60-Second Science

In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis speaks with forensic scientist Rhonda Roby about an ambitious effort to uncover traces of Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA using modern forensic techniques. Roby and her colleagues are carefully sampling centuries‑old artworks, working with extremely small amounts of biological material, to learn more about Leonardo himself and the history of his art while also advancing methods that could one day help authenticate artworks. The episode explores how forensic approaches typically used in criminal investigations are being applied to a 500‑year‑old historical puzzle. Recommended Reading: The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist “The real da Vinci code,” by Richard Stone, in Science, Vol. 391; January 8, 2026 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore what consciousness is, how the brain creates it and what current science says about dreams, anesthesia, animals and even artificial intelligence. Scientific American’s associate editor Allison Parshall breaks down what the leading theories are and why understanding our own awareness remains one of science’s toughest challenges. Recommended Reading: Why consciousness is the hardest problem in science  Is Consciousness the Hallmark of Life? How to Detect Consciousness in People, Animals and Maybe Even AI When does consciousness emerge in babies? E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial decision to change how it calculates health benefits from regulating certain air pollutants, a move that experts warn could lead to dirtier air and worse health outcomes. And we’ve achieved a major milestone in cancer care, with five-year survival rates hitting a record high, but looming policy threats could stall progress. Plus, NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station could offer lessons for future missions. Recommended Reading: America’s Air Is about to Get Dirtier—And More Dangerous 70 Percent of Cancer Patients Now Survive at Least Five Years, Study Finds Astronauts Evacuate the ISS after Medical Incident New Study Probes How Same-Sex Behaviors Evolved in Nonhuman Primates E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into the climate stakes behind Venezuela’s vast but troubled oil reserves and the country’s mounting tensions with neighboring Guyana. Climate reporter Amy Westervelt breaks down why the region’s heavy crude oil, aging infrastructure and escalating border dispute are colliding with the reality of a rapidly warming planet—and what rising seas, oil expansion and fragile ecosystems mean for millions of people across the Caribbean. Recommended Reading: “The U.S.-Venezuela-Guyana Oil Triangle,” by Amy Westervelt, in Drilled. Published online January 4, 2026 Why Does Venezuela Have So Much Oil? Geology E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seed oils have become a target of wellness influencers and high-profile public officials. They say that these widely used and relatively inexpensive oils, which include canola, soybean and sunflower oil, are toxic. But do we really need to panic? Host Kendra Pierre-Louis speaks with food science expert Eric Decker to unpack what seed oils actually are, how their fats compare with those from other sources and whether claims about their toxicity hold up to scientific scrutiny. Recommended Reading: RFK, Jr., Upsets Food Pyramid, Urging Americans to Eat More Meat E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered how woodpeckers pound away without breaking their neck? We’ve got the answer—plus, why this flu season has broken a record, how AI is learning to predict disease from your sleep, and what CES 2026 showed about the biggest tech trends, including “physical AI” in the form of robots and other devices. Recommended Reading: This Year’s Flu Season Just Surpassed a Grim New Record Harsh Flu Season May Be Driven by New Variant K How Woodpeckers Turn Their Entire Bodies into Pecking Machines At CES 2026, AI Leaves the Screen and Enters the Real World ​​Stevie Wonder’s Rule for AI at CES: ‘Make Life Better for the Living’ E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Jennifer Hackett, Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, colloquially called GLP-1 medications, have gone from relatively obscure diabetes treatments to blockbuster weight-loss medications. But is the hype backed up by science? In this episode, freelance science journalist Bethany Brookshire joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to talk about how these drugs mimic natural hormones, why they’re so effective and what the latest research about their broader health effects says. Plus, we discuss what a recently rolled-out GLP-1 pill, the first of its kind approved for obesity, could mean for the future of weight loss. Recommended Reading: Wegovy Weight-Loss Pills Are Now Available in the U.S.—Here’s What That Means“Doctors Are Worried about Prescribing GLP-1s to Certain Patients,” by Bethany Brookshire, in National Geographic. Published online November 20, 2025 “The Unexpected Ways Ozempic-like Drugs Might Fight Dementia,” by Bethany Brookshire, in National Geographic. Published online June 17, 2025  “Is There Really an Ozempic Baby Boom? The Unexpected Ways GLP-1s Could Influence Fertility,” by Bethany Brookshire, in National Geographic. Published online November 4, 2025 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recent federal public health changes could affect children’s health, from vaccine access to essential medical care. In this episode, senior editor Dan Vergano breaks down what shifting national guidelines may mean for kids, why pediatric care is especially vulnerable and how states and medical experts are responding to protect families. Learn how these evolving health policies could shape long‑term outcomes for children and what’s at stake for public health in the U.S. Recommended Reading: U.S. Axes Number of Recommended Childhood Vaccines in Blow to Public Health Trump Administration Moves to Severely Curtail Access to Gender-Affirming Care for Minors U.S. Plan to Drop Some Childhood Vaccines to Align with Denmark Will Endanger Children, Experts Say E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do most New Year’s resolutions fail? And how can science help us stick to them? Behavioral economist Katy Milkman joins Science Quickly to explain the “fresh start effect,” the motivational boost we get from temporal milestones such as the arrival of a new year, birthdays or even Mondays. She shares how to build habits that last and reveals why enjoying the process is key to real change. Recommended Reading: How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Katy Milkman. Portfolio, 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Are Notoriously Slippery, but Science Can Help You Keep Them Choiceology, a podcast hosted by Katy Milkman  Katy Milkman’s substack  E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we communicate. This episode first aired in September. Recommended Reading The Internet Is Making Us Fluent in Algospeak E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The human body is capable of some truly incredible things. One of the most mysterious and debated phenomena is a release of fluid during sex that is often referred to as “squirting.” What’s actually happening, and why does it stir so much speculation? Wendy Zukerman, host of the hit podcast Science Vs, breaks down the science behind this fascinating topic, exploring what we know, what we don’t and what the controversy surrounding it is. This episode first aired in April. Recommended reading: What a Survey On Anal Sex and Masturbation Reveals About Prostates and Pleasure Squirting: What's Really Happening?! (Science Vs) E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science doesn’t always get it right the first time—and that’s part of the journey. In this anniversary special, we explore how ideas about nerve damage, sustainable materials and alien life have done a full 180. This episode first aired in August. Recommended Reading Celebrating 180 Years of Scientific American 180 Years of Standing Up for Science How Scientists Finally Learned That Nerves Regrow Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy Plastics Started as a Sustainability Solution. What Went Wrong? The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Is a Roller Coaster of Hope and Disappointment E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christmas trees may seem timeless, but growing them is becoming increasingly challenging in a warming world. In this episode, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks to Priya Rajarapu, a Christmas tree extension specialist at Oregon State University, about how climate change is reshaping tree farming—from drought and heat stress to seedling survival—and the research efforts aimed at keeping this holiday tradition alive. Recommended Reading: Tweaks to U.S. Christmas Trees Could Help Them Survive Climate Change How Weather and Climate Change Affects Christmas Tree Production The OSU Christmas Tree Program E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this year-end roundup, Scientific American editors break down how 2025 reshaped science across the board—from sweeping federal upheavals that disrupted long-standing research institutions to public health setbacks driven by vaccine rollbacks and rising measles cases to renewed hostility toward climate science and clean-energy policy and finally to the mind-bending dark energy findings that are shaking up cosmology. Together, their insights reveal how 2025 was a turbulent year for science on Earth and beyond—and what to watch closely in 2026. Recommended Reading: Cures for Sickle Cell Disease Arrive After a Painful Journey NASA’s Moon Race Looks like a Losing Bet Changing the FDA’s Vaccine Approval Process Could Threaten COVID, Flu Protection for Children 5 Charts Show Climate Progress as Paris Agreement Turns 10 Latest Dark Energy Study Suggests the Universe Is Even Weirder Than We Imagined E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, take a dive into the underwater vocalizations of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Scientists analyzing thousands of hours of underwater recordings have uncovered a surprising array of previously unknown calls. Ocean writer Melissa Hobson explores how researchers captured the sounds of the species, why they matter for conservation and what they tell us about the social lives of one of the world’s rarest seals. Recommended Reading: “Underwater Sound Production of Free-Ranging Hawaiian Monk Seals,” by Kirby Parnell et al., in Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 12, No. 11; November 1, 2025 Melissa Hobson’s website Wiggling Whiskers Help Hungry Seals Hunt in the Dark E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Science Quickly, we present an inside look at one of the world’s most endangered whale populations: the southern resident orcas. Senior multimedia editor Kelso Harper joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to share the story of a rare encounter with these killer whales off of the San Juan Islands. Also, we discuss what researchers and scientists are doing to understand and protect this iconic population. Recommended Reading: These Orcas Are on the Brink—And So Is the Science That Could Save Them  Killer Whales and Dolphins May Team Up to Hunt Salmon E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into how the European Union’s latest Copernicus Climate Change Service bulletin shows that 2025 is on track to become the second-hottest year on record, explore what a newly detected mpox strain could mean for global health, examine why more parents are refusing vitamin K injections for newborns—and uncover fresh evidence about why Homo floresiensis, the so-called hobbits of Indonesia, mysteriously disappeared. Recommended Reading: 2025 Likely to Tie for Second-Hottest Year on Record A Vitamin Shot Given at Birth Prevents Lethal Brain Bleeds, but More Parents Are Opting Out E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generative artificial intelligence has transformed our inboxes, classrooms and even medical records—but at what cost? In this episode, journalist Karen Hao joins Scientific American to discuss her new book Empire of AI, exploring how companies like OpenAI wield power that is reminiscent of historical empires. From ideological quests for artificial general intelligence to the environmental toll of massive data centers, Hao reveals the hidden forces shaping our technological future—and the reasons we should all be paying attention. Recommended Reading: OpenAI’s Secrets are Revealed in Empire of AI Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Karen Hao. Penguin Press, 2025  E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASA’s Perseverance rover has spent nearly five years roaming the Martian surface in search of clues to ancient life. But the ambitious plan to return its precious rock samples to Earth is now on shaky ground. Scientific American senior desk editor Lee Billings joins us to unpack the rover’s mission, the stakes of the stalled return effort and the effects it will have on the future of Mars exploration. Recommended Reading NASA Recruits Mars Perseverance Rover to Monitor Sun’s Activity This Rock May Hold Proof of Life on Mars E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientific American associate editor Lauren J. Young breaks down key vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Also, the Food and Drug Administration is considering controversial changes to vaccine approval and administration. Meanwhile a new study warns that light pollution from satellite megaconstellations could severely compromise space telescope observations. Recommended Reading: CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth Changing the FDA’s Vaccine Approval Process Could Threaten COVID, Flu Protection for Children Satellites Swarming Low-Earth Orbit Threaten Space Telescopes E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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 Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices