Nature Podcast

Sounds of recovery: AI helps monitor wildlife during forest restoration

Oct 25, 2023

Researchers use AI and animal sounds to monitor wildlife recovery during forest restoration. Algae-based living materials that glow when squeezed and a 50-million-year-old bat skull with ancient echolocation skills are discussed. The influence of food texture on eating habits and the neuroscience of sleep are explored. The potential use of AI to study sleep and promote a Nature Plus subscription are also mentioned.

25:23

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Quick takeaways

Analyzing soundscapes can provide valuable insights into the progress of forest regrowth and wildlife regeneration, contributing to the monitoring of biodiversity increases.

New research challenges the notion that sleep eliminates awareness of the external environment, indicating that sleep involves a spectrum of consciousness to unconsciousness and has implications for understanding sleep disorders and mechanisms.

Deep dives

Monitoring Forest Restoration through Soundscapes

Ecologists are exploring the potential of analyzing changing soundscapes in tropical forests as a means to monitor restoration efforts. As forests face threats from various industries and climate change, the conversion of forests to farmland alters the sound balance and acoustics of the environment. By capturing and analyzing soundscapes, scientists can gain insights into the progress of forest regrowth and wildlife regeneration. Using standardized methods, researchers in Ecuador recorded soundscapes across different forest plots, from active agriculture to recovering forests and primary forests. They found that analyzing the composition of vocalizing vertebrates, such as birds and amphibians, provided a useful measure of forest recovery over time, accurately reflecting the regeneration gradient. This approach, though imperfect, shows promise in monitoring biodiversity increases and can potentially contribute to the emerging biodiversity credit market.

Introduction

2min

Monitoring Forest Restoration through Sound Analysis

11min

Living composite material and ancient bat echolocation

3min

The Influence of Food Texture on Eating Habits

5min

The Brain Science of Sleep

4min

Exploring the Use of AI to Study Sleep and Promoting Nature Plus Subscription

2min

In this episode:

00:47 An automated way to monitor wildlife recovery

To prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team have collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.

Research article: Müller et al.

12:30 Research Highlights

Researchers develop algae-based living materials that glow when squeezed, and a 50-million-year-old bat skull that suggests echolocation was an ancient skill.

Research Highlight: Give these ‘living composite’ objects a squeeze and watch them glow

Research Highlight: Fossilized skull shows that early bats had modern sonar

15:11 Briefing Chat

A brain imaging study reveals how high-fat foods exert their powerful pull, and how being asleep doesn’t necessarily cut you off from the outside world.

Nature News: Deep asleep? You can still follow simple commands, study finds

Nature News: Milkshake neuroscience: how the brain nudges us toward fatty foods

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