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

"Necrobiome" Reveals a Corpse's Time of Death 22.12.2016 3:16

The microbial ecosystems inhabiting corpses could help forensic scientists determine a person’s time of death, even after almost two months. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pregnancy Primes the Brain for Motherhood 19.12.2016 3:23

Areas of the brain related to social cognition shrink in first-time mothers—a structural change that could boost maternal attachment. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small Fraction of Pilots Suffer Suicidal Thoughts 16.12.2016 3:04

In an anonymous online survey, about 4 percent of surveyed pilots admitted to having suicidal thoughts within the last few weeks. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Migrating Birds Prefer Lakefront Property 14.12.2016 2:58

Night-flying migratory birds over water turn back to lakeshores at daybreak—meaning crowded shores along the water. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breast-Feeding Benefits Babies with Genetic Asthma Risk 13.12.2016 2:38

Infants carrying genes that put them at increased risk for asthma had a 27 percent decrease in developing respiratory symptoms while being breast-fed. Erika Beras reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Self-Driving Cars Probably Won't Boost Commuter Productivity 12.12.2016 2:48

Sixty-two percent of survey respondents said self-driving cars would not make them more productive. Another 36 percent said they’d be too concerned to do anything but watch the road. Erika Beras reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Insecticide Makes Mosquitoes Pop 08.12.2016 3:16

The substance prevents mosquitoes taking a blood meal from producing waste—causing them to swell up, and sometimes even explode. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commuting Patterns Help Forecast Flu Outbreaks 06.12.2016 3:13

Flu forecasts within large metro areas like New York City might be improved by adding in data about the flow of commuters. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stopping Splashes with Smarter Surfaces 05.12.2016 3:41

Understanding the physics of how a liquid splashes when it hits a surface is allowing researchers to design new surfaces that limit splashing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dogs Teach Bomb-Sniffing Machines New Tricks 02.12.2016 3:43

A dog’s sniff pulls a plume of fresh scents toward them, which fluid dynamicists say is a technique that could make for better bomb detectors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Power Poses" Don't Stand Up 01.12.2016 3:37

A 2010 study claimed that striking certain poses could alter hormone levels and risk-taking behavior. But subsequent studies can’t replicate that finding. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toll-Free Number Stems Human–Wildlife Conflicts 30.11.2016 4:11

India's Project Wild Seve allows people who have suffered crop or livestock loss from wild animals to streamline the compensation process, thus helping both farmers and wildlife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We Now Live in the Unnatural World 28.11.2016 3:13

David Biello's new book is The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High-Fiber Diet Keeps Intestinal Walls Intact 23.11.2016 3:25

A low-fiber diet causes fiber-eating microbes to dwindle, opening up real estate for mucus munchers that make the intestine more vulnerable to infection. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forest Die-Offs Alter Global Climate "Like El Nino" 22.11.2016 3:23

The loss of forests worldwide appears to interact synergistically to produce unpredictable effects on the global climate. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DNA Samples Find a Lot of Fish in the Sea 18.11.2016 3:29

The DNA in seawater can reveal the diversity and abundance of fish species living in ocean waters. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police Body Cameras Appear to Moderate Interactions with Civilians 17.11.2016 3:15

A study of seven jurisdictions found that when cops wear body cameras, complaints against them by civilians fall precipitously. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NIH Director Looks at Presidential Transition 16.11.2016 4:04

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins talks about the future of the NIH in light of the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ebola Virus Grew More Infectious in the Latest Epidemic 14.11.2016 3:00

A strain that emerged during the latest epidemic is able to enter human cells more easily—which means it’s more infectious, too. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orangutan Picks Cocktail by Seeing Ingredients 09.11.2016 3:54

An orangutan matched researchers' predictions about which mixed beverage he would choose based on his relative fondness for the separate ingredients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small-Brained Birds More Likely to Get Shot 07.11.2016 3:29

Using taxidermy data, biologists determined that gun-killed birds have smaller brains than birds that died in other ways. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Online Sociality Linked to Lower Death Risk 05.11.2016 2:44

Facebook users in California had slightly better health outcomes than nonusers, even after controlling for other factors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bookish Mobsters Made Better Bookies 29.10.2016 2:50

Just as with honest jobs, mobsters with a more advanced education made more money than their less educated counterparts. Erika Beras reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For River Otters, Social Life Is Shaped by the Latrine 27.10.2016 4:08

Alaskan river otters can gain valuable information about one another by sniffing around their latrines. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Falcons Patrol Fruit Fields for Pesky Invasive Birds 26.10.2016 3:42

Birds of prey work where other traditional methods of bird abatement—like scarecrows, pyrotechnics and netting—fail. Emily Schwing reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices