Science Quickly

Folgen

• 
  Bee stingers, plastic risks and ovarian surprises 19.10.2026 9Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly: a surprising discovery about postmenopausal ovaries, new evidence that microplastics may harm cells through their physical structure, the secret mechanics of honeybee stingers and a cyberattack that spoiled food in hundreds of supermarkets. Catch up on the latest science and tech news. Recommended Reading: Do women hit a biological ‘cliff’ at menopause? Microplastics are linked to inflammation—scientists might have finally worked out why Honeybees deemphasize potential ‘misinformation’ in their waggle dances E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  What science says about endless phone scrolling 16.10.2026 23Min.

  How much screen time is too much? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American associate editor Allison Parshall explores the growing debate over screen addiction and problematic social media use. From landmark lawsuits against tech companies to the psychology behind endless scrolling, she explains what researchers know about digital dependence, why social platforms are designed to keep us engaged and how some people are turning to addiction-style recovery programs for help. Recommended Reading: Meta to pay $18 billion and make sweeping app changes to settle social media harms lawsuit E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Are Blue Zones real? 14.10.2026 16Min.

  Longevity research has fueled books, documentaries and billion-dollar industries, but how much of it stands up to scrutiny? In this episode, researcher Saul Justin Newman explains why he believes that the evidence behind Blue Zones, antiaging interventions and some of the biggest claims in longevity science may be far weaker than advertised and what the debate reveals about our enduring quest to live longer. Recommended Reading: Morbid. Saul Justin Newman. MIT Press, 2026 ‘Universal’ aging clocks offer new clues to longevity E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Fighting Fear with Facts: Navigating Infectious Disease Information [Sponsored] 13.10.2026 23Min.

  From sensationalized health claims to AI-generated misinformation, misleading content can distort how people understand infectious disease. Epidemiologist and science communicator Jessica Malaty Rivera explores why fear spreads, how science evolves and what individuals can do to evaluate sources, recognize emotional manipulation and build trust in evidence. This podcast was produced for Bayer by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Nobel winners, neutrino detectors and nature’s longest-living tortoise 12.10.2026 11Min.

  This week’s science news roundup unpacks the 2026 Nobel Prizes—from controlling brain cells with flashes of light to catching ghostly neutrinos from distant galaxies in Antarctic ice to building mirror-image molecules one at a time. Plus, we meet Jonathan, a 194-year-old tortoise whose DNA might hold the secret to a longer life. Recommended Reading: 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to pioneers in ‘mirror’ chemistry 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Francis Halzen, pioneer of high-energy neutrinos 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to scientists behind optogenetics The oldest known land animal is 194. How did he get so ancient? E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck fact-checked our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  The doctor fighting for pain-free IUDs 09.10.2026 18Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with Helena Kopp Kallner, an ob-gyn and a professor, about her promising new study that shows local anesthetic can reduce pain during placements of intrauterine devices (IUDs). These devices are one of the most effective and convenient forms of birth control, but the pain of insertion keeps many patients away. Kopp Kallner explains why IUD insertion pain has long been ignored, how existing pain-relief options fall short and why patients themselves may be the key to driving adoption of this evidence-based approach. Recommended Reading: What Is Long-Acting Reversible Birth Control? Misinformation around Birth Control Online Is a Form of Contraception Coercion E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Who’s accountable when AI goes wrong? 07.10.2026 14Min.

  When news broke that OpenAI agents had breached the AI platform Hugging Face, many headlines framed it as a case of “rogue” artificial intelligence acting on its own. But how much of that narrative was reality, and how much was hype? In this episode, Rachel Feltman speaks with AI researcher and artist Eryk Salvaggio about what really happened, why human design choices played a central role and what the incident reveals about accountability in an age of increasingly powerful AI systems. Recommended Reading: “Rogue AI didn’t breach Hugging Face, human decisions did,” by Eryk Salvaggio, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Published online September 11, 2026 The real danger in OpenAI’s Hugging Face hack Eryk Salvaggio’s Cybernetic Forests newsletter Eryk Salvaggio’s Critical Vocabulary for Artificial Intelligence E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  El Niño flood threats, measles risks and a risky viral trend 05.10.2026 14Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, we explore how an El Niño–driven Kelvin wave could increase coastal flooding risks in California, why researchers say a plan to weaken vaccine requirements could leave Florida vulnerable to major measles outbreaks and what experts want people to know about the dangers of a garlic-and-honey remedy that’s gone viral on TikTok.  Recommended Reading: Why this El Niño will be the largest in living memory The Atlantic hurricane season has been so quiet it’s unprecedented This TikTok home remedy could cause botulism—here’s what to know E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck fact-checked our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  You’re probably walking past edible plants every day 02.10.2026 19Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with Alexis Nikole Nelson, better known as Black Forager, about her new book Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! Nelson shares how a childhood fascination with edible plants grew into a passion for foraging, conservation and science communication. From city sidewalk snacks and serviceberries to ocean-water pickles, she explains how foraging can deepen our connection to nature while encouraging responsible stewardship of the ecosystems that sustain us. Recommended Reading: Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! Alexis Nikole Nelson. S&S/Simon Element, 2026 E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Can you spot a romance scam? 30.09.2026 18Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with criminologist Fangzhou Wang about how romance scams have evolved from simple online deception into sophisticated, artificial-intelligence-powered fraud operations. They discuss how scammers use dating apps, fake identities, deepfakes and cryptocurrency schemes to build trust and steal money and what researchers are learning about helping people recognize and resist manipulation before they become victims. Recommended Reading: “Daejon Love Case Highlights Online Romance Scams: Research Reveals Scammers’ Tactics—And How to Defend against Them,” by Fangzhou Wang, in the Conversation. Published online September 2, 2026 Fangzhou Wang’s profile at the University of Texas at Arlington  “A Crime Script Analysis of Pao Fen Operations and the Construction of Prevention Strategies,” by Fangzhou Wang, in Crime & Delinquency. Published online August 14, 2025 “The Prevention of Online Romance Scams Using a Crime Script Analysis from the Victim’s Perspective,” by Fangzhou Wang and James D. Kelsay, in International Review of Victimology, Vol. 32, No. 2; May 2026  E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Navigating Science and Health Misinformation [Sponsored] 29.09.2026 20Min.

  As health misinformation surges online, Morgan McSweeney—known online as Dr. Noc, a science communicator and immunology expert whose videos reach millions each month across TikTok, Instagram, and X—explores why facts alone might not be enough to earn public trust, and what science communicators can do differently.  This podcast was produced for Bayer by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine's board of editors.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Fire amoebas, fossilized vomit and AI energy demands 28.09.2026 10Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, we cover discoveries both big and small, from the supersized particle collider needed to find the next subatomic specimen to tropical sea turtles that found new nesting grounds to a recently discovered eukaryote surprising scientists by surviving hellish temperatures and the ever growing energy needed to power artificial intelligence data centers.  Recommended Reading: What’s the Smallest Particle in the Universe? Physicists trace particles back to the quantum vacuum AI’s Power Needs Will Destroy the Renewable Energy Revolution  AI Will Drive Doubling of Data Center Energy Demand by 2030   E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Unexplainable: Dark matter and the end of answers 25.09.2026 34Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, we share part two of our crossover with Vox’s Unexplainable in which we explore one of the universe’s biggest mysteries: dark matter. Host Noam Hassenfeld talks with Scientific American senior reporter Joseph Howlett, a former physicist who spent years searching for dark matter deep beneath an Italian mountain. Their conversation traces the decades-long hunt for the invisible substance thought to make up most of the universe’s matter and explores an even deeper question: What if some mysteries are beyond science’s reach? Recommended Reading: What if we never find dark matter? Listen to Unexplainable Unexplainable on Spotify E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Rethinking Age-Related Vision Loss [Sponsored] 24.09.2026 20Min.

  Treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration has advanced significantly with anti-VEGF therapies, but the need for frequent injections remains a challenge. A new, longer-lasting treatment now in development aims to reduce treatment burden while helping preserve vision. This podcast was produced for Ocular Therapeutix by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Should you be ‘poop maxxing’? 23.09.2026 16Min.

  As colon cancer rates rise in younger adults, more and more people are paying attention to their poop and talking about it on social media, where such “poop maxxing” has become a hashtag. But what’s considered normal, and how can we measure our number twos? Board-certified gastroenterologist Wendi LeBrett joins Rachel Feltman to talk about what’s going on with the poop maxxing trend on social media, what a healthy stool should look and feel like, what common misconceptions around gut health people have, when to see a doctor, and more.  Recommended Reading: Colon cancer is killing more young people in the U.S. than any other cancer Scientists gave the same sample to seven at-home microbiome tests. The results were dramatically different A pair of gut bacteria may cause constipation E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Space weapons are here, and AI experts are sounding alarms 21.09.2026 15Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, we discuss newly revealed U.S. space weapons, growing artificial intelligence safety concerns and the Environmental Protection Agency’s rollback of power plant emissions limits before we end with a look at the tiny sand hoppers reshaping California’s beaches. Recommended Reading: It’s official: The U.S. has weapons in space Trump repeals emissions regulations of fossil-fuel power plants The real danger in OpenAI’s Hugging Face hack E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Can you hear a forest disappear? 18.09.2026 19Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, filmmaker and journalist Leah Varjacques takes us to a Bornean rainforest area, where centuries-old patterns of human and wildlife behavior are being disrupted by the construction of a new capital city. In the midst of all this change, Varjacques documents the work of Wendy Erb, a primatologist and bioacoustic scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Erb’s team, working with members of the local Balik population, placed audio recorders around the forest to capture the sounds of this diverse ecosystem before it changes forever. Recommended Reading: Can you hear a forest disappearing? Scientists are trying to find out E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode was reported and narrated by Leah Varjacques, with additional voiceover work by Rizky Rahad. This story was made possible by a grant from the Pulitzer Center and published in partnership with Project Multatuli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Unexplainable: What happened before the big bang? 16.09.2026 26Min.

  In this special crossover episode, Science Quickly shares an appearance by host Rachel Feltman on Vox’s Unexplainable. Together with host Noam Hassenfeld, she explores Scientific American’s special issue on impossible questions, diving into some of science’s biggest mysteries, from how common medications can work without scientists fully understanding them to whether there’s a limit to what humans can ever know. The conversation also ventures to the edge of cosmology, examining competing theories about what may have come before the big bang and why some questions might remain forever unanswered. Recommended Reading: Finding meaning in the impossible The questions science may never answer Listen to Unexplainable Unexplainable on Spotify E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  From 9/11’s lasting legacy to AI’s disruptive future 14.09.2026 12Min.

  In this episode of Science Quickly, we explore newly released 9/11 records and their revelations about the attacks’ lasting health impacts, unpack a controversial artificial intelligence breakthrough that solved one of mathematics’ biggest problems and examine the growing backlash to a massive AI data center as communities grapple with the costs of powering the AI boom. Recommended Reading: 25 years after 9/11, survivors are still getting sick—here are the numbers AI may have just solved a million-dollar math problem. The field will never be the same The data center backlash comes for SpaceXAI’s Colossus E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Is AI making us less human? 11.09.2026 26Min.

  Can an artificial intelligence really be a friend? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American books and culture lead Bri Kane sits down with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Sherry Turkle to discuss the rise of AI chatbots and their effect on human connection. Turkle explains why she believes AI can imitate intimacy, from empathy and companionship to friendship and love, without truly caring and what we risk losing as machines play a bigger role in our emotional lives. Recommended Reading: Artificial Intimacy. Sherry Turkle. Little, Brown and Company, 2026 E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Emily Makowski, Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices