Science Quickly - podcast cover

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.

Episodes

Astronomy Tool Helps ID Sharks

Shark researchers used a system for recognizing patterns in star field photographs to identify whale sharks, which have individual spot patterns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 19, 20184 min

Mammals Moonlight around Human Settlements

A study of human–mammal interaction across the globe found animals are more prone to take to the night around humans. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 18, 20184 min

Jupiter's Moon Total Hits 79

The International Astronomical Union reports that there are now 79 known Jovian moons, with a dozen found last year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 17, 20183 min

Moths Evade Bats with Slight of Wing

Some moth species have evolved long wing tails that flutter and twist as the moth flies, which distract hungry bats. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 16, 20184 min

Science News You Might Have Missed

Very brief reports about science and technology from around the globe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 13, 20183 min

Smart Mouth Guard Senses Muscle Fatigue

A prototype flexible electronic mouth guard can measure lactate levels in an athlete’s saliva, tracking muscle fatigue during training and performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 12, 20183 min

Favorite Wine Grapes May Need Genetic Help

Wine book author Kevin Begos explains that just a few varieties of wine grapes dominate the industry, which leaves them vulnerable to potentially catastrophic disease outbreaks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 10, 20184 min

Primate Conflicts Play Out in the Operating Room

By analyzing 200 surgeries, anthropologists found mixed-gender operating room teams exhibited the highest levels of cooperation. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 05, 20183 min

Sharks Make a Splash in Brooklyn

Visitors can see and learn about sharks and their environment in the new "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!" facility at the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 04, 20183 min

City Life Favors Downsized Invertebrates

Most invertebrates get smaller on average in cities, although a few very mobile species respond to urbanization by growing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 03, 20184 min

People Ration Where They Roam

An analysis of the movement of some 40,000 people suggests most of us frequent only 25 places—and as we sub in new favorites, we drop old ones. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 02, 20183 min

Humans Can Size One Another Up with a Roar

Listeners to a person letting loose with a roar can accurately estimate the size and formidability or the human noise maker. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 28, 20184 min

Piano Lessons Tune Up Language Skills

Six months of piano lessons can heighten kindergartners' brain responses to different pitches, and improve their ability to tell apart two similar-sounding words. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 20183 min

Cardinal Rule: Female Birds Sing, Too

Many people assume only male birds do the singing. But females also sing in at least 660 species and perhaps many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 25, 20184 min

Bird's Song Staying Power Implies Culture

Certain motifs in swamp sparrow songs can last hundreds, even thousands of years—evidence of a cultural tradition in the birds. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 22, 20183 min

Alaskan Beluga Whales Ace Hearing Exam

Researchers tested the hearing of beluga whales in an Alaskan bay and found that they seem to have suffered little hearing loss due to ocean noise. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 21, 20183 min

Fat–Carb Combo Is a Potent One–Two Punch

Foods high in both carbs and fats tickle the brain’s reward circuits more so than snacks that showcase just one or the other. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 19, 20184 min

Jupiter Crackles with Polar Lightning

Juno spacecraft data suggest lightning on Jupiter is much more common than we thought—but it congregates near the poles, not the equator as on Earth. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 20183 min

Coral Reefs Keep Costly Waves at Bay

A new analysis found the flood protection benefits of coral reefs save the global economy $4 billion dollars a year. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 15, 20183 min

Hippo Dung Fouls Up Freshwater Fisheries

Hippo poop is piling up in Tanzania’s freshwater fisheries—which is bad news for biodiversity, and deleterious for the dinner plate. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 14, 20184 min

A Litmus Test for Bad Breath

Researchers engineered a portable device that detects even the tiniest trace of hydrogen sulfide—one of the primary offenders in bad breath. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 20184 min

Prez (of AMA) Issues Call to Arms-Science

At the AMA annual meeting the organization's president petitioned for an evidence-based, science-driven analysis of gun violence and solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 11, 20184 min

Powder Pulls Drinking Water from Desert Air

A structure known as a metal organic framework traps water vapor by night, then releases it when heated the next day. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 08, 20183 min

Ancient Clan War Explains Genetic Diversity Drop

Some 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, the diversity of Y chromosomes plummeted. A new analysis suggests clan warfare may have been the cause. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 06, 20183 min

Saying "This May Hurt" May Make It Worse

Warning a child that something, like a vaccine shot, will hurt can actually increase their perception of the pain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 05, 20184 min

Mongooses Gift Grooming for Guard Duty

Humans and other primates often reciprocate good deeds. A new study suggests a nonprimate, the dwarf mongoose, does so, too, even after a delay. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 01, 20183 min

Some Trees Beat Heat with Sweat

During extreme heat waves, a species of eucalyptus copes by releasing water and taking advantage of evaporative cooling. Other trees may do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 31, 20184 min

Computers Go Head-to-Head with Humans on Face Recognition

The best facial-recognition algorithms are now as good as the best forensic examiners are. But the best results come by combining human and computer skills. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 30, 20183 min

Pinnipeds Don't Appreciate Biped Disturbance

Sea lions and fur seals in Uruguay have become a tourist attraction—but the animals have become less, not more, accepting of humans. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 29, 20184 min
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