Optimism for Microbial Life

Science doesn’t always get it right the first time—and that’s part of the journey. In this anniversary special, we explore how ideas about nerve damage, sustainable materials and alien life have done a full 180. This episode first aired in August.

Recommended Reading

Celebrating 180 Years of Scientific American

180 Years of Standing Up for Science

How Scientists Finally Learned That Nerves Regrow

Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy

Plastics Started as a Sustainability Solution. What Went Wrong?

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Is a Roller Coaster of Hope and Disappointment

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices