Science, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

For Kids Fleeing Ukraine, Wartime Trauma May Leave Lasting Wounds Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Volunteers are rushing to provide online counseling, art therapy, and stress relief for the more than 2 million Ukrainian children who have become refugees.

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Chernobyl Was a Wildlife Haven. Then Russian Troops Arrived Apr 19, 2022

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The area around the defunct power plant has been an unexpected rewilding success story. Now attempts to monitor progress are hampered by the war.

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How Does a Newt Cross the Road? With Lots of Human Help Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

Brigades of volunteers are coming to the rescue of thousands of Pacific newts that perish each year as they migrate to their breeding grounds.

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A Global Boom in Fences Is Harming Wildlife Apr 15, 2022

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Barriers are going up rapidly as border projects and livestock farming increase, but they impede wildlife migrations and genetically isolate threatened species.

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The First Drug-Releasing Contact Lens Is Here Apr 14, 2022

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The FDA has approved daily disposables that release anti-allergy medication. Experts hope lenses could one day help treat cataracts and glaucoma.

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A Killer Parasite Is Wiping Out Hordes of Ants—in a Good Way Apr 13, 2022

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A microsporidian pathogen is annihilating tawny crazy ants, an invasive menace of the highest order.

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Companies May Soon Have to Reveal a Hidden Risk: Carbon Emissions Apr 12, 2022

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Big businesses set splashy climate targets but don’t always reveal their data. The Securities and Exchange Commission wants to change that—to protect investors.

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A Bold Idea to Stall the Climate Crisis—by Building Better Trees Apr 11, 2022

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Changing the genetic makeup of trees could supercharge their ability to suck up carbon dioxide. But are forests of frankentrees really a good idea?

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Math’s ‘Oldest Problem Ever’ Gets a New Answer Apr 08, 2022

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A new proof significantly strengthens a decades-old result about the ubiquity of ways to represent whole numbers as sums of fractions.

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How Boa Constrictors Can Breathe Even as They Crush Their Prey Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

New research shows the snakes activate different sections of their rib cage, using their lungs as bellows to pull in air.