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

Moths Flee or Face Bats, Depending on Toxicity

Tiger moth species that contain bad-tasting and toxic compounds are nonchalant in the presence of bats, while edible moth species evade their predators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 19, 20194 min

Ancient Seawall Found Submerged

In shallow waters off the coast of Israel, archaeologists have found entire villages—including one with a sunken seawall. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 18, 20193 min

Citizen Scientists Deserve Journal Status Upgrade

Here’s an argument that citizen scientists deserve co-authorship on scientific journal papers to which they contributed research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 14, 20195 min

Not All Hydropower Is Climate-Considerate

While some hydropower facilities release almost no greenhouse gases, others can actually be worse than burning fossil fuels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 13, 20194 min

Certain Zip Codes Pick Losers

People in certain zip codes are more likely to purchase products that flop, buy homes that are poor investments and pick political candidates who lose. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 12, 20194 min

Linguists Hear an Accent Begin

Residents of an overwintering station in Antarctica provided linguists with evidence of the first small changes in speech that may signal the development of a new accent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 11, 20194 min

Romans Would Roam for Wood

Archaeologists unearthed wood from a Roman villa when digging Rome’s subway—and scientists determined the planks came all the way from France. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 10, 20193 min

When the Bellbird Calls, You Know It

The white bellbird of the Amazon may be the loudest bird in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 09, 20194 min

Fishy Trick Lures Life Back to Coral Reefs

Playing the sounds of a healthy reef near damaged corals may help bring the fish community back. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 05, 20193 min

Internet Cables Could Also Measure Quakes

The fiber-optic cables that connect the global Internet could potentially be used as seismic sensors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 03, 20193 min

Science News Briefs from All Over

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Mexico to Tanzania, including one about the need to quarantine bananas in Colombia that are potentially infected by a fungus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 02, 20193 min

Subtle Ancient Footprints Come to Light

Ground-penetrating radar can detect tiny density differences that lead to images of ancient footprints impossible to discern by eye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 29, 20193 min

Ancient Rock Art Got a Boost From Bacteria

Indigenous artists in what’s now British Columbia created pigments by cooking aquatic bacteria. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 25, 20194 min

Ick Factor Is High Hurdle for Recycled Drinking Water

Recycled wastewater can be cleaner than bottled water, but people still avoid drinking it because of their disgust over its past condition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 24, 20194 min

Bots Outperform Humans if They Impersonate Us

Bots masquerading as humans in a game outperformed their human opponents—but the their superiority vanished when their machine identity was revealed. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 21, 20194 min

Dogs Like Motion That Matches Sound

Pet dogs appeared more interested in videos of a bouncing ball when the motion of the ball matched a rising and falling tone. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 19, 20193 min

Egyptian Vats 5,600 Years Old Were For Beer Brewing

Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Hierakonpolis discovered five ceramic vats containing residues consistent with brewing beer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 16, 20194 min

Famously Fickle Felines Are, in Fact, Clingy

Cats are clingier to their human owners than their reputation would suggest. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 13, 20194 min

Aversion to Broccoli May Have Genetic Roots

Study subjects with a gene variant that heightened their sensitivity to bitterness tended to eat fewer vegetables than people who didn’t mind bitter flavors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 12, 20193 min

Marine Mammal Epidemic Linked to Climate Change

A measleslike virus is ricocheting through marine mammal populations in the Arctic—and melting sea ice might be to blame. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 09, 20194 min

Ant Colonies Avoid Traffic Jams

Researchers tracked thousands of individual ants to determine how they move in vast numbers without stumbling into gridlock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 07, 20194 min

Ranking Rise May Intimidate Opponents

In an analysis of chess and tennis matches, players rising in the rankings did better than expected against higher-ranked opponents and better than similarly ranked players who were not rising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 06, 20194 min

Familiar Tunes Rapidly Jog the Brain

Within just a third of a second of hearing a snippet of a familiar refrain, our pupils dilate, and the brain shows signs of recognition. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 05, 20194 min

Science News Briefs from around the Globe

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Brazil to Hong Kong, including one about male elephants in India exhibiting unusual social behaviors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 01, 20194 min

We Owe Our Pumpkins to Pooping Megafauna

The pumpkin’s ancestor was an incredibly bitter, tennis-ball-sized squash—but it was apparently a common snack for mastodons. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 20194 min

Bird Egg Colors Are Influenced by Local Climate

In cold, northern climates, eggs tend to be darker and browner—heat-trapping colors that allow parents to spend a bit more time away from the nest. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 29, 20193 min

Crabs Do a Maze

Green crabs learned to navigate a maze without making a single wrong turn—and remembered the skill weeks later. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 28, 20193 min

Odd Bird Migrates Twice to Breed

The phainopepla migrates from southern California to the desert Southwest to breed in the spring before flying to California coastal woodlands to do so again in summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 24, 20194 min