Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Obama Talks Some Science Policy Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

As he endorsed Joe Biden today, former president Barack Obama touched on some environmental, economic and science matters.

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Red-Winged Blackbirds Understand Yellow Warbler Alarms Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

Researchers studying yellow warbler responses to the parasitic cowbird realized that red-winged blackbirds were eavesdropping on the calls and reacting to them, too.

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Waiter, What's This Worm Doing in My Sushi? Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Well, it’s probably there because the odds on its presence have gone way up in the past 40 years. But such parasites are still much more of a health problem for whales and dolphins than they are for us.

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What's a Narwhal's Tusk For? Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Although the tusk can be a weapon, the variation in tusk length among animals of similar body size points to it being primarily a mating status signal.

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Coronavirus Misinformation Is Its Own Deadly Condition Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Pulitzer-winning Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance, talks about the dangers of politicians offering coronavirus misinformation.

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Coronavirus Can Infect Cats Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

Tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive for the virus, and studies show that house cats—but apparently not dogs—can become infected.

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Squid's Glowing Skin Patterns May Be Code Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

Humboldt squid can rapidly change the pigmentation and luminescence patterns on their skin by contracting and relaxing their muscles, possibly to communicate.

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Bird Fossil Shared Earth with T. rex Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

Dating back 67 million years, this representative of the group of modern birds has been dubbed the Wonderchicken (which is not an April Fools’ Day joke).

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City Birds: Big-Brained with Few Offspring or Small-Brained with a Lot Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

To make it in urban areas, birds tend to be either large-brained and able to produce few offspring or small-brained and extremely fertile. In natural habitats, most birds brains are of average size.

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Coyotes Eat Everything from Fruits to Cats Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

The diets of coyotes vary widely, depending on whether they live in rural, suburban or urban environments—but pretty much anything is fair game.

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