The folate debate, and rewriting the radiocarbon curve

The folate debate, and rewriting the radiocarbon curve

Some 80 countries around the world add folic acid to their food supply to prevent birth defects that might happen because of a lack of the B vitamin—even among people too early in their pregnancies to know they are pregnant. This year, the United Kingdom decided to add the supplement to white flour. But it took almost 10 years of debate, and no countries in the European Union joined them in the change. Staff Writer Meredith Wadman joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the ongoing folate debate. Last year, a highly anticipated tool for dating ancient materials was released: a new updated radiocarbon calibration curve. The curve, which describes how much carbon-14 was in the atmosphere at different times in the past 55,000 years, is essential to figuring out the age of organic materials such as wood or leather. Sarah talks with Tim Heaton, senior lecturer in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sheffield, and Edouard Bard, a professor at the College of France, about how the curve was redrawn and what it means, both for archaeology and for our understanding of the processes that create radiocarbon in the first place—like solar flares and Earth’s magnetic fields. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. [Image: Andrew Shiva/Wikipedia; Music: Jeffrey Cook] [Alt text: close-up photograph of layers in volcanic tephra] Authors: Sarah Crespi; Meredith Wadman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(641)

How birds reacted to a solar eclipse, and keeping wildfire smoke out of wine 

How birds reacted to a solar eclipse, and keeping wildfire smoke out of wine 

First up on the podcast, producer Kevin McLean talks with Associate Online News Editor Michael Greshko about the impact of wildfires on wine; a couple horse stories, one modern, one ancient; and why e...

9 Loka 202537min

A new generation of radiotherapies for cancer, and why we sigh

A new generation of radiotherapies for cancer, and why we sigh

First up on the podcast, Staff Writer Robert F. Service joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about a boom in nuclear medicine, from new and more powerful radioisotopes to improved precision in cancer cell ...

2 Loka 202534min

Salty permafrost’s role in Arctic melting, the promise of continuous protein monitoring, and death in the ancient world

Salty permafrost’s role in Arctic melting, the promise of continuous protein monitoring, and death in the ancient world

First up on the podcast, Science News Editor Tim Appenzeller joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss why a salty layer of permafrost undergirding Arctic ice is turning frozen landscapes into boggy morasses...

25 Syys 202546min

Protecting newborns from an invisible killer, the rise of drones for farming, and a Druid mystery

Protecting newborns from an invisible killer, the rise of drones for farming, and a Druid mystery

First up on the podcast, freelance science journalist Leslie Roberts joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the long journey to a vaccine for group B streptococcus, a microbe that sickens 400,000 babie...

18 Syys 202535min

An aggressive cancer’s loophole, and a massive field of hydrogen beneath the ocean floor

An aggressive cancer’s loophole, and a massive field of hydrogen beneath the ocean floor

First up on the podcast, aggressive tumors have a secret cache of DNA that may help them beat current drug treatments. Freelance journalist Elie Dolgin joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about targeting ...

11 Syys 202535min

Finding HIV’s last bastion in the body, and playing the violin like a cricket

Finding HIV’s last bastion in the body, and playing the violin like a cricket

First up on the podcast, despite so many advances in treatment, HIV drugs can suppress the virus but can’t cure the infection. Where does suppressed HIV hide within the body? Staff Writer Jon Cohen j...

4 Syys 202532min

A mother lode of Mexican mammoths, how water pollution enters the air, and a book on playing dead

A mother lode of Mexican mammoths, how water pollution enters the air, and a book on playing dead

First up on the podcast, Staff Writer Rodrigo Pérez Ortega joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about a megafauna megafind that rivals the La Brea Tar Pits. In addition to revealing tens of thousands of bo...

28 Elo 202555min

New insights into endometriosis, and mapping dengue in Latin America

New insights into endometriosis, and mapping dengue in Latin America

First up on the podcast, Staff Writer Meredith Wadman joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss recent advances in understanding endometriosis—a disease where tissue that resembles the lining of the uterus g...

21 Elo 202532min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
viisupodi
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
rss-pinnalla
rikosmyytit
otetaan-yhdet
the-ulkopolitist
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
aihe
linda-maria
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-girls-finish-f1rst