The lost forests of Doggerland

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, Robin Allaby explores the paleoecology of the submerged area known as Doggerland.

In this episode, we cover:
•[00:00] Introduction.
•[01:10] Evolutionary biologist Robin Allaby introduces the location of Doggerland and history of its exploration.
•[02:58] He introduces sedimentary DNA, including how it can be used to reconstruct paleoecology.
•[03:43] Allaby describes the methods of the study.
•[05:18] He introduces the primary findings about the plant and animal life of Doggerland.
•[06:14] He describes the surprising find of Pterocarya in Doggerland. 
•[08:07] Allaby discusses the habitability of Doggerland for Mesolithic societies.
•[09:38] He lists the caveats and limitations of the study.
•[10:13] Conclusion.

About Our Guest:

Robin Allaby 
Professor
University of Warwick

View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2508402123

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