In this episode:
To prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team have collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.
Research article: Müller et al.
Researchers develop algae-based living materials that glow when squeezed, and a 50-million-year-old bat skull that suggests echolocation was an ancient skill.
Research Highlight: Give these ‘living composite’ objects a squeeze and watch them glow
Research Highlight: Fossilized skull shows that early bats had modern sonar
A brain imaging study reveals how high-fat foods exert their powerful pull, and how being asleep doesn’t necessarily cut you off from the outside world.
Nature News: Deep asleep? You can still follow simple commands, study finds
Nature News: Milkshake neuroscience: how the brain nudges us toward fatty foods
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The AI that accurately predicts the chances of rain
Starting up in science: behind the scenes
Starting up in science: Episode 4
Starting up in science: Episode 3
Starting up in science: Episode 2
Starting up in science: Episode 1
Audio long-read: Can artificially altered clouds save the Great Barrier Reef?
Coronapod: solving the COVID vaccine manufacturing problem
The floating sensors inspired by seeds
How to help feed the world with 'Blue Foods'
The billion years missing from Earth’s history
Dead trees play an under-appreciated role in climate change
Audio long-read: why sports concussions are worse for women
Coronapod: How Delta is changing the game
What’s the isiZulu for dinosaur? How science neglected African languages
Coronapod: COVID boosters amidst global vaccine inequity
The brain cells that help animals navigate in 3D
Coronapod: Ivermectin, what the science says
Flood risk rises as people surge into vulnerable regions
Has the world’s oldest known animal been discovered?
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