Science Quickly

Scientific American
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Nov 12, 2015 • 3min

Stone Age Pottery Reveals Signs of Beekeeping

Stone Age pottery in the Mediterranean reveals early humans were keeping honeybees 9,000 years ago, providing insights into the beginnings of bee domestication and its impact on human societies.
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Nov 11, 2015 • 4min

What Makes Sand Dunes Sing

Engineers at Caltech discovered that for sand dunes to produce sound they need a dry layer on top that amplifies internal frequencies during sand movement. Learn about the fascinating study of singing sand dunes in California, where researchers uncover how the dunes' composition traps and amplifies frequencies to produce a unique musical sound resembling various instruments.
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Nov 10, 2015 • 3min

Brain Rhythms Sync to Musical Beat

Trained musicians have better synchronization of brain rhythms to music than amateurs, exploring the impact of musical training on the brain's ability to synchronize with musical sequences.
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Nov 6, 2015 • 3min

Brain Responds to Driving Routes Repeatedly

A study shows that learning detailed navigation information causes the brain to grow and improves spatial skills in young adults playing a driving simulation game.
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Nov 5, 2015 • 4min

Arctic Marine Mammals Swim Up to the Microphone

Arctic sea ice melt leads to changes in the Arctic underwater ecology, with humpbacks and killer whales staying north later in the year; biologist and oceanographer Kate Stafford and her team record the sounds of bowhead whales and bearded seals to study wildlife behavior and the impact of Arctic ice retreat.
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Nov 3, 2015 • 3min

Decoy Mating Call Battles Citrus Pest

Researchers develop a call that mimics the citrus psyllid's mating song to combat citrus greening disease by disrupting the mating process of the insect using a decoy female call and flypaper traps.
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Nov 2, 2015 • 4min

Methane Plumes Bubbling along U.S. Northwest Coast

Scientists report a spike in methane plumes along the Northwest coast, indicating the availability of submerged frozen methane. This discovery has potential ecological impacts and implications for climate change.
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Oct 29, 2015 • 3min

Cultural Goofs Gear Up Gray Matter

Discover how exposure to culturally-disfluent situations can improve cognitive reasoning and reduce impulsive behavior, according to a study. Find out why encountering unfamiliar cultural situations stimulates the brain and helps reduce impulse purchases and overeating.
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Oct 28, 2015 • 4min

Whale Poop Drives Global Nutrient Cycling

The podcast discusses how declining whale populations have disrupted ocean nutrient cycling, affecting the transportation of essential nutrients from the deep ocean to the surface. It emphasizes the consequences of this decline and the need to restore whale populations for a healthy nutrient cycle.
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Oct 26, 2015 • 3min

Road Runoff a No-No for Coho

Researchers have discovered that runoff from roads and parking lots in urban areas is harming coho salmon, leading to their premature death. They suggest filtering stormwater through soil to protect the salmon population.

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