Science Quickly

In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into NASA’s latest headaches as the Artemis II moon mission hits delays. We also take a look at a massive solar flare that lit up the skies—and disrupted some tech—along with fresh concerns that PFAS “forever chemicals,” used to replace ozone‑depleting substances, are accumulating far more than expected. And new research shows that babies are actually born with a sense of rhythm.

Recommended Reading:

NASA document reveals new Artemis II moon mission target launch dates for March

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission after critical test raises issues

NASA’s Artemis II launch rehearsal hits a snag

The sun just unleashed its most powerful solar flare in years

Nearly half of people in the U.S. have toxic PFAS in their drinking water

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, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses, Emily Makowski and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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In this episode of Science Quickly, we dig into a brewing shake-up inside psychiatry as the American Psychiatric Association considers sweeping changes to the way mental illness is defined and diagnosed. Scientific American’s associate editor Allison Parshall breaks down what the potential changes are, why long-standing diagnostic categories may no longer reflect scientific reality and what these revisions could ultimately mean for patients.

Recommended Reading:

Psychiatrists plan to overhaul the mental health bible—and change how we define ‘disorder’

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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Can you imagine not being able to burp at all? In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into the little-known but surprisingly serious “no burp” syndrome known as retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCPD). Otolaryngologist Robert Bastian, who co-authored the paper that first defined RCPD in 2019, explains what causes this unusual condition and how it can make daily life miserable. But relief can come from an unexpected source: a Botox injection that gives patients the chance to “learn” how to burp—an experience many describe as life-changing.

Recommended Reading:

Explore a collection of articles and resources about RCPD by Robert Bastian

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into Google DeepMind’s new artificial intelligence model AlphaGenome, which could help researchers better understand how noncoding DNA shapes gene expression. We also look at how doctors pulled off a medical marvel when they kept a man alive without lungs for two days. Plus, we learn how researchers cracked an evolutionary puzzle involving a peculiar flower.

Recommended Reading:

Google DeepMind unleashes new AI to investigate DNA’s ‘dark matter’

Doctors keep patient alive using ‘artificial lungs’ for two days

Babies who attend daycare share ‘good’ germs, too

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with Katie Hafner of the podcast Lost Women of Science about the remarkable but often overlooked physicist and chemist Katharine Burr Blodgett, whose pioneering work in early nanotechnology led to nonreflective glass. Hafner shares why the Lost Women of Science team devoted nearly a year to uncovering Blodgett’s full story and reflects on the broader mission to restore women to the scientific record.

Recommended Reading:

The chemical genius of Katharine Burr Blodgett

Listen to more podcasts from the Lost Women of Science Initiative

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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Many people turn to expensive perfumes to elevate their natural scent and smell more pleasant to others. But what if you could achieve that just by switching up your diet? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with freelance journalist Sofia Quaglia about the science behind how what we eat can subtly change how we smell—and how attractive others perceive us to be. The conversation explores surprising findings about garlic and armpit odor, counterintuitive effects of meat intake on body scent and the strange, smelly experiments behind this research.

Recommended Reading:

“The foods that make you smell more attractive,” by Sofia Quaglia, in BBC Future. Published online November 2, 2025

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, we look at the stakes behind Artemis II, NASA’s historic lunar flyby mission that’s preparing to launch soon. We’ll also dive into the science behind Revoice, an artificial-intelligence-powered wearable device that could help stroke patients with speech impairment communicate. Plus, we discuss how previously overlooked art on the ceiling of an Indonesian cave could rewrite the story of early human migration.

Recommended Reading:

NASA’s historic Artemis II moon mission is almost ready to launch

Oldest cave art ever found discovered in Indonesia

‘Bat accelerator’ unlocks new clues to how these animals navigate

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis speaks with forensic scientist Rhonda Roby about an ambitious effort to uncover traces of Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA using modern forensic techniques. Roby and her colleagues are carefully sampling centuries‑old artworks, working with extremely small amounts of biological material, to learn more about Leonardo himself and the history of his art while also advancing methods that could one day help authenticate artworks. The episode explores how forensic approaches typically used in criminal investigations are being applied to a 500‑year‑old historical puzzle.

Recommended Reading:

The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist

“The real da Vinci code,” by Richard Stone, in Science, Vol. 391; January 8, 2026

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode, we explore what consciousness is, how the brain creates it and what current science says about dreams, anesthesia, animals and even artificial intelligence. Scientific American’s associate editor Allison Parshall breaks down what the leading theories are and why understanding our own awareness remains one of science’s toughest challenges.

Recommended Reading:

Why consciousness is the hardest problem in science 

Is Consciousness the Hallmark of Life?

How to Detect Consciousness in People, Animals and Maybe Even AI

When does consciousness emerge in babies?

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, Sushmita Pathak 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial decision to change how it calculates health benefits from regulating certain air pollutants, a move that experts warn could lead to dirtier air and worse health outcomes. And we’ve achieved a major milestone in cancer care, with five-year survival rates hitting a record high, but looming policy threats could stall progress. Plus, NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station could offer lessons for future missions.

Recommended Reading:

America’s Air Is about to Get Dirtier—And More Dangerous

70 Percent of Cancer Patients Now Survive at Least Five Years, Study Finds

Astronauts Evacuate the ISS after Medical Incident

New Study Probes How Same-Sex Behaviors Evolved in Nonhuman Primates

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, Sushmita Pathak 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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices