Science Quickly

High-Elevation Hummingbirds Evolved a Temperature Trick

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hummingbirds in the Peruvian Andes enter a state of torpor at night to conserve energy, dipping their body temperature to as low as 38 degrees Fahren...

Why Pet Pigs Are More like Wolves Than Dogs

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Given an impossible task, a dog will ask a human for help, but a wolf will not seek help—and neither will a pet pig. Learn more about your ad cho...

Bricks Can Be Turned into Batteries

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pumping cheap iron-oxide-rich red bricks with specific vapors that form polymers enables the bricks to become electrical-charge-storage devices. Le...

Leftovers Are a Food-Waste Problem

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers found that leftovers are likely to end up in the trash, so they advise cooking smaller meals in the first place to avoid food waste. Chris...

Some Dinosaurs Probably Nested in Arctic

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The finding of a baby dinosaur fossil in the Arctic implies that some dinos nested in the region, which was milder than today but not toasty. Learn mo...

Star Systems Can Be Born Topsy-Turvy

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomers observed an odd triple-star system that offers clues about misaligned planetary orbits. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more abou...

Death by Lightning Is Common for Tropical Trees

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A study estimates that 200 million trees in the tropics are mowed down by lightning annually. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

Science Briefs from around the World

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one from Antarctica about how there’s something funny about pengui...

Alaska's Salmon Are Shrinking

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, Alaska’s big salmon runs feature smaller salmon. Climate change and competition with hatchery-raised salmon may be to blame. Julia Rosen...

End of 'Green Sahara' May Have Spurred a Megadrought in Southeast Asia

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

That drought may have brought about societal shifts in the region 5,000 years ago. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

White Rhinos Eavesdrop to Know Who's Who

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The finding could potentially help wildlife managers keep better tabs on their herds. Jason G. Goldman reports.  Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Prehistoric Marine Reptile Died after a Giant Meal

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers found extra bones within a 240-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil—which they determined to be the ichthyosaur’s last, possibly fatal ...

Cows with Eye Images Keep Predators in Arrears

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Butterflies, fish and frogs sport rear-end eyespots that reduce predation. Painting eye markings on cows similarly seems to ward off predators. Learn ...

Warbler Species Fires Up Song Diversity

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hermit warblers in California have developed 35 different song dialects, apparently as a result of wildfires temporarily driving them out of certain a...

Why Lava Worlds Shine Brightly (It's Not the Lava)

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists determined that “lava world” exoplanets do not derive their brightness from molten rock but possibly get it from reflective metallic ...

Aardvarks Are Ailing amid Heat and Drought

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change is expected to bring more frequent droughts and heat waves to Africa’s Kalahari Desert. And aardvarks might not be able to cope. Jaso...

The World's Highest-Dwelling Mammal Lives atop a Volcano

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists spotted a mouse at the summit of Llullaillaco, a 22,000-foot-tall volcano on the border of Chile and Argentina. Julia Rosen reports. Learn ...

Dampening of the Senses Is Linked to Dementia Risk

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A decline in smell was the sense loss most strongly associated with such risk in a recent study. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your...

Translucent Frog Optics Create Camo Color

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rather than undergoing active chameleonlike color changes, glass frogs’ translucency allows light to bounce from their background and go through the...

Paired Comparisons Could Mean Better Witness Identifications

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Compared with traditional lineup techniques, a series of two-faces-at-a-time choices led to more accurate identification by study witnesses. Learn mor...

Foxes Have Dined on Our Leftovers for 30,000 Years

02 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An analysis of fox fossils found evidence that they scavenged from wolf and bear kills until Homo sapiens supplied plenty of horse and reindeer remai...

Mexico Caves Reveal Ancient Ocher Mining

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Now submerged caves in the Yucatán Peninsula contain remains of ocher-mining operations that date back at least 10,000 years. Learn more about you...

In Bee Shortage, Bubbles Could Help Pollinate

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Soap bubbles are sticky enough to carry a pollen payload and delicate enough to land on flowers without harm. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Science News Briefs from around the Planet

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one about how a lizard population responded to hurricanes by develo...

Seismologists Find the World Quieted Down during Pandemic Lockdowns

25 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19-related lockdowns dampened human activity around the globe—giving seismologists a rare glimpse of the earth’s quietest rumblings. Christo...

Old Art Offers Agriculture Info

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices. Learn more...

How COVID-19 Decreases Weather Forecast Accuracy

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Meteorologists take advantage of weather data collected by commercial jetliners at different altitudes and locations. Fewer flights mean less data. ...

Cricket Avoids Being Bat Food by Doing Nothing

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The sword-tailed cricket can discern bats’ echolocation signals by only responding to calls of a certain volume—at which point it plummets out of...

Speaker System Blocks City Noise

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The system works like noise-cancelling headphones but fits over an open window. Christopher Intagliata reports.  Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Civil War Vaccine May Have Lessons for COVID-19

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Vaccination used against smallpox during the Civil War reveals the identity of the distantly related virus used to keep troops disease-free. Learn mor...

Can People ID Infectious Disease by Cough and Sneeze Sounds?

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Individuals aren’t very good at judging whether someone coughing or sneezing has an infectious condition or is simply reacting to something benign....

Why Some Birds Are Likely To Hit Buildings

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Those that eat insects, migrate or usually live in the woods are most likely to fly into buildings that feature a lot of glass. Learn more about your ...

Sparrow Song Undergoes Key Change

11 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

White-throated sparrows made a change to their familiar call that quickly spread across Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Polynesians and Native South Americans Made 12th-Century Contact

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have found snippets of Native South American DNA in the genomes of present-day Polynesians, and they trace the contact to the year 1150. Ch...

Animals Appreciate Recent Traffic Lull

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers saw a third fewer vehicle collisions with deer, elk, moose and other large mammals in the four weeks following COVID-19 shutdowns in three...

Bat Says Hi as It Hunts

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Velvety free-tailed bats produce sounds that help them locate insect prey but simultaneously identify them to their companions. Learn more about y...

Forests Getting Younger and Shorter

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Old, big trees are dying faster than in the past, leaving younger, less biodiverse forests that store less carbon worldwide. Learn more about your ...

Young Great White Sharks Eat off the Floor

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The stomach contents of young great white sharks show that they spend a lot of time patrolling the seafloor for meals. Learn more about your ad ch...

Tweets Reveal Politics of COVID-19 

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Political scientists analyzed congressional tweets and observed how Republicans and Democrats responded differently to the virus. Christopher Intaglia...

Nature's Goods and Services Get Priced

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The gross ecosystem product, or GEP, tries to take into account the contribution of nature to the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Animal Migrations Track Climate Change

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many species are known to have changed their migration routes in response to the changing climate. They now include mule deer and Bewick’s swans. ...

Science Briefs from around the World

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about a 70-million-year-old mollusk fossil that reveal...

Stiffer Roads Could Drive Down Carbon Emissions

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By hardening the nation’s streets and highways, trucks would use less fuel and spare the planet carbon emissions. Christopher Intagliata reports. L...

Unicorns of the Sea Reveal Sound Activities

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Narwhals, recognizable by their large single tusk, make distinct sounds that are now being analyzed in depth by researchers. Learn more about your ...

Human Speech Evolution Gets Lip-Smacking Evidence

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A study of our closest evolutionary relatives finds that the chimp behavior known as lip smacking occurs in the same timing range as human mouths duri...

Printed Coral Could Provide Reef Relief

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Three-dimensional printed coral-like structures were able to support the algae that live in real corals, which could help restore reefs and grow algae...

'Snot Palaces' Reveal Undersea Creature Secrets

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists are studying the delicate mucus houses built by creatures called larvaceans to better understand how they live. Christopher Intagliata rep...

Helping Kids Cope with COVID-19 Worries

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The psychological state of children may need special attention during COVID-19 impacts and isolation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Ancient DNA Rewrites Dead Sea Scroll History

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By sequencing DNA from the dust of dead sea scrolls, scientists were able to glean new clues about the ancient manuscripts. Christopher Intagliata rep...

Whale Protections Need Not Cause Lobstering Losses

07 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Right whales, other whales and turtles get caught in lobster trap lines, but fewer lines can maintain the same lobster catch levels. Learn more abo...

How to Keep COVID-19 Conspiracies Contained

06 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An expert on climate denial offers tips for inoculating people against coronavirus conspiracy notions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Bioluminescence Helps Prey Avoid Hungry Seals

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prey animals flash biochemically produced light to confuse elephant seals hunting in the dark. But at least one seal turned the tables. Learn more ...

3 Words Mislead Online Regional Mood Analysis

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Analyzing keywords on Twitter can offer a loose measure of the subjective well-being of a community, as long as you don’t count three words: good, l...

COVID Has Changed Soundscapes Worldwide

31 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Silent Cities project is collecting sound from cities around the planet during the coronavirus pandemic to give researchers a database of natural ...

Science News Briefs from All Over

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about an incredibly well-preserved horned lark (Eremoph...

Colorful Corals Beat Bleaching

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Exposed to mildly warmer waters, some corals turn neon instead of bleaching white. The dramatic colors may help coax symbiotic algae back. Christophe...

Skinny Genes Tell Fat to Burn

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A gene whose mutated form is associated with cancer in humans turns out to have a role in burning calories over a long evolutionary history. Learn ...

Malaria Mosquitoes Are Biting before Bed-Net Time

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mosquitoes that like to bite at night are being thwarted by bed nets, leading to the rise of populations that prefer to bite when the nets are not up ...

We're Being Tested

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump pointed out yesterday that if we didn't do any testing for the virus we would have very few cases, which forces us to confront the iss...

Barn Owl Babies Can Be Helpful Hatch Mates

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Food sharing is mainly found in adult animals as a part of social bonding. But in a rarely observed behavior in birds, older barn owl chicks will shar...

Donut Sugar Could Help Stored Blood Last

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dehydrated blood that could be kept at room temperature for years may be possible thanks to a sugar used to preserve donuts—and made by tardigrades ...

Lemur Flirting Uses Common Scents

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To entice female ring-tailed lemurs, males rub wrist secretions, which include compounds we use in perfumes, onto their tail and then wave it near th...

Flamingos Can Be Picky about Company

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

They don’t stand on one leg around just anybody but often prefer certain members of the flock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Horses Recognize Pics of Their Keepers

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Horses picked out photographs of their current keepers, and even of former keepers whom they had not seen in months, at a rate much better than chance...

Tapirs Help Reforestation via Defecation

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The large herbivores appear to prefer disturbed areas over more intact ones and spread many more seeds in those places through their droppings. Learn...

Virus-Infected Bees Practice Social Distancing

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bees infected with a virus cut back on interactions within their hive but find it easier to get past sentries at neighboring hives. Learn more about ...

New Data on Killer House Cats

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wild cats kill more animals than domestic ones do. But pet cats kill many more of them in a small area than similarly sized wild predators. Learn more...

Science News Briefs from around the World

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are a few brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about what the eruption of Mount Vesuvius might have d...

Birds on Rhinos' Back Help Them Avoid Poachers

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Oxpeckers riding on rhinoceroses feast on ticks, and their calls warn the nearsighted herbivores about approaching humans. Learn more about your ad ch...

Jane Goodall: We Can Learn from This Pandemic

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a teleconference promoting her participation in Earth Day events on the National Geographic Channel, Goodall talked about what gives her hope durin...

Our 3,000th Episode

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some “highlights” from the past 13.5 years of this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Herbivore Herds Might Help Permafrost

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing herds of large herbivores in the Arctic would disturb surface snow, allowing cold air to reach the ground and keep the permafrost frosty. ...

Lung Cancer Screen Could Be Easy Pee-sy

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In mice, a test for lung cancer involves nanoprobes that recognize tumors and send reporter molecules into the urine for simple analysis. Learn more a...

Obama Talks Some Science Policy

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As he endorsed Joe Biden today, former president Barack Obama touched on some environmental, economic and science matters. Learn more about your ad ch...

Red-Winged Blackbirds Understand Yellow Warbler Alarms

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers studying yellow warbler responses to the parasitic cowbird realized that red-winged blackbirds were eavesdropping on the calls and reactin...

Waiter, What's This Worm Doing in My Sushi?

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Well, it’s probably there because the odds on its presence have gone way up in the past 40 years. But such parasites are still much more of a healt...

What's a Narwhal's Tusk For?

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Although the tusk can be a weapon, the variation in tusk length among animals of similar body size points to it being primarily a mating status signal...

Coronavirus Misinformation Is Its Own Deadly Condition

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pulitzer-winning Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance, talks about the dangers of politician...

Coronavirus Can Infect Cats

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive for the virus, and studies show that house cats—but apparently not dogs—can become infected...

Squid's Glowing Skin Patterns May Be Code

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Humboldt squid can rapidly change the pigmentation and luminescence patterns on their skin by contracting and relaxing their muscles, possibly to comm...

Bird Fossil Shared Earth with T. rex

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dating back 67 million years, this representative of the group of modern birds has been dubbed the Wonderchicken (which is not an April Fools’ Day j...

City Birds: Big-Brained with Few Offspring or Small-Brained with a Lot

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To make it in urban areas, birds tend to be either large-brained and able to produce few offspring or small-brained and extremely fertile. In natural ...

Coyotes Eat Everything from Fruits to Cats

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The diets of coyotes vary widely, depending on whether they live in rural, suburban or urban environments—but pretty much anything is fair game. ...

Tiny Wormlike Creature May Be Our Oldest Known Ancestor

29 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The bilateral organism crawled on the seafloor, taking in organic matter at one end and dumping the remains out the other some 555 million years ago. ...

Science News Briefs from around the Planet

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are a few brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about the discovery of an intact chicken egg dating to...

Help Researchers Track COVID-19

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By entering your health status, even if you’re feeling fine, at the Web site COVID Near You, you can help researchers develop a nationwide look at ...

Sick Vampire Bats Restrict Grooming to Close Family

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When vampire bats feel sick, they still engage in prosocial acts such as sharing food with nonrelatives. But they cut back on grooming anyone other ...

Exponential Infection Increases Are Deadly Serious

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as I use two calculators to track the difference in numbers of infections over a short period of time, depending on how many people each inf...

Swamp Wallaby Reproduction Give Tribbles a Run

21 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

They’re not born pregnant like tribbles, but swamp wallabies routinely get pregnant while pregnant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Ocean Plastic Smells Great to Sea Turtles

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ocean plastic gets covered with algae and other marine organisms, making it smell delicious to sea turtles—with potentially deadly results. Learn mo...

Ancient Clam Shell Reveals Shorter Day Length

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The growth layers in a 70-million-year-old clam shell indicate that a year back then had more than 370 days, with each day being only about 23.5 hours...

Snapping Shrimp Make More Noise in Warmer Oceans

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As oceans heat up, the ubiquitous noise of snapping shrimp should increase, posing issues for other species and human seagoing ventures. Learn more...

Stress from Undersea Noise Interferes with Crab Camouflage

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In an example of how sea noise can harm species, exposed shore crabs changed camouflaging color sluggishly and were slower to flee from simulated pred...

Indigenous Amazonians Managed Valuable Plant Life

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Studies on very old vegetation in the Amazon basin show active management hundreds of years ago on species such as Brazil nut and cocoa trees. Learn m...

Computers Confirm Beethoven's Influence

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By breaking 900 classical piano compositions into musical chunks, researchers could track Ludwig van Beethoven’s influence on the composers who foll...

Science News Briefs from around the World

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here are a few brief reports about science and technology from around the world, including one from off the California coast about the first heart rat...

Jet Altitude Changes Cut Climate-Changing Contrails

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Increasing or decreasing the altitude of aircraft by a few thousand feet to avoid thin layers of humidity could make a major reduction to contrails’...

Thoroughbred Horses Are Increasingly Inbred

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Inbreeding in Thoroughbreds has increased significantly in the past 45 years, with the greatest rise occurring in the past 15 or so of them. Learn mor...

Pablo Escobar's Hippos Could Endanger Colombian Ecology

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hippos that escaped from drug kingpin Pablo Escobar’s private zoo are reproducing in the wild. And with increasing numbers, they could threaten eco...

Wasp Nests Help Date Aboriginal Art

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Art created by Australian Aboriginal people used organic carbon-free pigments, but wasp nests above or below the art can be used for radiocarbon datin...