60-second Science

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one about how a lizard population responded to hurricanes by developing larger and stickier toe pads on average.

COVID-19-related lockdowns dampened human activity around the globe—giving seismologists a rare glimpse of the earth’s quietest rumblings. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices.

Meteorologists take advantage of weather data collected by commercial jetliners at different altitudes and locations. Fewer flights mean less data.

The sword-tailed cricket can discern bats’ echolocation signals by only responding to calls of a certain volume—at which point it plummets out of their approach.

The system works like noise-cancelling headphones but fits over an open window. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Vaccination used against smallpox during the Civil War reveals the identity of the distantly related virus used to keep troops disease-free.

Individuals aren’t very good at judging whether someone coughing or sneezing has an infectious condition or is simply reacting to something benign.

Those that eat insects, migrate or usually live in the woods are most likely to fly into buildings that feature a lot of glass.

White-throated sparrows made a change to their familiar call that quickly spread across Canada.

Scientists have found snippets of Native South American DNA in the genomes of present-day Polynesians, and they trace the contact to the year 1150. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Researchers saw a third fewer vehicle collisions with deer, elk, moose and other large mammals in the four weeks following COVID-19 shutdowns in three states they tracked.

Velvety free-tailed bats produce sounds that help them locate insect prey but simultaneously identify them to their companions.

Old, big trees are dying faster than in the past, leaving younger, less biodiverse forests that store less carbon worldwide.

The stomach contents of young great white sharks show that they spend a lot of time patrolling the seafloor for meals.

Political scientists analyzed congressional tweets and observed how Republicans and Democrats responded differently to the virus. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

The gross ecosystem product, or GEP, tries to take into account the contribution of nature to the economy.

Many species are known to have changed their migration routes in response to the changing climate. They now include mule deer and Bewick’s swans.

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about a 70-million-year-old mollusk fossil that reveals years back then had a few more days than we have now.

By hardening the nation’s streets and highways, trucks would use less fuel and spare the planet carbon emissions. Christopher Intagliata reports.