Science Quickly

Scientific American•www.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.

Last refreshed: July 24th, 2025 at 10:26 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Gamers Wanted to Attack Food Toxin

By playing the online game Foldit, players might help design an enzyme that can stop aflatoxins from making millions sick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 16, 2017•4 min

Even Jellyfish Need a Nap

Jellyfish exhibit signs of a sleep state, which could mean that sleep predates the evolutionary development of central nervous systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 2017•4 min

Squirrels Chunk Their Buried Treasure

Under certain circumstances squirrels will bury all of the same kind of nut near one another, a mnemonic strategy known as chunking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 12, 2017•4 min

Cougar Calls Get Big Bear Reactions

Black bears and cougars share the Vancouver countryside, but not happily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 11, 2017•3 min

Biometric Identifies You in a Heartbeat

Like fingerprints and facial recognition, the shape and beat of your heart can be used to verify your identity. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 06, 2017•3 min

When We Fly to Mars, Microbes Will, Too

The microbes that live in and on our bodies will colonize a human-manned spacecraft to Mars—but will the spacecraft's microbiome be safe? Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 05, 2017•3 min

Nobel in Chemistry for Seeing Biomolecules in Action

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 04, 2017•3 min

Nobel in Physics for Detecting Gravitational Waves

The Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 03, 2017•4 min

Nobel in Physiology or Medicine for Our Inner Clocks

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017 was awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 02, 2017•3 min

Electric Eels Increase Shock by Leaving Water

Submerged electric eels lose current to water, so they apparently leap into the air to minimize their contact with water and maximize their shock value. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 01, 2017•4 min

Australian Bird Dips Its Dinner

A chance observation led researchers to add the Australian Magpie to the short list of birds that dunk their food in water before eating. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 29, 2017•4 min

Tsunami Sent Species on a Transoceanic Trip

The 2011 east Japan tsunami swept huge amounts of wreckage out to sea—and Japanese species hitchhiked across the Pacific on the debris. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 28, 2017•3 min

1 Sneeze, 1 Vote among African Wild Dogs

Individuals in packs of African wild dogs appear to sneeze to make their wishes known regarding when to get up and hunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 27, 2017•4 min

This Frog Can't Hear Its Own Calls

The frogs' calls are too high-pitched for the frog to detect, which may be an artifact of evolution. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 24, 2017•3 min

Building a Better Mirror for Telescopes

More reflective telescope mirrors allow astronomers to capture more photons—and do more science. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 22, 2017•3 min

Galaxies Far, Far Away Send Us Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays

A new study hints that the most energetic particles ever seen come from far beyond the Milky Way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 21, 2017•3 min

Springtime Now Arrives Earlier for Birds

A trove of scientific notes from the early 1900s suggests a warming climate is driving birds to migrate earlier to New York’s Mohonk Preserve. Julia Rosen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 20, 2017•4 min

Warming Puts Squeeze on Ancient Trees

As temperatures rise, the tree line moves upslope. But ancient bristlecone pines are losing that upslope race to faster-colonizing neighbors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 17, 2017•4 min

Rising CO2 Pushes Plants to Drink Sparingly

As carbon dioxide levels rise, plants are sipping water more efficiently—which could come in handy in a drier future. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 16, 2017•4 min

Cannibalism Quells Contagion among Caterpillars

Cannibalistic caterpillars prevent disease from decimating their populations by removing infected individuals. Emily Schwing reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 12, 2017•3 min

Feds Want to Know Who's Protesting Trump

Internet hosting company DreamHost is battling the U.S. Justice Department over requests for information about people visiting a Web site for organizing protests. Larry Greenemeier reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 11, 2017•3 min

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