Published by Scientific American
Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.
Listen on Apple PodcastsIn this episode of Science Quickly, we talk with Simone Giertz, YouTube maker extraordinaire, about her life in science and the influencer spotlight. She started making, in her words, “shitty robots” and has evolved into a maker and product designer. But while she makes things to solve ordinary problems, her designs are anything but. Simone’s ethos is all about questioning why we use certain objects the way we do—and realizing that anyone can make up a new thing to make their lives a little better. Recommended Watching: Simone Giertz’s YouTube Join our Summer Reading Challenge http://sciam.com/readingchallenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Jeff DelViscio, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack a major outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to contaminated produce, explore new research that suggests that “protein maxxing” may do more harm than good and examine mental exhaustion’s effects on the decisions we make. Plus, Europe faces another devastating wildfire season, with one blaze having become so intense that it created its own weather. Recommended Reading: Is buying lettuce off the table all summer? How mental exhaustion changes the choices you make Eating less protein could help you live longer Inside the race to spot wildfires before they spiral out of control Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American’s books and culture lead Bri Kane talks with historian Craig Fehrman about This Vast Enterprise, his fresh take on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Rather than focusing solely on the famous explorers, Fehrman highlights the often overlooked people who made the journey possible, including Sacagawea, York and the expedition’s enlisted men. The conversation explores how science, survival, politics and personal stories shaped the expedition while challenging some of the myths many of us learned in school and revealing a much richer, more human history. Recommended Reading: This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark. Craig Fehrman. Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2026 Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Almost all of us know someone who suffers from an autoimmune disease. Or maybe you do yourself. Autoimmune diseases are common: only cancer and cardiovascular diseases are more prevalent. So how do you fight a body that is fighting against itself? argenx, an immunology innovation company that develops antibody-based therapies, is developing a new toolkit of molecules that can tamp down the rebelling part of the immune system. Scientific American Custom Media recently talked to argenx’s new CEO, Karen Massey about what's in the toolkit -- and how it's helping patients. This podcast was produced for argenx by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine's board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Science Quickly’s summer reading series continues! Host Rachel Feltman chats with Scientific American books editor Bri Kane about the magazine’s Summer Reading Challenge and swaps recommendations—from queer physics memoirs and Pompeii history to ecohorror, sci-fi adventures and other books you won’t want to put down. They also discuss what makes a great summer read, what the joys of reading communities are and how listeners can participate in the challenge for a chance to win prizes. Recommended Reading: Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kick off Scientific American’s first-ever Summer Reading Challenge with book recommendations from our editors, including mind-bending fiction, ecohorror and fascinating nonfiction. Host Rachel Feltman and editor Bri Kane share some of the titles on their summer reading lists and offer tips for tackling our science-themed book bingo challenge. Recommended Reading: The alien stories Scientific American editors keep coming back to 10 best dinosaur books, according to a paleontologist Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman talks with author Rowan Jacobsen about new research on sun exposure and health. While too much sun increases skin cancer risk, moderate sunlight may offer surprising benefits—raising questions about whether avoiding the sun entirely is the right approach. Recommended Reading: In Defense of Sunlight. Rowan Jacobsen. Scribner, 2026 Can sunlight cure disease? Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, we start with a quick update on the Ebola outbreak surging in parts of Africa. Host Rachel Feltman is then joined by Scientific American’s senior desk editor for life science Andrea Thompson to discuss what rising temperatures mean for the FIFA World Cup currently underway in North America. And finally, in honor of Father’s Day, SciAm’s senior desk editor for health and medicine Tanya Lewis gives us a glimpse into the often overlooked science of how fatherhood changes the brain. Recommended Reading: Just how big is the new Ebola outbreak? The World Cup is battling extreme heat. Which cooling methods really work? The Science of the 2026 World Cup How becoming a dad changes men’s brains Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, one of SciAm’s Young American Scientists, biologist Jaye Gardiner, explores how common viral infections may raise cancer risk—not just through genetic mutations but by reshaping the body’s “extracellular matrix” of molecules that support cells and tissues. She explains how viruses can alter the extracellular matrix, potentially creating conditions that allow tumors to grow, and why this emerging view could change how we think about everything from colds to long COVID. Recommended Reading: Jaye Gardiner’s Young American Scientists profile Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode is part of “The Young American Scientists,” an editorially independent project that was produced with financial support from Regeneron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, host Rachel Feltman interviews neuroscientist Kauê M. Costa, who is among Scientific American’s inaugural cohort of Young American Scientists honorees. Costa shares how being surprised by experiments has led him to new ways of thinking about learning in the brain. He explains how dopamine does more than signal reward, how there are two big frameworks of how the brain learns and how his findings could help us better understand—and treat—mental illness. Recommended Reading: The Young American Scientists Kauê M. Costa’s Young American Scientists profile Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode is part of “The Young American Scientists,” an editorially independent project that was produced with financial support from Regeneron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman interviews NASA astrophysicist Erini Lambrides about her unconventional journey from pursuing the performing arts to studying supermassive black holes. Lambrides reflects on how curiosity, persistence through early struggles in physics and a background in acting shaped her scientific approach and mentoring philosophy. Recommended Reading: Young American Scientists Profile: Erini Lambrides Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode is part of “The Young American Scientists,” an editorially independent project that was produced with financial support from Regeneron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the new movie Disclosure Day, aliens communicate through a series of strange clicks and pops. But what could an alien language actually be like? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman puts that question to linguist Jeffrey Punske. We explore why fictional aliens in Hollywood and beyond tend to sound the way they do, what real human languages can teach us about communication and why math could be humanity’s best shot at first contact. Recommended Reading: Steven Spielberg shares his favorite sci-fi story ever What Disclosure Day gets wrong about the search for aliens Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, we explore the science behind preparing natural grass for the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup, a project in which researchers have worked to transform stadiums that typically use artificial turf into sites with elite playing surfaces. Turf experts have spent years testing grass species, refining growing methods and solving the logistical challenges of transporting and installing fields across North America. Their goal is to create consistent, high-performance pitches that can withstand intense play—and that are so seamless that the world’s best soccer players never have to think about the grass beneath their feet. Recommended Reading: The Surprising Math and Physics behind the 2026 World Cup Soccer Ball 2026 FIFA World Cup players and fans at risk of extreme heat, climate scientists warn Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, we look at how World Cup host cities are tracking potential disease outbreaks with wastewater surveillance, discuss the loss of NASA’s long-running MAVEN orbiter at Mars, unpack a new order pushing AI companies to share models with the government and explore a striking new map that reveals just how vast ancient Rome’s road network really was. Recommended Reading: NASA’s Mars mission MAVEN is lost forever Trump’s new AI executive order drastically shifts the administration’s stance on the tech New map reveals lost roads of the Roman Empire Join our Summer Reading Challenge E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman interviews physician Anuja Dokras about the long road to changing the name of the condition PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS. The conversation covers why “PCOS” was misleading, what the common condition actually involves and how an international group of researchers, including Dokras, landed on a more accurate name. Recommended Reading: ‘PCOS is inaccurate’—why scientists renamed polycystic ovary syndrome “Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process,” by Helena J. Teede et al, in Lancet. Published online May 12, 2026 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Emily Makowski and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From the mystery of why elevator waits feel endless to the surprisingly tricky problem of splitting a pizza (or even a sandwich) fairly, this episode explores how math shapes everyday experiences in ways you might not expect. Host Rachel Feltman talks with physicist and editor Manon Bischoff about what hidden patterns lie behind daily frustrations, how shuffling a deck of cards involves mind‑bending odds and why math isn’t just for geniuses—it’s for anyone curious about how the world works. Recommended Reading: Mathematicians found out why waiting for the elevator takes forever The mathematically correct way to slice a pizza The humble ham sandwich inspired a math theorem for sharing food fairly E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Aaron Shattuck and Shayna Posses. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman and Scientific American senior desk editor for health and medicine Tanya Lewis break down the fast-growing Ebola outbreak—caused by a viral species with no approved vaccine—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. And they explain why U.S. cuts to foreign aid and a sharp reversal in American policy are making a dangerous situation even worse. Recommended Reading: The rare Ebola virus behind the current outbreak, explained An Ebola outbreak is spreading fast. Should you be worried? Ebola vaccines exist, but not for the strain in the current outbreak Scientists race to develop Ebola drugs as outbreak surges E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, author Vanessa Chang discusses her book The Body Digital: A Brief History of Humans and Machines from Cuckoo Clocks to ChatGPT. The book explores how technologies—from handwriting to smartphones and AI—don’t just extend human capability but subtly reshape our bodies, behaviors and relationships, raising urgent questions about connection, design and the meaning of being human in an increasingly algorithmic world. Recommended Reading: The Body Digital. Vanessa Chang. Melville House, 2025 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman interviews leading thinker Jeremy Lent about his latest book Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for All, which challenges the idea that humans are inherently selfish. Lent emphasizes our natural tendency toward cooperation and interconnectedness and proposes a shift to a new “operating system” based on these values. The conversation highlights real-world examples and practical steps individuals can take to help build a more equitable, regenerative future. Recommended Reading: Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for All. Jeremy Lent. Melville House, 2026 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Have you ever turned to an artificial intelligence chatbot for medical advice? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman speaks with researcher Almira Osmanovic Thunström about an experiment in which she created “bixonimania,” a fake disease that AI chatbots easily absorbed and repeated to users. The experiment reveals the pitfalls of using AI to interpret medical results—a habit that’s becoming increasingly common these days. Recommended Reading: “Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real,” by Chris Stokel-Walker, in Nature. Published online April 7, 2026 A third of Americans say they’ve asked AI to decode their medical results E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices