Hi, I'm Scientific American podcast editor Steve Mirsky.And here's a short piece from the February 2020 issue of the magazine,in the section called Advances: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Science, Technology and Medicine.The article is titled "Quick Hits," and it's a rundown of some science and technology stories from around the globe,compiled by assistant news editor Sarah Lewin Frasier.From the U.S.:Off the California coast, scientists measured a blue whale's heart rate for the first time, using a device attached to the animal's skin by suction cup.The heart, likely weighing hundreds of pounds,beats from two to 37 times per minute, varying dramatically between diving, feeding and surfacing.From Peru:Researchers analyzing satellite and imaging data have found 143 new Nazca lines―large line drawings of humans, animals and symbols etched into the Peruvian landscape millennia ago.The drawings include a humanoid figure 16 feet across, spotted by IBM's Watson AI system.From Brazil:Despite the long dry spells in Brazil's Caatinga region,scientists found the tree Hymenaea cangaceira drizzles copious nectar from flowers to attract pollinating bats;a full-size tree can release 240 gallons of the stuff, with 38 distinct scent compounds, over a single dry season.
