A Moment of Science
Episodes
How Insects Drink
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Insects need water. How they get their water depends a lot on their diets. Herbivorous insects get most of their water from their food because plants ...
Evolving Better Eyes
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Although the eye is complicated, biologists still have a good understanding of how it evolved. In modern animals, they have found eyes of all differen...
Tardigrades: Stranger Than They Appear
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tardigrades are little animals that can survive dehydration, radiation, and survive in outer space without a space suit. As strange as all of the abov...
Recognizing Distant Relatives
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015, a team of European biologists published evidence that Siberian jays can distinguish relatives they've never seen before.
Spiteful Monkeys
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We humans may share around 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees and other simians, but we're still pretty different. After all, we have smart phones, and m...
Think Like A Penguin
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A "niche" is an organism's special "slot" in an ecosystem that allows it to co-exist with other species. It's defined by the resources it needs to sur...
Driving A Cockroach
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists recently found a way to drive a cockroach the way you might drive a car. They put electrodes in its brain, and by stimulating it in the rig...
Drinking And Smoking
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most alcoholics smoke at about three times the rate in the general population. But a study suggested that what you're dealing with isn't just behavior...
Word Up, Brain
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Moment of Science we're going to perform a little experiment in order to learn a little bit about the motor cortex--a strip of tissue runni...
Stink Bugs Are Not All Bad
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It isn't uncommon for people to hate stink bugs, but not all stink bugs are bad. Some are beneficial, like spined soldier bugs. They are predators tha...
UFO Attack!
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1969 two airliners, plus the pilot of an Air National Guard fighter plane, report being harassed by a team of UFOs.
Why Elephants Don't Get Cancer
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists at the University of Utah and at Arizona State studied the elephant genome and found that they have up to 40 extra copies of genes that cod...
Mona Lisa's Mysterious Smile
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard neuroscientist Margaret Livingstone is pretty sure she's solved the puzzle of the Mona Lisa's changing smile. Presuming nothing, Livingstone r...
How Full Is That Glass?
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Jean Piaget claimed that children overestimate the volume of vertical dimensions, but that as their brains mature, they develop the capac...
Fermi's Paradox Part Two
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
According to reasonable estimates of how many stars have planets, how many planets may be suitable for the evolution of organisms, and so on, our Milk...
Fermi's Paradox
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Probability would lead us to believe that extraterrestrial life does exist, so why have we not found any?
Babies and Bacteria
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fetuses have some bacteria while still in the womb, but during birth they're coated with microbes as they travel down the birth canal, including bacte...
The Cyclopean Eye
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since we have two eyes, why is it that we don't see two of everything? We seem to see like the cyclops in Greek mythology, as if we had one eye on our...
Put This In Your Pipe And Smoke It
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all know that smoking cigarettes is bad. But what about smoking a pipe or cigars? Since you don't inhale, is it better for your health? Or at least...
What Makes Hummingbird Feathers So Beautiful
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever had a bird feeder, you've probably noticed how much more colorful hummingbirds are compared to other birds. So how are hummingbirds so ...
Why Do Wind Turbines Have Three Blades?
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever driven by a wind farm, you may have noticed that the turbines most likely have three blades. Not two, not five, but three.
Iridescence As Camouflage
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some beetles have beautiful, shiny carapaces that look like metal, or a jewel. That shininess is called iridescence. It's caused when tiny structures ...
Making Love, Not War
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists have compared chimpanzee and bonobo brains and think their different behavior could be due to brain structure.
Sand Dunes Repel Each Other
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sand dunes are everywhere. They form deserts on Earth, Venus, Mars, and Saturn's moon Titan. They even form underwater on seafloors and riverbeds.
Does Money Make Us Happy?
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Does money make us happy? The answer, according to psychologists, is both: up to a certain point money can buy happiness, so to speak.
Helpful Parrots
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are often quite willing to help one another, but it's not an exclusively human trait. Thanks to new research, scientists have learned that Afri...
Do Flying Fish Actually Fly?
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are around sixty-four species of flying fish, and they really do fly.
The Oceans Are Warming
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The world's oceans are like a sponge for heat, absorbing about 90 percent of the excess warming caused by carbon emissions from human activities. That...
Fossils Of The Future
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our era has a tentative name: the Anthropocene era. There’s debate over when it started, and whether we merit a new geological epoch at all, but som...
How Old Is Cosmic Dust?
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
By studying various kinds of rocks, scientists know that our solar system is about 4.6 billion years old. However, in 2019 an international team of re...
The Urban Coyote Patrol
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s nighttime. The moon is bright, and the day’s hubbub has quieted. In the distance, you hear a coyote howl. This scene sounds like something fr...
Why Do Opossums Hang Upside Down by Their Tails?
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever seen a cartoon of a sleeping opossum hanging upside down by its tail? Well, you may be surprised to learn that 'possums don't actually s...
Monocarpic Plants
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Agave, like aloe, is a succulent, meaning it has a number of characteristics that help it survive hot, dry desert climates. It's also a monocarpic pla...
Cloudy Apple Juice
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many people prefer clear apple juice to cloudy, mainly because it simply looks better. It turns out, however, that cloudy apple juice is actually bett...
The Vampire Bat Cares
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When most people think of vampires, they picture a scary, solitary, blood-sucking monster from a horror movie. They don't think of a model of sharing ...
Dancing Fingerprint
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even though there are varying degress of skill, everyone can dance. What's more, our dance moves are something like a fingerprint. We all dance in a u...
The Difference Between White And Dark Meat
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference between white and dark meat? Beef if mostly dark meat and fish is mostly white meat. Turkeys, however, have both, so they offer ...
Bacterial Diversity On Your Skin
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many people use antibacterial soap in order to get rid of bacteria. However, researchers have discovered that there are at least 250 kinds of bacteria...
How Cuttlefish See In Three Dimensions
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An international team of neuroscientists has discovered how cuttlefish see in three dimensions. First of all, a cuttlefish isn't really a fish. The an...
Executing Queen Bees
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a bee hive, most bees work hard collecting pollen from flowers, except the queen, who doesn't even have to leave her hive.
Scans, Scans, And More Scans
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Go to the hospital to have a doctor check out an internal problem and you're liable to hear about MRI scans, CT scans and PET scans. All of these scan...
Do Plants Have Ears?
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If what we mean by hearing is just that a plant detects and responds to sounds, then there's evidence that plants can hear. In 2019 a team of Isreali...
Killed By The Sun
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever think about the risks the Apollo astronauts took in the name of science? It's amazing. Actually, the astronauts were at risk of something ...
The Moon Is Getting New Mirrors
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's amazing how much light our moon reflects. Having a few mirrors doesn't hurt, though. They're there because of the Lunar Laser Ranging experiment.
The Palo Verde, It's Easy Being Green
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Not just any old plant has what it takes to survive desert heat. Desert plants like cacti are remarkable for their unique adaptations to one fo the ha...
Octopus Games
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Octopuses can figure out mazes, learn by watching each other, even open jars to get at food. Few people realize how intelligent an octopus is.
Your Signature Moves
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Each one of us has a signature style to how we move and walk. Of course, after a long day or over a lifetime, that appearance will probably change. Bu...
The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Melting Faster Than Expected
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Greenland ice sheet is melting due to global climate change, and this melting may become the biggest single contributor to rising sea levels in th...
The Duality Of Hummingbird Bills
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A hummingbird's bill is for both pollination and combat. Hummingbirds use their bills to knock other birds off their perches and to fence while they h...
Firefly Mating Signals
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Firefly flashes are actually mating signals. Male fireflies cruise the evening air, flashing their lanterns in a pattern characteristic of their speci...
The Ancestry Of Arctic Sled Dogs
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dogs and their closest wild relatives, wolves, both came to North America from Eurasia. The earliest dogs in the Americas were introduced at least ten...
Curds And Whey
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows the children's rhyme about Miss Muffet eating curds and whey, but what exactly are curds and whey? Let's find out, on today's Moment of...
Koalas Have Sensitive Stomachs
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Koalas are such picky eaters that sometimes that won't even eat species of eucalypt that aren't their preferred choice. This preference stems from the...
A Magical Glow?
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why fluorescent colors like the ones you see in highlighers or clothing dyes seem so much brighter than other colors? It's beca...
Stormy Solar Weather
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When thunderstorms are strong enough, they can knock over trees and cause large blackouts. Solar storms, however, make blackouts from thunderstorms se...
Sea Urchin Teeth
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sea urchins are small, furry, and sometimes colorful. They usually don't bite humans, but they do have really sharp teeth that researchers learned sha...
The Benefits Of Communicating In Person
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It is very easy to ignore requests made via email, while similar requests made in person are met with understanding. All of this has to do with psycho...
How Butterflies Found A Place In The Sun
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Winter mornings can be drab, which is why many people look forward to birds and butterflies returning in spring. Butterflies are good at brightening t...
Springs In The Cafeteria
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You're in a line at a cafeteria. You take a plate off the top of a stack of plates. The other plates in the stack rise from below just far enough to p...
A Satellite, Cubed
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A CubeSat is the size of a toaster, weighs about three pounds, and orbits the Earth. These nanosatellites are a particularly tiny type of research spa...
Autism And Tone Of Voice
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A variety of characteristics are used to diagnose autism in children. Often, it's poor social and communication skills which others observe in childre...
Why Cockroaches Escape
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The all-too familiar American cockroach almost seems to know where you're going to strike. What's the tip-off that sends the cockroach running?
Why Don't Animals Have Three Legs?
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like a lot of animals use only three limbs sometimes, and since using three limbs seems to work well for them, why haven't any of them evolve...
The Origin Of The Electric Eel's Electricity
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There's a reason you won't find electric eels at your local petting zoo. These fierce creatures can release over 800 volts of electricity. Today we wi...
Eating More With Friends And Family
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A new study suggests that people eat more when they eat with family and friends. When eating with strangers, however, people take smaller portions in ...
Birds In Danger
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is reason to worry about the future of birds in North America. A large team of researchers published a study showing that the bird population of...
The Star That's Almost Too Massive To Exist
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When a star burns through most of its nuclear material, it can explode in a bright supernove and leave behind a dense core. If that core is massive en...
The Royal Jelly
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
According to legend, King Arther gained the crown by pulling a sword from a rock. Queen honeybees have an equally enchanting way of ascending to the t...
The Camel's Unique Physiology
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A camel can travel hundreds of miles, over several days, without stopping to drink. On today's Moment of Science, we'll learn how camels survive the d...
Survival Stripes
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The stripes on some insects help them survive in the wild. When prey with high-contrast stripes move, their stripes blur, making it hard for a predato...
Mouthwash and Exercise
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It might not be a great idea to use mouthwash right after working out, at least if you want to experience the blood pressure-reducing effects seen aft...
Spiders Go Way Back
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some spider webs look as though they were thrown together at the last minute, while others look as though they wer meticulously planned months in adva...
Getting Electricity From Heat
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In order to fight climate change, we need to find new ways of generating electricity that don't involve burning fuels and generating greenhouse gases....
Fighting Peanuts With Peanuts
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s the common advice about peanuts: if you’re allergic, stay away. Nut allergies are notorious for causing severe, even deadly, reactions. But...
Saving Up For A Rainy Day
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you annoyed by that guy in your office who plays solitaire all day and never actually accomplishes anything? Then you'd really be aggravated in th...
Varying Perceptions Of Pitch
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
People who listen to music a lot can perceive the similarity between two of the same notes in different octaves. This may not seem like such a unique ...
The Last Woolly Mammoths
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While the first human civilizations grew in Mesopotamia, and the ancient Egyptians were building the pyraminds, there were still woolly mammoths livin...
Walking On The Moon In Arizona
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon famously blasted off from Florida, but NASA was in Arizona, too. In 1967, two years bef...
The Humanizing Voice
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Voices often indicate thoughts and emotions indirectly. Cues in the form of pitches, tones and pauses are qualities of voices that listeners use to ma...
The Mistletoe Bird (Zoochory Part 2)
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last time on A Moment Of Science we learned about plants that disperse their seeds via zoochory, meaning they've evolved various ways to hitch rides w...
Zoochory
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Just as animals are often driven to great lengths, literally and figuratively, to propagate their species, plants too are driven to reproduce. To do t...
Seed Swallower
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Seeds aren't as dangerous as some urban legends might lead you to believe, but they also aren't very good for you, either.
Acting Like An Introvert
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When making plans for the weekend, some people like to be by themselves, while others prefer to be go out and be social. To learn more about these two...
Stressed Out Quails
25 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
People have long debated whether physical or behavioral traits are the result of genetic inheritance or environmental factors. In an effort to end thi...
How The Monarch Got Its Poison
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Among butterflies, the monarch really stands out with its beautiful orange and black colors. These colors evolved to warn predators about the monarch'...
The Superior Quality Of Hot Nectar
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of winter, one of the best ways to combat the effects of cold weather is a hot beverage. A new study out of the University of London show...
How To See The Northern Lights
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are waving ribbons of green, red and purple in the sky. These curtains of light can be seen as...
Coffee Cup Illusion
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Things are not always as they seem, and this little demonstration will prove it. All you need is a cup of black coffee and an overhead light.
Solitary Bees
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the common fear among many people of "swarms of bees," most bee species are actually solitary. Unlike social bees like the bumblebee, solitary...
Magma and Oxygen
19 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today on A Moment of Science were going to explain why Earth's air contains oxygen.
Hairstyles That Lead To Hair Loss
18 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ponytails, cornrows, and tight up-dos are hairstyles that can look great. But wearing your hair pulled tight for extended periods of time can eventual...
Galactic Center
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, scientists achieved a great goal of astrophysics when they published the first-ever image of a black hole. By coordinating radio telescopes a...
Knuckleball Physics
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In baseball, hitting a homer against a fastball, or even a knuckleball, can be very difficult, though not as difficult as you might think.
Luke Skywalker's Hand
28 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In a scene from Star Wars: The Emprie Strikes Back, Darth vader cuts off Luke Skywalkers right hand. Afterwards, Luke receives a robotic replacement h...
Eyes and Alzheimer's
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers think that looking at how quickly a person's pupil dilates when taking cognitive tests could predict if a person is at an increased risk f...
Crows Choose Whether To Call
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Humans voluntarily choose some of our actions, but others are automatic. Scientists want to know whether animal behaviors are automatically triggered ...
Feeling Hangry
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When people are hungry, this hunger sometimes turns into anger. This mental state is known as "hangry," and could be caused by the stress of the morni...
Computing With Light
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Computers would be much faster, smaller, and consume less energy if they used light signals instead of electrical signals. That's why many scientists ...
A Rock In A Rowboat
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you're in a rowboat, in a small pond. You have a huge boulder with you in the boat. You throw the boulder overboard into the water. Does th...
Cloudy Vision
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cataracts are the result of the natural breakdown of proteins in the eye’s lens as you age. When lens proteins lose their three dimensional structur...