SSS 2010-08-12

Ahhh, sleep. Theres nothing better than a nice, long, uninterrupted [LOUD NOISE]. Awwgh. I cant sleep when theres [NOISE]. But dya ever notice: noise [NOISE] doesnt wake everyone. Now scientists have a better idea why. Because sound sleepers show a c

SSS 2010-08-16

This is Scentific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky, got a minute? At Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California, a plant called Tidestroms lupine is holding on for dear life. Its survival has been threatened by the appear

SSS 2010-08-17

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Most of us know we should rein in our energy use. But to be successful, it'd help if we knew the best way to do it. So scientists asked more than 500 peo

SSS 2010-08-18

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Shakespeare noted that a worm may eat a king, after that king is dead. Sadly, parasitic worms infect people who are still alive, especially kids. Publi

SSS 2010-08-19

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. When you think of someone who's trusting, you may assume that theyre gullible. But that's not necessarily truea fact that your Pollyanna pal might be in

SSS 2010-08-13

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? You don't have to be a champagne buff to want the best flavor from your bubbly. So the secret to a perfect glass? It's all in the pour, according to a study in

SSS 2010-08-02

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will take just a minute. As many of us broil in August heat, the Mars Rover Spirit is hunkered down to survive a far more brutal seasona Martian winter. Spirits been on Mars sinc

SSS 2010-08-03

Why arent there more women physicists, and in senior positions? One factor may be unconscious biases that could keep women physicists from advancingand may even prevent women from going into physics in the first place. Amy Bug, a physicist at Swarthm

SSS 2010-08-04

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. Im Adam Hinterthuer. Got a minute？ Heres a possible blood pressure remedy. But its only for those who can stand the heat. Its capsaicin, the active ingredient in peppers like habaneros that should pro

SSS 2010-08-05

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute Declining frog populations are considered an indicator of environmental damage. But new research finds that frogs might be doing even worse than we thou

SSS 2010-08-06

One of the concerns about working with genetically modified crops has been that vegetation growing in agricultural fields might escape out into the world. Now, for the first time in the U.S., researchers report a large population of GM crops beyond t

SSS 2010-08-09

Blue whales off the California coast make calls that, sped up 10 times, sound like (sound of two-part call). The original is a wall-rattling frequency too low for us to hear. Scientists analyzed around 2,500 of those calls, and found that the second

SSS 2010-08-10

Thats what it might sound like if I had a tongue stud, hitting my teeth. Maybe youve seen people with studs in their tongue clicking it up against their front teeth, a move known as playing. But it turns out that the habit may destroy some smiles. Un

SSS 2010-08-11

Theres nothing like a good steak. And our Australopithecus afarensis ancestors apparently felt the same way. Because new discoveries from Ethiopia show that what was likely the species of the famous fossil Lucy used stone tools to butcher meat from b

SSS 2010-08-20

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Molly Webster. Got a minute? Everyone from Freud to Tina Fey has tried to understand why some things are funny. Now, new research concludes that one key to comedy is for a situation to violate a mo

SSS 2010-08-25

Youve probably seen dogs working security at airports, sniffing for drugs, bombs and contraband food. Now our best-friend biosensors might have a new task: ferretting out the scent of bird flu. And they may not be alone on the job. Researchers from t

SSS 2010-08-26

This is Scientific Americans 60-Second Science, Im Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Gimme the chocolate milkshake and the cheeseburger deluxe. Thats the cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, fries and statin pill, coming right up. That

SSS 2010-08-27

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Are you listening to me through headphones? Because heres a sample of what might be harming the ears of teenagers. Just kiddingthe last thing we want t

SSS 2010-08-30

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? Engineers are always plugging away to get better energy efficiency out of our products -- like cars that guzzle less gas or light bulbs that burn brighter on f

SSS 2010-08-31

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. We humans love excuses to gather for a rousing evening of communityfeaturing lots of food. Now researchers have evidence for the earliest known group f