Science Talk

By Scientific AmericanScience

Science Talk episodes

April 15, 2016 Heat ID'd as Subtle Cause of Rockfalls
Rockfalls without an obvious cause (like an earthquake or expanding ice) may be due to hot daily air temperatures expanding small cracks in cliff faces.

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4 min
April 14, 2016 Bearcats Naturally Pass the Popcorn
Researchers have uncovered the chemistry that makes the urine of bearcats smell like freshly cooked popcorn.

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4 min
April 14, 2016 The Perfect Bet: Taking the Gambling out of Gambling
Mathematician and author Adam Kucharski talks about his new book The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling (Basic Books, 2016).

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36 min
April 14, 2016 The Perfect Bet: Taking the Gambling out of Gambling
Mathematician and author Adam Kucharski talks about his new book The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling (Basic Books, 2016).

35 min
April 13, 2016 Transforming Stem Cells into Diabetes Beaters
Pancreatic type beta cells produced from stem cells can sense glucose, release insulin and treat a mouse model of diabetes. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
April 12, 2016 Find Shows Widespread Literacy 2,600 Years Ago in Judah
Mundane notes about daily life on 16 ceramic shards written about 600 B.C. at an ancient military fortress in the Negev Desert reveal that literacy had to be common.

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4 min
April 11, 2016 Frogs Signal Visually in Noisy Environments
The Brazilian torrent frog has the most sophisticated visual communications system yet documented for a frog species.

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4 min
April 07, 2016 Choir Practice Could Lower Stress in Cancer Patients
A cancer center in the U.K. found that patients had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after harmonizing for an hour. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
April 06, 2016 Crater Bottoms Could Be Cradles of Martian Life
Four billion years ago asteroids and comets could have melted the Martian cryosphere, and started up hydrothermal springs—a potential hotspot for ancient microbial life. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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4 min
April 05, 2016 Wolves Have Local Howl Accents
Understanding the regional vocal patterns of various canid species sheds light on animal communication and could help ranchers broadcast "keep away" messages to protect livestock.

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5 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.