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.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Economics Nobel Highlights Climate Action Necessity

William Nordhaus shared the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, "for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis,” with Paul Romer, "for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 09, 20183 min

Highway Crossings Protect Migrating Pronghorns—and Motorists

Twice a year, thousands of pronghorn antelope and mule deer migrate through Wyoming, and newly built highway crossings are sparing the lives of animals—and motorists. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 06, 20184 min

Beer Fermentation Hops Along

The bittering agents called hops have enzymes that chew up starch and unleash more fermentable sugar—which can boost alcohol and CO2 in the finished brew. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 04, 20184 min

Nobel in Physics for Controlling Laser Light

Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland share the 2018 physics Nobel for their work with lasers that have led to numerous practical applications, such as eye surgery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 02, 20184 min

Nobel for Helping the Immune System Fight Cancer

James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo share the Nobel Prize for their work on harnessing the cancer patient's own immune system to destroy tumors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 01, 20183 min

Blasey Ford Spells Out Trauma Memory Formation

Christine Blasey Ford's professional expertise came into play during her testimony regarding the Supreme Court nomination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 30, 20183 min

Scanning Ancient Civilizations from the Skies

An aerial laser scan of more than 800 square miles of Guatemalan jungle revealed Maya buildings, canals, roads and bridges. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 27, 20184 min

Antifreeze Surface Fights Ice with Ice

Patterning a surface with tiny stripes of ice prevents frost formation on the rest of the surface—a technique that could keep planes or roads frost-free. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 25, 20183 min

Scale Can Measure Medicine—and Play a Scale, Too

Researchers have designed a musical instrument that can detect counterfeit drugs by the pitch of its notes. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 24, 20184 min

Diverse Tree Portfolio Weathers Droughts Better

Forests with numerous tree species, and therefore a mix of water-management strategies, appear more tolerant of drought. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 21, 20183 min

Pirates Needed Science, Too

On International Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's an eye-patch-witness account of how science helps in all peg-leg walks of life, even piracy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 19, 20183 min

Sea Otters' Powerful Paw Prey Perception

The marine mammals have extraordinarily sensitive touch—which helps them nab prey in the absence of other sensory cues. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 18, 20184 min

Genetic Tweak Gave Early Humans a Leg Up

A mutation in a key gene may have endowed humans with superior endurance—allowing them to compete better with other animals on the savanna. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 13, 20183 min

Earlier Springs May Mean Mistimed Bird Migrations

Springtime's arriving earlier across North America. But the degree of change isn't the same everywhere, which could spell trouble for migratory birds. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 12, 20183 min

Survey the Wildlife of the "Great Indoors"

Biologists are enlisting citizen scientists to poke around under the sink and behind the curtains, for wildlife living in the "great indoors." Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 10, 20183 min

When Neutron Stars Collide

Astrophysicists have gotten a better glimpse at what happens to crashing neutron stars by listening in on the electromagnetic echoes of the collision. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 07, 20184 min

Bonnethead Sharks Are Underwater Lawn Mowers

The hammerhead relatives consume copious amounts of sea grass, and have the digestive machinery to process it—making them true omnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 06, 20183 min

Hurricane Is a Natural Selection Experiment

When Hurricane Irma blew through the Turks and Caicos, lizards with shorter hindlimbs lucked out. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 05, 20185 min

Pasta Problem Cracked!

An intrepid undergrad led the way to understanding the physics of snapping strands of spaghetti. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 04, 20184 min

Science News You Might Have Missed

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

Aug 31, 20184 min

Pineapple Waste Won't Be Wasted

Costa Rican scientists are extracting valuable materials from the peel and stubble of pineapples. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 27, 20184 min

Sometimes Mosquitoes Are Just Thirsty

Mosquitoes want your blood for its proteins...or simply to hydrate on a hot, dry day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 24, 20184 min

Robot Bartender Will Take Your Order

Digital assistants have to respond quickly, but correctly—so researchers are studying how real humans navigate that trade-off, to design better machines. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 23, 20184 min

Freeloading Ants Help the Workflow

Fire ants tunnels got excavated efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work, thus avoiding pileups in tight spaces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 21, 20184 min

Ancient Americans Bred Symbolically Important Scarlet Macaws

Genetic information from the bones of macaws found in abandoned pueblos suggests they were bred and distributed as a commodity. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 20, 20183 min

Rising CO2 Means Monarch Butterfly Bellyaches

Milkweed grown with more carbon dioxide in the air supplies fewer toxins to monarch butterflies that need the toxins to fight off gut parasites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 17, 20183 min

For Some Crows, Migration Is Optional

Crows are what's known as "partial migrants"—as cold weather approaches, some crows fly south whereas others stay put. And that behavior appears to be ingrained. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 16, 20184 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android