Science Quickly
- Episodes
- 1,986
- Released
- several times a week
- Latest episode
- Oct 23, 2026
About the podcast
Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.
Episodes 1,986
Why your brain hates uncertainty
Our brains are constantly trying to predict what comes next, but in an increasingly unpredictable world, that mental workload can fuel stress, anxiety and even depression. In this episode of Science Quickly …
Show notes
Our brains are constantly trying to predict what comes next, but in an increasingly unpredictable world, that mental workload can fuel stress, anxiety and even depression. In this episode of Science Quickly, author Maia Szalavitz explains how the brain processes uncertainty, why some people are better equipped to handle it than others and how we can build resilience by learning to embrace the unknown.
Recommended Reading:
How uncertainty breaks the brain
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, Sushmita Pathak, 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.
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Slime molds, Pompeii and alien consciousness with Annalee Newitz
In this episode of Science Quickly, science journalist and science-fiction author Annalee Newitz discusses their novel A Wall Is Also a Road, a story about a graduate student who also happens to be a conscious …
Show notes
In this episode of Science Quickly, science journalist and science-fiction author Annalee Newitz discusses their novel A Wall Is Also a Road, a story about a graduate student who also happens to be a conscious slime mold alien. The slime mold, named Gardenpath, has decided to study an alien civilization, and her fieldwork has taken her to Pompeii, where she befriends a local sex worker named Murtis. Newitz and Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman talk about the compelling nature of slime molds, the value of looking at human civilization from the outside and the ordinary people of Pompeii.
Recommended Reading:
Ancient Roman scrolls destroyed by Mount Vesuvius digitally unrolled in full for first time
Tom Hiddleston on Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and the human stories frozen in time
Slime Mold Helps to Map the Universe’s Tendrils of Dark Matter
How Slime Molds Remember Where They Ate
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, Sushmita Pathak, 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.
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Cover Story: Escaping the Infinite Scroll
How much screen time is too much? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American associate editor Allison Parshall reads her November cover story, “Escaping the Infinite Scroll.” In the story, she …
Show notes
How much screen time is too much? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American associate editor Allison Parshall reads her November cover story, “Escaping the Infinite Scroll.” In the story, she 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 Allison Rodgers. The article was fact-checked by Wudan Yan.
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Bee stingers, plastic risks and ovarian surprises
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 …
Show notes
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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 …
Show notes
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]
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 …
Show notes
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.
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nobel winners, neutrino detectors and nature’s longest-living tortoise
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 …
Show notes
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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 …
Show notes
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:
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
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 …
Show notes
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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 …
Show notes
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:
Fangzhou Wang’s profile at the University of Texas at Arlington
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]
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 …
Show notes
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.
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Fire amoebas, fossilized vomit and AI energy demands
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 …
Show notes
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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]
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 …
Show notes
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.
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Should you be ‘poop maxxing’?
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 …
Show notes
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
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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 …
Show notes
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.
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Unexplainable: What happened before the big bang?
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 …
Show notes
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
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
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 …
Show notes
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?
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 …
Show notes
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.
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The surprising science of friendship
Friendships are key to our well-being, but what kind of friendships do we really want? Despite being such a foundational part of the human experience, the science of friendship is still mysterious. Assistant …
Show notes
Friendships are key to our well-being, but what kind of friendships do we really want? Despite being such a foundational part of the human experience, the science of friendship is still mysterious. Assistant professor of psychology Jessica Ayers is trying to fill in the blanks. While it’s long been assumed that people want either a few close friends or a large network of friendships, her recent research shows that many people need a mix of both friendship types to feel connected. Her research points to new ways we can understand our own friendship styles and gives insight to the loneliness epidemic.
Recommended Reading:
Love Isn’t Just about Romance. Here’s How Nonromantic Bonds Shape Our Lives
The Evolutionary Origins of Friendship
How Nostalgia Keeps Friendships Alive
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.
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What if a dating app matched you with a dead body?
What if a dating app could optimize human connection, even after death? In this episode of Science Quickly, books and culture editor Bri Kane speaks with author Sarah Pierce about her debut novel For Human Use …
Show notes
What if a dating app could optimize human connection, even after death? In this episode of Science Quickly, books and culture editor Bri Kane speaks with author Sarah Pierce about her debut novel For Human Use, a darkly comic thriller centered on a dating app that matches users with dead bodies. Pierce discusses dating apps, human behavior and the search for meaningful connection. Together, they explore what modern dating technology can and can’t offer and what our reactions to a truly bizarre innovation reveal about human behavior.
Recommended Reading:
For Human Use. Sarah G. Pierce. Run for It, 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.
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The hackers fighting to keep our water safe
Across the U.S., the digital infrastructure that runs our utilities is quickly aging, becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Recently at least a dozen states reported attacks on their water systems …
Show notes
Across the U.S., the digital infrastructure that runs our utilities is quickly aging, becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Recently at least a dozen states reported attacks on their water systems. Stepping up to defend these utilities is DEF CON Franklin, an organization that pairs expert volunteers with infrastructure operators who want to step up their cyberdefense. To learn about how the program works, Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman talks with Eric Geller, a senior reporter at Cybersecurity Dive. They talk about why so many water treatment plants need a cybersecurity glow-up, how DEF CON Franklin came into being, how cybersecurity volunteers are helping protect rural communities and what the future of cybersecurity might look like.
Recommended Reading:
Hackers Could Use Electric Vehicle Chargers to Attack the Power Grid
Massive CrowdStrike Tech Outage Highlights Global Vulnerabilities
Scientists just built a powerful AI computer worm that learns as it spreads
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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi 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.
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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches
In this episode of Science Quickly, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope begins its mission to probe dark energy, hunt for distant worlds and map the cosmos in unprecedented detail. The mission’s senior …
Show notes
In this episode of Science Quickly, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope begins its mission to probe dark energy, hunt for distant worlds and map the cosmos in unprecedented detail. The mission’s senior project scientist Julie McEnery explains why astronomers are so excited about what Roman might discover.
Recommended Reading:
NASA’s newest telescope is about to rewrite how we study the universe
Can NASA’s Roman Space Telescope solve the biggest problem in the universe?
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 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.
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Is Trump abandoning endangered species?
In July the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced changes to how key parts of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will be implemented, including a new definition of what it means to “harm” an endangered …
Show notes
In July the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced changes to how key parts of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will be implemented, including a new definition of what it means to “harm” an endangered species. To discuss the history of the ESA, the impact its made on at-risk wildlife and the importance of habitat preservation, Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman talks to marine biologist Lynne Barre, who recently left the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after a 25-year career at the agency. They talk about the gray whale comeback that the ESA helped bring about, the earlier Supreme Court dissent that the current administration is using to define “harm” and the government workforce problem that could put animals at risk.
Recommended Reading:
Protecting Plants and Animals at Risk Must Start before They Need the Endangered Species Act
Can We Save Every Species from Extinction?
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.
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Could damaged sperm be causing miscarriages?
Miscarriage is often treated as a problem rooted in the pregnant partner, but emerging research suggests sperm may play a bigger role than many people realize. Science journalist Sarah Elizabeth Richards joins …
Show notes
Miscarriage is often treated as a problem rooted in the pregnant partner, but emerging research suggests sperm may play a bigger role than many people realize. Science journalist Sarah Elizabeth Richards joins Science Quickly to discuss how growing evidence links sperm DNA damage to recurrent pregnancy loss, why decades-old tests for such damage are only now gaining wider recognition and how lifestyle changes may help improve sperm health and pregnancy outcomes.
Recommended Reading:
Damaged sperm might be the true cause of repeated miscarriages
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 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 happens when Arctic ice melts and forests lose protection?
In this episode of Science Quickly, we examine a proposal to roll back protections for millions of acres of U.S. roadless forests, explore how climate change is opening a new Arctic shipping route and discuss …
Show notes
In this episode of Science Quickly, we examine a proposal to roll back protections for millions of acres of U.S. roadless forests, explore how climate change is opening a new Arctic shipping route and discuss new research suggesting that extreme weather can shape how Americans view their future. Plus, scientists uncover the secrets of shrew noses and narwhal tusks.
Recommended Reading:
How melting Arctic ice has created a new Silk Road
Trump moves to end protections for 44 million acres of U.S. forests
Extreme weather is making Americans feel powerless
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 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
These are the latest 100 of 1,986 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
