How a neural network taught itself chess

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, Christine Pu describes how commonly used measures of poverty don't agree, and why definitions of poverty matter.   In this episode, we cover: · [00:00] Introduction · [00:59] Christine Pu, an interdisciplinary scientist from Stanford University, introduces the importance of definitions of poverty. · [01:40] List of the four commonly used definitions of poverty. · [02:29] The motivation behind the study. · [03:21] Study design and methods. · [04:20] Results of the study and discussion of why poverty measures may not agree. · [05:50] Discussion of how poverty definitions impact efforts to alleviate poverty. · [06:57] How policymakers can approach definition of poverty. · [07:46] Implications and potential impacts of the study. · [08:25] Study caveats and limitations. · [08:54] Conclusion.   About Our Guests: Christine Pu PhD Candidate Stanford University   View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2316730121   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 Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Sign up for the Highlights newsletter

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 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/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pnas-news/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pnas-news Sign up the Highlights newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/nas/podcast-highlights

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 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/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pnas-news/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pnas-news 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. 

Karen Steel explains a proof of concept for restoring hearing loss in mice. 

Stanley Cohen reflects on the 50-year legacy of a classic PNAS paper on recombinant DNA.

Longqi Yang and Fengqi You discuss the potential reductions in carbon emissions of switching from in person to remote work.

Jeremy Siow, Taylor Damann, and Margit Tavits discuss both historical and modern gender inequality in Europe.