Generative artificial intelligence has transformed our inboxes, classrooms and even medical records—but at what cost? In this episode, journalist Karen Hao joins Scientific American to discuss her new book Empire of AI, exploring how companies like OpenAI wield power that is reminiscent of historical empires. From ideological quests for artificial general intelligence to the environmental toll of massive data centers, Hao reveals the hidden forces shaping our technological future—and the reasons we should all be paying attention.

Recommended Reading:

OpenAI’s Secrets are Revealed in Empire of AI

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Karen Hao. Penguin Press, 2025 

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

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Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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NASA’s Perseverance rover has spent nearly five years roaming the Martian surface in search of clues to ancient life. But the ambitious plan to return its precious rock samples to Earth is now on shaky ground. Scientific American senior desk editor Lee Billings joins us to unpack the rover’s mission, the stakes of the stalled return effort and the effects it will have on the future of Mars exploration.

Recommended Reading

NASA Recruits Mars Perseverance Rover to Monitor Sun’s Activity

This Rock May Hold Proof of Life on Mars

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

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Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Scientific American associate editor Lauren J. Young breaks down key vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Also, the Food and Drug Administration is considering controversial changes to vaccine approval and administration. Meanwhile a new study warns that light pollution from satellite megaconstellations could severely compromise space telescope observations.

Recommended Reading:

CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth

Changing the FDA’s Vaccine Approval Process Could Threaten COVID, Flu Protection for Children

Satellites Swarming Low-Earth Orbit Threaten Space Telescopes

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Emerging research on the biology of postpartum depression is showing how little it resembles other severe mood disorders in the brain and body. Understanding these differences could be key to better screening, detection and treatment. Science journalist Marla Broadfoot is on our show to talk about her story in the December edition of our magazine, in which she focuses on one woman’s quest for treatment and the personal cure from postpartum depression that this individual found in a promising new drug. 

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Jeff DelViscio, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Scientific American debuts its first-ever best fiction and nonfiction book lists, featuring stories that explore climate change, alien encounters and even love stories in space. Associate books editor Bri Kane joins host Kendra Pierre‑Louis to share the selections that captivated the newsroom’s editors.

Recommended Reading

Five Essential Reads on Plastic, Power and Pollution

7 Science Book Reviews from Scientific American’s Archives with Modern Recommendations

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Wild turkeys were once on the brink of disappearing from the U.S.’s forests, with populations dropping to just tens of thousands by the 1930s. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have soared to more than six million today, making them one of the country’s greatest wildlife comeback stories.

Recommended Reading

Wild Turkey Lab

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Zoya Teirstein, a senior staff writer at Grist, joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to talk about this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, which wrapped up in Brazil last week. Plus, new studies debunk claims that fluoride harms children’s cognitive development and show evidence that urban raccoons may be evolving traits linked to tameness.

Recommended Reading

“At COP30 in Brazil, Countries Plan to Armor Themselves against a Warming World,” by Zoya Teirstein, in Grist. Published online November 19, 2025

“Here Are the 5 Issues to Watch at COP30 in Brazil,” by Zoya Teirstein, Naveena Sadasivam and Anita Hofschneider, in Grist. Published online November 6, 2025

Fluoride in Tap Water Not Linked to Lower Child IQ, Massive Study Finds

Raccoons Are Showing Early Signs of Domestication

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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In his new book, Nanocosmos: Journeys in Electron Space, artist and writer Michael Benson transforms scientific imaging into art, capturing intricate natural designs that inspire awe and wonder. Join host Kendra Pierre-Louis as they explore how science and creativity intersect at the smallest scales of our universe.

Recommended Reading

Nanocosmos: Journeys in Electron Space, by Michael Benson. Abrams Books. Published October 28, 2025. 

This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors.

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Holiday meals can delight our taste buds while the food puts real strain on our digestion. Host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with Northwestern University gastroenterology expert Kathryn Tomasino about why digestion is influenced not just by diet but also by stress, sleep and mindful eating. Together they share practical tips for enjoying Thanksgiving and other holiday feasts without the stomach aches.

Recommended Reading

Northwestern Medicine Diaphragmatic Breathing for GI Health. Northwestern Medicine, December 5, 2022

This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors.

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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Our editor in chief David M. Ewalt revisits a remarkable 20-year experiment: an e-mail time capsule designed to deliver digital messages from the past into the future. What began as a tech project at Forbes evolved into a story of human connection—proving that sometimes it’s friendship, not servers, that keeps information alive across decades.

Recommended Reading

The Unlikely Story of an E-mail Time Machine

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors.

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