Science, Quickly

Latest Episodes:

To Buy Happiness, Spend Money on Saving Time Jul 26, 2017

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Volunteers who used money to save themselves time were more content than volunteers who purchased themselves physical stuff. Karen Hopkin reports.

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Bacteria Can Be Resistant to Brand-New Antibiotics Jul 25, 2017

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Exposure to existing antibiotics can imbue infectious bacteria with resistance that also kicks in against new drugs related to the originals. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Teaching Computers to Enjoy the View Jul 19, 2017

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Researchers in the U.K. trained computers to rate photos of parks and cities for what humans consider to be their scenic beauty. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Flying through a Corpse's Clues Jul 17, 2017

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Forensic entomologists can chemically analyze fly eggs from a corpse, which might speed up detective work. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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This Cell Phone Needs No Battery Jul 12, 2017

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An experimental cell phone works by absorbing and reflecting radio waves—meaning it's incredibly energy efficient and needs no battery. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Bacteria Might Share the Blame for Eczema Jul 07, 2017

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In patients with severe eczema, Staphylococcus aureus strains dominated the skin microbe population—suggesting that certain types of bacteria could worsen eczema flares. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Franklin's Lightning Rod Served Political Ends Jul 04, 2017

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Whether lightning rods should have rounded or pointy ends became a point of contention between rebellious Americans and King George III.

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Rainbow Photons Pack More Computing Power Jun 28, 2017

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Quantum bits, aka qubits, can simultaneously encode 0 and 1. But multicolored photons could enable even more states to exist at the same time, ramping up computing power. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Moths Inspire Better Smartphone Screens Jun 26, 2017

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Researchers designed an antireflective coating for smartphone screens, with inspiration from the bumpy eyes of moths. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Keep Rolling Luggage Upright with Physics Jun 21, 2017

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A team of physicists has revealed why rolling suitcases start rocking from wheel to wheel—and how to avoid that frustrating phenomenon. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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