60-Second Science

Scientific American
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Sep 24, 2014 • 3min

Fire Cooked Up Early Human Culture

An anthropologist studying current hunter–gatherers finds that nighttime around the fire is when conversation turns from business to bonding. Cynthia Graber reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 23, 2014 • 3min

I Got Rhythm, I Got Reading

Kids who could keep a beat had superior skills related to reading and language than did those whose rhythm strayed. Cynthia Graber reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 19, 2014 • 3min

Dino Devastator Also Ravaged Veggies

After the Chicxulub meteorite, more than half the plant species in temperate North America perished along with the dinosaurs, and the composition of post-impact vegetation changed markedly. Christopher Intagliata reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 17, 2014 • 3min

Genius Grant Goes to Science Historian

New MacArthur Fellow Pamela Long studies the scientific revolution as a result of the interactions of academics and hands-on infrastructure engineers in the 15th and 16th centuries. Steve Mirsky reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 16, 2014 • 3min

Leopards Wolf Down Fido in India Ag Area

A study of leopard droppings in agricultural western India reveals that the cats primarily eat domestic animals, mostly dogs, but only a small amount of livestock. Steve Mirsky reports   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 15, 2014 • 3min

Bio-Spleen Sucks Pathogens and Toxins from Blood

The new device rids the blood of bacteria, fungi, viruses and toxins using nanoscale-size magnetic beads. Cynthia Graber reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 5, 2014 • 3min

Synthetic Fabrics Host More Stench-Producing Bacteria

Micrococcus bacteria thrive on the open-air lattice of synthetic fibers—where they sit chomping on the fatty acids in our sweat, turning them into shorter, stinkier molecules. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 4, 2014 • 3min

Turtles Not Among the "Silent Majority" of Reptiles

Biologists have identified at least 11 different sounds in the turtle repertoire—but they still have no idea what they mean. Christopher Intagliata reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 3, 2014 • 3min

Chimp Chatter Now up for Eavesdropping

Researchers from the Netherlands have made available online a digitized catalogue of more than 10 hours’ worth of chimpanzee calls. Karen Hopkin reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sep 2, 2014 • 3min

Most Tibetans Genetically Adapted to the High Life

Ninety percent of Tibetans share a genetic mutation that prevents their blood from becoming dangerously clogged with red blood cells at high altitudes—a response that can be deadly for non-native mountaineers. Karen Hopkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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