60-Second Science
Leading science journalists provide a daily minute of commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of science. For a full-length, weekly podcast you can subscribe to Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American. To view all of our archived podcasts please go to www.sciam.com/podcast
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Phone Networks Reveal Relationships
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that researchers deduce social networks with great accuracy simply by analyzing mobile phone use. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Paper Money Tainted with Cocaine
A study presented at the meeting of the American Chemical Society finds that the vast majority of paper money has trace amounts of cocaine. Cynthia Graber reports
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Hot Rocks Were Technology Revolution
A study in the journal Science suggests that early humans were fire-treating stone more than 70,000 years ago to make better stone tools. Cynthia Graber reports
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Facial Expressions: East Doesn't Meet West
A study in the journal Current Biology finds that Eastern and Western facial expressions related to emotional states may differ enough for possible nonverbal miscommunication. Cynthia Graber reports
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Cesium Clock Faces Ytterbium Challenge
National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers are developing atomic clocks based on the element ytterbium that could outclass the cesium atomic clocks that currently set the standard. Steve Mirsky reports.
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Fungus Could Be Kudzu Killer
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service are testing a fungus that could one day be sent into battle against the land-grabbing vine kudzu. Steve Mirsky reports
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What's Behind Birthers' Obama Belief
Research done by Harvard's Mahzarin Banaji and San Diego State's Thierry Devos into what's called "implicit social cognition" reveals that white Americans inherently regard white Europeans as somehow more "American" than Asian- or African-Americans, which may help explain why so many people find it …
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Scratching the Surface of Itch
A study in the journal Science shows that mice have specific neurons devoted to the sensation of itch, rather than pain. Cynthia Graber reports
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Scratching Surface of Itch
A study in the journal Science shows that mice have specific neurons devoted to the sensation of itch, rather than pain. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Sneaky Orchid Drives Wasps Wild
A study in the journal Current Biology finds that an orchid mimics the alarm chemical signal of bees to attract the bees' predatory wasps, all to get the wasps to pollinate the orchids. Adam Hinterthuer reports
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Century-Old Physics Law Violated
A study in the journal Nano Letters shows that the well-known rules of heat transfer from a nonreflective object, called Planck's blackbody radiation law, break down if the object can be brought close enough to another object while still not touching it. Steve Mirsky reports
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Spleen Gives Heart a Leg Up
A study in the journal Science shows that the spleen has a previously unrecognized function, as a large reservoir of infection-fighting monocytes that come into play in heart damage. Cynthia Graber reports
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Spleen Gives Heart A Leg Up
A study in the journal Science shows that the spleen has a previously unrecognized function, as a large reservoir of infection-fighting monocytes that come into play in heart damage. Cynthia Graber reports.
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Swinging Arms Save Energy
A study in the Royal Society journal Biological Sciences shows that one reason why we swing our arms while walking is probably because it makes ambulation a significantly more efficient operation, saving about 12 percent of the energy required to walk with the arms immobile. Karen Hopkin reports.
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Synched Blinks Avoid Data Loss
A study in the Royal Society journal Biological Sciences shows that humans will synchronize their blinking when confronted with visual info, indicating that we time our blinks to minimize the chances we'll miss seeing anything important. Karen Hopkin reports
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Brain's Moving Experience When Reading
A study in the journal Psychological Science finds that reading about an activity activates the same brain regions involved in performing that activity. Karen Hopkin reports
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Bigger Bodies Better in Pool
A study in The Journal of Experimental Biology shows that larger, heavier athletes have an advantage in sports far removed from football or basketball: bigger bodies are better even in swimming. Cynthia Graber reports
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Bigger Bodies Better In Pool
A study in The Journal of Experimental Biology shows that larger, heavier athletes have an advantage in sports far removed from football or basketball: bigger bodies are better even in swimming. Cynthia Graber reports
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How Orangutans Traverse Treetops
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals the secrets to how heavy orangutans travel through the trees without breaking branches and plummeting. Karen Hopkin reports
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Toucan: Put Heat on My Bill
A study in the journal Science finds that at least one purpose of the the giant bill of the toucan is to radiate heat. Adam Hinterthuer reports
60-Second Science
