Science Quickly

Katie Hafner, journalist and co-creator of Lost Women of Science, recounts the life of Katharine Burr Blodgett, a pioneering physicist-chemist. She describes months of archival sleuthing and why Blodgett’s molecule-thin coatings led to nonreflective glass. The conversation touches on early nanotechnology, barriers women faced in science, and a surprising archival discovery.

Sofia Quaglia, a freelance science journalist who studies how diet and biology shape human scent. She explores how foods can subtly change breath and sweat. Garlic can make some people smell sexier in surprising studies. Fruits and vegetables often create more pleasant, floral scents. Meat and alcohol sometimes correlate with less attractive body odor.

Lee Billings, science journalist and Senior Desk Editor for Physical Science at Scientific American, explains NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby and its stakes. He describes what the mission will do in space and biomedical monitoring planned for crewed deep-space travel. The show also covers Revoice, an AI wearable aiming to restore speech after stroke, and the newly dated ancient cave art in Indonesia and its migration clues.

Rhonda Roby, a forensic scientist with a strong background in human identification, delves into her role in the quest to uncover Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA. She discusses innovative sampling techniques on historical artworks, emphasizing the challenge of working with tiny biological materials. Rhonda shares surprising discoveries, like detecting malaria in 500-year-old letters, and explores how this research could assist in authenticating art. Ethical considerations arise as they examine the potential misuse of such groundbreaking findings in the realm of art and history.

Allison Parshall, an associate editor at Scientific American specializing in cognitive science, dives deep into the perplexing world of consciousness. She explores the difference between wakefulness and actual experience, dissecting how dreaming and anesthesia reflect various states of awareness. Parshall unpacks Integrated Information Theory, questioning if AI could ever achieve consciousness. She also discusses animal sentience and the evolving understanding of minds in mammals, fish, and beyond, revealing just how elusive and fascinating consciousness truly is!

In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial decision to change how it calculates health benefits from regulating certain air pollutants, a move that experts warn could lead to dirtier air and worse health outcomes. And we’ve achieved a major milestone in cancer care, with five-year survival rates hitting a record high, but looming policy threats could stall progress. Plus, NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station could offer lessons for future missions. Recommended Reading: America’s Air Is about to Get Dirtier—And More Dangerous 70 Percent of Cancer Patients Now Survive at Least Five Years, Study Finds Astronauts Evacuate the ISS after Medical Incident New Study Probes How Same-Sex Behaviors Evolved in Nonhuman Primates 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, 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

Join climate reporter Amy Westervelt as she explores the complex relationship between Venezuela’s heavy crude reserves and the looming climate crisis. With a focus on the Orinoco Basin, she dives into the challenges of refining and market limitations due to aging infrastructure and sanctions. The podcast also examines the escalating tensions over the Essequibo border dispute with Guyana and highlights the urgent climate threats facing the region. Westervelt emphasizes the often-overlooked climate conversation surrounding oil dependency and its impacts on local ecosystems.

Seed oils have become a target of wellness influencers and high-profile public officials. They say that these widely used and relatively inexpensive oils, which include canola, soybean and sunflower oil, are toxic. But do we really need to panic? Host Kendra Pierre-Louis speaks with food science expert Eric Decker to unpack what seed oils actually are, how their fats compare with those from other sources and whether claims about their toxicity hold up to scientific scrutiny. Recommended Reading: RFK, Jr., Upsets Food Pyramid, Urging Americans to Eat More Meat 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, 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

Join Eric Sullivan, Senior Tech Editor at Scientific American, as he shares insights from CES 2026. Discover how AI is moving beyond screens into physical devices and humanoid robots, with a nod to Stevie Wonder's vision of using technology to enhance life. Also, learn about woodpeckers' unique mechanics that allow them to peck without injury. Plus, hear how AI is using sleep data to predict health outcomes, showcasing the evolving connection between technology and our everyday lives.

Join Bethany Brookshire, a freelance science journalist with a knack for biomedical topics, as she dives into the world of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Discover how these medications transitioned from diabetes treatments to weight management wonders. Bethany explains their mechanisms and potential health impacts, revealing exciting new research on benefits beyond weight loss, including effects on metabolism and fertility. She also highlights the challenges of the newly approved oral version and discusses risks and ethical concerns surrounding usage.