60-second Science

Vernal pools are safe havens for creatures such as fairy shrimp, and they have lived through the end of the dinosaurs, the breakup of Pangaea and multiple ice ages. But humans are paving them over.

Inside a vault at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles lies a microscopic population of immense value—the repository for vernal pool fairy shrimp.

Carpets of gold, burrowing toads and fairy shrimp all depend on vernal pools—habitats that, most of the time, do not exist.

Vernal pools are home to spectacular residents such as fairy shrimp, but these unusual natural wonders are under threat.

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. 

Very high HDL cholesterol levels almost double your risk of heart problems.

Humans are building meaningful relationships with AI chatbots. What will the consequences be?

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.

Two of the foremost experts on witch hunts talk about the link between the formation of domestic labor and the rise of witch hunting.

The AI GPT-4 has emergent abilities—but that’s not why it’s scary. 

A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count.

These two researchers journey toward the center of Earth—via windows to the crust—to find bacteria that can breathe iron, arsenic and other metals that would kill us pretty quickly.

The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more.

Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood.

Insights from Deaf and autistic communities could finally make office spaces better for everyone. 

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.

Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system.

Music made with artificial intelligence could upend the music industry. Here’s what that might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google’s new AI model can generate entirely new music from text prompts. Here’s what they sound like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Machine-learning algorithms are getting so good that they can translate Western instruments into Thai ones with ease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices