SSS 2010-11-30

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Steve Mirsky. Got a minute？ The November 26th issue of the journal Science included a study showing that the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago allowed puny mammals to get really

SSS 2010-10-20

You're trying to exercise willpowerto avoid eating that second piece of cake or buying an electronic toy you don't really need. Try firming up your muscles. Any muscles. Now you can walk awayas long as walking away is truly in line with your overall

SSS 2010-10-21

Pacemakers are expensive. Though some pacemaker manufacturers have dropped the price down to $800 in poorer countries, thats still out of reach for many. One to two million people die each year because they dont have access to this life-saving techno

SSS 2010-10-22

If 50 is the new 40 and 60 is the new 50, whats the new 70? Well, it seems safe to at least say that 70 isnt what it used to be. And thats good. Because a new study finds that 70-year-olds did better on intelligence tests than 70 year olds used to do

SSS 2010-10-25

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Take a deep breath. Taste anything? Actually, your lungs may, because scientists have discovered that the same receptors that exist on the tongue to tast

SSS 2010-06-29

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Those of you following the World Cup know that at this stage there can be no more draws. Ties are broken during overtime play, or in a penalty kick shootou

SSS 2010-10-27

On October 9th, we reported that cats born deaf develop enhanced vision. Now researchers find that blind people perceive touch faster than do those with sight. The work is in the Journal of Neuroscience. Volunteers who were sighted or who had varying

SSS 2010-10-28

Whether you're a hunt-and-peck typist or a Rachmaninoff of the keyboard, you will make mistakes. But it's not just your eyes catching typos when you see them on the screen. Your hands know when you mess up too. Thats according to a study in the journ

SSS 2010-10-29

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Adam Hinterthuer. Got a minute? If there's a line in Vegas on the odds of life on another planet, now might be a good time to place a wager. A study in the journal Science examined 166 Sun-sized star

SSS 2010-09-21

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? Theres a cool new Web siteand iPhone appthat could come in handy in a wide variety of circumstances. Its called Time Tree. And it tells you how closely related any two org

SSS 2010-09-22

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? Last month's salmonella outbreak got over 1,500 people sick. And one reason salmonella may be such a heavy hitter is that it actually hijacks our immune response

SSS 2010-09-23

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Dieters may try to estimate a meals calorie count. Now a study by Northwestern Universitys Alexander Chernev finds that even the order in which food is p

SSS 2010-09-24

This is Scientific Americans 60 Science, Im Cynthia Graber. Thisll just take a minute. Batteries add weight, and they need recharging. Thats serious business for implanted medical devices. When the batteries die, patients sometimes have to undergo an

SSS 2010-09-27

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? City living has obviously influenced human cultureas have often been noted, how you gonna keep em down on the farm after theyve seen Paree'? But urban life may h

SSS 2010-09-28

A significant cause of disability in older Americans is, simply, falling. If youre a senior citizen and you worry about falling, maybe you should go light on the drinks. It turns out that only two drinkswithin the legal driving limitcan make it more

SSS 2010-09-29

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Karen Hopkin. This will take a minute. For those of you who love a tall tale, the list of genetic variations that determine human height has just experienced a growth spurt. The findings were publish

SSS 2010-10-26

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. The racks leading up to the checkout line are prime real estate for impulse buys. Merchandise near the register moves, whether it's a magazine, a pack of

SSS 2010-05-20

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? Why do some chords sound sweet but others make you wince? Well it appears our earsor at least the ears of 250 Minnesota undergradsprefer chords containing harm

SSS 2010-05-21

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Well, did you see the thing about why people on cell phones are so annoying? I know, right? Because you only hear... Oohp, I gotta go. Sorry. I know that

SSS 2010-05-24

This is Scientific Americans Sixty-Second-Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This'll just take a minute. Social networking is all the rage. Seems the more people we know, the better we feel. But that drive for being connected may enrich more than our social