60-second Science

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. 

Researchers activated specific brain cells in zebra finches to teach them songs they’d ordinarily have to hear to learn.

Pet dogs appeared more interested in videos of a bouncing ball when the motion of the ball matched a rising and falling tone. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Hierakonpolis discovered five ceramic vats containing residues consistent with brewing beer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cats are clingier to their human owners than their reputation would suggest. Karen Hopkin reports.

Study subjects with a gene variant that heightened their sensitivity to bitterness tended to eat fewer vegetables than people who didn’t mind bitter flavors. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A measleslike virus is ricocheting through marine mammal populations in the Arctic—and melting sea ice might be to blame. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Researchers tracked thousands of individual ants to determine how they move in vast numbers without stumbling into gridlock.

In an analysis of chess and tennis matches, players rising in the rankings did better than expected against higher-ranked opponents and better than similarly ranked players who were not rising.  

Within just a third of a second of hearing a snippet of a familiar refrain, our pupils dilate, and the brain shows signs of recognition. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few brief reports about international science and technology from Brazil to Hong Kong, including one about male elephants in India exhibiting unusual social behaviors.

The pumpkin’s ancestor was an incredibly bitter, tennis-ball-sized squash—but it was apparently a common snack for mastodons. Christopher Intagliata reports.

In cold, northern climates, eggs tend to be darker and browner—heat-trapping colors that allow parents to spend a bit more time away from the nest. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Green crabs learned to navigate a maze without making a single wrong turn—and remembered the skill weeks later. Christopher Intagliata reports.