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Weighing the Good and Bad of Weight-Loss Drugs
New Jan 09, 2026 22 min

Weighing the Good and Bad of Weight-Loss Drugs

Drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, colloquially called GLP-1 medications, have gone from relatively obscure diabetes treatments to blockbuster weight-loss medications. But is...

America’s Children Face a New Era of Health Risk
New Jan 07, 2026 14 min

America’s Children Face a New Era of Health Risk

Recent federal public health changes could affect children’s health, from vaccine access to essential medical care. In this episode, senior editor Dan Vergano breaks down what shifting national gui...

How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
Jan 05, 2026 16 min

How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

Why do most New Year’s resolutions fail? And how can science help us stick to them? Behavioral economist Katy Milkman joins Science Quickly to explain the “fresh start effect,” the motivational boo...

ENCORE: Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang
Jan 02, 2026 26 min

ENCORE: Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang

From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the min...

ENCORE: Understanding the Science of ‘Squirting’
Dec 31, 2025 17 min

ENCORE: Understanding the Science of ‘Squirting’

The human body is capable of some truly incredible things. One of the most mysterious and debated phenomena is a release of fluid during sex that is often referred to as “squirting.” What’s actuall...

ENCORE: Science’s Greatest 180s
Dec 29, 2025 6 min

ENCORE: Science’s Greatest 180s

Science doesn’t always get it right the first time—and that’s part of the journey. In this anniversary special, we explore how ideas about nerve damage, sustainable materials and alien life have do...

The Quest for Climate-Ready Christmas Trees
Dec 24, 2025 13 min

The Quest for Climate-Ready Christmas Trees

Christmas trees may seem timeless, but growing them is becoming increasingly challenging in a warming world. In this episode, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks to Priya Rajarapu, a Christmas tree exte...

2025: The Year Science Was Shaken
Dec 22, 2025 18 min

2025: The Year Science Was Shaken

In this year-end roundup, Scientific American editors break down how 2025 reshaped science across the board—from sweeping federal upheavals that disrupted long-standing research institutions to pub...

The Hidden Voices of Monk Seals
Dec 19, 2025 20 min

The Hidden Voices of Monk Seals

In this episode, take a dive into the underwater vocalizations of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Scientists analyzing thousands of hours of underwater recordings have uncovered a surprising arr...

Inside the Struggle to Save an Orca Community
Dec 17, 2025 11 min

Inside the Struggle to Save an Orca Community

In this episode of Science Quickly, we present an inside look at one of the world’s most endangered whale populations: the southern resident orcas. Senior multimedia editor Kelso Harper joins host ...

Karen Hao on Why AI Is Reshaping Society
Dec 12, 2025 27 min

Karen Hao on Why AI Is Reshaping Society

Generative artificial intelligence has transformed our inboxes, classrooms and even medical records—but at what cost? In this episode, journalist Karen Hao joins Scientific American to discuss her ...

CDC Vaccine Panel, Satellite Light Pollution, Puppy Power
Dec 08, 2025 9 min

CDC Vaccine Panel, Satellite Light Pollution, Puppy Power

Scientific American associate editor Lauren J. Young breaks down key vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Also...

New Hope for Treating Postpartum Depression?
Dec 05, 2025 14 min

New Hope for Treating Postpartum Depression?

Emerging research on the biology of postpartum depression is showing how little it resembles other severe mood disorders in the brain and body. Understanding these differences could be key to bette...

Scientific American Picks the Best Reads of the Year
Dec 03, 2025 11 min

Scientific American Picks the Best Reads of the Year

Scientific American debuts its first-ever best fiction and nonfiction book lists, featuring stories that explore climate change, alien encounters and even love stories in space. Associate books edi...

Thanksgiving’s Iconic Bird Is Thriving Again in the Wild
Nov 26, 2025 15 min

Thanksgiving’s Iconic Bird Is Thriving Again in the Wild

Wild turkeys were once on the brink of disappearing from the U.S.’s forests, with populations dropping to just tens of thousands by the 1930s. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have soa...

Tamer Raccoons, COP30 Recap, New Fluoride Research
Nov 24, 2025 9 min

Tamer Raccoons, COP30 Recap, New Fluoride Research

Zoya Teirstein, a senior staff writer at Grist, joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to talk about this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, which wrapped up in Brazil last week. Pl...

The Hidden Worlds of ‘Nanocosmos’
Nov 21, 2025 24 min

The Hidden Worlds of ‘Nanocosmos’

In his new book, Nanocosmos: Journeys in Electron Space, artist and writer Michael Benson transforms scientific imaging into art, capturing intricate natural designs that inspire awe and wonder. Jo...