The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment grinds to a halt. Amazon launches its first round of Internet satellites. The European Space Agency launches a satellite to measure the biomass of Earth’s trees. New data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft offer insights into Jupiter and Io. Claims of Tyrannosaurus rex leather are, predictably, misleading.
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Yesterday
Cartwheeling snakes, vocal vultures and a mysterious Martian moon
On this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman discusses Japan’s half-billion-dollar mission to land on Mars’s lumpy little moon Phobos and catches up on animal behavior, both big and small—from newly discovered cartwheeling snakes to the surprisingly complex vocal reper ... Show More
11m 16s
Oct 23
Why your brain hates uncertainty
Our brains are constantly trying to predict what comes next, but in an increasingly unpredictable world, that mental workload can fuel stress, anxiety and even depression. In this episode of Science Quickly, author Maia Szalavitz explains how the brain processes uncertainty, why ... Show More
22m 45s
Oct 21
Slime molds, Pompeii and alien consciousness with Annalee Newitz
In this episode of Science Quickly, science journalist and science-fiction author Annalee Newitz discusses their novel A Wall Is Also a Road, a story about a graduate student who also happens to be a conscious slime mold alien. The slime mold, named Gardenpath, has decided to stu ... Show More
20m 9s
Jun 2024
‘Flying’ Joro Spiders Are No Big Deal, and Starlink Satellites Are Not So Great for The Ozone Layer
This week’s news roundup features spiders, space and the Supreme Court. “Flying” Joro spiders are making headlines, but are they really taking over the East Coast? Extreme heat leads Greece to close the Acropolis and worry about what the rest of the summer will bring. Levels of o ... Show More
11m 31s
Mar 2025
NASA Launches New Missions, Saturn Gains Some Moons, and Whale Urine Balances Marine Ecosystems
The new Environmental Protection Agency administrator plans to get rid of or weaken critical environmental rules and policies, such as regulations around greenhouse gases and clean water protections. The deregulation effort follows the recent cancellation of hundreds of grants. N ... Show More
9m 5s
Nov 2024
An Off Day on Uranus, a Wildfire in Prospect Park and Dispatches from COP29
A wildfire in Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Prospect Park was in part linked to drought conditions nationally. Plastic waste is set to grow with our expanding economy, but potential solutions look promising. Drops in gonorrhea and early-stage syphilis point to the first decline in sexually tr ... Show More
11m 44s