Science Quickly

In this episode of Science Quickly, author Alexis Hall discusses Hell’s Heart, their sci‑fi reimagining of Moby-Dick. Hall dives into how a lockdown reread of Herman Melville’s novel sparked a vision of space whales, artificial intelligence navigators, and Jupiter’s wild physics and explains the blend of real science, irreverent humor and queer storytelling that powers the novel. 

Recommended Reading:

Hell’s Heart. Alexis Hall. Tor Books, 2026

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was co-hosted by Bri Kane and edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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In this episode of Science Quickly, we examine the surge in measles cases across the U.S., exploring how falling measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates, the rising use of exemptions and pockets of misinformation are creating hot spots where the highly contagious virus can spread. SciAm’s associate editor for health and medicine Lauren Young and public health experts break down why outbreaks are intensifying.

Recommended Reading:

Measles outbreak erupts in one of U.S.’s largest ICE detention centers

The U.S. just surpassed a grim measles milestone

Brain swelling is one of measles’ nastiest side effects, and it’s happening in South Carolina

As the U.S. marks a year of measles outbreaks, is the disease back for good?

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Today in Science, 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.
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In this episode of Science Quickly, we give you a quick update on NASA’s Artemis II moon mission before digging into a move by the Trump administration that could endanger wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. Later Andrea Thompson, senior desk editor for life science at Scientific American, joins host Kendra Pierre-Louis to discuss the alarmingly low snowpack in the western U.S. 

Recommended Reading:

NASA Returns to the Moon

April 1 is supposed to be peak snow. But this year’s western snowpack is utterly dismal

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Today in Science, 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.
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In this episode of Science Quickly, we break down the successful launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission—the first crewed journey toward the moon in more than 50 years—as space editor Lee Billings explains how the Orion spacecraft will slingshot around the moon, what risks still lie ahead, why this test flight matters for future lunar landings, and how everything from heat‑shield concerns to the spacecraft’s upgraded toilet fits into NASA’s larger plan to build a long‑term presence on the moon.

Recommended Reading:

Live: NASA’s Artemis II moon mission launches

Artemis II’s journey to the moon, day by day

NASA’s moon mission day one: a toilet mishap and spacecraft maneuvers

NASA’s Artemis II launches on first crewed moon mission of the 21st century

E-mail us at [email protected] 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 Today in Science, 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.
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Humans are the only species that has chins. How this unique trait evolved has always been somewhat of a mystery. In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks to paleoanthropologist Lauren Schroeder, who co-authored a recent study that sheds light on the evolutionary riddle of the chin and the ways that evolution can sometimes occur unexpectedly.

Recommended Reading:

“Is the Human Chin a Spandrel? Insights from an Evolutionary Analysis of Ape Craniomandibular Form,” by Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel et al, in PLOS One, Vol. 21, No. 1; January 29, 2026

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, 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