Nuclear doubts, bigger hail, and new clues about aging brains

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Science Quickly, we cover the record release of global emergency oil reserves amid escalating conflict, a breakdown of why nuclear experts say Iran was not close to building a nuclear weapon, new research that shows how climate change is increasing both the likelihood and size of severe hail and a study that reveals how aging gut microbiomes may impair cognitive function through the gut-brain connection. Recommended Reading: War in Iran triggers an unprecedented disruption in global oil Iran was nowhere close to a nuclear bomb, experts say The reason the Middle East has so much oil is the same reason it’s all stuck there now The gut microbiome may influence brain aging, mouse study suggests E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What I've dedicated my life to is revenge.
0:04.0	A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel.
0:07.0	They think they're better than us.
0:08.0	Who do you think you are?
0:10.0	I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong.
0:12.0	She's punishing me.
0:13.0	You destroyed my family.
0:14.0	I will not rest until I've destroyed yours.
0:17.0	A Woman of Substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.
0:20.0	... A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.
0:34.7	For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Kendra Pier-Lewis, in for Rachel Feldman.
0:42.0	You're listening to our weekly science news roundup. Last Wednesday, the International Energy Agency announced that its member countries would release
0:47.0	400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves to quote, address disruptions in oil
0:53.2	markets stemming from
0:54.5	the war in the Middle East.
0:56.1	This is the largest release in the group's history and the first since 2022 after Russia invaded
1:01.4	Ukraine.
1:02.6	Siam Senior Editor Dan Vergano is here to update us on the conflict and its oil impacts.
1:08.7	Thank you for joining us today.
1:10.0	Good to be here with you. The United States has recently entered into a military conflict with Iran, and my understanding
1:16.1	is that President Donald Trump has said part of the rationale for this bombing.
1:20.6	They would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks to four weeks, and they would have
	...

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