Science Quickly by Scientific American
Scientific American
Categories: Science & Medicine
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In this episode, we dive into the climate stakes behind Venezuela’s vast but troubled oil reserves and the country’s mounting tensions with neighboring Guyana. Climate reporter Amy Westervelt breaks down why the region’s heavy crude oil, aging infrastructure and escalating border dispute are colliding with the reality of a rapidly warming planet—and what rising seas, oil expansion and fragile ecosystems mean for millions of people across the Caribbean. Recommended Reading: “The U.S.-Venezuela-Guyana Oil Triangle,” by Amy Westervelt, in Drilled. Published online January 4, 2026 Why Does Venezuela Have So Much Oil? Geology 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 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous episodes
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3637 - How Venezuela’s Heavy Crude Shapes Climate Risks Fri, 16 Jan 2026
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3636 - The Great Seed Oil Panic Wed, 14 Jan 2026
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3635 - Woodpeckers Rock the Lab, AI Steps Out of the Chat Box, and Flu Hits Hard Mon, 12 Jan 2026
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3634 - Weighing the Good and Bad of Weight-Loss Drugs Fri, 09 Jan 2026
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3633 - America’s Children Face a New Era of Health Risk Wed, 07 Jan 2026
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3632 - How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick Mon, 05 Jan 2026
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3631 - ENCORE: Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang Fri, 02 Jan 2026
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3630 - ENCORE: Understanding the Science of ‘Squirting’ Wed, 31 Dec 2025
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3629 - ENCORE: Science’s Greatest 180s Mon, 29 Dec 2025
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3628 - The Quest for Climate-Ready Christmas Trees Wed, 24 Dec 2025
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3627 - 2025: The Year Science Was Shaken Mon, 22 Dec 2025
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3626 - The Hidden Voices of Monk Seals Fri, 19 Dec 2025
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3625 - Inside the Struggle to Save an Orca Community Wed, 17 Dec 2025
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3624 - Hobbit Disappearance Explained, Second-Hottest Year Looms, New Mpox Variant Found Mon, 15 Dec 2025
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3623 - Karen Hao on Why AI Is Reshaping Society Fri, 12 Dec 2025
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3622 - Can NASA Deliver on Perseverance’s Promise to Reveal Life on Mars? Wed, 10 Dec 2025
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3621 - CDC Vaccine Panel, Satellite Light Pollution, Puppy Power Mon, 08 Dec 2025
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3620 - New Hope for Treating Postpartum Depression? Fri, 05 Dec 2025
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3619 - Scientific American Picks the Best Reads of the Year Wed, 03 Dec 2025
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3618 - Thanksgiving’s Iconic Bird Is Thriving Again in the Wild Wed, 26 Nov 2025
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3617 - Tamer Raccoons, COP30 Recap, New Fluoride Research Mon, 24 Nov 2025
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3616 - The Hidden Worlds of ‘Nanocosmos’ Fri, 21 Nov 2025
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3615 - Gut Health Tips for the Holidays Wed, 19 Nov 2025
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3614 - The Digital Time Capsule That Survived Two Decades Mon, 17 Nov 2025
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3613 - Can Vaccines Help Defeat Cancer? Fri, 14 Nov 2025
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3612 - Can AI Ease the Pain of Loss? Wed, 12 Nov 2025
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3611 - Why Some Foods Gross Us Out Mon, 10 Nov 2025
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3610 - The Science of Headaches Fri, 07 Nov 2025
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3609 - Why Defiance Can Be a Virtue Wed, 05 Nov 2025
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3608 - How Hurricane Melissa Became a Meteorologic Outlier Mon, 03 Nov 2025
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3607 - How to Trick-or-Treat Your Gut Fri, 31 Oct 2025
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3606 - How TikTok’s Algorithm Could Shift with a U.S. Spin-off Wed, 29 Oct 2025
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3605 - Mosquitoes Invade Iceland, Earth Darkens, and Bird Flu Returns Mon, 27 Oct 2025
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3604 - Why Medication Safety in Pregnancy Is Still a Mystery Fri, 24 Oct 2025
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3603 - The Science of a Convincing Sorry Wed, 22 Oct 2025
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3602 - Global Superbugs Surge, Chikungunya Hits Long Island, and Satellites Leak Data Mon, 20 Oct 2025
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3601 - The Meteorite That Vanished: El Ali’s Strange Journey Fri, 17 Oct 2025
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3600 - Why Is Lung Cancer Surging among Young Women? Wed, 15 Oct 2025
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3599 - Nobel Prizes, COVID Vaccine Updates and Malnutrition in Gaza Mon, 13 Oct 2025
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3598 - The Doctor behind the Commander in Chief Fri, 10 Oct 2025
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3597 - Chris Hadfield’s Fictional Universe Is Rooted in Real Space History Wed, 08 Oct 2025
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3596 - Enceladus’s Alien Ocean, Ancient Fungi and the Flavor of Influenza Mon, 06 Oct 2025
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3595 - Enter One of the World’s Quietest Rooms Fri, 03 Oct 2025
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3594 - What’s Driving Experts Away from the CDC? Wed, 01 Oct 2025
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3593 - Tylenol and Autism, a Shark Threesome and a Typhoon Mon, 29 Sep 2025
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3592 - The Dead Composer Whose ‘Brain’ Still Makes Music Fri, 26 Sep 2025
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3591 - Mary Roach on the Science of Swapping Human Parts Wed, 24 Sep 2025
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3590 - Vaccine Shakeups, Brain Injury Warnings and Boozy Chimps Mon, 22 Sep 2025
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3589 - Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang Fri, 19 Sep 2025
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3588 - The Role Our Microbiome Plays In Our ‘Gut Feelings’ Wed, 17 Sep 2025