Climate Change

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There is some skepticism and even cynicism, i think, within the scientific community about the ability of this process to really kind of push governments to do what needs to be done. The problem here is scale and time. We don't have time to mess around. And there's not a lot of evidence that a lot of governments are taking this as seriously as they need to be if you want to solve this problem in the next 20 years.

The unexpected origins of a 4000-year-old people, protecting your ‘digital presence’ and what to expect from COP26.

In this episode:

00:48 The origins of the mysterious Tarim mummies

For decades there has been debate about the origins of a group of 4000-year-old individuals known as the Tarim Basin mummies. Their distinct appearance and clothing has prompted scientists to hypothesise they had migrated from the North or West. Now, a team of researchers have used modern genomics to shed new light on this mystery and reveal that migration was not the mummies’ origin.

Research article: Zhang et al.

News and Views: The unexpected ancestry of Inner Asian mummies

08:59 Research Highlights

Making wood mouldable, and how ancient snakes diversified their diets.

Research Highlight: Moulded or folded, this wood stays strong

Research Highlight: Finicky no more: ancient snakes ate their way to success

11:09 How a regular ‘digital-hygiene’ check can protect your reputation

Attaching a researcher’s name to a paper without them knowing is an unscrupulous practice that can have serious repercussions for the unwitting academic. To prevent this, computer scientist Guillaume Cabanac is advocating a once-a-month ‘digital-hygiene’ check, to identify incorrect acknowledgements, and help prevent research malpractice.

World View: This digital-hygiene routine will protect your scholarship

18:51 What to expect from COP26

This week sees the start of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), with an estimated 20,000 people — including world leaders, scientists and activists — expected to be in attendance. Jeff Tollefson, senior reporter at Nature, joins us to explain what’s on the agenda for the conference.

News Explainer: COP26 climate summit: A scientists’ guide to a momentous meeting

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