West Point Uniforms Signify Explosive Chemistry
U.S. Military Academy cadets wear the colors black, gray and gold for reasons found in gunpowder’s chemistry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 19, 2019•4 min
Science Quickly
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
Secrets of the Universe Trapped in Antarctic Snow
Scientists found an interstellar iron isotope in Antarctic snow samples—which hints that our region of the universe may be the remnant of an ancient exploding star. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 14, 2019•3 min
Certain Personality Types Are Likely to Make a "Foodie Call"
Some people go on dates just to score a free meal—a phenomenon known as a “foodie call.” But it takes a certain personality type. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 13, 2019•4 min
Artificial Intelligence Sniffs Out Unsafe Foods
Researchers trained machine-learning algorithms to read Amazon reviews for hints that a food product would be recalled by the FDA. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 12, 2019•3 min
A Computer Tells Real Smiles from Phonies
Slight changes around the eyes are indeed a giveaway as to whether a smile is sincere or faked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 09, 2019•3 min
Stare Down Gulls to Avoid Lunch Loss
Researchers slowed the approach of greedy gulls by an average of 21 seconds by staring at the birds versus looking elsewhere. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 08, 2019•3 min
Real Laughs Motivate More Guffaws
Honest, involuntary laughter cued people to laugh more at some really bad jokes than they did when hearing forced laughter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 07, 2019•4 min
Extinction Wipes Out Evolution's Hard Work
By killing off many of New Zealand’s endemic birds, humans destroyed 50 million years’ worth of evolutionary history. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 05, 2019•3 min
London Is Crawling with Drug-Resistant Microbes
Nearly half of bacteria gathered in public settings around the city were resistant to two or more commonly used antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 03, 2019•3 min
Male Black Widows Poach Rivals' Approaches
Mating is risky business for black widow males—so they hitchhike on the silk threads left by competitors to more quickly find a mate. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 01, 2019•3 min
Babies Want Fair Leaders
Babies as young as a year and a half want leaders to fix situations in which they see someone else being treated unfairly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 31, 2019•4 min
Parrots Are Making the U.S. Home
Released or escaped parrots are now living in most states and are breeding in at least 21. For some, it’s a second chance at survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 30, 2019•4 min
Science News Briefs from All Over
A few brief reports about international science and technology from Guatemala to Australia, including one about the first recorded tornado in Nepal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 29, 2019•3 min
Tourist Photographs Help African Wildlife Census
Photographs snapped by safari tourists are a surprisingly accurate way to assess populations of African carnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 25, 2019•3 min
For Ants, the Sky's the Compass
Computer modeling revealed that insects with a celestial compass can likely determine direction down to just a couple degrees of error. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 23, 2019•3 min
Why Two Moonships Were Better Than One
Engineer John Houbolt pushed for a smaller ship to land on the lunar surface while the command module stayed in orbit around the moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 20, 2019•4 min
One Small Scoop, One Giant Impact for Mankind
Just before Neil Armstrong climbed back into the lunar module, he scooped up a few last-minute soil samples--which upturned our understanding of planetary formation. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 19, 2019•5 min
Investigating the Zombie Ant's "Death Grip"
Researchers dissected the jaws of ants infected with the Ophiocordyceps fungus to determine how the fungus hijacks the ants' behavior. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 18, 2019•3 min
Attractive Young Females May Have Justice Edge
Youths rated as attractive were less likely to have negative encounters with the criminal justice system—but only if they were women. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 16, 2019•4 min
Tobacco Plants Made to Produce Useful Compounds
A proof-of-concept study got transgenic tobacco plants to make a useful enzyme in their chloroplasts, not nuclei, minimizing chances for transfer to other organisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 15, 2019•4 min
Rhinos and Their Gamekeepers Benefit from AI
Starting in 2017, an artificial intelligence monitoring system at the Welgevonden Game Reserve in South Africa has been helping to protect rhinos and their caretakers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 11, 2019•5 min
Backpack Harvests Energy as You Walk
The pack produces a steady trickle of electricity from the swinging motion of your stuff. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 10, 2019•3 min
Why Baseballs Are Flying in 2019
An analysis of the 2019 edition of the Major League baseball points to reasons why it's leaving ballparks at a record rate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 09, 2019•4 min
Some Hot Dog Histology
A lab analysis found that even an all-beef frankfurter had very little skeletal muscle, or "meat." So what’s in there? Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 03, 2019•3 min
Mind and Body Benefit from Two Hours in Nature Each Week
People who spent at least two hours outside—either all at once or totaled over several shorter visits—were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 01, 2019•4 min
Scientist Encourages Other Women Scientists to Make Themselves Heard
Geneticist Natalie Telis noticed few women asking questions at scientific conferences. So she publicized the problem and set about to make a change. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 30, 2019•4 min
Male Bats Up Mating Odds with Mouth Morsels
Males that allow females to take food right out of their mouths are more likely to sire offspring with their dining companions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 27, 2019•3 min
Scientists Fool Flies with "Virtual Tastes"
By switching fruit flies' sensory neurons on and off with light, scientists were able to create the sensation of sweet or bitter tastes. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 26, 2019•4 min
Wheat Plants "Sneeze" and Spread Disease
Wheat plants' leaves repel water, which creates the perfect conditions for dew droplets to catapult off the leaves—taking pathogenic spores for the ride. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 25, 2019•3 min
Elite Runners' Microbes Make Mice Mightier
Mice that were fed bacteria isolated from elite athletes logged more treadmill time than other mice that got bacteria found in yogurt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2019•5 min
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