Science Quickly

Scientific American

0.0 (0)
Science
Updated daily

Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.

13 hr ago

Slime molds, Pompeii and alien consciousness with Annalee Newitz

In this episode of Science Quickly, science journalist and science-fiction author Annalee Newitz discusses their novel A Wall Is Also a Road, a story about a graduate student who also happens to be a conscious slime mold alien. The slime mold, named Gardenpath, has decided to study an alien civilization, and her fieldwork has taken her to Pompeii, where she befriends a local sex worker named Murtis. Newitz and Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman talk about the compelling nature of slime molds, the value of looking at human civilization from the outside and the ordinary people of Pompeii. Recommended Reading: Ancient Roman scrolls destroyed by Mount Vesuvius digitally unrolled in full for first time Tom Hiddleston on Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and the human stories frozen in time Slime Mold Helps to Map the Universe’s Tendrils of Dark Matter How Slime Molds Remember Where They Ate E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 day ago

Cover Story: Escaping the Infinite Scroll

How much screen time is too much? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American associate editor Allison Parshall reads her November cover story, “Escaping the Infinite Scroll.” In the story, she explores the growing debate over screen addiction and problematic social media use. From landmark lawsuits against tech companies to the psychology behind endless scrolling, she explains what researchers know about digital dependence, why social platforms are designed to keep us engaged and how some people are turning to addiction-style recovery programs for help. Recommended Reading: Meta to pay $18 billion and make sweeping app changes to settle social media harms lawsuit E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Allison Rodgers. The article was fact-checked by Wudan Yan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 days ago

Bee stingers, plastic risks and ovarian surprises

In this episode of Science Quickly: a surprising discovery about postmenopausal ovaries, new evidence that microplastics may harm cells through their physical structure, the secret mechanics of honeybee stingers and a cyberattack that spoiled food in hundreds of supermarkets. Catch up on the latest science and tech news. Recommended Reading: Do women hit a biological ‘cliff’ at menopause? Microplastics are linked to inflammation—scientists might have finally worked out why Honeybees deemphasize potential ‘misinformation’ in their waggle dances E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 days ago

What science says about endless phone scrolling

How much screen time is too much? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American associate editor Allison Parshall explores the growing debate over screen addiction and problematic social media use. From landmark lawsuits against tech companies to the psychology behind endless scrolling, she explains what researchers know about digital dependence, why social platforms are designed to keep us engaged and how some people are turning to addiction-style recovery programs for help. Recommended Reading: Meta to pay $18 billion and make sweeping app changes to settle social media harms lawsuit E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Oct

Are Blue Zones real?

Longevity research has fueled books, documentaries and billion-dollar industries, but how much of it stands up to scrutiny? In this episode, researcher Saul Justin Newman explains why he believes that the evidence behind Blue Zones, antiaging interventions and some of the biggest claims in longevity science may be far weaker than advertised and what the debate reveals about our enduring quest to live longer. Recommended Reading: Morbid. Saul Justin Newman. MIT Press, 2026 ‘Universal’ aging clocks offer new clues to longevity E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Oct

Fighting Fear with Facts: Navigating Infectious Disease Information [Sponsored]

From sensationalized health claims to AI-generated misinformation, misleading content can distort how people understand infectious disease. Epidemiologist and science communicator Jessica Malaty Rivera explores why fear spreads, how science evolves and what individuals can do to evaluate sources, recognize emotional manipulation and build trust in evidence. This podcast was produced for Bayer by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Oct

Nobel winners, neutrino detectors and nature’s longest-living tortoise

This week’s science news roundup unpacks the 2026 Nobel Prizes—from controlling brain cells with flashes of light to catching ghostly neutrinos from distant galaxies in Antarctic ice to building mirror-image molecules one at a time. Plus, we meet Jonathan, a 194-year-old tortoise whose DNA might hold the secret to a longer life. Recommended Reading: 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to pioneers in ‘mirror’ chemistry 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Francis Halzen, pioneer of high-energy neutrinos 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to scientists behind optogenetics The oldest known land animal is 194. How did he get so ancient? E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck fact-checked our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Oct

The doctor fighting for pain-free IUDs

In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with Helena Kopp Kallner, an ob-gyn and a professor, about her promising new study that shows local anesthetic can reduce pain during placements of intrauterine devices (IUDs). These devices are one of the most effective and convenient forms of birth control, but the pain of insertion keeps many patients away. Kopp Kallner explains why IUD insertion pain has long been ignored, how existing pain-relief options fall short and why patients themselves may be the key to driving adoption of this evidence-based approach. Recommended Reading: What Is Long-Acting Reversible Birth Control? Misinformation around Birth Control Online Is a Form of Contraception Coercion E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See All (2k)

Rachel Feltman

Host

Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.