Science Quickly

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Music’s Physiological Effects Transcend Culture Mar 19, 2015

Show notes

People in the Congo rainforests or in Montreal tended to react to the same piece of music in strikingly similar ways. Andrea Alfano reports

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That's What Ya Call a 4-Star Planet Mar 19, 2015

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Astronomers report the discovery of only the second quadruple-star system known to host at least one planet. But they suspect there are a lot more such systems out there. Lee Billings reports

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Smoke Makes Twisters More Likely to Strike Mar 18, 2015

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Smoke wafting north from the Gulf of Mexico worsened the already stormy weather brewing across the southeastern U.S. on April 27, 2011. Julia Rosen reports

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La Niña Conditions Spin Up More Springtime Twisters Mar 18, 2015

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Severe weather forecasters could incorporate El Niño and La Niña cycling to make springtime tornado and hail forecasts. Christopher Intagliata reports

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Human Remains Double Known Rainforest Occupation Time Mar 17, 2015

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Physical remains in Sri Lanka show that people lived in rainforests 20,000 years ago, at least 10,000 years earlier than previous evidence showed. Cynthia Graber reports

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Crowd-Sourced Medical Research Gets Apple Assist Mar 16, 2015

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What’s called ResearchKit enables scientists to more easily write mobile apps that take advantage of iPhone sensors to study asthma, Parkinson’s and other diseases. Larry Greenemeier reports

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<i>Big Bang</i> Sitcom Stars <i>Scientific American</i> Tonight Mar 12, 2015

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On the March 12 episode of The Big Bang Theory, a mock copy of Scientific American becomes a key part of the plot. The sitcom's science advisor, U.C.L.A. physicist David Saltzberg, talks about the show's reach to the lay public. Steve Mirsky reports

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Background Music Jams Memory in Older Adults Mar 11, 2015

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People of all ages find background sound distracting, but noise appears to impede memory formation in older people. Erika Beras reports

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Some European Languages Came by Steppe Mar 10, 2015

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A new genetic analysis reveals a massive migration from the central Asian grasslands into Europe 4,500 years ago—implying that some languages followed. Christopher Intagliata reports

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Animals Can Be Given False Memories Mar 09, 2015

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Two studies, one with bees and one with mice, show that the brain can be manipulated into having a memory of an occurrence that did not in reality happen. Karen Hopkin reports

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