60-second Science

Blue whales off California’s coast sing at night—until it’s time to start migrating, and they switch to daytime song.

Charles Rice, who today shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, talked about how rapidly research now occurs, compared with his early work.

Researchers determined that Greenland is on track to lose more ice this century than during any of the previous 120 centuries. Christopher Intagliata reports.

The disappearance of their predators in a disturbed ecosystem has turned Atlantic forest sloths from night creatures to day adventurers.

Researchers seeking evidence for cancer in dinosaurs found it in a collection of bones at a paleontology museum in Alberta.

Fork-tailed flycatchers make a fluttering sound with their wings—but separate subspecies have different “dialects” of fluttering. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one from Israel about what DNA reveals about the Dead Sea Scrolls’ parchment. 

Hyraxes, which live in Africa and the Middle East, punctuate their songs with snorts. And the snorts appear to reflect the animals’ emotional state. Jason G. Goldman reports.

Scientists determined that temperatures were 11 degrees cooler during the last ice age—and that finding has implications for modern-day warming. Julia Rosen reports. 

Hummingbirds in the Peruvian Andes enter a state of torpor at night to conserve energy, dipping their body temperature to as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Given an impossible task, a dog will ask a human for help, but a wolf will not seek help—and neither will a pet pig.

Pumping cheap iron-oxide-rich red bricks with specific vapors that form polymers enables the bricks to become electrical-charge-storage devices.

Researchers found that leftovers are likely to end up in the trash, so they advise cooking smaller meals in the first place to avoid food waste. Christopher Intagliata reports.

The finding of a baby dinosaur fossil in the Arctic implies that some dinos nested in the region, which was milder than today but not toasty.

Astronomers observed an odd triple-star system that offers clues about misaligned planetary orbits. Christopher Intagliata reports.

A study estimates that 200 million trees in the tropics are mowed down by lightning annually.

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one from Antarctica about how there’s something funny about penguin poop.

Every year, Alaska’s big salmon runs feature smaller salmon. Climate change and competition with hatchery-raised salmon may be to blame. Julia Rosen reports.

That drought may have brought about societal shifts in the region 5,000 years ago. Christopher Intagliata reports.

The finding could potentially help wildlife managers keep better tabs on their herds. Jason G. Goldman reports.