Science: Probing Earth’s Inner Core, Complete Read Of Human Genome

On this week’s show: A journey to the center of the center of the Earth, and what was missing from the first human genome project.

Staff Writer Paul Voosen talks with host Sarah Crespi about the many mysteries surrounding the innermost part of our planet—from its surprisingly recent birth to whether it spins faster or slower than the rest of the planet.

Next, Sarah chats with Adam Phillippy about the results from the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium, an effort to create a complete and detailed read of the human genome. Phillippy, a senior investigator and head of the Genome Informatics Section at the National Human Genome Research Institute, explains what we can learn by topping up the human genome with roughly 200 more megabases of genetic information—practically a whole chromosome’s worth of additional sequencing.

See all the T2T papers.

This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.

[Image: V. Altounian/Science; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

[alt: An array of the human chromosomes showing newly sequenced parts from the Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium with podcast symbol overlay]

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Paul Voosen

Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq1885

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Alaska Wildlife: The Ice Bears Of The Yukon (BBC)

Remote and wild, the Yukon is a river of haunting beauty and dangerous extremes – a place where the ‘call of the wild’ is still strong. In summer, it is a relentless giant, carving its way 2,000 miles across Canada and Alaska. In winter, -50C temperatures transform it into a river of ice.

Home to grizzlies, moose and great runs of salmon, the Yukon lies at the heart of a vast northern wilderness. Bears delay their winter hibernation to fish for a final salmon feast, while the frozen river provides a lifeline for lynx and a race track for intrepid dog sledders. From indigenous hunters to gold-prospectors, musk ox to caribou, the Yukon’s natural riches have long sustained people and animals and continue to do so despite its changing fortunes.

Culture: France-Amérique Magazine – April 2022

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April 2022

Pretty in… Green

For Earth Day, April 22, France-Amérique is going vert! Did you know the color green was perceived as evil before it was adopted by environmentalists as a symbol of hope and happiness? The environment is also at the heart of #SaccageParis, a French campaign raising awareness on littering, and the work of photographer Ben Thouard, who captures the sheer power of the waves in Tahiti. Also in this issue, read our interview with the former head of U.N. peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, our investigation on the myths and facts of immigration in France, and our illustrated feature on the Coulée Verte in Paris, the urban park that inspired New York’s High Line!

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Norway Views: Lofoten Islands – The World’s Most Beautiful Hike (4K)

The most beautiful hike in the world some people call this, anyway, I spend 4 days backpacking, hiking and wild camping the amazing Lofoten islands, climbing several mountains including Munken and the highest peak on the island, Hermannsdalstinden.

This is the Grand Scandinavian Hiking & Backpacking Tour Ep20 This is the 25+ episode Grand Scandinavian Hiking & Backpacking Tour through Norway & Sweden from the summer of 2021. I visit Sarek, Lofoten, Jotunheimen, Rondane, Breheimen/Glacier National Parks, Lierne, Femundsmarka, Galdhøpiggen, Kungsleden, Vildmarksvegen, Flatruet, Sognefjell, Tindevegen Roads, Geiranger, Saltstraumen, Helgelandskysten coastal road, glaciers, glaciers, glaciers & more….

Scotland View: Edinburgh – Old Town & City Center

Edinburgh is Scotland’s compact, hilly capital. It has a medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town with gardens and neoclassical buildings. Looming over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish rulers. Arthur’s Seat is an imposing peak in Holyrood Park with sweeping views, and Calton Hill is topped with monuments and memorials. 

Video Timeline: 00:00 Waterloo Pl 02:13 The Balmoral 04:30 Princes St 05:55 Edinburgh Waverley Station 09:00 Scott Monument 13:33 The Royal Scottish Academy 14:00 Princes Street Gardens 14:32 Scottish National Gallery 15:30 The Mound 17:05 New College, The University of Edinburgh 21:12 Tolbooth Kirk 21:50 The Royal Mile – Castlehill – Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe 25:05 Edinburgh Castle 29:07 The Royal Mile 33:30 George IV Bridge and National Library of Scotland 34:40 Victoria St 38:30 Grassmarket 41:46 Edinburgh Castle 46:00 Candlemaker Row 49:43 Greyfriars Kirkyard 53:04 Chambers St 57:32 South Bridge 01:01:40 Cockburn St 01:06:00 St Giles’ Cathedral 01:12:42 The Royal Mile – High St 01:18:25 The Royal Mile – Canongate 01:23:00 Thomson’s Land, The University of Edinburgh 01:26:10 Canongate Kirk 01:28:00 The Royal Mile – Canongate 01:33:55 Palace of Holyroodhouse 01:35:30 Scottish Parliament Building

World Economic Forum: Top Stories – April 1, 2022

This week The World Economic Forum are highlighting 4 top stories – mass hunger from the Ukraine war, how businesses can help Ukraine, rejection of fossil fuels by consumers despite rising energy prices and robots that clean solar panels.

Video Timeline: 00:00 – Intro 00:14 – Mass hunger in Ukraine 02:51 – How businesses can help Ukraine 04:34 – Crazy NASA graphic 05:54 – Robots cleaning solar panels

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

This week: the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2022 is out—is the market’s recovery as good as it sounds? 

We talk to Melanie Gerlis, art market columnist for The Art Newspaper and the Financial Times, about the sixth edition of the market report, what the headline figures tell us and what we can read between the lines.

As the exhibition Hideouts: The Architecture of Survival, opens at the Zacheta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw—focusing on the spaces in Poland and Ukraine used by Holocaust survivors to escape Nazi persecution—we talk to the artist behind it, Natalia Romik. Though long planned, the show has gained a troubling topicality as the Russian invasion and destruction of Ukraine continues.

And in this episode’s Work of the Week, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Piet Mondrian’s birth, we discuss his painting Victory Boogie Woogie (1942-44). Caro Verbeek, the co-curator of Mondrian Moves, an exhibition opening this week at the Kunstmuseum den Haag in the Hague, the Netherlands, tells us about the feverish creation and unfinished nature of the Dutch artist’s final work.

Natalia Romik’s exhibition, Hideouts: The Architecture of Survival, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, until 17 July; TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art, Szczecin, Poland, 4 August-6 November

Mondrian Moves, Kunstmuseum den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands, 2 April-25 September. Mondrian Evolution, Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland, 5 June-9 October; K20, Düsseldorf, Germany, 29 October-10 February 2023

Views: Tulip Festival In Srinagar, Kashmir (2022)

It’s bloom season at one of Asia’s largest tulip gardens in Indian-administered Kashmir. Due to sustained low numbers of COVID-19 cases in India, thousands of tourists are visiting the garden where more than 1.5 million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils are on display. (April 1)

Morning News: Hungary Elections, College Fees In Britain, Ukraine War Film

Viktor Orban’s eight-year assault on the country’s institutions will help his bid for re-election. But the poll is far bigger than Hungary: it is a verdict on autocracies everywhere. 

 Britain welcomes the fees from its staggering number of Chinese university students; we examine the risks that dependence poses. And a prescient Ukrainian war film gets a new lease on life.