Science, Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Birds on Rhinos' Back Help Them Avoid Poachers Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

Oxpeckers riding on rhinoceroses feast on ticks, and their calls warn the nearsighted herbivores about approaching humans.

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Jane Goodall: We Can Learn from This Pandemic Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

In a teleconference promoting her participation in Earth Day events on the National Geographic Channel, Goodall talked about what gives her hope during the pandemic and what she hopes we all learn from it.

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Our 3,000th Episode Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Here are some “highlights” from the past 13.5 years of this podcast.

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How Herbivore Herds Might Help Permafrost Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

Introducing herds of large herbivores in the Arctic would disturb surface snow, allowing cold air to reach the ground and keep the permafrost frosty.

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Lung Cancer Screen Could Be Easy Pee-sy Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

In mice, a test for lung cancer involves nanoprobes that recognize tumors and send reporter molecules into the urine for simple analysis.

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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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