Plants Dominate the Planet's Biomass
About 80 percent of Earth's biomass is plant life, with humans about equal to krill way down the heft chart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 15, 2018•3 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
Solar Eclipse of 2017 Boosted Science Interest
The Michigan Scientific Literacy Survey of 2017 found that last year's total solar eclipse got Americans more interested in celestial science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 14, 2018•4 min
Crickets Carve Tools to Amplify Their Chirps
The insects fashion and use "baffles"—sound controllers—made of leaves to produce sound more efficiently. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 13, 2018•4 min
Computerized Chemical Toxicity Prediction Beats Animal Testing
Researchers programmed a computer to compare structures and toxic effects of different chemicals, making it possible to then predict the toxicity of new chemicals based on their structural similarity to known ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 10, 2018•4 min
Better Data Could Mean Better Dating
Both men and women tended to pursue mates just 25 percent more desirable than themselves — suggesting they are "optimistic realists." Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 09, 2018•4 min
To Evolve Baleen, Lose Your Teeth First
Whale ancestors probably never had teeth and baleen at the same time, and only developed baleen after trying toothlessness and sucking in prey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 08, 2018•4 min
Corn Variety Grabs Fertilizer from the Air
A variety of corn from Oaxaca, Mexico, has aerial roots that harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing the corn to suck nitrogen straight from the air. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 07, 2018•3 min
Birds Learn Safety from Other Kinds of Birds
Birds become good at avoiding danger by eavesdropping on the alarm calls of other birds—and the learning occurs without even seeing their peers or predators. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 02, 2018•3 min
Microbes Share Your Morning Metro Commute
An analysis of the Hong Kong metro found microbes, including some with antibiotic resistance genes, freshly disperse throughout the system each day. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 01, 2018•3 min
Oh Say Can You See Subtle Details?
Different people have differing aptitudes for observing small changes and particular features. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 31, 2018•4 min
Some Crows Hit On Dead Companions
About 5 percent of crows will attempt to copulate with other crows that have joined the choir invisible . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 30, 2018•4 min
Mouth Sets Healing Standard
Certain proteins that coordinate the healing response are present at higher levels in oral tissue—meaning wounds in the mouth fix faster. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 29, 2018•3 min
Border Wall Could Disrupt Hundreds of Species
More than 2,500 scientists signed a letter saying that an expanded U.S.–Mexico border wall would threaten both biodiversity and scientific research. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 26, 2018•3 min
Turn a Wall into a Touch Screen Cheap
Researchers used a couple of hundred dollars worth of materials to turn a wall into a giant touch screen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 25, 2018•4 min
Ancient Tooth Tartar Traps Clues to Iron Age Diet
By analyzing the proteins in ancient dental plaque, archaeologists determined that British menus almost three millennia ago featured milk, oats and peas. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 24, 2018•3 min
Honey Bee Alarm Signal Could Protect Elephants
Chemicals designed to simulate honeybee alarm pheromones could deter elephants from farmers’ crops, easing conflicts with humans. Annie Sneed reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 23, 2018•4 min
Sea Level Rise Could Inundate the Internet
Extreme sea level rise could swamp internet cabling and hubs by 2033—and coastal cities like New York, Seattle and Miami are at greatest risk. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 20, 2018•3 min
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, 2018•4 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, 2018•4 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•4 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•4 min
Iridescence Could Help Critters Hide in Plain Sight
Iridescence appears to break up the recognizable shape of objects—making them harder to spot. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 06, 2018•5 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•4 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, 2018•3 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, 2018•4 min
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