A look at cognition in livestock, and the coevolution of wild bird–human cooperation
This week we have two stories on thinking and learning in animals. First, Online News Editor David Grimm talks with host Sarah Crespi about a reporting trip to the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology in northern Germany, where scientists are studying cognition in farm animals, including goats, cows, and pigs. And because freelance audio producer Kevin Caners went along, we have lots of sound from the trip—so prepare yourself for moos and more.
Voices in this story:
Christian Nawroth
Annkatrin Pahl
Jan Langbein
Next, audio producer Katherine Irving talks with Claire Spottiswoode, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Cambridge, about her research into cooperation between honeyguide birds and human honey hunters. In their Science study, Spottiswoode and her team found honeyguides learn distinct signals made by honey hunters from different cultures suggesting that cultural coevolution has occurred.
Read a related Perspective.
This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.
About the Science Podcast
Authors: Sarah Crespi; David Grimm; Katherine Irving
Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.zr3zfn1
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Folge vom 07.12.2023Farm animals show their smarts, and how honeyguide birds lead humans to hives
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Folge vom 30.11.2023Basic geoengineering, and autonomous construction robotsRaising the pH of the ocean to reduce carbon in the air, and robots that can landscape First up on this week’s show, Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall discusses research into making oceans more alkaline as a way to increase carbon capture and slow climate change. But there are a few open questions with this strategy: Could enough material be dumped in the ocean to slow climate change? Would mining that material release a lot of carbon? And, would either the mining or ocean changes have big impacts on ecosystems or human health? Next, we hear from Ryan Luke Johns, a recent Ph.D. graduate from ETH Zürich, about why we want robots building big rocky structures from found materials: It reduces energy costs and waste associated with construction, and it would allow us to build things remotely on Mars. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Authors: Sarah Crespi; Warren Cornwall Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.z66mytn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Folge vom 23.11.2023Exascale supercomputers amp up science, finally growing dolomite in the lab, and origins of patriarchyA leap in supercomputing is a leap for science, cracking the dolomite problem, and a book on where patriarchy came from First up on this week’s show, bigger supercomputers help make superscience. Staff Writer Robert F. Service joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how the first exascale computer is enabling big leaps in scientists’ models of the world. Next, producer Meagan Cantwell talks with the University of Michigan’s Wenhao Sun, professor of materials science and engineering, and graduate student Joonsoo Kim. They discuss solving the centuries-old problem of growing the common mineral dolomite in the lab. Finally, books host Angela Saini is back but this time she’s in the hot seat talking about her own book, The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality. Science Books Editor Valerie Thompson and host Sarah Crespi chat with Angela about what history, archaeology, and biology reveal about where and when patriarchy started. See our whole series of books podcasts on sex, gender, and science. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Authors: Sarah Crespi; Valerie Thompson; Angela Saini; Robert Service Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn0660 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Folge vom 16.11.2023AI improves weather prediction, and cutting emissions from landfillsWhat it means that artificial intelligence can now forecast the weather like a supercomputer, and measuring methane emissions from municipal waste First up on this week’s show, Staff Writer Paul Voosen joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about how artificial intelligence has become shockingly good at forecasting the weather while using way fewer resources than other modeling systems. Read a related Science paper. Next, focusing on municipal solid waste—landfills, compost centers, garbage dumps—may offer a potentially straightforward path to lower carbon emissions. Zheng Xuan Hoy, a recent graduate from the new energy science and engineering department at Xiamen University Malaysia, discusses his Science paper on this overlooked source of methane and some plausible solutions for reducing these emissions. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Authors: Sarah Crespi; Paul Voosen Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adm9783 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices