The Origins of Fast Solar Winds

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Fast solar winds emerge from regions typically found at the sun's north and south poles, called coronal holes. This wind can reach speeds of around 750 kilometers per second. To pinpoint precisely where fast solar winds are coming from, colleagues needed to get as up close and personal to the sun as possible. NASA's Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018, and it's been getting steadily closer to the sun. In 2021, the probe was able to observe the sun from about 9 million kilometers away - very close in astronomical terms. From there, it could take a range of measurements from ion spectra to plasma density and magnetic field strength.

In this episode:

00:46 The mouse brain circuit controlling infanticidal behaviour

In mammals, infanticide is a relatively common behaviour, but not a default one. For example, virgin female mice will often kill young produced by other females, but this behaviour disappears when they become mothers themselves. To understand this switch, researchers have identified a brain circuit associated with infanticidal behaviour that gets switched off after mice give birth. They hope that by better understanding this circuit it could inform why animals engage in such behaviours.

Research article: Mei et al.

Research Briefing: A battle between neural circuits for infanticide and maternal-care behaviours

08:11 Research Highlights

The cyclone raging at the north pole of Uranus, and the ants that build landmarks to help them find their way home.

Research Highlight: A storm is whirling atop Uranus

Research Highlight: These hardy ants build their own landmarks in the desert

10:52 Getting to the source of fast solar wind

The sun produces streams of plasma called solar wind that stretch out and provide a protective bubble around the solar system. However, despite decades of study, there’s much that isn’t known about how the Sun makes it. Now, a team has used data from the Parker Solar Probe and shown that the source of one sort of wind, known as ‘fast solar wind’, appears to be due to colliding magnetic fields that produce the huge amount of energy needed to fire plasma away from the Sun.

Research article: Bale et al.

Research reveals system underlying behaviour change towards young

17:50 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time the origins of patriarchal societies, and the tiling pattern that never repeats itself.

BBC Futures: How did patriarchy actually begin?

Nature News: This infinite tiling pattern could end a 60-year mathematical quest

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