Sinopsis
Leading science journalists provide a daily minute commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of science. For a full-length, weekly podcast you can subscribe to Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American . To view all of our archived podcasts please go to www.scientificamerican.com/podcast
Episodios
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Methane-Eating Microbes May Mitigate Arctic Emissions
19/08/2015 Duración: 01minA newly discovered strain of bacteria found in Arctic permafrost harvests methane from the air—meaning it could help mitigate the effects of warming. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Chinese Cave Graffiti Agrees with Site's Drought Evidence
18/08/2015 Duración: 01minResearchers linked dated graffiti about droughts in a cave in China to physical evidence in the cave of the water shortages, such as changes in ratios of stable isotopes in specific layers of stalagmites
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Whistled Language Forces Brain to Modify Usual Processing
17/08/2015 Duración: 01minBoth hemispheres are involved in the brains of people interpreting a whistled variant of Turkish, compared with a left hemisphere dominance when listeners hear the spoken language
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Invertebrates Are Forgotten Victims of "Sixth Extinction"
14/08/2015 Duración: 03minSome 95 percent of catalogued species in one family of Hawaiian land snails could already be extinct, and similar rates of invertebrate extinction could be happening around the world. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nicotine-Chomping Bacteria Could Help Smokers Quit
13/08/2015 Duración: 01minResearchers isolated a bacterial enzyme that could break down nicotine before smokers get the buzz that keeps them coming back for more. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Women Left out in Cold by Office A-C Standards
12/08/2015 Duración: 01minIndoor climate control systems are based on 1960s standards that envisioned the typical office worker to be a 40-year-old, 68-kilogram man
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Bite Me: The Mutation That Made Corn Kernels Consumable
11/08/2015 Duración: 01minA single-point mutation in corn's ancestor teosinte got rid of the hard shell that used to encase every kernel
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Fish Slime Inspires New Eco-Sunscreen Ingredient
07/08/2015 Duración: 01minResearchers have developed a new ecofriendly sunscreen molecule that protects against both UV-A and UV-B rays, and could also be used to create more durable paints and plastics. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Microbes Deep under Seafloor Reflect Ancient Land Origins
06/08/2015 Duración: 01minMicrobes 2,500 meters below the seafloor in Japan are most closely related to bacterial groups that thrive in forest soils on land, suggesting that they might be descendants of ones that survived when their terrestrial habitat was flooded 20 million years ago
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Spicy Food Linked to Lower Risk of Death
05/08/2015 Duración: 03minIn a study of nearly half a million volunteers in China, those who ate chilies just a couple times a week had a 10 percent lower risk of death. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bonobo Peeps May Be Necessary Language Precursors
04/08/2015 Duración: 03minAnimal communication studies have shown only fixed vocalizations, such as alarm cries. But Bonobo chimps appear to have a call that has different meanings in different contexts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Diminutive Peoples Took Different Paths to Petite
03/08/2015 Duración: 01minAdults of the west African Baka people and east African Efé and Sua peoples average less than five feet tall. But while the Efé and Sua are born small, the Baka have slow growth rates in infancy
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Forests Suck Up Less Carbon after Drought
31/07/2015 Duración: 03minTree growth lags below normal for several years following droughts, a detail about carbon sequestration that climate models currently overlook. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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"Imperfect" Vaccines May Aid Survival of Ultrahot Viruses
30/07/2015 Duración: 03minCertain vaccines prevent sickness and death, but don't block transmission—meaning they may actually give some viral strains an extra shot at survival. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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What All the Screaming Is about
29/07/2015 Duración: 03minAn analysis of the acoustical characteristics of screams found that the sounds are unusually rough, that is, they rapidly change in frequency, which has an alarming effect on the listener's brain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Baseball Great Thanks Tommy John Surgery, Decries Its Frequency
27/07/2015 Duración: 01minIn his induction speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame, pitcher John Smoltz hoped that the number of such procedures could be lessened in the future
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Appetizers Can Psychologically Spoil Your Appetite
22/07/2015 Duración: 01minMediocre main dishes taste even worse when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect." Erika Beras reports
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Many Overweight and Obese Teens Underestimate Their Weight
21/07/2015 Duración: 01minA survey of nearly 5,000 13- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. found that 40 percent of overweight and obese teens did not self-identify as “too heavy.” Cynthia Graber reports
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Alien Intelligence Search Gets Major New Push
20/07/2015 Duración: 04minEntrepreneur and former physicist Yuri Milner talks about the just-announced $100-million Breakthrough Listen Project to search for extraterrestrial technological civilizations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Plankton Blooms Fuel Cloud Droplet Formation
17/07/2015 Duración: 03minThe Southern Ocean is the cloudiest place on Earth, a condition caused in part by phytoplankton particles kicked up by sea spray. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices