60-Second Science

Scientific American
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Dec 15, 2014 • 3min

Laser Zap Determines Fruit Ripeness

The way fruit reflects and absorbs laser light may be a good measure of its progression toward peak ripeness. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 11, 2014 • 4min

Birds Roost on New Evolutionary Tree

In a massive first-of-its-kind whole-genome analysis involving 48 bird species, researchers have created a new avian evolutionary tree. Steve Mirsky reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 11, 2014 • 3min

Canary out, Smartphone in for Gas Detection

By using tiny carbon nanotubes tuned electronically to particular gases, researchers turned smartphones into toxin sensors. Cynthia Graber reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 10, 2014 • 3min

Quarter-Million Tons of Plastic Plague Oceans

Based on trawling samples and visual observations of plastic debris, computer models calculate that some 5.25 trillion particles of plastic—about 269,000 tons—may litter the world's oceans. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 9, 2014 • 3min

Dumpster Diving Provides Drinking Data

Researchers estimated alcohol consumption at a senior center by putting out recycling bins and counting the bottle contents. Karen Hopkin reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 8, 2014 • 3min

Summer Teen Jobs Cut Violence

A study following teens who had summer jobs found violent crime in that population almost cut in half, during and following the employment. Cynthia Graber reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 3, 2014 • 3min

Poorer Kids May Be Too Respectful at School

Working-class kids ask for help from teachers less often and less aggressively than do their middle-class counterparts   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 2, 2014 • 3min

Big Apple's Insects Eat Streets Clean

Researchers working in New York City found that hungry urban arthropods help dispose of tons of edible trash. Allie Wilkinson reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 26, 2014 • 4min

<i>Scientific American</i>'s 1930 Football Study Found Little Actual Action

The Wall Street Journal found in 2010 that an NFL game has just 11 minutes of actual action. Eight decades earlier, Scientific American found just about the same thing   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 25, 2014 • 4min

Looking Back on 40 Years of Lucy

Paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson's first glimpse of Lucy came on November 24, 1974 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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