Have you ever wondered how woodpeckers pound away without breaking their neck? We’ve got the answer—plus, why this flu season has broken a record, how AI is learning to predict disease from your sleep, and what CES 2026 showed about the biggest tech trends, including “physical AI” in the form of robots and other devices.

Recommended Reading:
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/doctor-visits-for-flu-hit-highest-level-in-almost-30-years/">This Year’s Flu Season Just Surpassed a Grim New Record</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-flu-variant-may-be-triggering-spike-in-severe-disease/">Harsh Flu Season May Be Driven by New Variant K</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-woodpeckers-turn-their-entire-bodies-into-pecking-machines/">How Woodpeckers Turn Their Entire Bodies into Pecking Machines</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-ces-2026-ai-leaves-the-screen-and-enters-the-real-world/">At CES 2026, AI Leaves the Screen and Enters the Real World</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stevie-wonders-rule-for-ai-at-ces-2026-make-life-better-for-the-living/">​​Stevie Wonder’s Rule for AI at CES: ‘Make Life Better for the Living’</a>

E-mail us at <a href="mailto:sciencequickly@sciam.com">sciencequickly@sciam.com</a> if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new everyday: <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/getsciam/?utm_source=promotion&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may24-marketing2024_subscribetext&utm_term=LP_subscribe_v1_s1_podcast">subscribe</a> to Scientific American and <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences/?utm_source=promotion&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may24-marketing2024_signuptext&utm_term=LP_signup_v1_s1_podcast">sign up</a> 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 Jennifer Hackett, Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

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