Science, Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Sharks Rule the Reef's Underwater Food Chain Dec 10, 2017

Show notes

When sharks prowl shallow waters, fish quit foraging and hide—sparing seaweed from being grazed in those areas. Jason G. Goldman reports.

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Invasive Frogs Don't Bug Hawaiian Birds Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

Coquí frogs are invasive species in Hawaii. But they don’t seem to bug the islands’ native and nonnative birds. Jason G. Goldman reports.

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How Hospitals Can Dampen the Decibels Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Hospitals consistently score low on quietness surveys. An acoustician suggests a few ways hospitals could keep the peace and quiet. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Smarter Management Means More Inventions Get to Market Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

Rosemarie Truman, CEO of the Center for Advancing Innovation, says a better system of governance for federally funded inventions could lead to many more good ones becoming commercialized.

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Computers Learn to Use Sound to Find Ships Dec 05, 2017

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Researchers trained machine-learning algorithms to pinpoint the location of a cargo ship simply by eavesdropping on the sound of its passing. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Yeti Claims Don't Bear Up Dec 03, 2017

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Analysis of alleged yeti samples found them to be from less fantastic beasts, such as bears, but also shed light on the evolution of those local bear populations.

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Republican Voters Not in Denial about Climate Dec 01, 2017

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An analysis of voter opinions finds that half of Republican voters think climate change is happening, and would support regulating CO2 as a pollutant. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Tech Honcho Wants Innovation for the Bottom Billion Nov 30, 2017

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At the World Conference of Science Journalists in October, Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, charged innovation outfits with changing the lives of the world's most disadvantaged.

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Chimps Able to Apprehend Another Chimp's Mind-Set Nov 27, 2017

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By listening to the calls of their brethren, chimps seem to be able to understand the mind-sets and perspectives of other chimps. Jason Goldman reports.

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Even without Hands Honeybees Show Handedness Nov 26, 2017

Show notes

About half the honeybees in a test exhibited no sidedness, but the other half was split 50–50 between righties and lefties—perhaps to navigate obstacles more efficiently.

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