60-second Science

By comparing how DNA gets altered over the lifetimes of people and dogs, researchers came up with a new way to compare canine years with human years.

Research suggests people value gifts more when they have to unwrap them. But how do we avoid all the wasted paper? Christopher Intagliata reports.

Human hair tested stronger than thicker fibers from elephants, boars and giraffes, providing clues to materials scientists hoping to make superstrong synthetic fibers.

Certain species of bacteria and fungi seem to proliferate on dandruff-ridden scalps. The reason is a little more mysterious. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Tiger moth species that contain bad-tasting and toxic compounds are nonchalant in the presence of bats, while edible moth species evade their predators.

In shallow waters off the coast of Israel, archaeologists have found entire villages—including one with a sunken seawall. Christopher Intagliata reports.  

Here’s an argument that citizen scientists deserve co-authorship on scientific journal papers to which they contributed research.

While some hydropower facilities release almost no greenhouse gases, others can actually be worse than burning fossil fuels.

People in certain zip codes are more likely to purchase products that flop, buy homes that are poor investments and pick political candidates who lose. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Residents of an overwintering station in Antarctica provided linguists with evidence of the first small changes in speech that may signal the development of a new accent.

Archaeologists unearthed wood from a Roman villa when digging Rome’s subway—and scientists determined the planks came all the way from France. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

The white bellbird of the Amazon may be the loudest bird in the world.  

Playing the sounds of a healthy reef near damaged corals may help bring the fish community back. Christopher Intagliata reports.

A study done in South America found that with increasing population density, humans had more diversity of fungi on the skin but less microbial diversity in the gut.

The fiber-optic cables that connect the global Internet could potentially be used as seismic sensors. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Mexico to Tanzania, including one about the need to quarantine bananas in Colombia that are potentially infected by a fungus.

Ground-penetrating radar can detect tiny density differences that lead to images of ancient footprints impossible to discern by eye.

Indigenous artists in what’s now British Columbia created pigments by cooking aquatic bacteria. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Recycled wastewater can be cleaner than bottled water, but people still avoid drinking it because of their disgust over its past condition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bots masquerading as humans in a game outperformed their human opponents—but the their superiority vanished when their machine identity was revealed. Christopher Intagliata reports.