Bizarre exoplanet clouds + Counting insects with weather radar
Summary
Flora Lichtman interviews Dr. David Singh about detecting rock clouds on a distant hot Jupiter using the James Webb Space Telescope, which aids atmospheric modeling. Later, ecologist Dr. Elska Thielens discusses using weather radar to map 100 trillion airborne insects across the U.S., revealing stable continental populations despite local declines.
Topics discussed
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Introduction: Exoplanets and rock clouds
Interview: Hot Jupiters and vaporized rock clouds
How the James Webb Space Telescope detects clouds
Clouds as clues to planetary formation and Earth models
Transition to insect clouds
100 trillion insects in the US sky
Using weather radar to track airborne insects
Stable insect populations despite local declines
Insect hotspots and deserts in the US
History of biological echoes on radar
Insect migration patterns and European radar challenges
Outro and credits
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