Science Quickly
Scientific American
Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 29, 2018 • 3min
Dolphins Dumb Down Calls to Compete with Ship Noise
Bottlenose dolphins simplify and raise the pitch of their whistles to be heard above underwater shipping noise. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 22, 2018 • 5min
Asocial Octopuses Become Cuddly on MDMA
Octopuses react to MDMA much like humans do. And not surprisingly, given their anatomy, the animals are excellent huggers. Annie Sneed reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 18, 2018 • 5min
Wild Songbirds Can Pick Up New Tunes
Researchers taught two dozen wild sparrows new songs, by playing them the recordings of sparrows that live thousands of miles away. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 17, 2018 • 3min
Health Care Let Neandertals "Punch above Their Weight"
By caring for their sick and injured, Neandertals were able to expand into more dangerous environments and pursue more deadly prey. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 15, 2018 • 4min
Nice People Have Emptier Wallets
A study correlating personality traits with financial data found that agreeable people had lower savings, higher debt and higher bankruptcy rates. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 12, 2018 • 3min
Solar Eclipse Was a Buzzkill for Bees
Bees suddenly fell silent when the sun disappeared during last year's solar eclipse—perhaps because they were tricked into night mode. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 11, 2018 • 4min
Confident Tone Overcomes Accent Distrust
English as-a-first-language Canadian study subjects were less trusting of statements in English spoken with a foreign accent, unless the speaker sounded confident about their assertion.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2018 • 3min
Mom's Genes Make Some Giraffes Hard to Spot
Baby giraffes inherit aspects of their mothers' patterning—which could give them a survival advantage if good camouflage runs in the family. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 9, 2018 • 3min
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 6, 2018 • 4min
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
