Science Quickly

In this week’s Science Quickly news roundup, we dive into NASA’s new discovery of organic molecules on Mars, including some that have never been found there before. We also explore how human migration may have been shaped by a surprising factor: malaria. Plus, we go over the encouraging results of a new study that links declines in youth suicides in the U.S. to the adoption of the three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022. And finally, we’ll turn to some interesting findings about AI voice clones.

Recommended Reading:

“NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars.” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Published online April 21, 2026

“Malaria shaped human spatial organization for the past 74 thousand years,” by Margherita Colucci et al., in Science Advances, Vol. 12, No. 17; April 22, 2026

Young adult suicide rates dropped after U.S. launched 988 hotline 

“Voice clones are easier to understand in noise than their human originals: The voice cloning intelligibility benefit,” by Patti Adank and Han Wang, in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 159, No. 4; April, 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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In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman talks with Yale University epidemiologist Colin Carlson about new research showing that the global wildlife trade is spreading dangerous pathogens far faster than scientists once thought. The conversation challenges the idea that pandemic risks are limited to distant “wet markets,” revealing how everyday wildlife trade—from pet stores to industrial farms—brings animals, people and diseases into close contact. Carlson explains why a stronger investment in basic science is critical to preventing the next COVID‑like pandemic.

Recommended Reading:

“Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years,” in Science, Vol. 392; April 9, 2026

How the wildlife trade boosts the chance of a disease jumping from animals to humans

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 special Earth Day episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman turns to three environmental experts for a healthy dose of climate hope. Climate scientist Kate Marvel, atmospheric chemist Susan Solomon and environmentalist Bill McKibben share stories about times in the past when humanity encountered grave environmental threats and succeeded in overcoming them. From beating the London smog to healing the ozone layer to rapidly scaling up renewable energy—these stories offer hope and lessons for saving the planet

Recommended Reading:

Articles by Kate Marvel for Scientific American

Kate Marvel’s personal website

Susan Solomon Group: Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Change at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 

Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again. Susan Solomon. University of Chicago Press, 2024

Here Comes The Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. Bill McKibben. W. W. Norton, 2025

Third Act Initiative, a nonprofit organization founded by Bill McKibben to encourage people older than age 60 to take part in climate action

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, we explore Colombia’s controversial plan to cull invasive “cocaine hippos” and the discovery of millions of underground bees in a New York State cemetery. And we dive into new research on how HIV may accelerate biological aging and how chronic inflammation is reshaping scientists’ understanding of heart disease.

Recommended Reading:

Today in Science newsletter

Colombia will euthanize Pablo Escobar’s invasive ‘cocaine hippos’

The hidden cause of heart disease is inflammation

Scientists just discovered 5.6 million bees under a New York State cemetery

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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Birds are the only dinosaurs who managed to survive the asteroid impact that wiped out 75 percent of all species 66 million years ago. But how did they pull it off? To get some answers, host Kendra Pierre-Louis speaks to paleontologist Steve Brusatte, author of the upcoming book The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present. Their conversation traces the incredible evolutionary journey of modern birds and explores what these animals’ survival story can teach us today.

Recommended Reading:

How birds survived the dinosaurs’ doomsday

The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present, by Steve Brusatte. Mariner Books, April 28, 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 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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