Science, Quickly

Episodes

• Could this be the strongest El Niño in 1,000 years?In this episode of Science Quickly, senior Earth and environment editor Andrea Thompson explains why this year’s El Niño is one of the strongest ever recorded and what that could mean for weather around the world. From hurricanes, droughts and flooding to rising global temperatures, we unpack what the science behind this record-breaking climate event is, why it has scientists stunned and how its impacts could linger long after peak ocean temperatures fade. Recommended Reading: El Niño will push temperatures above 1.5 degrees C. Will we ever come back down? The Super El Niño is already soaking the U.S. Expect more flooding to come This year’s El Niño just broke another sobering record The polar vortex is about to go haywire 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1999|12M
• From Farm Myths to Modern Agriculture [Sponsored]Social media is full of claims about how farmers raise and grow food, but how much of it holds up? Michelle Miller, a former Iowa corn and soybean farmer known online as Farm Babe, talks about common agriculture myths, regenerative practices and the data, genetics and autonomous tools shaping farms today. This podcast was produced for Bayer 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1998|12M
• Mystery cat farts, measles and malicious cyberattacksIn this episode of Science Quickly, we cover a tragic measles death that highlights the dangers of declining vaccination rates, examine a wave of cyberattacks that are turning supermarket freezers into heaters and investigate one of science’s most important questions: Do cats fart? From public health threats to cybersecurity risks to feline flatulence, it’s a week of science news that’s equal parts alarming and absurd. Recommended Reading: New York’s first measles death in 30 years is an omen of worse to come Hackers are turning supermarket freezers into heaters Do cats fart? An investigation into the mysteries of feline flatulence 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1997|11M
• What scares the people making AIAs artificial intelligence becomes woven into daily life, the race to build increasingly powerful systems is only accelerating. In this episode of Science Quickly, tech journalist Kevin Roose discusses the rise of artificial general intelligence and explains why some of the people developing AI are among its most vocal worriers and what the technology's rapid evolution could mean for society, safety and the future of humanity. Recommended Reading: The AGI Chronicles: The Inside Story of the Race to Create an Artificial Superintelligence. Kevin Roose. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1996|26M
• Could ultrasound interrupt the brain’s addiction loop? [Sponsored]Addiction hijacks the brain’s reward circuitry, and current treatments often struggle to break its grip. In this episode, neuroscientist and neurosurgeon Ali Rezai of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute explains how an experimental, noninvasive focused-ultrasound treatment aimed at the nucleus accumbens could quiet cravings so that therapy and medication work better. He also describes how wearables and AI might flag people at risk of relapse before it happens. This podcast was produced for WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1995|15M
• From tofu to biodiesel: How soybeans dominate AmericaIn this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with environmental historian Edward Melillo about the tiny soybean, which has come to dominate America’s diet. When you think of soy, you may only picture a block of yummy tofu or soy milk, but this crop has quietly made its way into 60 percent of processed foods. In fact, 2026 is on track to become a record soybean harvest for the U.S. And soy doesn’t just show up on our plates: as an oil, it can power trucks, buses and even planes. Tune in to hear how this plant took over the American food system. Recommended Reading: How Seed Oils Became Controversial—And What the Science Really Says Why corn isn’t entirely to blame for ‘corn sweat’ 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1994|15M
• Ebola surge, AI math shocker and daylight saving timeIn this week’s news roundup, we take a look at what’s happening with the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa. Later SciAm editorial fellow Peter Hall joins host Rachel Feltman to discuss recent claims by OpenAI and Anthropic that their models have solved some of the world’s toughest math and physics problems. Plus, we dive into new research that suggests making daylight saving time permanent could put schoolchildren at risk. Recommended Reading: Dueling proofs from OpenAI and Anthropic astound scientists OpenAI just scooped mathematicians’ work on another million-dollar problem 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1993|11M
• Why we’re still obsessed with vampiresIn this Halloween special episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman explores why our fascination with vampires refuses to die. We dive into the spooky history of vampires—from tuberculosis outbreaks in the 18th and 19th centuries to sexy pop culture icons—and examine what our collective obsession with them says about us. Recommended Reading: Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire. Aaron Mahnke. Running Press Adult, 2026 Recreational Fear Lab, co-directed by Mathias Clasen, at Aarhus University in Denmark “Monsters and Posttraumatic Stress: An Experiential-Processing Model of Monster Imagery in Psychological Therapy, Film and Television,” by Jenny Hamilton, in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Vol. 7, Article No. 142. Published online November 5, 2020 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1992|19M
• Reducing Treatment Burden While Preserving Sight [Sponsored]New approaches aim to extend treatment durability and improve long-term vision outcomes in wet AMD. Scientific American Custom Media recently sat down with Dr. Nadia Waheed, Ocular Therapeutix’s chief medical officer, to discuss the real-world burden behind the standard of care and how emerging approaches, including sustained-delivery therapies under investigation, aim to reduce it. This podcast was produced for Ocular Therapeutix 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1991|12M
• Why science is on the ballot in the midtermsWhat does science have to do with the midterms? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman speaks with Scientific American breaking news reporter Adam Kovac about candidates with science backgrounds, the future of Medicare for All, the role of evidence in policymaking and the election’s consequences for the broader scientific community. Recommended Reading: Abdul El-Sayed explains how science influences his politics Tom Stalcup on climate change, a science-based approach to politics and misinformation 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 Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  1990|12M