Science Quickly

In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman and Scientific American senior desk editor for health and medicine Tanya Lewis break down the fast-growing Ebola outbreak—caused by a viral species with no approved vaccine—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. And they explain why U.S. cuts to foreign aid and a sharp reversal in American policy are making a dangerous situation even worse.

Recommended Reading:

The rare Ebola virus behind the current outbreak, explained

An Ebola outbreak is spreading fast. Should you be worried?

Ebola vaccines exist, but not for the strain in the current outbreak

Scientists race to develop Ebola drugs as outbreak surges

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

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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In this episode of Science Quickly, author Vanessa Chang discusses her book The Body Digital: A Brief History of Humans and Machines from Cuckoo Clocks to ChatGPT. The book explores how technologies—from handwriting to smartphones and AI—don’t just extend human capability but subtly reshape our bodies, behaviors and relationships, raising urgent questions about connection, design and the meaning of being human in an increasingly algorithmic world.

Recommended Reading:

The Body Digital. Vanessa Chang. Melville House, 2025

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 Rachel Feltman, 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, host Rachel Feltman interviews leading thinker Jeremy Lent about his latest book Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for All, which challenges the idea that humans are inherently selfish. Lent emphasizes our natural tendency toward cooperation and interconnectedness and proposes a shift to a new “operating system” based on these values. The conversation highlights real-world examples and practical steps individuals can take to help build a more equitable, regenerative future.

Recommended Reading:

Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for All. Jeremy Lent. Melville House, 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 Rachel Feltman, 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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Have you ever turned to an artificial intelligence chatbot for medical advice? In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman speaks with researcher Almira Osmanovic Thunström about an experiment in which she created “bixonimania,” a fake disease that AI chatbots easily absorbed and repeated to users. The experiment reveals the pitfalls of using AI to interpret medical results—a habit that’s becoming increasingly common these days.

Recommended Reading:

“Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real,” by Chris Stokel-Walker, in Nature. Published online April 7, 2026

A third of Americans say they’ve asked AI to decode their medical results

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 Rachel Feltman, 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, host Rachel Feltman speaks with science journalist Robin George Andrews about NASA’s push to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. They explore why nuclear power could be key to sustaining long-term lunar missions, what the technical hurdles of operating a reactor in such an extreme environment are and why experts say the agency’s ambitious timeline may be moving too fast.

Recommended Reading:

Why NASA wants to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

NASA needs nuclear power for its moon base. Here’s the White House plan to get it

NASA announces nuclear-powered Mars mission by 2028

NASA Commits to Plan to Build a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon by 2030

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 Rachel Feltman, 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