Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

COVID, Quickly, Episode 1: Vaccines, Variants and Diabetes Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Today we begin a new podcast series: COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between.

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Machine Learning Pwns Old-School Atari Games Feb 25, 2021

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You can call it the “revenge of the computer scientist.” An algorithm that made headlines for mastering the notoriously difficult Atari 2600 game Montezuma’s Revenge can now beat more games, achieving near perfect scores, and help robots explore real-world environments. Pakinam Amer reports.

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E-Eggs Track Turtle Traffickers Feb 22, 2021

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Decoy sea turtle eggs containing tracking tech are new weapons against beach poachers and traffickers.

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Bromances Could Lead to More Romances for Male Hyenas Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Spotted hyena males do not fight for mates, so how are certain males shut out of the mating game?

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A Heroic Effort to Measure Helium Feb 05, 2021

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After an intense game of cat and mouse with different particles, atomic physicists have measured the radius of the helium nucleus five times more precisely than before. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Science News Briefs from around the World Feb 01, 2021

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Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the world, including one from Costa Rica about decoy sea turtle eggs with the potential to catch poachers.

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Scientists Take a Cattle Head Count in India Jan 28, 2021

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The research team determined that the city of Raipur in central India has at least one street cow for every 54 human residents. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Ancient Dogs Had Complex Genetic Histories Jan 21, 2021

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Some dog population genetics show similarities to ours, such as in the ability to digest grains. But other lineages differ.

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Bees Use 'Bullshit' Defense to Keep Giant Hornets at Bay Jan 11, 2021

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The prospect of death by giant hornet has pushed some Asian honeybees to resort to a poop-based defense system

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Humans May Have Befriended Wolves with Meat Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

Unlike humans, wolves can subsist on protein alone for months—so scientists say we may have lobbed leaner leftovers their way. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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