Science Talk

By Scientific AmericanScience

Science Talk episodes

March 29, 2018 Math Cracks a Knuckle-Cracking Mystery
The source of knuckle cracking sounds is much debated—but new mathematical models may reconcile two opposing views. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 26, 2018 Rotting Flesh Offers Insight on Fossilization
To learn more about decay and fossilization, researchers conduct unorthodox experiments—like dissecting decomposing animals in the lab. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 23, 2018 Ravens Crow with Individual Flair
Ravens produce different types of calls depending on their age and sex—which might help ravens size up other individuals. Jason G. Goldman reports.

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5 min
March 21, 2018 U.S. Flu Spread Counts On Southern Cold Snaps
A multifactorial analysis finds that the ignition of a flu epidemic stems from a blast of colder weather striking an otherwise warm, humid, urban environment, and driving people indoors into close quarters.

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5 min
March 20, 2018 Louise Slaughter Was Congress's Food Safety Champion
Upstate New York Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, who worked for decades on issues such as overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and food safety in general, died March 16 at the age of 88.

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4 min
March 18, 2018 Arctic Heat Waves Linked to Snowpocalypse-Like Storms
An analysis of more than six decades of daily temperature and snowfall data linked warmer arctic temperatures to cold snaps at lower latitudes. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 15, 2018 Gut Parasites Have Their Own Gut Microbiomes
The whipworm lives in the human gut, mooching microbes from its host to build its own microbiome. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 12, 2018 Drones Could Help Biologists Tally Birds
Counting by drone not only saves time and effort, but yields better data on species numbers—a definite plus in terms of conservation. Karen Hopkin reports.

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5 min
March 10, 2018 Saliva Protein Might Inhibit Intestinal Anarchy
A protein found in spit prevents bad bugs from binding to intestinal cells in the lab, pointing to a possible way to lower the chances of dysentery. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 09, 2018 Searching the Heavens for Mountains
Exoplanet hunters are moving beyond simply finding new planets into trying to know what they look like and whether there's surface or subsurface activity.

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4 min

About Science Talk

From the publisher's feed

Science Talk is a podcast of longer-form audio experiments from Scientific American--from immersive sonic journeys into nature to deep dives into research with leading experts.