The 'zombie' fires that keep burning under snow-covered forests
Nature Podcast
podcast@nature.com
4.5 • 893 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2021
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Smouldering fires lay dormant before bursting back into flame in spring.
In this episode:
00:56 The mysterious overwintering forest fires
Researchers have shown that fires can smoulder under snow in frozen northern forests before flaring up the following spring. Understanding how these so-called ‘zombie’ fires start and spread is vital in the fight against climate change.
Research Article: Scholten et al.
07:39 Research Highlights
Aesthetic bias means pretty plants receive the most research attention, and ancient tooth gunk reveals the evolution of the mouth microbiome.
Research Highlight: Flashy plants draw outsize share of scientists’ attention
Research Highlight: Microbes in Neanderthals’ mouths reveal their carb-laden diet
10:04 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, Voyager 1 detects a faint interstellar ‘hum’, and a trove of Neanderthal bones found in an Italian cave.
Reuters: Faraway NASA probe detects the eerie hum of interstellar space
The Guardian: Remains of nine Neanderthals found in cave south of Rome
Video: Hawaii’s surprise volcanic eruption: Lessons from Kilauea 2018
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Transcript
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| 1:26.2 | Welcome back to the Nature podcast. This week, mysterious zombie fires in frozen forests. |
| 1:33.1 | And the latest stories from the nature briefing. I'm Charmanya Bandelle. |
| 1:36.7 | And I'm Benjamin Thompson. First up on the show this week, reporter Jeff Marsh has been finding out about a very unusual type of forest fire that can seemingly rise from the dead. |
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