Science Quickly

Social Media Helps ID Spew Source

18 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Surveillance of Yelp restaurant reviews for terms like vomit led researchers to the sources of foodborne illness outbreaks. Karen Hopkin reports.  Le...

Salmonella Could Have Caused 16th-Century Epidemic

17 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Using a new algorithm, geneticists uncovered the pathogen that could have caused a massive epidemic in the Aztec empire: Salmonella bacteria. Christop...

Which Came First, the Proboscis or the Flower?

12 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A new fossil find reveals that the sucking tongue of butterflies—or proboscis—appears to have evolved before the emergence of flowers. Christopher...

You Live in a Strange Solar System

10 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomers found that other star systems tend to host similarly sized exoplanets—far different from ours. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn mor...

Glow Sticks Help Ecologists Study Amphibians

09 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ecologists needed a way to more easily keep track of populations of amphibians, and green glow sticks lit the way. Learn more about your ad choices...

Air Force Tracks Final Frontier

03 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

General Jay Raymond, Commander of Air Force Space Command, talks about keeping watch over space and cyber.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...

You Traveled Far Last Year

02 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Getting around the sun in 2017 was a memorable trip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finches Can Learn to Sing Differently Than Their Genetics Dictate

29 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The song training that Bengalese finches received appeared to overcome tempo tendencies baked into their genes. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn ...

Baby Bats Can Learn Different Dialects

28 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Fruit bats raised hearing different pitches of sounds vocalized in keeping with their aural environment as they matured. Learn more about your ad choi...

Mongoose Societies Are Skeptical of Strangers

24 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It takes months for members of a mongoose breeding society to trust newcomers with important tasks like watching for predators. Jason G. Goldman repor...

Pain and Weather Fail to Connect

23 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A big data analysis involving more than 1.5 million patients could find no relationship between weather and complaints to doctors about joint or back ...

Finding Further Places for Solar Panels

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Siting solar panels over rooftops, parking lots, reservoirs and contaminated land could generate heaps of energy—with minimal effects on agriculture...

This Fish Emits Damaging Decibels

20 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Gulf corvina produces a chattering chorus that’s one of the loudest underwater animal sounds on the planet. Christopher Intagliata reports. Lear...

Repetitive Sounds Are Music to the Brain

18 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Repeating something can render that thing melodious—even the sound of a shovel being dragged across the pavement. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more a...

Radiation Might Help Heart Regain Its Rhythm

17 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A flash of radiation drastically reduced arrhythmia in a small group of patients, for at least a year after treatment. Christopher Intagliata reports....

Dark Fiber Networks Can Sense Seismicity

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists are exploring the use of fiber-optic cables—like the ones that form the backbone of the internet—to monitor earthquakes. Julia Rosen re...

Supermarket Snacking Boosts Sales

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Noshing while shopping convinces consumers to buy the featured product more often than does simply seeing end-of-aisle displays. Karen Hopkin reports....

Something Clicks for Dolphin Identification

13 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Machine-learning algorithms teased seven distinct dolphin clicking patterns from a library of more than 50 million clicks, identifying one species by ...

Nutrition Guidelines Healthy for the Planet, Too

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Following dietary guidelines would mean eating less meat and dairy—and fewer calories overall—reducing greenhouse gases and other pollution. Julia...

Invading Beavers Turn Tundra to Ponds

11 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

New beaver ponds in the Arctic may contribute to the destruction of the permafrost that holds that landscape together.   Learn more about your ad c...

Sharks Rule the Reef's Underwater Food Chain

10 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When sharks prowl shallow waters, fish quit foraging and hide—sparing seaweed from being grazed in those areas. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more...

Ancient Women Had Awesome Arms

09 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years, women in agricultural societies seem to have had arms stronger than members of modern rowing teams.   Learn more about your a...

Invasive Frogs Don't Bug Hawaiian Birds

08 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Coquí frogs are invasive species in Hawaii. But they don’t seem to bug the islands’ native and nonnative birds. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn m...

How Hospitals Can Dampen the Decibels

07 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitals consistently score low on quietness surveys. An acoustician suggests a few ways hospitals could keep the peace and quiet. Christopher Intagl...

Smarter Management Means More Inventions Get to Market

06 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rosemarie Truman, CEO of the Center for Advancing Innovation, says a better system of governance for federally funded inventions could lead to many mo...

Computers Learn to Use Sound to Find Ships

05 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers trained machine-learning algorithms to pinpoint the location of a cargo ship simply by eavesdropping on the sound of its passing. Christop...

Yeti Claims Don't Bear Up

03 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Analysis of alleged yeti samples found them to be from less fantastic beasts, such as bears, but also shed light on the evolution of those local bear ...

Republican Voters Not in Denial about Climate

01 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An analysis of voter opinions finds that half of Republican voters think climate change is happening, and would support regulating CO2 as a pollutant....

Tech Honcho Wants Innovation for the Bottom Billion

30 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

At the World Conference of Science Journalists in October, Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, charged innovation outfits with chang...

Bumper Stickers Make Highways More Social

29 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A social scientist studies how car stickers turn the roads into actual information highways.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Chimps Able to Apprehend Another Chimp's Mind-Set

27 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

By listening to the calls of their brethren, chimps seem to be able to understand the mind-sets and perspectives of other chimps. Jason Goldman report...

Even without Hands Honeybees Show Handedness

26 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

About half the honeybees in a test exhibited no sidedness, but the other half was split 50–50 between righties and lefties—perhaps to navigate obs...

Humpback Whale Flippers Do More Than Maneuver

25 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers attached cameras to humpback whales and found that they flap their flippers to help power forward swimming.   Learn more about your ad ch...

A New Recipe for Counting Cranberries

22 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Estimating cranberry harvests involves tedious hand-counting. But microwave analysis could change all that. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more...

How Fit Is Bitcoin?

21 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A new analysis treats bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies as species in an evolutionary model—and finds bitcoin has no selective advantage. Christop...

Salmon Sex Changes Entire Landscape

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Salmon excavate streambed holes in which to lay eggs, setting off a chain of events that has surprisingly large geographical effects.   Learn more ab...

Ancient 1 Percenters Were Beast-Based

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

New World societies long ago likely had less income inequality than those in the Old World, and the difference might have been an oxen gap. Christophe...

Feathers Help This Bird Sound the Alarm

16 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The crested pigeon, found in Australia, has a modified wing feather that helps produce an alarm signal sound to warn other birds when there's trouble....

Put Space Cat on a Pedestal

15 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A campaign calls for the creation of a statue to recognize Félicette, the first cat to be sent into space.   Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Polluted Water Whale Invents New Feeding Strategy

13 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Bryde's whale has come up with a passive but more efficient feeding strategy in the hypoxic waters of the Gulf of Thailand.   Learn more about yo...

Insect Brain System Knows What You Want

10 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Computer scientists borrowed insights from the fruit fly brain to create a more accurate search algorithm. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more ...

Sheep's Face-Reading Skills Stand Out from the Flock

08 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With some training, sheep were able to select a celebrity's face over that of a stranger they'd never seen. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more...

Nearby Exoplanets Invigorate the Search for E.T.

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

SETI pioneer Jill Tarter and Berkeley researcher Dan Werthimer talk about how the discovery of nearby exoplanets is inspiring new efforts to gain info...

Bison Comeback Story Has a Bronx Accent

04 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On National Bison Day, a look at the role the Bronx played in reestablishing herds of bison on the American plains.     Learn more about your ad ch...

Mammoth Remains Seem Mostly Male

03 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a sample of 98 woolly mammoth remains, researchers found that 70 percent were male—which suggests males were more likely to die accidentally. Chr...

Physics Phenomenon Reveals a Pyramid's Mystery

02 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists used muons, a by-product of cosmic rays, to image the interior of the Great Pyramid—and found a previously unknown space inside. Christop...

A Moth with a Potent Cocktail of Poison

01 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The wood tiger moth is the first species known in which fluids from various parts of the moth’s body each target a different type of predator. Jason...

Drought News Might Help Cut Water Waste

27 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As news coverage of California's most recent drought intensified, water use trends went down—suggesting news might inspire consumers to conserve. Ch...

Smog Casts a Shadow on China's Solar Farms

25 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The wintertime smog in China's northeastern provinces is so severe it blocks more than 20 percent of sunlight from reaching the region's solar panels....

Dogs Bow to Wolves as Cooperators

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wolves appear to have better cooperation skills than dogs—unless the pups partner up with humans. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad cho...

California Gun Injuries Spike after Nevada Gun Shows

23 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Firearm deaths and injuries went up in California communities after gun shows in neighboring Nevada—but not after more strictly regulated California...

Mosquitoes to Other Flying Insects: Do You Even Generate Lift?

20 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mosquitos stealthily float off us after filling up, by virtue of fast wingbeats that generate almost instant lift with only an imperceptible additiona...

Keep Your Wi-Fi off KRACK

19 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Up-to-date software, apps, browsers and router software offer the best protection against a potential flaw in wi-fi security called a key reinstallati...

Ships at Sea Stoke Lightning Strikes

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Exhaust fumes from oceangoing vessels lead to an almost doubling of lightning activity over shipping lanes compared to adjacent areas of the sea.  ...

Gamers Wanted to Attack Food Toxin

16 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

By playing the online game Foldit, players might help design an enzyme that can stop aflatoxins from making millions sick. Learn more about your ad ch...

Even Jellyfish Need a Nap

13 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jellyfish exhibit signs of a sleep state, which could mean that sleep predates the evolutionary development of central nervous systems.   Learn more ...

Squirrels Chunk Their Buried Treasure

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Under certain circumstances squirrels will bury all of the same kind of nut near one another, a mnemonic strategy known as chunking.   Learn more a...

Cougar Calls Get Big Bear Reactions

11 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Black bears and cougars share the Vancouver countryside, but not happily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Biometric Identifies You in a Heartbeat

06 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Like fingerprints and facial recognition, the shape and beat of your heart can be used to verify your identity. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn ...

When We Fly to Mars, Microbes Will, Too

05 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The microbes that live in and on our bodies will colonize a human-manned spacecraft to Mars—but will the spacecraft's microbiome be safe? Christophe...

Nobel in Chemistry for Seeing Biomolecules in Action

04 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolu...

Nobel in Physics for Detecting Gravitational Waves

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observatio...

Nobel in Physiology or Medicine for Our Inner Clocks

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017 was awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for discoveries of molecular mecha...

Electric Eels Increase Shock by Leaving Water

01 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Submerged electric eels lose current to water, so they apparently leap into the air to minimize their contact with water and maximize their shock valu...

Australian Bird Dips Its Dinner

29 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A chance observation led researchers to add the Australian Magpie to the short list of birds that dunk their food in water before eating.   Learn mor...

Tsunami Sent Species on a Transoceanic Trip

28 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The 2011 east Japan tsunami swept huge amounts of wreckage out to sea—and Japanese species hitchhiked across the Pacific on the debris. Christopher ...

1 Sneeze, 1 Vote among African Wild Dogs

27 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Individuals in packs of African wild dogs appear to sneeze to make their wishes known regarding when to get up and hunt. Learn more about your ad choi...

This Frog Can't Hear Its Own Calls

24 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The frogs' calls are too high-pitched for the frog to detect, which may be an artifact of evolution. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about ...

Building a Better Mirror for Telescopes

22 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

More reflective telescope mirrors allow astronomers to capture more photons—and do more science. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about yo...

Galaxies Far, Far Away Send Us Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays

21 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A new study hints that the most energetic particles ever seen come from far beyond the Milky Way.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Springtime Now Arrives Earlier for Birds

20 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A trove of scientific notes from the early 1900s suggests a warming climate is driving birds to migrate earlier to New York’s Mohonk Preserve. Julia...

Warming Puts Squeeze on Ancient Trees

17 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As temperatures rise, the tree line moves upslope. But ancient bristlecone pines are losing that upslope race to faster-colonizing neighbors. Christop...

Rising CO2 Pushes Plants to Drink Sparingly

16 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As carbon dioxide levels rise, plants are sipping water more efficiently—which could come in handy in a drier future. Christopher Intagliata reports...

Cannibalism Quells Contagion among Caterpillars

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Cannibalistic caterpillars prevent disease from decimating their populations by removing infected individuals. Emily Schwing reports. Learn more abou...

Feds Want to Know Who's Protesting Trump

11 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Internet hosting company DreamHost is battling the U.S. Justice Department over requests for information about people visiting a Web site for organizi...

Windows Vex Bats' Echolocating Abilities

07 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Smooth vertical surfaces like windows reflect sound waves away from bats—meaning bats can't "see" windows and similar obstacles with echolocation. C...

Wetlands Could Save Cities--and Money, Too

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Using insurance industry models, researchers determined that wetlands prevented some $625 million in damages due to Hurricane Sandy. Christopher Intag...

Rabbit Relatives Reel from Climate Change

02 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Pikas, a hampster-size rabbit relative, have disappeared from a 64-square-mile plot in the northern Sierra Nevada—and climate change is a likely cul...

Winking Star 6 Centuries Ago Explained

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A star that appeared and then vanished in A.D. 1437 was an explosion in a binary star system—which now reveals clues about the life cycle of certain...

Grazing Cattle Trim the Menu for Birds

30 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When cattle graze the desert's natural landscape, birds face changes in food availability—and some species are unable to adapt. Jason Goldman report...

Climate Change Might Shrink Fish

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Warmer water boosts fishes' demand for oxygen—and their bodies may shrink in response. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choi...

A Fruitful Experiment in Land Conservation

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In 1998 an orange juice maker dumped 12,000 tons of orange peels on degraded pastureland in Costa Rica—transforming it into vine-rich jungle. Christ...

Recycle Your Eclipse Glasses

23 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomers Without Borders wants to share your used eclipse glasses with kids in other parts of the world for the 2019 total solar eclipse.   Lear...

Seeing 1 Solar Eclipse May Not Be Enough

19 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David Baron, author of the new book American Eclipse, talks about how seeing his first total solar eclipse turned him into an eclipse chaser.     ...

Solar Eclipse in 1097 May Be Rock-Carving Subject

18 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A petroglyph spotted in Chaco Canyon may depict a total solar eclipse witnessed by the Pueblo people.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Social Media Sites Can Profile Your Contacts

17 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why you should think twice before you give an app access to your phone’s address book.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

"Textalyzer" Aims at Deadly Distracted Driving

14 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A new device promises to tell police when a driver has been sending messages while behind the wheel, but is it legal? Larry Greenemeier reports. Learn...

Climate Change Fires Up Polar Bear Treadmill

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sea ice is drifting faster in the Arctic—which means polar bears need to walk farther to stay in their native range. Emily Schwing reports. Learn mo...

No Bull: Lizards Flee When They See Red

09 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Western fence lizards are more spooked by red and gray shirts than they are by blue ones—perhaps because the males have blue bellies themselves. Chr...

Celebrities Tweet Like Bots

05 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrity Twitter accounts look a lot like Twitter bots: They tweet regularly, follow relatively few people, and upload a lot of content. Christopher ...

Cold Snap Shapes Lizard Survivors

03 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An epic bout of cold weather quickly altered a population of lizards—an example of natural selection in action. Christopher Intagliata reports. Lear...

Mediterranean Diet Works--for Upper Crust

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Italians who stuck closely to the heart-healthy diet had fewer heart attacks and strokes—but only if they were well-off and/or college educated. Chr...

Screams Heard Round the Animal World

31 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Humans appear well equipped to recognize the alarm calls of other animals—perhaps because sounds of distress tend to have higher frequencies. Karen ...

This Caterpillar Whistles While It Irks

28 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The North American walnut sphinx caterpillar produces a whistle that sounds just like a songbird's alarm call--and the whistle seems to startle birds....

To Buy Happiness, Spend Money on Saving Time

26 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Volunteers who used money to save themselves time were more content than volunteers who purchased themselves physical stuff. Karen Hopkin reports. Lea...

Bacteria Can Be Resistant to Brand-New Antibiotics

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Exposure to existing antibiotics can imbue infectious bacteria with resistance that also kicks in against new drugs related to the originals. Christop...

Teaching Computers to Enjoy the View

19 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers in the U.K. trained computers to rate photos of parks and cities for what humans consider to be their scenic beauty. Christopher Intagliat...

Flying through a Corpse's Clues

17 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Forensic entomologists can chemically analyze fly eggs from a corpse, which might speed up detective work. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more ...

Old Records Help Resurrect Historic Quake

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Century-old records found in Puerto Rico helped reconstruct the damage caused there by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake—and could help disaster experts pl...

This Cell Phone Needs No Battery

12 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An experimental cell phone works by absorbing and reflecting radio waves—meaning it's incredibly energy efficient and needs no battery. Christopher ...