Science Quickly

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 extension specialist at Oregon State University, about how climate change is reshaping tree farming—from drought and heat stress to seedling survival—and the research efforts aimed at keeping this holiday tradition alive. Recommended Reading: Tweaks to U.S. Christmas Trees Could Help Them Survive Climate Change How Weather and Climate Change Affects Christmas Tree Production The OSU Christmas Tree Program 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 public health setbacks driven by vaccine rollbacks and rising measles cases to renewed hostility toward climate science and clean-energy policy and finally to the mind-bending dark energy findings that are shaking up cosmology. Together, their insights reveal how 2025 was a turbulent year for science on Earth and beyond—and what to watch closely in 2026. Recommended Reading: Cures for Sickle Cell Disease Arrive After a Painful Journey NASA’s Moon Race Looks like a Losing Bet Changing the FDA’s Vaccine Approval Process Could Threaten COVID, Flu Protection for Children 5 Charts Show Climate Progress as Paris Agreement Turns 10 Latest Dark Energy Study Suggests the Universe Is Even Weirder Than We Imagined 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 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

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 array of previously unknown calls. Ocean writer Melissa Hobson explores how researchers captured the sounds of the species, why they matter for conservation and what they tell us about the social lives of one of the world’s rarest seals. Recommended Reading: “Underwater Sound Production of Free-Ranging Hawaiian Monk Seals,” by Kirby Parnell et al., in Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 12, No. 11; November 1, 2025 Melissa Hobson’s website Wiggling Whiskers Help Hungry Seals Hunt in the Dark 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi 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

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 Kendra Pierre-Louis to share the story of a rare encounter with these killer whales off of the San Juan Islands. Also, we discuss what researchers and scientists are doing to understand and protect this iconic population. Recommended Reading: These Orcas Are on the Brink—And So Is the Science That Could Save Them  Killer Whales and Dolphins May Team Up to Hunt Salmon 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi 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

In this episode of Science Quickly, we dive into how the European Union’s latest Copernicus Climate Change Service bulletin shows that 2025 is on track to become the second-hottest year on record, explore what a newly detected mpox strain could mean for global health, examine why more parents are refusing vitamin K injections for newborns—and uncover fresh evidence about why Homo floresiensis, the so-called hobbits of Indonesia, mysteriously disappeared. Recommended Reading: 2025 Likely to Tie for Second-Hottest Year on Record A Vitamin Shot Given at Birth Prevents Lethal Brain Bleeds, but More Parents Are Opting Out 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 our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi 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