Science Quickly
Episodes
Race-Based Brand Preferences Found for Underage Drinkers
30 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Twelve alcohol brands among the top 25 preferred brands for teen black drinkers don’t appear at all on the top 25 for young white drinkers Learn ...
Baby Whales Pecked to Death by Gulls
29 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Almost all southern right whale calves off the coast of Argentina’s Peninsula Valdez are being fed upon, some fatally, by kelp gulls, which was a r...
Polar Bears Must Work Harder on Faster Sea Ice Treadmill
28 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Thinner sea ice is getting pushed farther by Arctic winds, which makes polar bears walk more to stay in the same place, increasing their need for food...
Southwest's Conifers Face Trial by Climate Change
24 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Using climate models and tree physiological data, researchers forecast a near-complete annihilation of evergreens in the southwest by the year 2100. C...
Superfast Computer Chip Transmits Data with Light
23 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers designed a chip that transfers data not with electrons but with photons—resulting in a potential 10-fold boost in speed. Christopher Int...
Text Reminders Cut Binge Drinking in At-Risk Recipients
22 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Heavy drinkers age 18 to 25 who got texts before and after each weekend about their weekend drinking plans cut their alcohol intake compared with thos...
Drugged Gut Microbiome Cuts Heart Risk in Mice
21 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A compound found in extra virgin olive oil and red wine reduced mice’s risk of clogged arteries. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about you...
Antievolution Legislation Shows Descent with Modification
18 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Nicholas Matzke, an American evolutionary biologist currently at the Australian National University in Canberra, performed a phylogenetic-style analys...
Small Fish Takes Fast-Evolution Track
17 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Stickleback fish in Alaska evolved from living in seawater to freshwater in just 50 years, with the help of freshwater traits in their genome. Christo...
Marion Nestle Talks "Soda Politics"
16 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Marion Nestle, author of Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning), talked December 14 in New York City about Coca-Cola's attempt to fund resear...
Teachers' Racial Biases Have Different Effects for High Versus Low Performers
15 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In a study of first graders, teachers rated low-performing minority students more positively than low-performing white students, but they ranked high-...
Energy Secretary Talks Climate Challenge
14 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A brief portion of the December 9 conversation during the climate talks in France between Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Scientific American’s...
Cockroach Caca Contains Chemical Messages Made by Microbes
11 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Roaches get the signal to gather together from pheromones produced by their gut microbes and released in the insects’ excrement. Christopher Intagli...
90-Nation Coalition Aims for Ambitious Climate Change Deal
10 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Among its goals, the coalition of countries, including the U.S., wants an agreement that the world must aim as soon as possible to hold global warming...
New African Highways Have a High Environmental Price
09 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis determines that many road-building projects in Africa would bring only modest benefits to people, while devastating the environment. Chris...
Protect the Right Places for Biodiversity
08 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists can provide the info to make sure that the correct areas are chosen for protection to help ensure the continued robustness of a region's bi...
Individuals' Blood Glucose Levels after Meals May Be Predictable
07 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Closely tracking 800 people's blood glucose levels in response to meals allowed researchers to develop a predictive algorithm for individuals Learn...
Obese Dad's Sperm May Influence Offspring's Weight
04 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Overweight men’s sperm undergo epigenetic changes that may alter a child’s brain development and appetite control. Christopher Intagliata reports ...
Pollination Isn't Just for the Bees
03 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Flies, beetles, butterflies and moths may account for some 40 percent of the world’s pollination. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about yo...
Race Colors New Residents' Views of Local Businesses
02 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Gentrifying residents in two Brooklyn neighborhoods view their new surroundings differently, depending on the race of those who traditionally live the...
Espresso Machines Brew a Microbiome of Their Own
01 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers sampled 10 espresso machines and found that most of them harbored coffee residues rich in bacteria—including some potentially pathogenic...
Massive Survey Creates Amazon Tree Census
30 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A tree survey in the Amazon by more than 150 researchers led to an estimate that up to 57 percent of Amazon trees could qualify for threatened species...
People Pick Familiar Foods Over Favorites
27 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A study found that the stronger a subject's memory of a particular food, the more likely they were to choose it again, even over foods they professed ...
Women Candidates Face Implicit Bias Hurdle
25 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Volunteers taking an "implicit bias" test who were unlikely to associate images of women with leadership titles like executive or president were far l...
Gut Bacteria Signal Your Brain When They're Full
24 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty minutes into a meal, E. coli pump out appetite-suppressing proteins, which could influence our feeling of hunger. Christopher Intagliata report...
Vocal Cords Bioengineered from Starter Cells
23 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers took cells from donated vocal cord tissue and successfully grew them on a three-dimensional scaffold to produce new vocal cords that can p...
Sahara Reveals Remains of Ancient River
20 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Using a satellite-born sensor system that can penetrate through several feet of dry surface sediments, researchers found the dry remains of an ancient...
Your Brain Can Taste without Your Tongue
19 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Stimulating the "taste cortex" was enough to trick mice into thinking they'd tasted sweet or bitter substances, when in fact their tongues tasted noth...
Urban Food Foraging Looks Fruitful
18 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Fruits growing wild in urban areas were found to be healthful and to contain lower levels of lead than what's considered safe in drinking water L...
Female Vocalists Are in the (Mouse) House
17 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Careful recordings of mouse interactions find that females vocalize, overturning the long-held view that only males sing during courtship Learn m...
Eat Slowly and Breathe Smoothly to Enhance Taste
16 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Slow, steady breathing lofts minute food particles into the nasal cavity, where they contribute to your perception of flavor. Christopher Intagliata r...
Little Galaxy Keeps Churning Out Stars
15 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The recently discovered small galaxy Leo P contains only about a hundred-thousandth as many stars as the Milky Way, but it's bucking the small galaxy ...
Howler Monkeys Trade Testicles for Decibels
13 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Among howler monkey species, loud calls come at the expense of testicle size and sperm production—or to put it another way, monkeys with the largest...
Stone Age Pottery Reveals Signs of Beekeeping
12 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Beeswax residues found on shards of stone age pottery in the Mediterranean region indicate that humans were keeping honeybees as early as 9,000 years ...
What Makes Sand Dunes Sing
11 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Engineers at Caltech discovered that for sand dunes to produce sound they need a dry layer on top that amplifies internal frequencies during sand move...
Brain Rhythms Sync to Musical Beat
10 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The human brain's neurons fire in sync to music, and trained musicians are better at it than are amateurs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Brain Responds to Driving Routes Repeatedly
06 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Learning detailed navigation information causes the hippocampus to interact with other regions of the brain involved in location Learn more about...
Arctic Marine Mammals Swim Up to the Microphone
05 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As Arctic sea ice melts, an underwater recording project reveals that the submerged ecology is undergoing change, with humpbacks and killer whales sta...
Decoy Mating Call Battles Citrus Pest
03 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers developed a call that effectively mimics the citrus psyllid's mating song, which could be a weapon against a devastating crop scourge. Chr...
Methane Plumes Bubbling along U.S. Northwest Coast
02 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers report a spike in the number of methane plumes along the Northwest coast emanating from depths of about 500 meters, a possible indication ...
Cultural Goofs Gear Up Gray Matter
29 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
People exposed to incongruent situations, such as Halloween-themed plates at a Labor Day picnic, performed better on cognitive-reasoning tests and wer...
Whale Poop Drives Global Nutrient Cycling
28 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Whales fertilize ocean surface waters with key nutrients like phosphorus, which move through the food chain, and eventually, onto land. Christopher In...
Road Runoff a No-No for Coho
26 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers have found the first direct evidence that coho salmon near U.S. Northwest cities are being killed by chemical runoff from roads and parkin...
Political and Industry Leaders Make a Case for Basic Research
24 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
At the “Innovation: An American Imperative” symposium October 20 on Capitol Hill, industry leaders and members of Congress talked about shoring up...
TV Crime Shows Influence Sex Consent Views
22 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
College students who watched episodes of the various Law & Order episodes had a better understanding of sexual consent issues than those who watched t...
Beet Juice Could Help Body Beat Altitude
21 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Beet juice contains nitrates, which the body can convert to nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes blood vessels and makes it easier to function in con...
Fall Foliage Timing Comes into Clearer Focus
20 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers picked apart satellite imagery from two New England forest ecosystems to get a better handle on exactly what factors influence the timing ...
Apple Thins iPhone Cloud Connections
19 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The company’s moves to have iPhones be less dependent on the cloud and to be more encrypted could mean more user privacy Learn more about your ad ch...
Dino's Tail Might Have Whipped It Good
16 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers built a physical model of the tail of the late Jurassic dinosaur Apatosaurus and found that its tail tip could have moved at supersonic sp...
Babies Move Tongue to Learn New Tongues
15 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Infants seemed to be able to differentiate between two different "D" sounds in Hindi—but only when their tongue movements weren't blocked by a teeth...
Pluto Mission Targets Next Kuiper Belt Object
14 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Stern, principal investigator of NASA’s New Horizons Mission, explains that with Pluto in the rearview mirror, the spacecraft will continue on ...
Magnetic Field May Be a Map for Migratory Birds
13 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It's well known birds can use Earth's magnetic field as their compass, but they may also use magnetism as their map. Christopher Intagliata reports Le...
Wildlife Tourism Could Be "Domesticating" Wild Animals
09 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Human tourism—no matter how well-intentioned—might desensitize wild animals to poachers and predators, affecting their odds of survival. Christoph...
Babies Just Want to Be Smiled at
08 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
By studying the interactions of babies and their mothers, researchers determined that babies smile in hopes others will smile at them. Erika Beras rep...
2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
07 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich, Aziz Sancar for mechanistic studies of DNA repair Learn more about your ad choi...
2015 Nobel Prize in Physics
06 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald for the discovery that one kind of neutrino can change into another, whi...
2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
05 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for their studies leading to novel therapies aga...
Cheap Goods from China Have a High Carbon Cost
02 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Because China relies on coal for much of its power, goods produced there can have a dirtier carbon footprint than those produced elsewhere. Christophe...
MacArthur Genius Grant Winner Probes the Pruning Brain
01 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard neuroscientist Beth Stevens wins a MacArthur Fellowship for studies of how microglia cells prune away excess neuronal synapses during brain de...
MacArthur Genius Grant Winner Makes Waste a Resource
29 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Environmental engineer Kartik Chandran of Columbia University won a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on extracting nutrients and energy from wastewat...
Ancient Human Ancestors Heard Differently
25 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Early human species may have had sharper hearing in certain frequencies than we enjoy, to facilitate short-range communication in an open environment....
Sitting Not the New Smoking for Fidgeters
24 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Sitting for more than seven hours a day is linked to a 30 percent higher risk of death, but that association disappears among the in-place movers and ...
We Emit Clouds of Microbes Wherever We Go
23 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Humans shed a million particles an hour, and those microbe-laced clouds are sometimes unique enough to identify the person producing them. Christopher...
House Dust Organisms Reveal Location and Residents
22 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The particular fungi found in house dust can tell investigators where you live, and the bacteria in the dust can give away who and what you live with ...
Biosciences Get Defense Secretary's Attention
21 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
At the recent DARPA Wait What? conference, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said lifesaving technologies are a priority for his department Learn mor...
Teenage Clockmaker Upholds Long Scientific Tradition
18 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As Daniel Boorstin, former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of History, once put it, clockmakers were the "pioneer scientific instrument m...
Nonpolitical Tweets May Reveal Political Bias
17 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Word selection among Twitter users who could be identified as likely members of one or the other political party showed specific usage patterns. Chris...
California Mountain Snowpack Is Flaking Out
15 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
With the Sierra Nevada snowpack at historic lows, should policy makers focus on capturing future rain instead of relying on the snow bank? Christopher...
Domesticated Pigs Kept Oinking with Wild (and Crazy) Boars
14 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Domesticated pigs had many dalliances with wild boars that added new genes to the pig population well after they had settled down on the farm Learn...
Snake Bites in Costa Rica Peak with El Niño Cycling
11 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers found that snakebites were two to three times as prevalent in the hottest and coldest years of the El Niño climate cycle. Christopher Int...
Sperm Whales Congregate in Click-Based Cliques
10 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The whales appear to prefer the company of "like-minded" individuals, based on common vocal clicking behavior—an example of culture, researchers say...
Humans' Predation Unsustainably Takes Healthy Adult Prey
09 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Whereas most predators kill the young or infirm, humans claim a disproportionate number of mature healthy adults of reproductive age Learn more a...
Better Road Signs Could Save Bicycle Riders
04 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Signs that say "Share the Road" with bicycles may have far less influence over motor vehicle driver behavior than would signs saying "Bicycles May Use...
Self-Healing Spaceship Shielding Could Keep Astronauts Safer
03 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A new lightweight material that heals itself when punctured could help spacecraft survive run-ins with debris. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn mo...
Road Noise Takes a Toll on Migrating Birds
01 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers built a "phantom road" through wilderness using tree-mounted speakers to play traffic sounds, and witnessed a decline in bird fitness and ...
Terse Titles Cited
31 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific papers with shorter titles receive more citations than those with long-winded headings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
Sick Ants Seek Out Medicinal Food
27 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Healthy ants wanted nothing to do with free-radical-rich foodstuff, but ants exposed to a pathogenic fungus sought it out, which upped their odds of s...
Seaweed Bodyguards Coral against Bullying Sea Stars
26 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Crown-of-thorns sea stars are an "underwater swarm of locusts" that devour coral—unless the coral is protected by a layer of seaweed. Christopher In...
Cosmetic Ads' Science Claims Lack Foundation
25 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis of some 300 cosmetics ads in magazines found the vast majority of their science claims to be either false or too vague to judge Learn more...
Deep Voice Gives Politicians Electoral Boost
24 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Two new studies find that a deeper voice gives a politican an edge over a higher-pitched opponent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
Vomit Machine Models Cruise-Ship Virus Spread
22 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Using a simulated vomiting device, scientists determined that projectile vomiting can aerosolize noroviruslike particles, allowing the infection to sp...
Sunlight Activates Smog-Causing Chemicals in City Grime
20 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The grime on city buildings and may actively contribute to urban air pollution. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Methane-Eating Microbes May Mitigate Arctic Emissions
19 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A newly discovered strain of bacteria found in Arctic permafrost harvests methane from the air—meaning it could help mitigate the effects of warming...
Chinese Cave Graffiti Agrees with Site's Drought Evidence
18 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers linked dated graffiti about droughts in a cave in China to physical evidence in the cave of the water shortages, such as changes in ratios...
Whistled Language Forces Brain to Modify Usual Processing
17 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Both hemispheres are involved in the brains of people interpreting a whistled variant of Turkish, compared with a left hemisphere dominance when liste...
Invertebrates Are Forgotten Victims of "Sixth Extinction"
14 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Some 95 percent of catalogued species in one family of Hawaiian land snails could already be extinct, and similar rates of invertebrate extinction cou...
Nicotine-Chomping Bacteria Could Help Smokers Quit
13 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers isolated a bacterial enzyme that could break down nicotine before smokers get the buzz that keeps them coming back for more. Christopher I...
Women Left out in Cold by Office A-C Standards
12 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Indoor climate control systems are based on 1960s standards that envisioned the typical office worker to be a 40-year-old, 68-kilogram man Le...
Bite Me: The Mutation That Made Corn Kernels Consumable
11 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A single-point mutation in corn's ancestor teosinte got rid of the hard shell that used to encase every kernel Learn more about your ad choices...
Fish Slime Inspires New Eco-Sunscreen Ingredient
07 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers have developed a new ecofriendly sunscreen molecule that protects against both UV-A and UV-B rays, and could also be used to create more d...
Microbes Deep under Seafloor Reflect Ancient Land Origins
06 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Microbes 2,500 meters below the seafloor in Japan are most closely related to bacterial groups that thrive in forest soils on land, suggesting that th...
Spicy Food Linked to Lower Risk of Death
05 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In a study of nearly half a million volunteers in China, those who ate chilies just a couple times a week had a 10 percent lower risk of death. Christ...
Bonobo Peeps May Be Necessary Language Precursors
04 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Animal communication studies have shown only fixed vocalizations, such as alarm cries. But Bonobo chimps appear to have a call that has different mean...
Diminutive Peoples Took Different Paths to Petite
03 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Adults of the west African Baka people and east African Efé and Sua peoples average less than five feet tall. But while the Efé and Sua are born sma...
Forests Suck Up Less Carbon after Drought
31 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Tree growth lags below normal for several years following droughts, a detail about carbon sequestration that climate models currently overlook. Christ...
"Imperfect" Vaccines May Aid Survival of Ultrahot Viruses
30 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Certain vaccines prevent sickness and death, but don't block transmission—meaning they may actually give some viral strains an extra shot at surviva...
What All the Screaming Is about
29 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis of the acoustical characteristics of screams found that the sounds are unusually rough, that is, they rapidly change in frequency, which h...
Baseball Great Thanks Tommy John Surgery, Decries Its Frequency
27 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In his induction speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame, pitcher John Smoltz hoped that the number of such procedures could be lessened in the future ...
Appetizers Can Psychologically Spoil Your Appetite
22 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Mediocre main dishes taste even worse when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect." Erika Beras reports Learn...
Many Overweight and Obese Teens Underestimate Their Weight
21 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A survey of nearly 5,000 13- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. found that 40 percent of overweight and obese teens did not self-identify as “too heavy.”...