The Great Spotted Woodpecker

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This week, Nick looks at a story about woodpeckers that we didn't know before. It's potentially up to 20 times a second it can bang its beak against the tree - which is really amazing. But how are they not giving themselves a massive headache or even a concussion when they are smashing their heads against the tree so rapidly? And i say, what's commonly been assumed that they have kind of a built in shock absorber, right? So Woodpeckers have this spongy bone in the front of their heads, and researchers cond have thought that was like an air bag,. That was protecting their skulls as they were rat a tat tatting against

00:46 When did mammals start to regulate their temperature?

The evolution of ‘warm bloodedness’ allowed mammals to live in a more diverse range of habitats, but working out when this occurred has been difficult. To try and pin down a date, researchers have studied the fossilised remains of ancient mammals' inner ears, which suggest that this key evolutionary leap appeared around 230 million years ago.

Research Article: Araujo et al.

News and Views: Evolution of thermoregulation as told by ear

07:14 Research Highlights

A new surgical glue that’s both strong and easy to remove, and southern fin whales return to Antarctica after being hunted to near extinction.

Research Highlight: This adhesive bandage sticks strongly — even to hairy skin

Research Highlight: A feeding frenzy of 150 whales marks a species’ comeback

09:47 Structure of an enzyme reveals how its so efficient

Hydrogen dependent CO2 reductase is an enzyme that can convert CO2 from the air into formic acid that can be used as fuel. It also does this extremely efficiently, but nobody has been quite sure how. Now researchers have an idea based on a detailed structural analysis.

Research Article: Dietrich et al.

17:51 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the findings of some big biodiversity reports, and how woodpeckers don’t end up with headaches from their pecking.

Nature News: More than dollars: mega-review finds 50 ways to value nature

Nature News: Major wildlife report struggles to tally humanity’s exploitation of species

Science: Contrary to popular belief, woodpeckers don’t protect their brains when headbanging trees

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