Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Funky Cheese Rinds Release an Influential Stench Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

The volatile compounds released by microbial communities on cheese rinds shape and shift a cheese’s microbiome. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Dinosaur Asteroid Hit Worst-Case Place Oct 21, 2020

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The mass-extinction asteroid happened to strike an area where the rock contained a lot of organic matter and sent soot into the stratosphere, where it could block sunlight for years.

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River Ecosystem Restoration Can Mean Just Add Water Oct 20, 2020

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Planners returned water to the dry bed of Arizona’s Santa Cruz River in 2019, and various species began showing up on the same day.

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3,000-Year-Old Orbs Provide a Glimpse of Ancient Sport Oct 18, 2020

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Researchers say three ancient leather balls, dug up from the tombs of horsemen in northwestern China, are the oldest such specimens from Europe or Asia. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Humans Make Wild Animals Less Wary Oct 16, 2020

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From mammals to mollusks, animals living among humans lose their antipredator behaviors.

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Play Helped Dogs Be Our Best Friends Oct 13, 2020

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The ancestors of today’s dogs already exhibited some playfulness, which became a key trait during domestication.

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Neandertal DNA May Be COVID Risk Oct 10, 2020

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A stretch of Neandertal DNA has been associated with some cases of severe COVID-19, but it’s unclear how much of a risk it poses. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Nobelist Talks CRISPR Uses Oct 08, 2020

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New Nobel laureate in chemistry Jennifer Doudna talks about various applications of the gene-editing tool CRISPR.

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Blue Whale Song Timing Reveals Time to Go Oct 07, 2020

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Blue whales off California’s coast sing at night—until it’s time to start migrating, and they switch to daytime song.

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New Nobel Laureate Talks Today's Virology Oct 05, 2020

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Charles Rice, who today shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, talked about how rapidly research now occurs, compared with his early work.

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