Science Talk

Science Talk

By Scientific AmericanScience

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Science Talk episodes

February 19, 2015 Pot Munchies Explained By Re-Tasked Neurons
Marijuana boosts users' appetities by changing the signals brain cells produce from sated to still hungry. Karen Hopkin reports.

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3 min
February 17, 2015 Hot Chili Peppers Motivate Mice to Burn Fat
Rodents fed capsaicin voluntarily exercised more than their furry friends on a lower-heat diet. Karen Hopkin reports

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3 min
February 16, 2015 Humans off the Hook for Alaskan Mastodon Extinction
A reexamination of museum mastodon specimens provides evidence that that last ones were gone from what's called the Beringia region well before any humans showed up. Emily Schwing reports

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4 min
February 13, 2015 Triskaidekaphobia Plays Role in Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Some random historical facts about the number 13 may be behind some people's irrational aversion to Friday the 13th. Karen Hopkin reports.

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4 min
February 12, 2015 Contraception Could Prevent 15 Million Unwanted Pregnancies Annually
Fifteen million unwanted pregnancies in 35 low- and middle-income countries could be avoided if women had access to and freedom to use contraception. Cynthia Graber reports

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3 min
February 11, 2015 Preindustrial Pollution Pestered Peru
Ice cores show a sudden rise in heavy metal air pollution in South America 240 years before the industrial revolution, probably due to metallurgy and mining. Karen Hopkin reports

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3 min
February 10, 2015 Subway DNA Survey Finds Microbes, Mozzarella and Mystery
Scientists sequenced genetic material found in all 468 New York City subway stations, and nearly half matched no known organism. Christopher Intagliata reports

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4 min
February 09, 2015 Newton Figured Out How Tree Sap Rises
Buried in one of Isaac Newton's college notebooks is a page on which he fairly accurately theorizes on the process of transpiration in plants, two centuries before the concept was elucidated. Karen Hopkin reports

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3 min
February 06, 2015 Cities Could Win Economically by Losing Olympics
According to sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, most cities that win the right to host the Olympics will spend far more to prepare for the games than they estimate in their winning bid. Steve Mirsky reports

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4 min
February 03, 2015 Drones Spy On Birds in Flight
Quadcopters appear to be a relatively benign tool to study the behavior and numbers of wetland birds. 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.