The EPA released a set of proposals this week that would cap C02 emissions for new cars. In order to meet the new stricter targets automakers would need to ramp up electric vehicle manufacturing substantially. By 2030, 60% of new cars would need to be electric.
Ira talks with Casey Crownhart, Climate Reporter for the MIT Technology Review, about the new EPA emissions proposals and other top science news of the week including predictions of a bad mosquito season and turtles basking in the moonlight.
Lactose Intolerance May Have A Lot To Do With Your Gut Microbiome
In the animal kingdom, it’s not normal to drink milk past infancy. It’s even more rare to consume milk from another mammal. But throughout history, humans have used dairy farming as a way to get calories and nutrition from creatures like cows, goats, and sheep. And a big perk: dairy products taste good.
Evidence of dairying goes back to the early Neolithic era. Traces have been found in the historical record in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in ancient teeth and pottery. Lactase persistence, or the ability to consume dairy into adulthood, developed alongside this burgeoning industry.
But here’s the catch: a large part of the population is still lactose intolerant, either from childhood or developed in adulthood. It’s estimated that about a third of the U.S. population is lactose intolerant, with a higher chance among certain ethnic and racial groups.
There’s a lot to learn about the origins of lactose persistence and lactose intolerance, and much of that knowledge comes from the gut microbiome. Joining Ira to talk about this is Christina Warinner, assistant professor of anthropology at Harvard University, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
632: Unlocking The Mysteries Of A Metal-Rich Asteroid
631: Rapidly Evolving Trout & Ancient Hyper-Apex Predators
630: Finding Meaning In The Cosmos
630: ‘Clean Hydrogen Hub’ Awardees & Formula One Car Paint
628: What Is Your Cat Doing When You're Not Watching?
629: The Stories Of The First Six Women Astronauts
627: A Mathematician Asks ‘Is Math Real?’
628: The mRNA Vaccine Revolution
626: Ancient Human Footprints & 'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse
623: Saltwater Wedge In The Mississippi & Kenya's Geothermal Boom
625: How Artists And Scientists Collaborated To Make Art About HIV
622: Full-Body MRIs Promise To Detect Disease Early. Do They Work?
623: Meet The Doctor Who Solves Medical Mysteries
624: mRNA Research Wins Nobel Prize & Lightning On Venus
621: Placebo Effect, Technoableism, Florida Citrus, Neuroscience Music. Sept 29, 2023, Part 2
620: Vision and the Brain, Jellypalooza. Sept 29, 2023, Part 1
619: Ocean Climate Solutions, Florida Corals, Climate Video Games. Sept 22, 2023, Part 2
618: Our Fragile Moment, Climate Comedy. Sept 22, 2023, Part 1
617: New Covid Vaccine, Moroccan Earthquake, Native Bees. Sept 15, 2023, Part 2
616: Radioactive Wildlife, Bus Stop Heat, Football Jersey Numbers. Sept 15, 2023, Part 1
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL