Animals
Do We Need To Save the Whales Again?
A scientist who does whale necropsies — or in layman's terms, whale autopsies — tells us why so many dead whales are washing up on beaches.
Stories by Tulika Bose
History
The Surprising Backstory behind Witch Hunts and Reproductive Labor
Two of the foremost experts on witch hunts talk about the link between the formation of domestic labor and the rise of witch hunting.
Artificial Intelligence
What You Need to Know about GPT‑4
The AI GPT-4 has emergent abilities—but that’s not why it’s scary.
Dark Matter
Vera Rubin Lives On in Lives of the Women She Helped in Astronomy
The “mother of dark matter” was a force of nature—and a forceful advocate for other women who wanted to dedicate their career to the cosmos.
Astronomy
Cosmos, Quickly: Remembering the Genius of Vera Rubin
Vera Rubin went from a teenager with a cardboard telescope to the “mother of dark matter.” Some of her colleagues and mentees weigh in on her fascinating life and how she was a champion for women in astronomy...
Vaccines
RSV Vaccines Are Coming At Last: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 2
A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval.
Astronomy
How To Stop a (Potentially Killer) Asteroid
We slammed a $330-million spaceship the size of a dairy cow into an asteroid the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Here’s what we’re learning about how our first step in planetary defense could save us in the future...
Public Health
The Pandemic’s Mental Toll, and Does Telehealth Work? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 1
Hosts Josh Fischman and Tanya Lewis explore the pandemic’s mental health toll on teens and young adults. They also delve into the effectiveness of telehealth, which has been booming since the start of the pandemic...
Aerospace
Sorry, UFO Hunters—You Might Just Be Looking at a Spy Balloon
From space aliens to foreign surveillance, we spoke to experts to find out what’s really going on with the balloon brouhaha.
Artificial Intelligence
Coming Soon to Your Podcast Feed: Science, Quickly
A new era in Scientific American audio history is about to drop starting next week. Get ready for a science variety show guaranteed to quench your curiosity in under 10 minutes...
Genetics
Decoded: Aging
What really happens to our bodies when we age—and could we find a way to slow it down?
Medicine
Meet the Medical Student Challenging Racial Bias with TikTok
Medical influencer Joel Bervell is challenging racism in health care, one TikTok at a time.
Vaccines
How Vaccines Saved Money and Lives and China’s Zero-COVID Protests: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 44
Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.
Privacy
What You Need to Know about Iran’s Surveillance Tech
Scientific American technology editor Sophie Bushwick explains how Iran is using surveillance tech against vulnerable citizens.
Health Care
This Indigenous Scientist Helped Save Lives as COVID Devastated the Navajo Nation
Crystal Lee grew up the granddaughter of Navajo medicine men. As COVID wreaked havoc on her community, she decided to act
Public Health
What the Disease Feels Like, and Presidents Can’t End Pandemics: COVID, Quickly, Episode 39
On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, Josh Fischman gets COVID, and President Joe Biden says the pandemic is over.
Vaccines
Unvaxxed Kids and 8 Days a Week (of Isolation): COVID, Quickly, Episode 38
This is our second back-to-school special episode of COVID. Quickly . Today we talk about two big issues: the low vaccination rates among the littlest kids and how long you should quarantine after being sick (actually)...
Public Health
Back-to-School Special: Kids, Tests and Long COVID Reassurance: COVID, Quickly, Episode 37
This is our back-to-school special episode of COVID, Quickly . We’ll talk about why COVID testing is about to become a school problem—and about whether or not kids are at risk for long COVID...
Public Health
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Why do we pay attention to the quality of our drinking water but not to our indoor air? Scientific American senior health editor Tanya Lewis explains how and why this matters...
Black Holes
Hawking, a Paradox and a Black Hole Mystery, Solved?
We do not have a theory to tell us everything about how a black hole works, but new research is shedding a least some light on one of their many mysteries.
