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Science In Action

Bird flu in Antarctica

Apr 11, 2024
Australian bird specialist, Megan Dewar, discusses the arrival of H5N1 bird flu in Antarctica. The podcast also covers physicist Peter Higgs, manipulated data in superconductivity research, and a single-celled seaweed capturing nitrogen. The evolutionary trick of the alga in capturing nitrogen directly from the atmosphere is highlighted.
31:08

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Presence of H5N1 in Antarctic seabirds poses a threat to bird populations due to mass mortality events.
  • Investigations uncover data manipulation and ethical breaches in superconductivity research, emphasizing the importance of data integrity.

Deep dives

Concerns Over Bird Flu Outbreak in Antarctica

During an expedition to Antarctica, scientist Meagan Dua detected a mass mortality event among seabirds due to avian influenza. With a breeding site reporting 50 out of 130 birds deceased, the remaining colony was still at risk. The fresh carcasses indicated an active outbreak, posing a threat to bird populations. Despite no avian influenza detected in penguins, an unusual mortality event was noted, prompting further investigations to determine the cause.

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