SSS 2010-07-21

The earths tropics teem with species. Theyre far more biologically diverse than the cooler parts of the planet. And scientists have credited higher temperatures and greater amounts of sunlight. But a new study claims that the secret to tropical biodi

SSS 2010-07-22

Imagine if before you took each step, your guts lurched up into your throat. Well, caterpillars dont have to imaginethey take such drastic steps every day. Researchers were interested in how fluids move around inside a caterpillar. So they put one on

SSS 2010-07-23

Heres what scientists think happened, oh, about a hundred million years ago. There was this three-star system. The three linked stars were strolling through the galaxy but got too close to the giant black hole at the center. The hole swallowed one of

SSS 2010-07-26

Youd think an animal that hops would know how to land. But for a kind of frog, thats not the case. Imagine trying to catch a frog. You reach and they jump, only to land gracefully on their feet a few feet away. It was thought that all frogs moved thi

SSS 2010-07-27

Have you ever bought a new electronic device, or tried a new activity, and then dropped it because you were sure you couldnt possibly master it? Well, dont give up so quickly. Researchers performed six experiments that involved subjects trying out ne

SSS 2010-07-28

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will take just a minute. Spend any time in a bar, and sooner or later youll hear, Ill have what shes having. It sounds like a bad pickup line, but there may be an actual biological

SSS 2010-07-29

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will take just a minute. Whats in a neck? Well, its a good place to hang a pendant or a tie. Or to rest your head. Now scientists say that by separating our heads from our bodies,

SSS 2010-07-30

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Some people pay big bucks for a designer handbag or a luxury carand the distinctive logo that goes along with them. Now scientists have learned that other

SSS 2010-06-18

You know saving the rainforest is good for biodiversity. But it may also be a boon to human health. That's because less clear-cutting may mean less malaria, according to a paper out this week in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Researchers l

SSS 2010-06-21

Have you been having some trouble getting some digits lately when you ask a girl out? Maybe you should check what music is playing. Thats what French psychologists found. They published their research in the journal Psychology of Music. First the res

SSS 2010-06-22

Each of us harbors a unique collection of bacteria, on our outsides and our insides. Now, scientists are finding that the bacteria you get at birth may depend on how you got here. Because babies born vaginally have a different set of microbes than th

SSS 2010-06-24

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Crohns disease is a real pain in the gut. This inflammatory disorder can lead to some serious intestinal difficulties. And heredity is partly to blame: som

SSS 2010-06-25

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute？ The North American and Pacific plates meet in California at the San Andreas fault. The plates grind past each other there at as much as an inch-and-a-half a ye

SSS 2010-06-28

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Even if you have a light hand with the salt shaker, you probably get lots of sodium in processed or restaurant meals. But sodium can contribute to high

SSS 2010-06-30

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Its a plotline worthy of an action filmgalaxies, violently torn apart, smashing into one another, leaving remnants of themselves behind billions of years

SSS 2010-08-23

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber.This will just take a minute. Imagine giant fields filled with photovoltaic solar panels, soaking up rays. The best spots to put such panels are obviously sunny, with little rain. But

SSS 2010-11-22

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. You've seen it on TV. Crime scene investigators show up at what might be a murder scene. There are blood spattersbut no body. Who's the victim? Now, a

SSS 2010-11-23

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. The elderly suffer from an alarming epidemic. A third of people over 65 fall at least once a year. Half of those fall more frequently. Exercise can help,

SSS 2010-11-24

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, one major question looms large for millions of large Americans: Are my fat pants fat enough? Thanksgiving marks the start of the h

SSS 2010-11-26

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science.I'm Cynthia Graber.This will just take a minute. Back in April, 2009, this podcast covered research finding that a simple writing exercise helped minority students improve their grades. Now, a new study