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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

Animals Can Be Given False Memories

Two studies, one with bees and one with mice, show that the brain can be manipulated into having a memory of an occurrence that did not in reality happen. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 09, 20154 min

Whale Grandmas' Longevity Linked to Knowledge

Whale females, like humans, live well past menopause, a trait possibly selected for because their knowledge base can help their entire clan survive. Dina Fine Maron reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 05, 20153 min

Salty Skin Boosts Mouse Wound Healing

Mice fed a diet high in sodium had increased immune cell activity in their skin that helped ward off infection. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 04, 20153 min

Titan Could Host Life "Not As We Know It"

Saturn's moon Titan is too cold for cell membranes to form as they do on Earth. But researchers have come up with a cell membrane that could exist on Titan. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 03, 20153 min

Climate Skeptic Senator Burned after Snowball Stunt

Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe carried a snowball onto the Senate floor to insinuate that climate change was not real, after which Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse torched Inhofe's argument. Steve Mirsky reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 02, 20153 min

Air Force Space Command General on Keeping Space Collision-Free

Gen. John Hyten, Commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command, talks about the task of tracking all the materials in orbit and keeping them from crashing into one another. Steve Mirsky and Larry Greenemeier report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 27, 20154 min

Britain Imported Wheat 2,000 Years before Growing It

Sediments at a Britsh archaeological site include wheat remains dating back 8,000 years, meaning that Britons were bringing in European wheat two millennia before they grew it. Cynthia Graber reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 26, 20153 min

Fishes' Lateral Lines Sense Pressure and Predators

Flow sensors on the bodies of many fishes act like a hydrodynamic antenna, picking up signals about the flow of water around them. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 25, 20153 min

Science Wins at the Oscars

Science was in the spotlight at the 87th annual Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night, from actors playing scientists to winners thanking them. Steve Mirsky reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 23, 20153 min

Beaver Teeth Have Iron Advantage

Beaver enamel is rich in iron—which is even more effective than fluoride at staving off cavities. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 23, 20153 min

Nectar Helps Bees’ Medicine Go Down

In addition to fuel, nectar from various plant species contains chemical compounds that reduce the numbers of a common gut parasite in bumblebees. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 20, 20153 min

Pot Munchies Explained By Re-Tasked Neurons

Marijuana boosts users' appetities by changing the signals brain cells produce from sated to still hungry. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 19, 20153 min

Hot Chili Peppers Motivate Mice to Burn Fat

Rodents fed capsaicin voluntarily exercised more than their furry friends on a lower-heat diet. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 17, 20153 min

Humans off the Hook for Alaskan Mastodon Extinction

A reexamination of museum mastodon specimens provides evidence that that last ones were gone from what's called the Beringia region well before any humans showed up. Emily Schwing reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 16, 20154 min

Triskaidekaphobia Plays Role in Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Some random historical facts about the number 13 may be behind some people's irrational aversion to Friday the 13th. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 13, 20153 min

Preindustrial Pollution Pestered Peru

Ice cores show a sudden rise in heavy metal air pollution in South America 240 years before the industrial revolution, probably due to metallurgy and mining. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 11, 20153 min

Subway DNA Survey Finds Microbes, Mozzarella and Mystery

Scientists sequenced genetic material found in all 468 New York City subway stations, and nearly half matched no known organism. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 10, 20153 min

Newton Figured Out How Tree Sap Rises

Buried in one of Isaac Newton's college notebooks is a page on which he fairly accurately theorizes on the process of transpiration in plants, two centuries before the concept was elucidated. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 09, 20153 min

Cities Could Win Economically by Losing Olympics

According to sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, most cities that win the right to host the Olympics will spend far more to prepare for the games than they estimate in their winning bid. Steve Mirsky reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 06, 20153 min

Drones Spy On Birds in Flight

Quadcopters appear to be a relatively benign tool to study the behavior and numbers of wetland birds. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 03, 20154 min

Save Libyan Archaeology Plea Issued

Savino di Lernia, director of the Archaeological Mission in the Sahara at the Sapienza University of Rome, says violence and unrest threaten World Heritage sites and researchers. Cynthia Graber reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 02, 20153 min

Super Bowl Team Cities See More Flu Deaths

Regions that send a team to the Super Bowl saw on average an 18 percent increase in flu deaths among those over 65, probably because of increased transmission due to gatherings of people at parties during the height of the flu season. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 30, 20153 min

Climate Influences Language Evolution

The ease with which certain sounds are produced in different climes plays a role in the development of spoken languages. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 28, 20153 min

Gates CEO: Let's Shrink Maternal Mortality

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Susan Desmond-Hellmann talks about some of what needs to be done to make a reality of the foundation's aspiration to cut maternal mortality by two thirds by 2030 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 27, 20153 min

Snail's Venom Puts Fish in Insulin Coma

The cone snail's venom contains not only neurotoxins, but insulin, too—which stuns the fish it preys on. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 26, 20153 min

Tech Consequences Voiced by Carnegie Mellon Prez

At the World Economic Forum, Carnegie Mellon president Subra Suresh talks about dealing with the unintended consequences of ever more sophisticated intelligent devices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 23, 20153 min

Diaper Material Expands Wee Microscope Views

The absorbent material in disposable diapers can expand tissue samples, making more structure visible under light microscopes. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 22, 20153 min

Obama Talks Ebola and Climate in His SOTU

In his State of the Union address, the president talked about the need for frameworks to be in place to stop future pandemics and rising worldwide temperatures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 21, 20155 min

Computer Snoopers Read Electromagnetic Emissions

Researchers were able to track the keystrokes of a nearby computer via fluctuations in its electromagnetic radiation output. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 20, 20153 min
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