The mysterious extinction of the dire wolf
Nature Podcast
podcast@nature.com
4.5 • 893 Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2021
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
DNA clues point to how dire wolves went extinct, and a round-up of the main impacts of Brexit on science.
In this episode:
00:45 Dire wolf DNA
Dire wolves were huge predators that commonly roamed across North America before disappearing around 13,000 years ago. Despite the existence of a large number of dire wolf fossils, questions remain about why this species went extinct and how they relate to other wolf species. Now, using DNA and protein analysis, researchers are getting a better understanding of what happened to these extinct predators.
Research Article: Perri et al.
11:43 Research Highlights
The secret to Pluto’s blue haze, and the neural circuitry underlying mice empathy.
Research Highlight: Ice bathes Pluto in a blue haze
Research Highlight: Brain maps show how empathetic mice feel each other's pain
13:31 Post-Brexit science
In December, a last minute trade-deal between the UK and EU clarified what the future relationship between the two regions would look like, after Brexit. We discuss the implications of this trade-deal for science funding, the movement of researchers, and data sharing.
News Explainer: What the landmark Brexit deal means for science
23:18 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, concerns about contaminating water on the moon, and the spy satellites that spied out environmental change.
Nature News: Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice?
The New York Times: Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet Earth
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone. My name is Jamie Lang and I'm the host of Great Company podcast and today we are |
| 0:04.7 | very kindly sponsored by Sage. So as a business owner which you clearly are, there are tasks that need |
| 0:10.1 | doing right? Yeah, 100%. Well then, you're going to enjoy this advert. Sage's new AI productivity |
| 0:16.4 | assistant co-pilot can help you work faster, analyze how your business is performing and help |
| 0:21.2 | you make smarter decisions. Yes, Jemima, and it's powered by the latest innovations in Gen AI technology, |
| 0:27.4 | isn't it? Which means all those repetitive tasks I hate can be done so much quicker, more time |
| 0:33.7 | for scrolling on TikTok, obviously. And making TikToks. And making TikToks. Exactly. |
| 0:39.1 | Where do we visit, Jemima? Visit sage.com forward slash copilot to find out more. |
| 0:44.4 | This year, we've had a record 150,000 children homeless in England. We'll be waking up |
| 0:50.9 | homeless on Christmas morning, in cramped rooms, with nowhere to play, |
| 0:55.3 | and sometimes even having to share bathrooms with strangers. |
| 1:00.0 | This is not a home. |
| 1:02.4 | This is the heartbreaking reality, but it doesn't have to be this way. |
| 1:07.0 | Your donation to shelter could help a family find a safe place to call home. |
| 1:13.5 | Donate today at shelter.org.uk. |
| 1:24.3 | Nature. In an experiment, I don't know yet. Why is it like so far? |
| 1:28.3 | Like, it sounds so simple. They had no idea. But now the data's... I find this not only refreshing, but at some level astounding. |
| 1:36.0 | Nature. |
| 1:37.9 | Nature. |
| 1:40.0 | Welcome back to the Nature podcast. |
| 1:42.6 | In our first show of 2021, probing the extinct direwolf's DNA, |
| 1:48.5 | and what the UK's science relationship with the EU will look like post-Brexit. I'm Nick Howe, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from podcast@nature.com, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of podcast@nature.com and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.