Contraception for cats, and taking solvents out of chemistry

<p><em>A single-shot cat contraceptive, and a close look at “dry” chemistry</em></p> <p> </p> <p>First up this week: an <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/hello-kitty-goodbye-kittens-gene-therapy-spays-cats-without-surgery">innovation in cat contraception</a>. Online News Editor David Grimm talks with host Sarah Crespi about a nonsurgical pregnancy prevention technique for cats and why such an approach has been a long-term goal for cat population control.</p> <p> </p> <p>Also on this week’s show, we hear about <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf5273">new insights into mechanical chemistry</a>—using physical force to push molecules together. <em>Science</em> Editor Jake Yeston and <a href="https://asrc.gc.cuny.edu/people/yerzhan-zholdassov/">Yerzhan Zholdassov</a>, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at the City University of New York, join Sarah to discuss why pushing things together works and how it might herald an era of solvent-free chemistry. Read <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi3388">a related commentary article</a>. </p> <p> </p> <p>This week’s episode was produced with help from <a href="https://podigy.co/">Podigy</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast">About the <em>Science</em> Podcast</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Authors: Sarah Crespi; David Grimm; Jake Yeston</p> <p> </p> <p>Episode page: <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0996">https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0996</a> </p> <p> </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>