SSS 2010-05-27

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? A strain of mutant mice groom compulsively till they seriously injure themselves. The condition is considered a good animal model for OCD, and its similar to the human d

SSS 2010-05-28

This is Scientific America's Sixty-Second-Science. I am Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? Some interesting electrical activity in the clouds of ash drifting around Europe as a result of that Icelandic volcano. Models predicted that electrical charge should

SSS 2010-04-20

Hows this for a possible new culprit for breast cancer sufferers: they may be able to blame their grandmas diets. Thats the implication of a study done with rats. Researchers affiliated with the Georgetown University Medical Center fed a group of pre

SSS 2010-04-21

A New York Times reporter recently wrote this sentence: Like most heck, all of the women I know, my relationship to food, to my weight, to my body iscomplicated. That relationship is now visible in our brains. When anorexic and bulimic women see imag

SSS 2010-04-22

I used to scoff vi.(at)嘲弄，嘲笑at the idea of Minute Rice. I mean, are we really in such a hurry that we cant wait, like, 10 minutes for a regular old bowl of rice? Well, yes, yes we are. And fast food may be making matters worse. Because a st

SSS 2010-04-23

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Thats more than a folksy aphorism when it comes to infectious diseases. Because according to a report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, its more cost effective to reduce the cases of a disease i

SSS 2010-04-26

Shhh, keep this podcast a secret. Because new research points to a possible blind spot in airport security screening: it may be easier to sneak something dangerous past securitya box cutter, for exampleby also including an obvious and innocuous banne

SSS 2010-03-25

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. The Last Supper. The final time that the apostles shared a meal with Jesus. They gathered together, listened to a sermon and really chowed down. At least

SSS 2010-03-24

Here are two seemingly unrelated facts. One: from the late 1940s through 1963, we tested atomic bombs in the atmosphere. Two: wine lovers are sometimes duped into spending exorbitant amounts for fake vintage bottles that werent from the year they wer

SSS 2010-03-23

Ever get a sour stomach after your morning coffee? Well, you might end up switching to a dark roastbecause that coffee concoction may leave you with a happier tummy. That's according to the research presented at the American Chemical Society meeting

SSS 2010-03-22

Were nice to our families. From an evolutionary perspective, that makes sense. But what makes us deal fairly with strangers? One theory holds that the development of large societies necessitated the creation of fairness, through institutions such as

SSS 2010-04-28

If you've ever driven up to a mountain pass, you know that the higher you climb, the colder it gets. But on clear, calm days, it can actually (be) colder in the valleys. That's because under high-pressure systems, cold air slides down mountain slopes

SSS 2010-03-26

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Buildings consume about a third of the energy and two-thirds of the electricity in the U.S. Roofs are a good place to try to cut those figures. Because

SSS 2010-04-27

In 1970, the Soviet Union put a laser reflector on the moon, carried by a rover. A few months later, it disappeared. Some speculated that the rover had fallen into a crater or parked in such a way as to render the reflector inaccessible. Now after 40

SSS 2010-12-14

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. In the spring of 1912 an iceberg in the Atlantic took down the Titanic. Now, some humble bacteria are trying to finish the job. Scientists analyzing rust f

SSS 2010-12-15

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Rats have long been guilty of spreading disease. But now they've gone into the diagnosis side. Because rats can be trained to spot tuberculosisand to do

SSS 2010-12-16

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. 'Tis the season when were eating. And we want to be sure that the kitchen staff are following protocols that keep us from getting sick. So how best to h

SSS 2010-12-21

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im KarenHopkin. This will just take a minute. Think of a qualitythat defines a strong leader. Do I hear: dynamic, driven, decisive, original?Well, I probably didnt hear original , because people who are

SSS 2010-12-27

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? As a bitter winter storm rages on the east coast, it's hard to knock being warm-blooded. But what about the metabolic cost of maintaining a high body-temperature? Well,

SSS 2010-12-28

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? As you get jostled in the daily rough and tumble, does it feel like other people care less about how rough you have it and how much youre getting tumbled? Well, your suspi