Science, Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Pack Rats Expand Diet with New Gut Bacteria Jul 31, 2014

Show notes

Pack rats given the right gut bacteria via a fecal transplant from other pack rats can then digest foods that they formerly could not, but the donors could. Karen Hopkin reports

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Colorful Birds Can Also Belt Tunes Jul 30, 2014

Show notes

A survey of the tanagers reveals that birds do not have to choose between colorful plumage and a melodious song. Karen Hopkin reports

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Roach Reactions to Venom Point to Targeted Pesticides Jul 29, 2014

Show notes

Small changes in the protein sequence of sodium channels of American compared with German cockroaches leave the latter susceptible to a venom that has little effect on the former. Cynthia Graber reports

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Salmonella's Favorite Food Could Be Its Achilles' Heel Jul 23, 2014

Show notes

Salmonella's primary fuel source is the molecule fructose-asparagine. Starving it of that fuel in an infected person could kill it without harming beneficial gut bacteria. Karen Hopkin reports

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Give Us This Day the Bread Wheat Genome Jul 17, 2014

Show notes

A preliminary map of the bread wheat genome includes the locations of more than 75,000 genes. Cynthia Graber reports

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Supercooled Organs Could Stretch Time to Transplant Jul 09, 2014

Show notes

Liver transplant time from human donor to patient is limited to 12 hours, but rats that got livers specially stored for three days were going strong three months later. Cynthia Graber reports

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Space-Based Data Collection Better Predicts Floods Jul 08, 2014

Show notes

Satellite data can help geologists predict major floods up to 11 months in advance in areas where snow melt or groundwater is a significant contributor. Cynthia Graber reports

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Mobile Phones Carry Owners' Microbiomes Jul 02, 2014

Show notes

The bacteria found on someone's mobile phone is a good match for the most common kinds of bacteria that live on their hands. Christopher Intagliata reports

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Neandertal Diners Had Side of Veggies Jun 27, 2014

Show notes

By analyzing what came out of Neandertals, researchers have verified that at least some of them mixed vegetation into their meaty diet. Cynthia Graber reports

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21-Second Rule Governs Mammal Micturition Jun 25, 2014

Show notes

All mammals that weigh more than about six-and-a-half pounds take about the same time to urinate, thanks to the structure of the urethra. Karen Hopkin reports

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