PNAS Science Sessions

How Snowball Earth melted Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Shuhai Xiao explores how the Earth emerged from a planetwide glaciation called Snowball Earth. In this episode, we cover: •[00:00] Introduction •[00:48] Geobiologist...

The curious case of the comb jelly

Reverse development in a comb jelly Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Joan Soto and Patel Burkhardt introduce us to a comb jelly with the ability to reverse its development to an earlier stage of life. In this episode, we cover:...

Air pollution and economic mobility

PNAS Science Sessions

Air pollution and upward mobility Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Luca Merlo and Francesca Dominici explore whether childhood exposure to air pollution can impact economic upward mobility as an adult. In this episode, we cover:...

Long-term impact of wildfire smoke pollution

PNAS Science Sessions

Nationwide effects of smoke-related air pollution Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Kai Chen explains the nationwide health effects of smoke-related fine particulate matter air pollution. In this episode, we cover: •[00:00]...

Indigenous communities and subsistence whale hunting

PNAS Science Sessions

Indigenous hunting and beluga populations Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Max Friesen, Eline Lorenzen, and Mikkel Skovrind explore beluga population dynamics in relation to subsistence hunting by Indigenous communities in northern...

Perceiving musical boundaries

PNAS Science Sessions

The neuroscience of music perception Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Petri Toiviainen, Ibi Burunat, and Daniel Levitin describe the neuroscience of how musicians and non-musicians perceive boundaries within pieces of music. In this...

How python hearts grow and shrink

PNAS Science Sessions

How python hearts grow and shrink Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Leslie Leinwand, of the University of Colorado in Boulder, and Claudia Crocini, of Charité – Berlin University of Medicine in Germany, describe how the hearts of...

Neighborhood travel and racial segregation

PNAS Science Sessions

How people travel to racially different neighborhoods Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Mario Small talks about patterns of people's travel to neighborhoods racially different than their home neighborhood. In this episode, we cover:...

Ocean voyages and disease spread

PNAS Science Sessions

How pathogen stowaways traversed the oceans Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Jamie Lloyd-Smith and Elizabeth Blackmore describe how they modeled the epidemiology of pathogens on ocean voyages. In this episode, we cover: •[00:00]...

Why twisters target the United States

PNAS Science Sessions

Why “Tornado Alley” is unique to North America Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, Funing Li and Dan Chavas explain why North America produces many tornadoes each year and South America does not. In this episode, we cover:...

More Episodes

Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.

In this episode, researchers describe the potential impact of anthropogenic disturbances on bee communication.

In this episode, we cover:

[00:00] Introduction
[00:45] Description of the waggle dance of honeybees.
[01:59] Maggie Couvillon, an entomologist at Virginia Tech, explains what information researchers can glean from the waggle dance.
[03:24] Christoph Grüter, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Bristol, describes what impact climatic changes may have on bee communication.
[05:13] Michael Hrncir, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Sao Paulo, recorded the impact of rising air temperatures on foraging in stingless bees.
[06:48] Grüter explains how landscape changes and habitat fragmentation might affect bee communication.
[08:23] Elli Leadbeater, an ecologist at Royal Holloway University of London, found that dancing honeybees found the foraging environment of central London superior to agricultural land.
[09:49] Kris Braman, an entomologist at the University of Georgia, studied how the distribution of land cover at different scales influences bee diversity in Georgia.
[11:24] Grüter explains how insecticides may alter bee communication strategies.
[12:41] Denise Alves, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Sao Paulo, describes how a fungal pesticide can affect nestmate recognition in stingless bees.
[14:23] Adam Dolezal, an entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes how a bee pathogen affects nestmate recognition in honeybees.
[15:17] Final thoughts and conclusion.

About Our Guests:

Maggie Couvillon
Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech

Christoph Grüter
Senior Lecturer
University of Bristol

Michael Hrncir
Professor
University of Sao Paulo

Elli Leadbeater
Professor
Royal Holloway University of London

Kris Braman
Department Head and Professor
University of Georgia

Denise Alves
Post-doctoral Researcher
University of Sao Paulo

Adam Dolezal
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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PNAS Science Sessions

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