Science Quickly

A small clinical trial suggests that psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may help some people with anorexia when combined with intensive therapy. Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman speaks with health journalist Alexandra Pattillo about what early research has found, why scientists think psychedelics could help loosen the rigid thought patterns associated with eating disorders, and why experts say larger studies are needed before the treatment can be considered a proven option

Recommended Reading:

Could psilocybin be the key to treating anorexia?

Americans are increasingly open to using psychedelics for medical reasons

Trump’s psychedelics executive order could accelerate new treatments—including for children

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 and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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Astrophysicist, folklorist and author Moiya McTier joins Science Quickly to discuss her new book Mothers of Invention, a sweeping look at the history of human creativity. From the Greek muses and the invention of writing to the rise of generative artificial intelligence, McTier explores how people create, innovate and tell stories and what today’s “creativity crisis” might mean for the future of art and originality.

Recommended Reading:

Mothers of Invention. Moiya McTier. Grand Central Publishing, 2026

Join our Summer Reading Challenge

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 and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa 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 explore the awe of a rare total solar eclipse, examine renewed controversy around childhood vaccines, look at the aftermath of Colombia’s major earthquake and unpack the latest evidence on coffee’s health benefits.

Recommended Reading:

The 2026 Solar Eclipse

Colombia rocked by 7.4 magnitude earthquake—its largest in the past decade

Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule

RFK, Jr., Is Wrong about Cause of Rising Autism Rates, Scientists Say

Science may finally have made up its mind about coffee’s health benefits

Join our Summer Reading Challenge

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 and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa 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 meet Jakob Jordan, an autistic performer with apraxia, who stars in the groundbreaking opera Sensorium Ex. Host Rachel Feltman talks with Jordan, composer Paola Prestini and New York University researcher Luke DuBois about the custom artificial intelligence voice technology that helped Jordan express himself in a way traditional speech devices can’t. Together, they explore how AI can enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and communication.

Recommended Reading:

More about Sensorium Ex

Join our Summer Reading Challenge

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 Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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What would it take to create a language made entirely of music? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American’s Allison Parshall explores the science and linguistics behind musical languages, from real-world constructed languages to the intricate note-based communication system created for the alien Rocky in Project Hail Mary. Learn how linguists transformed rhythm and pitch into a fully functional language and what these imaginative experiments reveal about the nature of communication itself.

Recommended Reading:

Andy Weir on Ryan Gosling, alien contact and the wild science of Project Hail Mary

Ryan Gosling says Project Hail Mary is ‘a reminder of what we’re capable of’

How did humans evolve language? It may be far more ancient than scientists realized

Join our Summer Reading Challenge

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 and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was reported by Allison Parshall and edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices