Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Can AI do math, or does it just act like a calculator? Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, Kendra Pierre-Louis and SciAm reporter Joe Howlett explore a new math challenge designed to test whether today’s AI models can truly tackle cutting‑edge proofs. They break down how the experiment works, what early results say about AI’s mathematical abilities and why researchers are still debating whether these tools are revolutionizing math or just offering a high‑powered assist.

Recommended Reading:

As AI keeps improving, mathematicians struggle to foretell their own future

AI just got its toughest math test yet. The results are mixed

Is AI on the precipice of revolutionizing math? It depends

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Heat dome, legal win for vaccines, lead-tainted clothes Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, Andrea Thompson, senior desk editor for life sciences at Scientific American, joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to discuss the recent heat wave in parts of the U.S. We’ll also dive into a recent district court ruling against a decision by the Trump administration to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule. Plus, we look at new research about unsafe levels of lead in kids’ clothing. Finally, we’ll explore the new era of mega constellations as active SpaceX satellites orbiting Earth cross the 10,000 mark.

Recommended Reading:

Everything about this week’s record-shattering western heat wave is extreme

Judge temporarily blocks key parts of RFK, Jr.’s effort to overhaul U.S. childhood vaccines

Influential vaccine advisory panel may be ‘disbanded’ after lawsuit, says former vice chair

SpaceX now has more than 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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Andy Weir spills the space tea on Ryan Gosling and Project Hail Mary Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, author Andy Weir joins SciAm’s Bri Kane to talk all things Project Hail Mary—from working with Ryan Gosling on the new film adaptation of the book to building the extraterrestrial character Rocky’s alien world and blending real science with playful fiction. And Weir explains why he himself would never volunteer for a space mission.

Recommended Reading:

Ryan Gosling says Project Hail Mary is ‘a reminder of what we’re capable of’

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was co-hosted by Bri Kane and edited by Alex Sugiura and Marta Hill. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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GLP-1 drugs are entering a new chapter Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American’s associate health editor Lauren Young joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to talk about how the story of GLP‑1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro is evolving. We trace GLP-1s’ origins as type 2 diabetes treatments, their rise as blockbuster weight‑loss medications and the ensuing complications—including the expanding market for compounded drugs. And we look at how the landscape has only grown more complex as researchers explore surprising potential uses for GLP‑1s, from addiction treatment to cardiovascular benefits, even as new concerns emerge about long‑term effects.

Recommended Reading:

Compound weight-loss drugs are everywhere. The FDA is cracking down

People who took GLP-1 drugs had lower risk of all kinds of drug and alcohol addiction

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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Nuclear doubts, bigger hail, and new clues about aging brains Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, we cover the record release of global emergency oil reserves amid escalating conflict, a breakdown of why nuclear experts say Iran was not close to building a nuclear weapon, new research that shows how climate change is increasing both the likelihood and size of severe hail and a study that reveals how aging gut microbiomes may impair cognitive function through the gut-brain connection.

Recommended Reading:

War in Iran triggers an unprecedented disruption in global oil

Iran was nowhere close to a nuclear bomb, experts say

The reason the Middle East has so much oil is the same reason it’s all stuck there now

The gut microbiome may influence brain aging, mouse study suggests

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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How RFK, Jr.’s beliefs echo a troubling ideology Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for protecting the health of the American people. But over the past year, it has taken several steps that critics say undermine that very objective. In today’s episode of Science Quickly, we take a close look at the man at the center of those actions—Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—who’s spent several years sowing confusion over vaccines and propping up fringe health theories. His beliefs, some critics say, echo “soft eugenics.” SciAm senior editor Dan Vergano, Ars Technicasenior health reporter Beth Mole and historian Robert Johnston join host Kendra Pierre-Louis to unpack RFK, Jr.’s ideology and its repercussions on Americans’ health.

Recommended Reading:

How a year of RFK, Jr., has changed American science

“RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory,” by Beth Mole, in Ars Technica. Published online April 30, 2025

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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The Traitors and the science of sneaky lies Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into the psychology of deception through the deliciously twisty lens of The Traitors, exploring why humans are surprisingly bad at detecting lies and what science says about it. SciAm reporter Jackie Flynn Mogensen joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to break down research on lie detection, reveal why physical tells are often misleading and explain how contestants use (or fail to use) strategies backed by behavioral science.

Recommended Reading:

How to win The Traitors, according to science

The Art of Lying

This Is How Often People Lie in a Day

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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Measles outbreak, AI in warfare, sped-up global warming Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, we cover a few important updates on the measles outbreaks in the U.S. We also look at how governments are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for military action, including the recent U.S. airstrikes against Iran. Plus, we dive into a worrying new finding about the quickening pace of global warming. And finally, we explore the complex physics behind the delightful squeaks of basketball shoes.

Recommended Reading:

Measles outbreak erupts in one of U.S.’s largest ICE detention centers

The U.S. just surpassed a grim measles milestone

Squeak! The surprising new physics of why basketball games are so noisy

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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Michael Pollan explores consciousness, AI and the brain Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Science Quickly, journalist Michael Pollan joins Scientific American’s Bri Kane to unpack why consciousness is so hard to define in a discussion that explores what brain science, artificial intelligence experiments and even psychedelics might reveal about how awareness works.

Recommended Reading:

A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness. Michael Pollen. Penguin, 2026

Your guide to 29 wildly different theories of consciousness

Why consciousness is the hardest problem in science

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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A tech journalist, some hot dogs and an AI hoax Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

In February the BBC’s Thomas Germain became the world’s “best tech journalist at eating hot dogs”—at least, that’s what ChatGPT and Google Search’s “AI Overview” were telling Internet users for a while. Germain achieved this false glory with what he has called “the dumbest stunt” of his career. In this episode of Science Quickly, he joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to talk about just how easy this was and how his simple—and hilarious—trick has exposed a serious flaw in common AI tools.

Recommended Reading:

“I hacked ChatGPT and Google’s AI—and it only took 20 minutes,” by Thomas Germain, in BBC. Published online February 18, 2026.

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

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