Science Talk

This week’s news roundup features spiders, space and the Supreme Court. “Flying” Joro spiders are making headlines, but are they really taking over the East Coast? Extreme heat leads Greece to close the Acropolis and worry about what the rest of the summer will bring. Levels of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons are on the decline. Plus, satellite reentry releases ozone-damaging aluminum oxide, and access to medication abortion is preserved. 

Recommended viewing: The Ozone Hole Showed Humans Could Damage Earth and That We Could Heal It

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 our daily Today in Science newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

All aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer, a research vessel making its way through the waters of West Antarctica. Journalist Sofia Moutinho is joining a team of chemists trying to find out how glacial melting is changing ocean chemistry—and what those changes might mean for the global climate.

The researchers want to know whether a negative feedback loop could take shape in Antarctica’s seas. Carbon dioxide contributes to the rise in warming that is melting the glaciers. As glacial melting releases iron, phytoplankton feast. Phytoplankton in turn remove carbon from the air, potentially causing a cooling effect.

Stay tuned for next Friday’s episode, where Moutinho will embark on a hunt for sea ice and hear about the researchers’ special encounter with Adélie penguins.

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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by journalist Sofia Moutinho. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

Nearly a third of U.S. adults have tattoos, but how many people know what's really in the ink? Despite new regulations, researchers have found many commercial inks contain unlisted and potentially harmful ingredients. John Swierk, an assistant professor of chemistry at Binghamton University, and his team are trying to figure out exactly what goes into each vial of tattoo ink—and how tattoos actually work—to help make body art safer.

Email 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 Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman, with guest John Swierk, assistant professor of chemistry at Binghamton University. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

In this week’s news roundup, we present the latest from the skies and the pillbox. The Hubble Space Telescope is limping along, operating with just one gyroscope to preserve its research capabilities. China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe is sending back the first ever samples from the far side of the moon. Plus, there are exciting advancements in the world of pharmaceuticals, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsing a “morning-after pill” for STIs and artificial intelligence discovering potential novel antibiotics.

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 our daily Today in Science newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Kelso Harper. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

Can plants “think?" Do they “talk” to one another? These are questions that scientists are asking—and the answers might surprise you. Zoë Schlanger, climate reporter at The Atlantic, sits down with Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman to discuss her new book The Light Eaters, which explores the surprising science of plant intelligence. 

Related Reading:

Brains Are Not Required When It Comes to Thinking and Solving Problems—Simple Cells Can Do It

How Plant Intelligence Can Soothe Climate Anxiety

Email 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 Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman with guest Zoë Schlanger from The Atlantic. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

A “double brood” of cicadas is taking over much of the eastern half of the U.S. They’re loud and abundant. Have you considered–eating them? Chef Joseph Yoon, founder of Brooklyn Bugs, explains how to harvest and feast upon this year’s “double brood” and the many benefits of adding insects to our diet.  

Related Reading:

– Periodical Cicadas Emerge Every 13 or 17 Years. How Do They Keep Track of Time?

– Can You Eat Cicadas? Can Your Dog Do So? 

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 Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman, with guest Joseph Yoon of Brooklyn Bugs. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

In this week’s news roundup: Despite widespread concerns, a new study on adolescent smartphone use found that teens report improved moods when using their devices. Misleadingly framed but factually accurate stories shared on social media can drive vaccine hesitancy more effectively than outright false information. Updates on rising COVID-19 cases and the latest developments in the ongoing bird flu outbreak. Plus, the potential return of stunning auroral displays, thanks to upcoming solar activity. 

Email 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 Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Kelso Harper. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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

Cape Cod communities are facing an expensive mandate to clean up their wastewater. Urine diversion or “pee-cycling” could be a cost-effective pollution solution. In the third and final installment of our three-part Fascination series about Cape Cod’s “yellow tide,” environmental reporter Barbara Moran meets a Falmouth couple championing this unconventional approach. 

You can check out more of Barbara Moran’s reporting on Cape Cod’s water pollution, including the “pee-cycling” pilot project in Falmouth. And watch WBUR and Scientific American’s documentary short exploring how pollution and algae overgrowth threaten this Massachusetts vacation hub.

Email 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 our daily newsletter. 

This series is a co-production of WBUR and Scientific American. It’s reported and hosted by WBUR’s Barbara Moran. Science Quickly is produced by Jeff DelViscio, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Rachel Feltman. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-checked this series, and Duy Linh Tu and Sebastian Tuinder contributed reporting and sound. WBUR’s Kathleen Masterson edited this series. Additional funding was provided by the Pulitzer Center.

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

Research at the intersection of science and beauty is providing us with a better understanding of hair diversity.

This podcast was produced for L’Oréal by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors.

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

Whether you have a large yard or a tiny planter, there are ways to use your outdoor space to protect wildlife. Senior news reporter Meghan Bartels takes us through what you can do, or stop doing, to make your yard and home friendlier to local critters. 

Related Reading:

– 8 Ways to Protect Wildlife Near Your Home

– Pollinators Flock to Flower-Filled Solar Panel Fields

Email 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 our daily newsletter. 

Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman with guest Meghan Bartels. Our show is edited by Elah Feder, Alexa Lim, Madison Goldberg and Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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