Pregnancy’s effect on ‘biological’ age, polite birds, and the carbon cost of home-grown veg

Download the Nature Podcast 03 April 2024

In this episode:

00:35 Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back

Growing a baby leads to changes in the distribution of certain chemical markers on a pregnant person’s DNA, but new research suggests that after giving birth, these changes can revert to an earlier state.

Nature News: Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back

08:07 Bird gestures to say ‘after you’

A Japanese tit (Parus minor) will flutter its wings to invite their mate to enter the nest first. Use of these sorts of gestures, more complex than simply pointing at an object of interest, was thought to be limited to great apes, suggesting that there are more non-vocal forms of communication to be found in the animal kingdom.

Scientific American: Wild Birds Gesture ‘After You’ to Insist Their Mate Go First

13:34 The carbon cost of home-grown veg

Research have estimated that the carbon footprint of home-grown food and community gardens is six times greater than conventional, commercial farms. This finding surprised the authors — keen home-growers themselves — who emphasize that their findings can be used to help make urban efforts (which have worthwhile social benefits) more carbon-efficient.

BBC Future: The complex climate truth about home-grown tomatoes

20:29 A look at next week’s total eclipse

On 8th April, a total eclipse of the Sun is due to trace a path across North America. We look at the experiments taking place and what scientists are hoping to learn.

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