Extinction Risk, Living Fossils, Asteroid vs Birds

04/24/24 • 12 min

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Today, you’ll learn about a new study shedding light on what species are most vulnerable to extinction from climate change, why species of living fossils take their time evolving, and a new theory about how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also impacted birds.

Extinction Risk

“New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.” University of Oxford. 2024.
“What is mass extinction and are we facing a sixth one?” by Tammana Begum. 2021. Updated 2023.
“Mass extinctions, their causes and consequences: an interview with Douglas H. Erwin and Shuzhong Shen.” by Shucheng Xie. 2023.
“Species and climate change.” IUCN. 2021.
“Humanity’s Fitting Place on the List of Mass Extinction Events.” by Sam Baker. 2018.

Living Fossils

“Study of slowly evolving ‘living fossils’ reveals key genetic insights.” by Mike Cummings. 2024.
“A New Discovery Reveals Why Darwin’s ‘Living Fossil’ Keeps Defying Evolution.” by Tim Newcomb. 2024.
“Giraffe Evolution.” by Adam Atwood. 2024.

Asteroid vs Birds

“An Asteroid Wiped Out Dinosaurs. Did It Help Birds Flourish?” by Carl Zimmer. 2024.
“Dust Might Have Snuffed Out the Dinosaurs.” by Miriam Fauzia. 2023.
“How Did Birds First Take Off?” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.
“Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous.” by Shaoyuan Wu, et al. 2024.

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Extinction Risk

“New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.” University of Oxford. 2024.
“What is mass extinction and are we facing a sixth one?” by Tammana Begum. 2021. Updated 2023.
“Mass extinctions, their causes and consequences: an interview with Douglas H. Erwin and Shuzhong Shen.” by Shucheng Xie. 2023.
“Species and climate change.” IUCN. 2021.
“Humanity’s Fitting Place on the List of Mass Extinction Events.” by Sam Baker. 2018.

Living Fossils

“Study of slowly evolving ‘living fossils’ reveals key genetic insights.” by Mike Cummings. 2024.
“A New Discovery Reveals Why Darwin’s ‘Living Fossil’ Keeps Defying Evolution.” by Tim Newcomb. 2024.
“Giraffe Evolution.” by Adam Atwood. 2024.

Asteroid vs Birds

“An Asteroid Wiped Out Dinosaurs. Did It Help Birds Flourish?” by Carl Zimmer. 2024.
“Dust Might Have Snuffed Out the Dinosaurs.” by Miriam Fauzia. 2023.
“How Did Birds First Take Off?” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.
“Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous.” by Shaoyuan Wu, et al. 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Twin Trauma, Bee Mystery, Sequence Bias

Today, you’ll learn about a compelling study on twins and the nature versus nurture debate, how scientists solved a 60-year-old mystery about bees, and why you shouldn’t go last.

Twin Trauma

“One Twin Was Hurt, the Other Was Not. Their Adult Mental Health Diverged.” by Ellen Barry. 2024.
“Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental Health Outcomes.” by Hilda Bjork Danielsdottir, et al. 2024.
“Recognizing the importance of childhood maltreatment as a critical factor in psychiatric diagnoses, treatment, research, prevention, and education.” by Martin H. Teicher, et al. 2022.
“Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults.” by Vincent J. Felitti MD, FACP, et al. 1998.

Bee Mystery

“A decades-old mystery has been solved with the help of newfound bee species.” by Darren Incorvaia. 2024.
“Canopy specialist Hylaeus bees highlight sampling biases and resolve Michener’s mystery.” by James B. Dorey, et al.

Sequence Bias

“A new study finds that the later we meet someone in a sequence, the more negatively we describe them.” by Douglas Heingartner. 2024.
“Differentiation in social perception: Why later-encountered individuals are described more negatively.” by Alex Koch, et al. 2024.

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Next Episode

Palm-Less Oil, Polyglot Brain, Ayahuasca & Fear

Today, you’ll learn about an effort to create palm oil without burning down millions of acres of forest, the surprising way polyglots’ brains approach their own native language, and new research on how the powerful psychedelic drug ayahuasca extinguishes fear.

Palm-Less Oil

“They Want to Make Palm Oil in a Lab. Without Palm Trees.” by Dionne Searcey. 2024.
“Things To Know About Palm Oil.” WWF. n.d.

Polyglot Brain

“For people who speak many languages, there’s something special about their native tongue.” by Anne Trafton. 2024.
“Functional characterization of the language network of polyglots and hyperpolyglots with precision fMRI.” by Saima Malik-Moraleda, et al. 2024.

Ayahuasca & Fear

“Ayahuasca accelerates fear extinction via its effect on serotonin receptors.” by Eric. W. Dolan. 2024.
“Ayahuasca-enhanced extinction of fear behaviour: Role of infralimbic cortex 5-HT2a and 5-HT1a receptors.” by Isabel Werle, et al. 2024.
“The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization.” by Ede Frecska, et al. 2016.