The plight of penguins in Antarctica
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What recent changes are penguins experiencing in Antarctica?
For 47 years, Iranians have lived under a dictatorship many no longer want. Now the country may have reached a breaking point. Iranians have recognized that they need to take matters into their own hands, pushing back against authority. We ask three central questions about how Iran got here and what comes next. Listen to ThruLine on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
How is climate change affecting penguin breeding patterns?
Hey Shore Wavers, Regina Barber here. And Emily Kwong. With our bi-weekly science news roundup featuring the hosts of All Things Considered. And today we have the glamorous, the brilliant Elsa Chang.
Aw, thank you guys. Hi Elsa.
What methods were used to study penguin breeding in Antarctica?
So glad to be here. Okay, so I heard that we are talking about penguins adapting to climate change in the Antarctic today. Yes.
And we're going to get into a debate about ice skating that may now have an answer. Huh.
And how dirty diapers train parents in the art of disgust. Oh, interesting. I can't wait.
What implications do early breeding times have for penguin populations?
All of that on this episode of Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.
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How does ice science relate to the upcoming Winter Olympics?
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OK, kick us off with the Antarctic penguins.
What's going on with these guys? So a new study in the Journal of Animal Ecology found that they're breeding earlier than ever in the Antarctic spring. Adelie and chinstrap penguins are breeding an average of 10 days earlier and Gentoo penguins almost two weeks earlier. Over the decade, the researchers observed them.
What new findings have emerged about the slipperiness of ice?
And while two weeks may not seem like a lot of time, researchers say it's actually a radical shift in the penguins' breeding season.
Wait, so what's causing the shift? So penguins time their breeding period to environmental conditions like temperature outside or whether there's ice on the ground or what food is available. And with climate change, the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas of the world. And that could be a driver.
Interesting. So how did they collect all of this data? Like 10 years feels like a very long time to be in Antarctica.
How do parents adapt to the disgust associated with dirty diapers?
Yeah. So one of the study's authors, Tom Hart, says they set up 77 cameras across 37 penguin colonies and each camera took photos every hour for a decade.
Surveillance system.
Yes, it was very clever methodology. We spoke to another penguin researcher who wasn't involved in the paper, Bill Fraser, and he said this camera method is a great way to get long-term data in Antarctica because a lot of work in this region is restricted to human observations.
Huh. Okay, so then what does all of this mean for the future of Antarctic penguins, you think?
Well, Tom says that's something they're trying to figure out for future work.
What can habituation to disgust teach us about human psychology?
Some penguins might thrive. For example, the Gentoo penguins are suited for warmer climates and eat a wider variety of fish. So it seems that Gentoo's are doing better than the other species, which could struggle with warmer temperatures.
OK, going from Antarctic penguins to the Winter Olympics, which are just a few weeks away. Yes. Yeah. And I think like this would be a great time then to talk about ice science. Tell us, Emily, what is new about ice?
Well, since Victorian times, there's been this idea that ice has a thin layer of water on top, which makes it slippery. And physicists have been arguing about it ever since. Is there a thin film of water even at temps below zero degrees Celsius? And like, how thick is this layer of water?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What recent changes are penguins experiencing in Antarctica?
0:01–0:30
2
How is climate change affecting penguin breeding patterns?
0:30–0:44
3
What methods were used to study penguin breeding in Antarctica?
0:44–1:04
4
What implications do early breeding times have for penguin populations?
1:04–1:54
5
How does ice science relate to the upcoming Winter Olympics?
1:54–2:29
6
What new findings have emerged about the slipperiness of ice?
2:29–3:00
7
How do parents adapt to the disgust associated with dirty diapers?
3:00–3:37
8
What can habituation to disgust teach us about human psychology?
3:37–10:07
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Short Wave
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