Episodios

  • The evolutionary riddle of the kiss

    The evolutionary riddle of the kiss
    Feb 13 2026
    With Valentine’s Day around the corner, kissing may be on your mind. But why do we kiss? In this episode of Science Quickly, evolutionary biologist Matilda Brindle joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to uncover the evolutionary roots of kissing. We trace kissing back 21.5 million years and learn how it’s common among primates and what that tells us about how kissing may have evolved among humans. Plus, we also unpack recent findings that hint that humans and Neandertals may have once locked lips. Recommended Reading: Kissing May Have Evolved 21.5 Million Years Ago 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 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
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    15 m
  • How Heated Rivalry nailed its Russian

    How Heated Rivalry nailed its Russian
    Feb 11 2026
    In this episode of Science Quickly, hosts Kendra Pierre-Louis and Allison Parshall dive into the surprising linguistics behind the hit TV series Heated Rivalry. Pierre-Louis and Parshall speak with the show’s Russian dialect coach Kate Yablunovsky about how she helped actor Connor Storrie deliver impressively authentic Russian dialogue on a tight time line. Yablunovsky breaks down what the toughest Russian sounds are for English speakers, why perfect accents aren’t always the goal and how cultural context, mouth posture and psychology all shape believable performances. 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
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    18 m
  • Rhythm babies, rocket delays, solar fireworks

    Rhythm babies, rocket delays, solar fireworks
    Feb 9 2026
    In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into NASA’s latest headaches as the Artemis II moon mission hits delays. We also take a look at a massive solar flare that lit up the skies—and disrupted some tech—along with fresh concerns that PFAS “forever chemicals,” used to replace ozone‑depleting substances, are accumulating far more than expected. And new research shows that babies are actually born with a sense of rhythm. Recommended Reading: NASA document reveals new Artemis II moon mission target launch dates for March NASA delays Artemis II moon mission after critical test raises issues NASA’s Artemis II launch rehearsal hits a snag The sun just unleashed its most powerful solar flare in years Nearly half of people in the U.S. have toxic PFAS in their drinking water 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, Emily Makowski and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    12 m
  • Psychiatry’s playbook is about to get torn up

    Psychiatry’s playbook is about to get torn up
    Feb 6 2026
    In this episode of Science Quickly, we dig into a brewing shake-up inside psychiatry as the American Psychiatric Association considers sweeping changes to the way mental illness is defined and diagnosed. Scientific American’s associate editor Allison Parshall breaks down what the potential changes are, why long-standing diagnostic categories may no longer reflect scientific reality and what these revisions could ultimately mean for patients. Recommended Reading: Psychiatrists plan to overhaul the mental health bible—and change how we define ‘disorder’ 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
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    17 m
  • The curious case of the nonburpers

    The curious case of the nonburpers
    Feb 4 2026
    Can you imagine not being able to burp at all? In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into the little-known but surprisingly serious “no burp” syndrome known as retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCPD). Otolaryngologist Robert Bastian, who co-authored the paper that first defined RCPD in 2019, explains what causes this unusual condition and how it can make daily life miserable. But relief can come from an unexpected source: a Botox injection that gives patients the chance to “learn” how to burp—an experience many describe as life-changing. Recommended Reading: Explore a collection of articles and resources about RCPD by Robert Bastian 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
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    18 m
  • A new AI tool to decode DNA, a medical marvel and a rebel lipstick vine

    A new AI tool to decode DNA, a medical marvel and a rebel lipstick vine
    Feb 2 2026
    In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into Google DeepMind’s new artificial intelligence model AlphaGenome, which could help researchers better understand how noncoding DNA shapes gene expression. We also look at how doctors pulled off a medical marvel when they kept a man alive without lungs for two days. Plus, we learn how researchers cracked an evolutionary puzzle involving a peculiar flower. Recommended Reading: Google DeepMind unleashes new AI to investigate DNA’s ‘dark matter’ Doctors keep patient alive using ‘artificial lungs’ for two days Babies who attend daycare share ‘good’ germs, too 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
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    12 m
  • The hidden genius behind nonreflective glass

    The hidden genius behind nonreflective glass
    Jan 30 2026
    In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with Katie Hafner of the podcast Lost Women of Science about the remarkable but often overlooked physicist and chemist Katharine Burr Blodgett, whose pioneering work in early nanotechnology led to nonreflective glass. Hafner shares why the Lost Women of Science team devoted nearly a year to uncovering Blodgett’s full story and reflects on the broader mission to restore women to the scientific record. Recommended Reading: The chemical genius of Katharine Burr Blodgett Listen to more podcasts from the Lost Women of Science Initiative 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
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    15 m
  • Want to smell more attractive? Try these foods

    Want to smell more attractive? Try these foods
    Jan 28 2026
    Many people turn to expensive perfumes to elevate their natural scent and smell more pleasant to others. But what if you could achieve that just by switching up your diet? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with freelance journalist Sofia Quaglia about the science behind how what we eat can subtly change how we smell—and how attractive others perceive us to be. The conversation explores surprising findings about garlic and armpit odor, counterintuitive effects of meat intake on body scent and the strange, smelly experiments behind this research. Recommended Reading: “The foods that make you smell more attractive,” by Sofia Quaglia, in BBC Future. Published online November 2, 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
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    13 m