Ancient 'giraffes' sported thick helmets for headbutting
Nature Podcast
podcast@nature.com
4.5 • 893 Ratings
🗓️ 8 June 2022
⏱️ 21 minutes
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Summary
00:33 A headbashing relative gives insights into giraffe evolution
How the giraffe got its long neck is a longstanding question in science. One possibility is that giraffes evolved longer necks for sexual competition, with males engaging in violent neck-swinging fights. Now, a team have described fossils of an ancient giraffoid species with a thick headpiece adapted for fighting, which could add weight to this hypothesis.
Nature News: How the giraffe got its neck: ‘unicorn’ fossil could shed light on puzzle
05:18 A wave of resignations signals discontent in academia
Around the world, the ‘great resignation’ has seen huge numbers of workers re-evaluating their careers and lifestyles and choosing to leave their jobs following the pandemic. Academia is no exception, with many scientists deciding to leave the sector in the face of increased workloads, systemic biases and pressure to publish.
Nature Careers: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?
10:34 An emergency fix gets MAVEN back on track
Earlier this year, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars since 2014, developed some serious equipment issues that prevented it from keeping its correct orientation in space. In a race against time, a team on Earth fixed the problem by developing a system that allowed the spacecraft to navigate by the stars.
Space.com: NASA's Mars MAVEN spacecraft spent 3 months on the brink of disaster
14:28 The Perseverance rovers continues its rock collection
NASA’s Perseverance rover has arrived at an ancient Martian river delta where it will spend the next few months exploring, while scientists assess where to drill and extract rock samples. It’s thought that rocks from this region have the best chance of containing evidence of Martian life, and plans are being developed to return them to Earth in the future.
Nature News: NASA’s Perseverance rover begins key search for life on Mars
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Transcript
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| 1:09.6 | Hi, Benjamin from the Nature podcast. |
| 1:12.1 | Here, we're going to change things up a little bit on the podcast this week. |
| 1:15.3 | And we're going to take a deep dive into some of the stories that have appeared in the Nature briefing over the past few days and weeks. |
| 1:22.6 | Joining me to do so are Nick Petrich Howe. Nick, how are you doing today? |
| 1:25.8 | I'm very well. Thank you, Ben. |
| 1:27.0 | And Charmany Bundell. Hey, Ben. Well, here we go then. We've got a few stories to talk about this |
| 1:31.4 | week. Sharmane, would you like to go first on this extended briefing chat? What have you got? |
| 1:35.8 | So I have some exciting giraffe science for you this week. This is once again an ancient creature. I do |
| 1:43.0 | love those fossils. |
... |
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