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Science Quickly

Scientific Americanwww.sciencequickly.com
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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Episodes

Heat Will Hit America's Poorest Worst

Economists calculate that each degree Celsius of warming will dock the U.S. economy by 1.2 percent--and increase the divide between rich and poor. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 30, 20173 min

Rainbow Photons Pack More Computing Power

Quantum bits, aka qubits, can simultaneously encode 0 and 1. But multicolored photons could enable even more states to exist at the same time, ramping up computing power. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 28, 20173 min

Moths Inspire Better Smartphone Screens

Researchers designed an antireflective coating for smartphone screens, with inspiration from the bumpy eyes of moths. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 20173 min

Better Memory Begets Boredom

The better study participants scored in the memory test, the faster they got bored. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 23, 20174 min

DNA Points to Multiple Migrations into the Americas

DNA analysis of skeletons found in the Pacific Northwest backs up traditional oral histories, and suggests there could have been more than one colonization of the Americas. Emily Schwing reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 22, 20173 min

Keep Rolling Luggage Upright with Physics

A team of physicists has revealed why rolling suitcases start rocking from wheel to wheel—and how to avoid that frustrating phenomenon. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 21, 20173 min

Wolves Need More Room to Roam

Ecologists say wolves should be allowed to roam beyond remote wilderness areas—and that by scaring off smaller predators like coyotes and jackals, wolves might do a good service, too. Emily Schwing reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 20173 min

Engineers Build Bendy Batteries for Wearables

Researchers built silver–zinc batteries that can bend and stretch—meaning they could be more elegantly integrated into future wearable devices. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 19, 20173 min

Rising Temps Lower Polar Bear Mercury Intake

As polar bears are forced onto land, they're feeding on animals with less mercury—reducing their levels of the toxic pollutant. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 15, 20174 min

Some Hotel Bed Bug Sightings May Be Bogus

Only a third of travelers could correctly identify a bed bug—suggesting that some bug sightings in online reviews could be cases of mistaken identity. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 14, 20173 min

Opioids Still Needed by Some Pain Patients

The "other victims" of the opioid epidemic are pain patients who need the drugs but cannot now get them because of fears related to their use Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 20173 min

Bacterially Boosted Mosquitoes Could Vex Viruses

Mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria are unable to transmit viruses to humans—and could curb the spread of viral disease. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 08, 20173 min

Alaska Accelerates Indoor Agriculture

With 700 new greenhouses, Alaska is growing its own produce as deep into winter as the sun keeps rising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 04, 20174 min

Chromosomes Combat Counterfeit Caviar

Researchers found unique genetic variants that differentiate costly beluga caviar from cheaper fakes that rip off consumers. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 03, 20173 min

French Prez Invites Trumped Researchers

New French president, Emmanual Macron, reacted to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement by inviting disaffected U.S. researchers to make France "a second homeland." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 02, 20174 min

Trees Beat Lawns for Water-Hungry L.A.

Evaporation from overwatered lawns cost the city of Los Angeles 70 billion gallons of wasted water a year. But the city's trees were much thriftier. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 27, 20173 min

Fitness Bands Fail on Calorie Counts

Activity trackers accurately reckon heart rate—but they're way off in estimates of energy expenditure. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 24, 20173 min

New Concrete Recipes Could Cut Cracks

Recipes for concrete that incorporate by-products from the coal and steel industries, like fly ash and slag, could reduce road salt–related cracking. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 19, 20174 min

Bees Prefer Flowers That Proffer Nicotine

Bumblebees sought out flowers with nicotine in their nectar, and the drug appeared to enhance the bees' memories. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 17, 20173 min

Large Impacts May Cause Volcanic Eruptions

Really big meteorite or asteroid strikes may cause melting and deep deformations that eventually lead to volcanic eruptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 16, 20174 min

Why the Cross Put Chickens on a New Road

A religiously inspired change in the European diet about a thousand years ago led to the development of the modern domesticated chicken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 15, 20174 min

Field Study: Worms Leave 'Til No-Till

Earthworm numbers doubled in fields after farmers switched from conventional plowing to no-till agriculture. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 12, 20174 min

The Sneaky Danger of Space Dust

When tiny particles of space debris slam into satellites, the collision could cause the emission of hardware-frying radiation. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 11, 20174 min

Insects Donate DNA to Unrelated Bugs

Bacteria swap DNA among themselves. And that process may be more common in multicellular organisms than previously believed. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 10, 20173 min

Gophers versus the Volcano

Pocket gophers survived the Mount Saint Helens eruption in their underground burrows and immediately went to work bringing back the ecosystem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 09, 20174 min

Wilderness Areas Suffer from Human Sound

Human-produced noise doubles the background sound levels in 63 percent of protected areas, and raises it tenfold in 21 percent of such landscapes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 07, 20174 min

Pollution Peaks When Temperatures Top Out

As temperatures rise, energy demands peak, with a corresponding increase in air pollutants. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 03, 20173 min

Hot Chilies Cool Down Gut Inflammation in Mice

The spicy compound in chilies kicks off a chemical cascade that reduces gut inflammation and immune activity in mice. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 02, 20174 min

Bronx River's Cleanup Brings Herring Home

Called an "open sewer" in the recent past, the Bronx River is now clean enough for a type of herring to once again be introduced and to make runs to the ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 01, 20174 min
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