Science Quickly

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Giant Bird Driven Extinct by Egg-Eating Humans Feb 09, 2016

Show notes

About 47,000 years ago, newcomer humans to Australia helped to wipe out an enormous flightless bird by collecting and cooking its eggs.

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Climate Change Most Affects Nations That Didn't Produce It Feb 08, 2016

Show notes

Developed nations that drive climate change incur relatively few of the costs whereas countries that produce few greenhouse gas emissions will be hard-hit, like nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke.

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Super Bowl Sunday's Food Needs Work Feb 06, 2016

Show notes

A public health advocate determined how much exercise is required to burn off various typical big game foods.

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Bear Gut Microbes Help Prep Hibernation Feb 04, 2016

Show notes

Bears’ gut summer bacteria are more diverse and include species that tend to promote energy storage than are the bacteria that live in them during their hibernation.

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Seed-Scattering Birds May Help Trees Cope with Climate Change Feb 03, 2016

Show notes

A new review paper emphasizes the crucial role birds play in helping trees colonize new habitats—especially in the face of a changing climate. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Plastic Pollution Perturbs Oyster Offspring Feb 02, 2016

Show notes

Laboratory tests suggest that when the shellfish suck in tiny plastic particles, their reproductive success suffers. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Antioxidant Use Still Small Mixed Bag Feb 01, 2016

Show notes

At a Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health forum on diet and health, Walter Willett, chair of the school's nutrition department, talked about benefits and risks associated with antioxidant supplements.

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Sweet Song Gives Away New Bird Species Jan 29, 2016

Show notes

The newly discovered Himalayan forest thrush looks a great deal like the alpine thrush, but its far silkier song stylings gave it away as a potential new species.

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Suicide Differences by Region Related to Gun Availability Jan 28, 2016

Show notes

The presence of a gun increases the likelihood that someone in the home will die a violent death, particularly by suicide.

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Musical Pitch Perception May Have Long Evolutionary History Jan 27, 2016

Show notes

A tiny primate, the marmoset, appears to process pitch perception the same way we do, implying that the ability evolved in a common ancestor at least 40 million years ago.

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