PNAS Science Sessions PNAS

How a small fish makes big sounds
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, Verity Cook from Charité – Berlin University of Medicine explains how a fish 12 millimeters in length produces sounds exceeding 140 decibels.
In this episode, we cover:
•[00:00] Introduction
•[01:37] Can you tell us more about the fish you studied?
•[02:26] What are some of the methods you used to characterize the fish’s sound production mechanism?
•[03:49] Can you walk us through the process of how these fish produce sound?
•[05:02] What are the broader implications of your findings?
•[05:53] Conclusion.
About Our Guest:
Verity Cook
PhD Student
Charité – Berlin University of Medicine
View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2314017121
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Dinosaur feathers hint at flight history
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, Jingmai O’Connor and Yosef Kiat share insights gleaned from modern birds’ feathers that help understand the evolutionary history of flight in dinosaurs.
In this episode, we cover:
•[00:00] Introduction
•[01:02] Jingmai O’Connor, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Field Museum of Natural History, describes the characteristics of feathers associated with flight.
•[02:11] O’Connor gives context and background for previous knowledge of the evolution of flight feathers in dinosaurs.
•[03:25] O’Connor describes the sources of fossil specimens for analysis of feather evolution.
•[04:29] Yosef Kiat, an ornithologist at the Field Museum of Natural History, tells what he learned about the consistent number of primary feathers in modern birds. He also tells how that number applies to dinosaurs. 
•[05:54] O’Connor explains what the symmetry of feathers reveals about a species’ flight ability and history.
•[06:29] Kiat applies feather symmetry to explain the flight evolutionary history of Caudipteryx.
•[07:05] Kiat summarizes the findings of the study, using feather number and shape to assess the flight abilities of four genera of dinosaurs.
•[07:47] Kiat and O’Connor describe the type of potential fossil evidence that could fill in holes in the history of flight evolution in dinosaurs.
•[08:42] Kiat and O’Connor explain the study’s caveats and limitations.
•[09:44] Conclusion.
About Our Guests:
Jingmai O’Connor
Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles 
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
Yosef Kiat
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2306639121
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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
View related content here:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0155
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2219031120
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022191020300512
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14011
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-022-00402-6
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653521026199
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2002268117
Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts for more captivating discussions on scientific breakthroughs!
Visit Science Sessions on PNAS.org: https://www.pnas.org/about/science-sessions-podcast
Follow PNAS:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PNASNews
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PNASNews/
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Sign up the Highlights newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/nas/podcast-highlights

Alex Cristia and Elika Bergelson explain the factors influencing speech in children.

Chris Thorogood and Derek Moulton explain how mathematical modeling of carnivorous pitcher plants can lend insights into their evolution.

Allegra Midgette and Nadia Chernyak describe when young children begin to perceive and accept unequal and gendered division of household labor.