60-second Science

In the inaugural episode of Cosmos, Quickly, we blast off with Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno of the Space Force, who is charged with protecting our space in space, particularly from Russia and China.

The burgeoning field of “digital bioacoustics” is helping us understand animals like never before.

A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval.

Every year on Pi Day, we have a reason to celebrate one of math’s most famous symbols. But this year we speak to someone who has captured it in song.

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.

Some animals’ babies physically relax when their parents whisk them away from danger. The same thing works for tiny, wailing humans.

Scientists partnered with tiger sharks to map seagrass—the unsung hero of ocean conservation.

Some caterpillars have evolved with antifreeze in their body cavity, allowing them to become cater-Popsicles to survive cold winters. But climate change could threaten that.

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.

Researchers who study aphantasia, or the inability to visualize something in your “mind’s eye,” are starting to get a sense of how to accurately measure the condition and what it may mean for those who have it.

From space aliens to foreign surveillance, we spoke to experts to find out what’s really going on with the balloon brouhaha.

Successfully mitigating the impacts of climate change will rely heavily on innovation in science and technology.

Science might be redefining what “life out there” really means.

How romance affects our well-being is a lot more complicated than “they lived happily ever after.”

In fair zoo-ona, a pair of star-cross’d pandas take their life. And we learn about whether or not animals can fall in love.

Are you “anxious,” “avoidant” or “disorganized?” So-called attachment styles have taken the Internet by storm. But it turns out there’s a lot more to unpack than people think. 

Host Shayla Love dives into the true story behind the now infamous 36 questions that lead to love.

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.

Scientific American’s short-form podcast has been going for 16 years, three months and seven days, counting today. But it’s time for us to evolve.

A new study puts the “brain drain hypothesis”—the idea that just having a phone next to you impacts your cognition—to the test to see if the science passes muster.