Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

A New Recipe for Counting Cranberries Nov 22, 2017

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

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How Fit Is Bitcoin? Nov 21, 2017

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

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Salmon Sex Changes Entire Landscape Nov 20, 2017

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

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Ancient 1 Percenters Were Beast-Based Nov 17, 2017

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

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Feathers Help This Bird Sound the Alarm Nov 16, 2017

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

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Put Space Cat on a Pedestal Nov 15, 2017

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A campaign calls for the creation of a statue to recognize Félicette, the first cat to be sent into space.

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Polluted Water Whale Invents New Feeding Strategy Nov 13, 2017

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

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Insect Brain System Knows What You Want Nov 10, 2017

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

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Sheep's Face-Reading Skills Stand Out from the Flock Nov 08, 2017

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

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Nearby Exoplanets Invigorate the Search for E.T. Nov 07, 2017

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

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