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

Our Noise Bothers Overlooked Seafloor Critters 15.03.2016 3:48

Creatures that live on the seafloor play vital roles in marine ecosystems, but human-made noise can alter their behaviors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eavesdrop on Echolocation to Count Bats 14.03.2016 3:34

Researchers created a model that can accurately predict a cave's bat populations using audio alone. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Underground Eruptions Could Cause Quakes Months Later 11.03.2016 3:41

When the Nyiragongo volcano erupted in January 2002, it set the geologic stage for earthquakes nine months later. Julia Rosen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raw Stone Age Meals Got Tenderizing Treatment 10.03.2016 3:25

Pounding and slicing meat and vegetables would have saved our ancestors millions of tough chews a year—potentially explaining the evolution of smaller jaws and teeth. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fear of Spiders Makes Them Look Bigger 09.03.2016 3:21

Arachnophobic study subjects estimated the size of spiders as bigger than did people who do not fear the eight-legged beasties. Jason Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pro Baseball Player Tech Avatars Could Be a Hit 08.03.2016 2:51

Smart Bat sensor captures swing data and reenacts the motion on a smartphone app. Larry Greenemeier reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Dragonfly Outmigrates Monarchs 07.03.2016 3:17

The dragonfly Pantala flavescens can travel 9,000 to 11,000 miles, and may interbreed across the globe. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gators Guard Birds That Nest Nearby 04.03.2016 3:13

Wading birds in the Everglades prefer to nest near resident gators for protection. And the arrangement appears to be mutually beneficial. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Space "Treasure Map" Guides E.T. Search 03.03.2016 3:06

A pair of astrophysicists advise searchers of intelligent life to look in the narrow band of galactic sky from which any alien observers would see Earth transit the sun—a method we use to detect exoplanets. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Milgram's Conformity Experiment Revisited in Lab and on Stage 02.03.2016 3:59

A conversation following a play about the famous Milgram experiments about conformity and authority included mention of a just-published new version of the test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bats Beat Ebola with Hypervigilant Immunity 29.02.2016 3:10

The immune systems in bats are in a continuous state of activation, which may explain why they can carry viruses like Ebola without harm. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cutting Carbon Pollution Could Save Health Care $ 25.02.2016 3:15

Some 300,000 premature deaths could be avoided by 2030 if the U.S. abides by the ambitious Paris Climate Agreement, according to a new analysis. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billion Sun–Bright Events Leave Radio Wave Clues 24.02.2016 3:30

“Fast radio bursts” detected here on Earth last only a thousandth of a second, but are the result of a faraway source briefly shining a billion or more times brighter than our sun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cyber Thieves Hold Hospital's Data for Ransom 23.02.2016 2:40

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in California paid $17,000 to regain access to their patient digital information and other data held hostage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ball Really Looks Bigger to Better Hitters 22.02.2016 3:18

Jessica Witt of Colorado State University explains that how well you're performing affects your visual perception of the world around you, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HPV Vaccine Needs to Reach Boys, Too 19.02.2016 3:31

Gypsyamber D’Souza of Johns Hopkins University discussed the rise in HPV-related oral cancer, its connection to oral sex and the risk for men at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mantis Shrimp Shells May Inspire Next-Generation Computer Chips 18.02.2016 3:10

Mantis shrimp shells contain ultrathin polarizing materials, which could find use in optical computer chips. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opioid Epidemic Gets Treatment Prescription 17.02.2016 3:45

Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addressed ways to deal with the U.S. opioid epidemic at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elephant Ivory DNA Reveals Poaching Hotspots 16.02.2016 3:37

Almost all the ivory in large stockpiles seized by law enforcement originates in just two locations in Africa, informing authorities about where to focus their resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gut Microbes Lessen Mice Malarial Malaise 12.02.2016 3:17

Mice with the right mix of microbes were spared the worst of a malaria infection, possibly via some sort of "booster effect" on the immune system. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greenland's Meltwater May Fertilize Fjords with Phosphorus 11.02.2016 3:17

Greenland's glacial rivers may flush some 400,000 tons of phosphorus into ocean waters—on par with the Mississippi or the Amazon. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lizard Picks Best Color--to Stand against 10.02.2016 3:18

Aegean wall lizards are the first wild animals to be observed explicitly choosing the best background for their particular coloration to disappear into. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giant Bird Driven Extinct by Egg-Eating Humans 09.02.2016 3:04

About 47,000 years ago, newcomer humans to Australia helped to wipe out an enormous flightless bird by collecting and cooking its eggs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate Change Most Affects Nations That Didn't Produce It 08.02.2016 3:00

Developed nations that drive climate change incur relatively few of the costs whereas countries that produce few greenhouse gas emissions will be hard-hit, like nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Bowl Sunday's Food Needs Work 06.02.2016 3:04

A public health advocate determined how much exercise is required to burn off various typical big game foods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices