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Science In Action - Earthquakes and the first breath of life on Earth

How Myanmar’s tragic earthquake left a 500km scar on the surface of the earth in just 90 seconds. Also, more hints of a link between shingles vaccines and reduced dementia, and how earth’s first oxygen breathers seem to have evolved way before there was enough oxygen to breath.

Judith Hubbard is a seismologist and earthquake analyst who has been gleaning what scientific information we can find on the tragic quake that struck Myanmar last week.

There seems to be some sort of link between the herpes virus that causes shingles and some people’s risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. At least, the latest paper appears to confirm so, according to an analysis published in Nature this week. Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford University and colleagues have looked at data from public health records in NHS Wales in the UK, and have retrospectively performed a “natural experiment”, finding a clear suggestion that a vaccine against the virus that causes shingles seems to confer a lower likelihood of developing dementia over the subsequent seven years. Quite why this happens remains moot.

And a long time ago, and for a long time, life on earth was nought but bacteria. The atmosphere was also nearly devoid of oxygen. These ancient bacteria leave scant fossil records, whilst the rocks show a clear time – known as the Great Oxidation Event – when earth’s atmosphere transformed to something more like the oxygen rich air we breath now. A pervading chicken-and-egg question asks whether the atmosphere changed and life adapted, or did life somehow evolve and transform the atmosphere? A team publishing in Science this week have performed an innovative analysis of bacterial genomes that suggests that the ability to use oxygen in respiration evolved some 900 million years before the atmosphere transformed. The question still stands, but as the team explain, the new analysis provides at least a clear timeline for why we breath the way we do today.

Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Josie Hardy

(Image: People ride a scooter past the rubble of damaged Buddhist pagoda in Mandalay on April 3, 2025. Credit: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP via Getty Images)

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - MARKETS DAILY: Crypto Update | The Long-Term Focus: Crypto From a Venture Investor’s Perspective

The latest price moves and insights with Jennifer Sanasie and CoinFund Managing Partner and Head of Venture Investments David Pakman.

To get the show every day, follow the podcast here.

CoinFund Managing Partner and Head of Venture Investments David Pakman joins CoinDesk to discuss the long-term potential of crypto as the industry readies for major adoption and innovation. Plus, an outlook on a world where everything is being moved on-chain.

This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “Markets Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: The Far-out World of Deep Fakes

For centuries, it was often understood that "seeing was believing" -- while people might embellish a story, and write whatever falsehoods they wished, visually witnessing an event was solid proof of what actually happened in any given situation. Yet this no longer holds true in the modern age. Photographs have been faked since, well, the invention of photography, and video followed shortly thereafter. However, new technology is enabling the creation of fake video with an unprecedented level of sophistication and believability. So what happens when we can no longer believe our own eyes? How will the world react to the rise of the Deep Fake?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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1A - ICYMI: A Quarter Of HHS Workforce Lost Due To Cuts

The Trump administration's cutbacks to the federal workforce continued this week at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Thousands of staffers were fired at agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the layoffs last week, an additional "reduction in force" of 10,000 people on top of the 10,000 who've already left the department this year. This amounts to one of the largest government departments losing a quarter of its workforce.

One of the agencies affected is the National Institutes of Health. The network of research centers funds much of the country's biomedical research.

We discuss what the layoffs at the NIH mean for the country's ability to research and develop medical treatments.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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The Bulwark Podcast - S2 Ep1013: Mallory McMorrow and Tracy Alloway: A Self-Inflicted Crisis

The market plunge is just pure Trump chaos, and perfectly matches his record as a businessman. From his numerous bankruptcies and many failures—including his airline, his casinos, his university, his water, and his steaks—he's been running one long con. And the supposedly smart people who should have known better put him back in power, somehow thinking he would never do something like destroy global trade. Meanwhile, in Michigan, where there have already been job losses directly caused by Trump's tariff war, State Senator Mallory McMorrow announced she's running for the U.S. Senate—saying she's had enough of the leadership and the bullshit in DC.

Bloomberg's Tracy Alloway and Mallory McMorrow join Tim Miller.
show notes 

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - COINDESK DAILY: Bitcoin Price Volatility Amid Trump’s Tariffs

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry as bitcoin plunged after Trump's tariffs announcement.

Bitcoin plunged after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a minimum of 10% tariffs of U.S. trading partners, stoking recession fears. Plus stablecoin legislation advances to the U.S. House of Representatives. CoinDesk’s Christine Lee hosts “CoinDesk Daily.”

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This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Focus on Africa - Will Trump’s tariffs hurt Africa?

Are benefits from the African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa)  dead in the water after steep US tariffs on Africa are announced? Senegal's parliament approves revisions to a controversial amnesty law And raising awareness of autism in Somali culture

Presenter : Audrey Brown Producers: Daniel Dadzie,  Bella Hassan, Ash Mohamed and Yvette Twagiramariya Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris Senior Producer : Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.

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Federalist Radio Hour - How Trump Is Taking On Big Labor In The Bloated Government

On this episode of "The Federalist Radio Hour," Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to analyze the consequences of conservatives' loss in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and discuss what worker freedom looks like under the Trump administration.

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