Science Talk

By Scientific AmericanScience

Science Talk episodes

October 31, 2019 We Owe Our Pumpkins to Pooping Megafauna
The pumpkin’s ancestor was an incredibly bitter, tennis-ball-sized squash—but it was apparently a common snack for mastodons. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 29, 2019 Bird Egg Colors Are Influenced by Local Climate
In cold, northern climates, eggs tend to be darker and browner—heat-trapping colors that allow parents to spend a bit more time away from the nest. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 28, 2019 Crabs Do a Maze
Green crabs learned to navigate a maze without making a single wrong turn—and remembered the skill weeks later. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 24, 2019 Odd Bird Migrates Twice to Breed
The phainopepla migrates from southern California to the desert Southwest to breed in the spring before flying to California coastal woodlands to do so again in summer.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 min
October 23, 2019 Piranha-Proof Fish Gives Inspiration for Body Armor
A gigantic fish from the Amazon has incredibly tough scales—and materials scientists are looking to them for bulletproof inspiration. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 22, 2019 Galloping Ant Beats Saharan Heat
The Saharan silver ant feeds on other insects that have died on the hot sands, which it traverses at breakneck (for an ant) speeds.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 21, 2019 Some Mosquito Repellents Act like Invisibility Cloaks
Synthetic repellents such as DEET seem to mask the scent of our “human perfume”—making us less obvious targets for mosquitoes. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 17, 2019 Your Skull Shapes Your Hearing
The resonant properties of your skull can amplify some frequencies and dampen others—and, in some cases, affect your hearing. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 16, 2019 Tardigrade Protein Protects DNA from Chemical Attack
The Dsup protein protects DNA under conditions that create caustic free radical chemicals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 min
October 15, 2019 "Mars-quakes" Could Reveal How Mars Was Built
Rumblings on the Red Planet act like x-rays, allowing scientists to probe the hidden interior of Mars. Christopher Intagliata reports.

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