More precise radiocarbon dating, secrets of hibernating bear blood, and a new book series

Anchoring radiocarbon dates to cosmic events, why hibernating bears don't get blood clots, and kicking off a book series on sex, gender, and science

First up this week, upping the precision of radiocarbon dating by linking cosmic rays to isotopes in wood. Producer Meagan Cantwell talks with Online News Editor Michael Price about how spikes in cosmic rays—called Miyake events—are helping archaeologists peg the age of wooden artifacts to a year rather than a decade or century.

Next on the show, we have a segment on why bears can safely sleep during hibernation without worrying about getting clots in their blood. Unlike bears, when people spend too much time immobilized, such as sitting for a long time on a flight, we risk getting deep vein thrombosis—or a blood clot. Johannes Müller-Reif of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry talks with host Sarah Crespi about what we can learn from bears about how and why our bodies decide to make these clots and what we can do to prevent them.

Stay tuned for an introduction to our new six-part series on books exploring science, sex, and gender. Guest host Angela Saini talks with scholar Anne Fausto-Sterling about the books in this year's lineup and how they were selected.

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This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.

About the Science Podcast

[Image: Thomas Zsebok/iStock/Getty; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

[alt: brown bear lying in a cave with podcast overlay]

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Meagan Cantwell; Mike Price; Angela Saini

Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi2236

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