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The Quanta Podcast

Every Tuesday, editor in chief Samir Patel sits down with writers and editors to discuss our most thought-provoking stories in science and math. Audio editions of Quanta’s stories with Susan Valot will appear biweekly on Thursdays.

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A green stick bug blends in with a green leaf.

How Ecotypes Harbor the Genetic Memory of a Species’ Past

An illustration shows a knight kneeling behind a shield engraved with an image of a bacterium, with which he defends against an onslaught of viruses.

The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today

Steam billows off a colorful hot spring.

The Cells That Breathe Two Ways

Tangles of green and blue strands, representing different types of proteins, spill out over the edges of a circular channel.

Disorder Drives One of Nature’s Most Complex Machines

Bright spots of red (calcium) travel in waves across a blue substrate (brain cells).

Once Thought To Support Neurons, Astrocytes Turn Out To Be in Charge

The Ecosystem Dynamics That Can Make or Break an Invasion

An Egyptian fruit bat extends its wings in flight.

How Animals Build a Sense of Direction

An illustration shows sperm cells circling an egg cell. Each sperm cell is stamped with an icon representing fitness, including a steak, dumbbell and cigarette.

How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA

How Much Energy Does It Take To Think?

Bright blue water surrounds a volcanic island.

Mixing Is the Heartbeat of Deep Lakes. At Crater Lake, It’s Slowing Down.

How the Brain Moves From Waking Life to Sleep (and Back Again)

A model of Earth with half of it covered in ice

A Biography of Earth Across the Age of Animals

A cell with multiple faces inside

What Can a Cell Remember?

A photo college shows organisms that produce or are affected by different keystone molecules, including a seabird; plants; a California newt; an Alderia sea slug; and a scallop.

A New, Chemical View of Ecosystems

The Ends of the Earth

An illustration shows a human smelling a bouquet of flowers with many different molecules. There are smelly objects around it, like a perfume bottle, an orange and cheese.

How Smell Guides Our Inner World