Science Talk

By Scientific AmericanScience

Science Talk episodes

March 14, 2017 Early-Life Microbes Ward Off Asthma
Exposure to specific microbes when an infant is less than a year old seems to have a protective effect against the child's eventual acquisition of asthma.

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4 min
March 12, 2017 (Probably Not a) Giant Alien Antenna
Astrophysicists propose that mysterious "fast radio bursts" could, in very speculative theory, be produced by an antenna twice the size of Earth. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 10, 2017 Jupiter Moon to Be Searched for Life
If anything's alive on the ice-covered ocean world of Europa, a future NASA mission hopes to find it.

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4 min
March 08, 2017 Teeth Hint at a Friendlier Neandertal
By sequencing DNA in Neandertal dental plaque, scientists were able to find out about their diets—and their good relations with modern humans. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
March 07, 2017 Forensic Science: Trials with Errors
What appears to be accepted science in the courtroom may not be accepted science among scientists.

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4 min
March 06, 2017 How to Find Loooong Gravitational Waves
The gravitational waves found last year were short compared with the monster waves that could be turned up by what's called Pulsar Timing Arrays.

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4 min
March 03, 2017 Biggest Rivers Are Overhead
Atmospheric rivers can carry the same amount of water vapor as 15 to 20 Mississippi Rivers—and deliver punishing winds, too. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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3 min
March 02, 2017 Last Woollies Had Mammoth Mutations
The final holdout woolly mammoths had large numbers of harmful mutations—which would have given them satiny coats and a weakened sense of smell. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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5 min
March 01, 2017 African Penguins Pulled into an Ecological Trap
Climate change and overfishing have made the penguins’ feeding grounds a mirage—which has led to a drop in penguin population. Jason G. Goldman reports.

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4 min
February 28, 2017 Neandertals Live On in Our Genomes
Researchers found that Neandertal gene variants still affect the way genes are turned off and on in modern humans. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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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.