November 22, 2024
On the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery, paleoanthropologists reflect on what she taught us about ourselves. Plus, divers have recovered seeds of a long-lost rye variety from a 146-year-old shipwreck in Lake Huron. And, a potato researcher explains potato varieties, potato nutrition, and some tubular tuber facts.
What Cephalopod Are You? Take The Quiz!
Are you an old soul? A giant genius? Answer these 8 questions to find out which cephalopod is most like you.
11:44
Elephants Seem To Use Names For Each Other
A new study used machine learning to analyze elephant vocalizations and identified “contact rumbles” that appear to function as names.
17:18
Meet The Emotions Behind Teenage Angst In ‘Inside Out 2’
Psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour helped make the film more scientifically accurate to how a teenager’s mind works.
12:07
Kids Discover Extremely Rare T. Rex Fossil
On a hike in the Badlands, a family found a dinosaur bone sticking out of a rock. It joined the few teenage T. rex fossils ever discovered.
17:04
‘The Singularity Is Nearer,’ Says Futurist Ray Kurzweil
Two decades after his book “The Singularity is Near,” Kurzweil is back with more predictions about the future of AI.
5:44
In Wisconsin, Mannequins Help Teach People How To Spot Ticks
Two mannequins walk into a science lab, and one’s got a big tick problem. She can teach humans how to check for ticks.
11:29
Protecting A Flickering Symbol Of Summer Nights
Researchers used citizen science observations and machine learning to understand where fireflies are and what they need to thrive.
16:59
Why Do Cephalopods Make Ink?
Squid, octopuses, and cuttlefish use ink to confuse predators and to communicate. But there’s still a lot we don’t understand about inking.
How AI Supercharges Drug Research
Machine learning can quickly analyze millions of compounds, helping researchers bring drugs to clinical trials sooner.
12:43
México eligió a una presidenta científica. ¿Qué significa esto?
La comunidad científica del país Latinoamericano está dividida sobre la elección de Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
What Will Emerge From The Wreckage Of The Arecibo Telescope?
In 2020, Puerto Rico’s massive Arecibo radio telescope collapsed. The research facility may now be on the cusp of a new chapter.
The Bird Call That Music Producers Love To Use In Pop Songs
The eerie calls of the common loons have been heard in songs by Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, and more.
11:37
A Week Of Milestones For Spaceflight
Boeing’s Starliner successfully launched and docked at the ISS, SpaceX’s Starship rocket launched and returned, and Hubble had a hiccup.
8:01
A Tiny Fern Has The Largest Genome Ever Discovered
The little fern from New Caledonia is just a few inches tall, and its genome has 160.45 billion base pairs—50 times more DNA than a human.
8:14
Mexico Has Elected A Scientist President. What Will That Mean?
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo brings scientific expertise to the presidency. How will her leadership shape science policy?
12:07
How Metal-Absorbing Plants Could Make Mining Greener
Plants called “hyperaccumulators” have evolved to absorb high levels of metals. Scientists want to harness them for greener metal mining.
17:20
How Sound Rules Life Underwater
In her new book, science journalist Amorina Kingdon explores the astonishing variety of sound in the ocean, and how it affects ecosystems.
16:56
Step Aside, DNA. It’s RNA’s Time To Shine.
The COVID vaccines proved that RNA could be extremely powerful. A new book explores even more medical applications for the tiny molecule.
17:13
How Psychological Warfare Moved From Battlefields To Politics
A new book looks at the history of psychological warfare, its connections to science fiction, and how it’s been adapted to modern politics.
How Messenger RNA Made The COVID Vaccines Possible
In his new book, “The Catalyst,” Dr. Thomas Cech describes how mRNA in the COVID vaccines encodes the virus’s spike protein.