Science, Quickly

Latest Episodes:

Nobel in Physics for Secrets of Exotic Matter Oct 04, 2016

Show notes

David J. Thouless, F. Duncan Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz split the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.

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Great Migration Left Genetic Legacy Oct 02, 2016

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Reseachers have started to examine the genetic traces of the movement of some six million African-Americans from the south to the north and west between 1910 and 1970.

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Arctic Pollinator Faces Uncertain Future Oct 01, 2016

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A housefly relative appears to be key to the reproductive success of a hardy tundra shrub. But the insect is threatened by the warming climate. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Water Bears' Super Survival Skills Give Up Secrets Sep 28, 2016

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A protein from microscopic creatures called tardigrades keeps their DNA protected—and could someday shield humans from radiation.

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Big Earthquakes May Be More Likely During New and Full Moons Sep 27, 2016

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When the sun, moon and Earth are aligned, high tidal stress may increase the chances that an earthquake will grow bigger than it otherwise might have been.

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Clever Ants Have Backup Navigation Systems Sep 22, 2016

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An ant walking in the desert can gauge distance by footsteps and the sun's position, but an ant being carried can estimate distance by visual information perceived as it passed by.

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Ancient Biblical Scroll Gets Read While Wrapped Sep 21, 2016

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Researchers used high-tech visualization techniques to peer inside an ancient scroll too fragile to unwrap.

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Birch Trees Droop at Night with No Rays in Sight Sep 20, 2016

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The branches of birch trees in Europe sagged by as much as four inches at night compared with daytime.

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Some Malaria Mosquitoes May Prefer Cows to Us Sep 19, 2016

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A chromosomal rearrangement may cause one mosquito species to be lured to cows instead of humans for a blood meal. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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Drunk People Feel Soberer around Heavy Drinkers Sep 15, 2016

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Drinkers surrounded by even more inebriated people feel less drunk than a breathalyzer test indicates they actually are. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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