A genetic history of Europe’s Jews, and measuring magma under a supervolcano

On this week’s show: A medieval German cemetery yields clues to Jewish migrations in Europe, and supercomputers help researchers estimate magma under Yellowstone

First up this week on the podcast, we explore the genetic history of Jewish people in Europe. Contributing Correspondent Andrew Curry talks with host Sarah Crespi about researchers working with rabbis and the local Jewish community to apply new techniques to respectfully study remains in a medieval Jewish cemetery in Germany.

We also have a story on how much magma has accumulated inside Yellowstone National Park’s supervolcano. Producer Meagan Cantwell talks with Ross Maguire, an assistant professor in the geology department at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, about using supercomputers to get a clearer picture of the volcanic system’s subsurface. Although this new study shows more magma than previous estimates, it’s still not nearly enough for an eruption anytime soon.

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

[Image: Eric Vaughn/Flickr; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

[alt: photo of sunset over Yellowstone National Park with podcast overlay symbol]

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Meagan Cantwell; Andrew Curry

Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0498 

About the Science Podcast: https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices