In this episode:
00:30 Early humans pushed to brink of extinctionAround 900,000 years ago the ancestors of modern humans were pushed to the brink of extinction, according to new research. Genetic studies suggest that the breeding population of our ancestors in Africa dropped to just 1,280 and didn’t expand again for another 117,000 years. This population crash would likely have had an impact on human genetic diversity, and may have driven the evolution of important features of modern humans, such as brain size.
Nature News: Human ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago
Poor historical waste practices have left high levels of pollution around Antartica’s research facilities. By surveying the seafloor near Australia’s Casey research station, researchers have revealed high concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals.This pollution is likely to be widespread, but its impact on the continent is unknown.
Nature News: Antarctic research stations have polluted a pristine wilderness
Persistently low levels of sea-ice around Antarctica have caused emperor penguins to abandon their breeding colonies early, resulting in the death of large numbers of chicks. Although the affected populations only represent a small number of the total emperor penguins on the continent, it’s unclear how they’ll fare if trends in sea-ice melt continue.
Science: Emperor penguins abandon breeding grounds as ice melts around them
Researchers have developed an artificial-intelligence that can describe how compounds smell by analysing their molecular structures. The system’s description of scents are often similar to those of trained human sniffers, and may have applications in the food and perfume industries. Currently the AI works on individual molecules, and is unable to identify the smells associated with complex combinations of molecules, something humans noses do with ease.
Nature: AI predicts chemicals’ smells from their structures
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How virtual meetings can limit creative ideas
Audio long-read: The quest to prevent MS — and understand other post-viral diseases
We could still limit global warming to just 2˚C — but there's an 'if'
Coronapod: Infected immune cells hint at cause of severe COVID
Why do naked mole rats live as long as giraffes?
Five years in the coldest fridge in the known Universe
Audio long-read: A more-inclusive genome project aims to capture all of human diversity
Winding roads could make you a better navigator
Milky Way's origin story revealed by 250,000 stars
Coronapod: How vaccine complacency is plaguing 'COVID zero' strategies
The coin toss of Alzheimer's inheritance
The vest that can hear your heartbeat
The AI that deciphers ancient Greek graffiti
Coronapod: why stopping COVID testing would be a mistake
COVID stimulus spending failed to deliver on climate promises
Audio long-read: The race to save the Internet from quantum hackers
Dinosaur-destroying asteroid struck in spring
Tongan volcano eruption leaves scientists with unanswered questions
Coronapod: How African scientists are copying Moderna's COVID vaccine
RNA test detects deadly pregnancy disorder early
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