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A new study has looked at a huge data set of us. The answer may not surprise you. Most faculty come from a minority of institutions. There is inequality in faculty placement or production. And if you sort the institutions by which institutions they draw their faculty from, a social hierarchy emerges. Is not exactly a pecking order. These are endorsement interactions. How we know a lot of you listening have ph ds. T minister o i i anin counso simpe had no idea,. But now the findis not only refreshing, but at someel astounding nature.

00:46 Inequalities in US faculty hiring

In the US, where a person gained their PhD can have an outsized influence on their future career. Now, using a decade worth of data, researchers have shown there are stark inequalities in the hiring process, with 80% of US faculty trained at just 20% of institutions.

Research article: Wapman et al.

09:01 Research Highlights

How wildlife can influence chocolate production, and the large planets captured by huge stars.

Research Highlight: A chocoholic’s best friends are the birds and the bats

Research Highlight: Giant stars turn to theft to snag jumbo planets

11:42 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what science says about grieving for a public figure, and why suburban Australians are sharing increasingly sophisticated measures to prevent cockatoos from opening wheelie bins.

Nature News: Millions are mourning the Queen — what’s the science behind public grief?

The Guardian: ‘Interspecies innovation arms race’: cockatoos and humans at war over wheelie bin raids

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