logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
8m 15s

Microplastics on the Mind, Superstrong S...

مجلة Scientific American
About this episode

A subtype of H5N1 bird flu that has been found in cattle for the first time suggests that the virus jumped from birds to the animals twice. A headline-making study estimates that we have a spoon’s worth of microplastics in our brain. Streams of rock from a cosmic impact created the moon’s two deep canyons, Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck. A large study shows that people feel their best in the morning and their worst at midnight. Bonobos can tell when humans don’t know something—and try to help us.


Recommended reading:

The U.S. Is Not Ready for Bird Flu in Humans 

Bonobos Can Tell When a Human Doesn’t Know Something 

Is Snoozing the Alarm Good or Bad for Your Health?  


E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.


Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Naeem Amarsy with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Science’s Greatest 180s
Science doesn’t always get it right the first time—and that’s part of the journey. In this anniversary episode, we explore how ideas about nerve damage, sustainable materials and alien life have done a full 180. Recommended Reading Celebrating 180 Years of Scientific American 180 ... Show More
8m 4s
Aug 22
Could Peanut Allergies Be Cured?
Peanut allergies have surged dramatically in recent decades, and scientists are still working to understand why. In this episode, journalist Maryn Mckenna, who recently authored an article on the subject, and host Rachel Feltman explore the latest research on causes, treatments a ... Show More
20m 29s
Aug 20
Nature’s Sexual Spectrum Breaks the Binary
Biologist Nathan Lents joins Science Quickly to explore the vast sexual diversity found across the animal kingdom. His new book, The Sexual Evolution: How 500 Million Years of Sex, Gender, and Mating Shape Modern Relationships, challenges the binary framework that has long shaped ... Show More
15m 17s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
Kids' Story: Blue Bird Saves the Red Flower الطائر الازرق ينقذ الوردة الحمراء
‏Blue Bird Saves Red Flower- Arabic Version ‏الطائر الازرق ينقذ الوردة الحمراء 1. كنت أمشي في الحديقة 2. وفجأة... شاهدت وردة حمراء 3. تطير في الهواء 4. تطير وتطير وتطير 5. وفجأة 6. جاء طائر أزرق 7. جميل جدا 8. ووضع الوردة الحمراء تحت جناحيه 9. وطار بها إلى الأعلى 10. ثم نزل بها ر ... Show More
2m 14s