pathways may be similar to ours. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pesticide Additive Could Be One Culprit in Bee Deaths 21.01.2017 3:13

A common pesticide additive, known as an "inert" ingredient, could be one of the causes of the die-offs beekeepers have observed in their hives. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knot Not Easy to Knot 18.01.2017 3:35

Chemists have synthesized the most complex molecular knot ever, using a strand just 192 atoms long. The advance could lead to new tougher materials. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bat Chatter Is More Than a Cry in the Dark 14.01.2017 3:37

Using algorithms developed for human speech recognition, researchers decoded which bats in an experimental colony were arguing with each other, and what they were arguing about. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bird Feeders Attract Bird Eaters, Too 13.01.2017 4:08

Some predators are attracted to the food in bird feeders, and end up targeting nestlings, too. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adult Daughter Orcas May Trigger Moms' Menopause 12.01.2017 3:02

Competition between older female orcas and their adult daughters when they can breed simultaneously may cause the matriarch to enter menopause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate Cycles Could Have Carved Canyons on Mars 11.01.2017 3:35

Researchers think Mars may have experienced a series of climate cycles, which etched the planet’s surface with river valleys and lake basins. Julia Rosen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hair Cells Could Heal Skin Sans Scars 06.01.2017 3:31

Hair follicles appear to be key in reprogramming other cells in the wound, restoring the original skin architecture, instead of simply scarring. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Concrete Defects Could Become Strengths 05.01.2017 3:07

By optimizing the imperfections in concrete, manufacturers could make the material tougher and stronger—allowing builders to use less of it. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zika Linked to a Variety of Birth Defects 03.01.2017 3:09

Zika virus infection during pregnancy appears to cause a range of birth defects, such as joint, eye and ear abnormalities, in addition to microcephaly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Dining for Trillions, Eat Wisely 29.12.2016 3:23

What you ate in the past can shape the diversity of your gut flora, and affect how well your gut microbes respond to new foods. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weakest Piglets May Sneak Help from Strongest Siblings 28.12.2016 4:10

If a weak piglet positions itself next to a strong sibling while feeding, it may get some extra nutrition from inadvertently stimulated mammary glands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isolated Low Temps May Reassure Climate Skeptics 26.12.2016 3:32

Areas of the country that have experienced record low temperatures since 2005 happen to be home to many global warming deniers. And researchers theorize there may be a connection. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bats Learn to Take White-Nose Punch 23.12.2016 4:08

In areas where the white-nose syndrome fungus has been around for awhile, little brown bats seem to have found a way to limit the disease damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices