Science Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Feral Dogs Respond to Human Hand Cues Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Most feral dogs that did not run away from humans were able to respond to hand cues about the location of food—even without training.

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Neandertals Tooled Around with Clams Feb 07, 2020

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Neandertals ate clams and then modified the hard shells into tools for cutting and scraping.

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Fingering Fake Whiskeys with Isotopes Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

Whiskeys claimed to be from the 19th century are revealed to be made with much more recently grown barley, thanks to the unique isotopic fingerprint of the nuclear-testing era.

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Having an Albatross around Your Boat Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

By outfitting 169 albatrosses with GPS data loggers, scientists were able to track fishing boats apparently trying to hide their location. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Science News Briefs from All Over Feb 03, 2020

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Here are a few brief reports about international science and technology from around the world, including one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo about a toad that has evolved coloring that makes it look like a deadly snake’s head.

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Facts about Groundhogs Other Than Their Poor Meteorology Feb 02, 2020

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Groundhogs are less accurate at weather forecasting than are coin flips, but they are nonetheless pretty interesting critters.

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Did Animal Calls Start in the Dark? Feb 01, 2020

Show notes

One hypothesis says the ability to vocalize arose in nocturnal animals—and a new evolutionary analysis suggests there may be some truth to it. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Sign Languages Display Distinct Ancestries Jan 30, 2020

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Well more than 100 distinct sign languages exist worldwide, with each having features that made it possible for researchers to create an evolutionary tree of their lineages.

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Docs Given Updated Opioid Prescribing Habit Jan 26, 2020

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Researchers dialed down the default number of opioids in two hospitals’ prescription systems—and doctors ended up prescribing fewer pills. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Some Wolf Pups Show Innate Fetching Talent Jan 25, 2020

Show notes

Some wolf pups will play fetch with a stranger, suggesting that an ability to playfully interact with people could have come before, and played a role in, dog domestication.

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