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PODCAST

Science Quickly

Scientific American

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

science

All Episodes

17:15

Understanding the Science of ‘Squirting’

Science Quickly ·

2025/04/02

The human body is capable of some truly incredible things. One of the most mysterious and debated phenomena is a release of fluid during sex that is often referred to as “squirting.” What’s actually happening, and why does it stir so much speculation? Wendy Zukerman, host of the hit podcast Science Vs, breaks down the science behind this fascinating topic, exploring what we know, what we don’t and what the controversy surrounding it is.Recommended reading: What a Survey On Anal Sex and Masturbation

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16:29

Are These Plants Out of Place? A New Look at Invasive...

Science Quickly ·

2025/03/26

When you hear “invasive plant,” you might picture an aggressive species taking over and harming the environment. But what if the way we think about invasive plants is part of the problem? Host Rachel Feltman chats with Mason Heberling, associate curator of botany at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, about why these plants are more complicated than we think. He’s one of the experts behind Uprooted: Plants Out of Place, a new exhibition that challenges the way we label and manage plant

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14:59

A Tuberculosis Outbreak Exposes U.S. Postpandemic...

Science Quickly ·

2025/03/12

It’s been five years since COVID was declared a global pandemic. Local, national and global public health agencies mobilized to contain the spread of COVID, but experts worry that backlash against measures like lockdowns have made today’s systems less capable of handling a disease of similar scale. Now the U.S. faces a tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas that underscores the importance of public health infrastructure.Recommended reading: On COVID’s Fifth Anniversary, Scientists Reflect on Mistakes and

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17:02

Valentine’s Day Isn’t Just for Romance—The Science of...

Science Quickly ·

2025/02/14

Love isn’t just about romance. This Valentine’s Day, we’re exploring the power of deep nonromantic bonds. Host Rachel Feltman sits down with Rhaina Cohen, a producer and editor for NPR’s podcast Embedded and author of The Other Significant Others, to discuss the history and psychology of friendship—and the reasons these connections deserve just as much celebration as romantic partnerships.Recommended reading: —The Evolutionary Origins of Friendship —How to Reconnect with Old Friends Who Have Become

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16:19

Are You Tired of Feeling Cynical? Hopeful Skepticism...

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/31

It’s easy to be cynical about the state of the world—even when you’re a researcher who studies empathy and kindness. Stanford University psychologist Jamil Zaki turned his own negativity into his new book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. The book busts common myths about cynicism and explores what it could be doing to our body and brain. Zaki reflects on the imperfections of cynicism and hope and presents a third option: hopeful skepticism.Recommended reading: Read Hope

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12:04

Science Will Stare Directly Into the Sun--And Love It

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/29

The sun is in the middle of its solar maximum, the part of its 11-year solar cycle that was responsible for the stunning auroras seen across the globe last year. This year is looking equally exciting, with more incoming space weather and a handful of science missions to study the sun’s wide-reaching behavior. Senior reporter Meghan Bartels reviews the missions that are launching in 2025 and explains the reasons why you should be excited by heliophysics.Recommended reading: Heliophysics Is Set to

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15:54

How the U.S. Mishandled the Early Days of Bird Flu

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/15

H5N1 avian influenza has now reached almost 1,000 herds of dairy cattle in 16 states and has infected around 66 people, many of them agricultural workers, in the U.S. Host Rachel Feltman is joined by Amy Maxmen, a public health reporter at KFF Health News, to get the latest on bird flu. They explore how government and industry players lost control of the outbreak and what we can do to prevent a future pandemic of this evolving disease.Read the full story:

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13:21

Outbreaks of Norovirus, a Death from Bird Flu and...

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/13

Norovirus cases are up this year, with 91 reported outbreaks nationwide. Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases are up in China and India. There has also been an increase in the U.S., but HMPV is currently a cause for concern in the nation, where its relative commonality gives many people some immunity. Louisiana has reported the first U.S. death from H5N1 avian influenza. Experts say the risk of bird flu to most people is low, though several factors can cause severe disease. Medical debts are set to be

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18:39

Finding Pluto’s Potential Replacement with a Giant...

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/10

Pluto was unseated as our solar system’s ninth planet in 2006. Since then astronomers have found signs that a real ninth planet could be hiding at the edges of our solar system. Clara Moskowitz, senior editor for space and physics, explains how the forthcoming Vera Rubin Observatory could give researchers a way to find the real Planet Nine—if it’s out there.Recommended reading: – We May Be on the Brink of Finding the Real Planet Nine – How to Move the World’s Largest Camera from a California Lab to

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18:11

Going Outside Can Change Our Hormones and Improve...

Science Quickly ·

2025/01/08

Going outside has many benefits, from positively affecting our nervous system to diversifying our microbiome. But you don’t need a forest preserve to benefit from nature—sometimes even a houseplant or the smell of lavender can improve our life. Kathy Willis, a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford, joins host Rachel Feltman to discuss her new book Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants Is Good for Our Health. Willis suggests ways for even city dwellers to

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21:02

A Farewell to 2024, and What We’re Following in the...

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/23

2024 brought heat waves and hurricanes, bird flu and breakthroughs, and an overwhelming amount of progress in AI. Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman is joined by sustainability editor Andrea Thompson, health and medicine editor Tanya Lewis and technology editor Ben Guarino to recap a busy year and weigh in on the stories they’re watching in 2025.Happy Holidays from all of us at Science Quickly! Thank you for your support and your curiosity. We’ll see you next year. Recommended

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23:25

The New Conservationists: Thanks to Conservation...

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/20

Tens of thousands of animal species are facing extinction, mostly because of human activity. But thanks to conservationists, there are some animals that are making a comeback. This is part four of “The New Conservationists,” a four-part series about the evolving world of animal conservation. Listen to part one, part two and part three. Recommended reading: – The Panda Factories – Flying Conservationists Teach Endangered Birds to Migrate – The Last Wild Horses Are Finally Returning to Their Natural

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19:30

The New Conservationists: Meet the Next Generation of...

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/18

Ashleigh Papp, an animal scientist turned storyteller, shifts our perspective on the modern conservationist. With low wages and expectations of free work, conservation science lacks diversity as a field—but dedicated graduate students and new programs are trying to change that. Isaac Aguilar, a graduate student in the geology division at the California Institute of Technology, tells Papp about his journey into conservation. Plus, join a night patrol with crime prevention sergeant Malungane Naledi

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18:26

The New Conservationists: Where Do Zoos Fit into the...

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/13

Ashleigh Papp, an animal scientist turned storyteller, takes us on a trip to the zoo. People are divided on zoos, but as Papp explains, the thoughtful work that goes into caring for animals makes modern zoos conservation powerhouses. This is part one of The New Conservationists, a four-part Friday Fascination series about the evolving world of animal conservation.Recommended reading: – Flying Conservationists Teach Endangered Birds to Migrate – The Last Wild Horses Are Finally Returning to Their

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24:40

AI-Generated Audio Is Entering the Podcast World

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/11

If you were intrigued—or disturbed—by the artificial intelligence podcast on your Spotify Wrapped, you may wonder how AI audio works. Audio Overview is a feature of the tool NotebookLM, released by Google, that allows for the creation of short podcasts with AI “hosts” summarizing information. But questions remain about the accuracy, usefulness and environmental impacts of this application. Host Rachel Feltman and associate news editor Allison Parshall are joined by Google Labs’ editorial director

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8:59

Leaded Gasoline, Orca Hats and ‘Disease X’

Science Quickly ·

2024/12/09

An outbreak of an unknown illness has occurred in the Democratic of the Congo, which has already been dealing with the spread of mpox. A new study finds that leaded gasoline could be responsible for 151 million cases of mental health disorders, with impacts highest among members of Generation X. Upping your daily movement could protect you from cardiovascular events. Plus, we look at Venus’s past and fashion-forward orcas. Recommended reading: For Orcas, Dead Salmon Hats Are Back in Fashion after

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15:57

A Psychologist’s Tips for Avoiding Overconsumption...

Science Quickly ·

2024/11/27

Black Friday sales have gone from one-day in-person shopping bonanzas to a multiday deals extravaganza. It’s tempting to give in to the seasonal pressures to shop, but knowing the tricks companies use to make sales so appealing can help us avoid overconsumption. Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, a professor of consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in England, explains how to spot marketing ploys and shop sustainably. Recommended reading: It’s Actually Healthier to Enjoy Holiday Foods without the

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10:50

What RFK, Jr., Could Mean for Public Health, and How...

Science Quickly ·

2024/11/25

Donald Trump has nominated RFK, Jr., to run the Department of Health and Human Services, a position that includes oversight of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Senior health and medicine editor Tanya Lewis explains what that would mean for antivaccine policies, food safety and unproven therapies that Kennedy backs. Tobacco use is down across the U.S., but the drop has been uneven across groups. Astronomers have

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12:04

Using AI to Understand the Thoughts of the Dead

Science Quickly ·

2024/11/22

Writings and records are how we understand long-gone civilizations without being able to interact with ancient peoples. A recent opinion paper suggested we could feed chatbots writings from the past to simulate ancient participants for social psychology studies. Similar survey experiments with modern participant data closely matched the outcomes of the real people they were based on. We speak with the opinion paper’s co-author Michael Varnum, an associate professor at Arizona State University, about

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11:41

Unscheduled C-Sections May Depend on the Color of...

Science Quickly ·

2024/11/20

Disparities in health are not indicated by adverse outcomes alone. Adriana Corredor-Waldron, an assistant professor of economics at NC State University, sought to understand why Black infants are more likely to be delivered by C-section than white infants. A working paper she co-authored found that the elevated number of low-risk Black pregnant people who were given C-section surgeries in New Jersey from 2008 to 2017 was likely caused by physician discretion. Corredor-Waldron explains why

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348 results

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