A Moment of Science
Episodes
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...
A New Atomic Clock Could Help Spaceships Navigate Better
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A New Atomic Clock Could Help Spaceships Navigate Better
Birds Of A Feather Flock Together
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Social niches are made up of the social aspects of a species' environmental relationship. In the case of humans, this means that your friends, family ...
Mosquitoes On The Scent
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mosquitoes On The Scent
The Cleaning Powers Of Goat Stomachs
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers from the University of Zurich examined 28 goats that were fed different pelleted diets of grit and hay. The scientists performed CT scans ...
The Ocean's Fish Are Running Out Of Clean Water
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The ocean is getting louder. Fish make noise. They whistle, chirp, hum, sing, swish. But boat engines, sonar, and deep-sea mining cause quite the rack...
The Health Consequences Of Parenting
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Research conducted at Lorna Linda University Health shows that children who grew up with parents who had a “warm” parenting style have an advantag...
Coffee Cup Convection
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Convection is a common process in nature, and occurs when warmer air or liquid lies under a cooler layer. This is what happens in a coffee cup: the co...
Jabuticaba, The Fruit That Grows On Trees
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jabuticaba is a fruit native to Brazil. It’s the size and color of a plum, with a white pulp and several seeds. It’s also known for its health ben...
Clouds In The Kitchen
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fill a kettle with water, then turn on the burner. In a while, your kettle will start belching white billowy stuff into the air. What is this stuff? S...
Sadness Makes People Short With Money
08 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard the phrase "Sadder but wiser," implying that feeling low somehow makes us think more clearly.