60-Second Science
Tune in every weekday for quick reports and commentaries on the world of science—it'll just take a minute
Episodes
October 6, 2025 • 9 mins
Saturn’s moon Enceladus reveals complex organic molecules that could hint at extraterrestrial life. Researchers also uncover fungi’s ancient reign over Earth and warn that second COVID infections may pose greater risks to young people. Plus, ants ferment yogurt, and flu detection might soon come with a burst of herbal flavor.
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Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Has Complex, Life-Friendly Chemistry
Science Quickly is a Si...
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October 3, 2025 • 20 mins
Inside one of the quietest rooms in the world, host Rachel Feltman meets artist-in-residence Seth Cluett at the historic anechoic chamber at Bell Labs to explore the science of silence and sound perception. From popping balloons in total silence to hearing your own nervous system, we dive into psychoacoustics, audio innovation and the emotional impact of sound design. Along the way, we uncover how Bell Labs shaped everything from s...
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October 1, 2025 • 16 mins
Several top public health experts have resigned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing a troubling shift away from science-based decision-making. Former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Demetre Daskalakis joins host Rachel Feltman to explain how political ideology is reshaping vaccine policy, threatening essential health programs and endangering trust in the natio...
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September 29, 2025 • 12 mins
This week’s roundup breaks down the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to revise the safety label for acetaminophen (Tylenol) following the Trump administration’s misleading claims about a link between use of the drug during pregnancy and autism—which were made despite inconsistent data and no proven causation. It also highlights new findings on the safety of COVID vaccination during pregnancy, promising results from a trial o...
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September 26, 2025 • 25 mins
In a hauntingly innovative exhibit, brain cells grown from the late composer Alvin Lucier’s blood generate sound. Set in a museum in Perth, Australia, the installation blurs the line between art and neuroscience. Host Rachel Feltman and associate editor Allison Parshall explore the profound questions the exhibit raises about creativity, consciousness and the meaning of making music.
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you ...
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September 24, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman explores the age-old quest to replace failing human body parts with science writer Mary Roach. From ancient surgery to modern medical marvels, Roach shares insights from her new book Replaceable You, revealing why replicating our original anatomy is still one of medicine’s greatest challenges.
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Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, by Mary Roach. W...
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September 22, 2025 • 10 mins
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has been reshaped, with new recommendations on the horizon. Meanwhile studies reveal subtle brain changes in contact sports players and highlight ongoing risks of repetitive head injuries. Climate change is linked to a surge in heat-related deaths across Europe, while surprising research uncovers chimpanzees’ daily ethanol consumption and ants that produce ...
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September 19, 2025 • 26 mins
From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we communicate.
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The Internet Is Making Us Fluent in Algospeak
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or id...
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September 17, 2025 • 13 mins
Scientists are tuning in to a surprising conversation happening inside us—between our gut and our brain. Host Rachel Feltman chats with Maya Kaelberer, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s department of physiology, to explore how intestinal cells and microbiomes might be shaping our moods, cravings and mental health in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
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“A Gut Sense for a Microbial Pat...
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September 15, 2025 • 9 mins
A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that Chagas disease is now endemic in the U.S. Koalas may finally be spared from a deadly epidemic. Meanwhile NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered tantalizing clues about potential ancient microbial life on the Red Planet. Hear about all that and more in this week’s news roundup.
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Treating Koala STDs May also Quash Their Essent...
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September 12, 2025 • 15 mins
Human brains don’t just perceive reality—they invent it. In this episode of Science Quickly, cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Yon speaks with host Rachel Feltman about how perception is an active process of prediction in which the brain constructs theories about the world that can sometimes lead us astray. Drawing from his book A Trick of the Mind, he reveals why this “hallucination” of reality is not a flaw but a fundamental featur...
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September 10, 2025 • 14 mins
A tick bite can trigger a rare allergy to red meat and animal products, forcing major lifestyle changes. Scientist Lee Haines joins host Rachel Feltman to break down what causes alpha-gal syndrome, why it’s spreading and how to spot the signs.
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Red Meat Allergy Caused by Tick Bite Is Spreading—And Nearly Half of Doctors Don’t Know about It
This Tick Can Make You Allergic to Meat, and It’s Spreading
“A Red M...
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September 8, 2025 • 9 mins
This week’s roundup dives into Mars’s lumpy mantle, a nasal spray that may help prevent COVID and the growing confusion around vaccine access in the U.S. Plus, researchers link phone use while on the toilet to hemorrhoid risk, uncover ancient mammoth microbiomes and explain why squirrels’ thumbnails matter more than you think.
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Can You Get a COVID Vaccine This Year? Here’s What We Know
Experts Warn of Growin...
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September 5, 2025 • 14 mins
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman is joined by associate editor for health and medicine Lauren J. Young to unpack the growing unrest at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the departure of the agency’s director Susan Monarez. As criticism mounts against Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—including a scathing essay from nine former CDC leaders and a resignation de...
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September 3, 2025 • 13 mins
Meteorologists have made big strides in predicting hurricane paths, but many people still misinterpret the forecast maps. In this episode, senior news editor for sustainability Andrea Thompson joins host Rachel Feltman to unpack what those maps actually show—and why staying informed as a storm evolves is more important than ever.
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How to Decode a Hurricane Forecast
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August 29, 2025 • 23 mins
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Scientific American revisits the storm’s tragic legacy and the scientific warnings that went unheeded. Senior editor Mark Fischetti shares his experience reporting on the city’s vulnerability years before the levees broke, and our senior Earth and environment editor Andrea Thompson reflects on how hurricane preparedness has changed since.
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See the R...
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August 27, 2025 • 18 mins
Trillions of potato-sized rocks scattered across the deep ocean floor are rich in metals such as cobalt and copper—making them a target for mining companies eager to fuel the clean-energy transition. But recent research suggests these rocks may also be supporting marine life in ways scientists are only beginning to understand. In this episode, scientist and journalist Clare Fieseler and filmmaker Jason Jaacks join host Rachel Feltm...
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August 25, 2025 • 8 mins
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.
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Celebrating 180 Years of Scientific American
180 Years of Standing Up for Science
How Scientists Finally Learned That Nerves Regrow
Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Contro...
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August 22, 2025 • 20 mins
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 and prevention strategies.
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Can Peanut Allergies Be Cured?
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August 20, 2025 • 15 mins
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 biological research, arguing for a more accurate and inclusive view of sex and gender. From alternative reproductive strategies to overlapping traits, thi...
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