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The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors.
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- 789 - Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory
In this episode:
00:46 Mysterious methane emission from a cool brown dwarf
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing the makeup of brown dwarfs — strange space objects that blur the line between a planet and a star. And it appears that methane in the atmosphere of one of these objects, named W1935, is emitting infrared radiation. Where the energy comes from is a mystery however, researchers hypothesise that the glow could be caused by an aurora in the object’s atmosphere, perhaps driven by an as-yet unseen moon.
Research Article:Faherty et al.
10:44 Research Highlights
The discovery that bitter taste receptors may date back 450 million years, and the first planet outside the Solar System to boast a rainbow-like phenomenon called a ‘glory’.
Research Highlight:Bitter taste receptors are even older than scientists thought
Research Highlight:An exoplanet is wrapped in glory
13:07 How working memory works
Working memory is a fundamental process that allows us to temporarily store important information, such as the name of a person we’ve just met. However distractions can easily interrupt this process, leading to these memories vanishing. By looking at the brain activity of people doing working-memory tasks, a team have now confirmed that working memory requires two brain regions: one to hold a memory as long as you focus on it; and another to control its maintenance by helping you to not get distracted.
Research article:Daume et al.
News and Views:Coupled neural activity controls working memory in humans
22:31 Briefing Chat
The bleaching event hitting coral around the world, and the first evidence of a nitrogen-fixing eukaryote.
New York Times:The Widest-Ever Global Coral Crisis Will Hit Within Weeks, Scientists Say
Nature News:Scientists discover first algae that can fix nitrogen — thanks to a tiny cell structure
Nature video:AI and robotics demystify the workings of a fly's wing
Vote for us in the Webbys:https://go.nature.com/3TVYHmP
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Wed, 17 Apr 2024 - 34min - 788 - The 'ghost roads' driving tropical deforestation
In this episode:
00:46 Mapping ‘ghost roads’ in tropical forests
Across the world, huge numbers of illegal roads have been cut into forests. However, due to their illicit nature, the exact numbers of these roads and their impacts on ecosystems is poorly understood. To address this, researchers have undertaken a huge mapping exercise across the tropical Asia-Pacific region. Their findings reveal over a million kilometers of roads that don’t appear on official maps, and that their construction is a key driver for deforestation.
Research Article:Engert et al.
10:44 Research Highlights
How climate change fuelled a record-breaking hailstorm in Spain, and an unusual technique helps researchers detect a tiny starquake.
Research Highlight:Baseball-sized hail in Spain began with a heatwave at sea
Research Highlight:Smallest known starquakes are detected with a subtle shift of colour
13:02 Briefing Chat
A clinical trial to test whether ‘mini livers’ can grow in a person’s lymph node, and the proteins that may determine left-handedness.
Nature News:‘Mini liver’ will grow in person’s own lymph node in bold new trial
Nature News:Right- or left-handed? Protein in embryo cells might help decide
Nature video:How would a starfish wear trousers? Science has an answer
Vote for us in the Webbys:https://go.nature.com/3TVYHmP
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Wed, 10 Apr 2024 - 23min - 787 - Audio long read: Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say
Around the world, rates of cancers that typically affect older adults are increasing in those under 50 years old. Models based on global data predict that the number of early-onset cancer cases like these will increase by around 30% between 2019 and 2030.
The most likely contributors — such as rising rates of obesity and early-cancer screening — do not fully account for the increase. To try and understand the reasons behind this trend, many researchers are searching for answers buried in studies that tracked the lives and health of children born half a century ago.
This is an audio version of our Feature Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say
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Fri, 05 Apr 2024 - 16min - 786 - Pregnancy's effect on 'biological' age, polite birds, and the carbon cost of home-grown veg
In this episode:
00:35 Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back
Growing a baby leads to changes in the distribution of certain chemical markers on a pregnant person’s DNA, but new research suggests that after giving birth, these changes can revert to an earlier state.
Nature News:Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back
08:07 Bird gestures to say 'after you'
A Japanese tit (Parus minor) will flutter its wings to invite their mate to enter the nest first. Use of these sorts of gestures, more complex than simply pointing at an object of interest, were thought to be limited to great apes, suggesting that there are more non-vocal forms of communication to be found in the animal kingdom.
Scientific American:Wild Birds Gesture ‘After You’ to Insist Their Mate Go First
13:34 The carbon cost of home-grown veg
Research have estimated that the carbon footprint of home-grown food and community gardens is six-times greater than conventional, commercial farms. This finding surprised the authors — keen home-growers themselves — who emphasize that their findings can be used to help make urban efforts (which have worthwhile social benefits) more carbon-efficient.
BBC Future:The complex climate truth about home-grown tomatoes
20:29 A look at next week's total eclipse
On 8th April, a total eclipse of the Sun is due to trace a path across North America. We look at the experiments taking place and what scientists are hoping to learn.
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Wed, 03 Apr 2024 - 24min - 785 - How climate change is affecting global timekeeping
In this episode:
01:28 Inflammation’s role in memory
How memories are stored is an ongoing question in neuroscience. Now researchers have found an inflammatory pathway that responds to DNA damage in neurons has a key role in the persistence of memories. How this pathway helps memories persist is unclear, but the researchers suggest that how the DNA damage is repaired may play a role. As inflammation in the brain is often associated with disease, the team were surprised by this finding, which they hope will help uncover ways to better preserve our memories, especially in the face of neurodegenerative disorders.
Research Article:Jovasevic et al.
News and Views:Innate immunity in neurons makes memories persist
08:40 Research Highlights
The effect of wind turbines on property values, and how waste wood can be used to 3D print new wooden objects.
Research Highlight:A view of wind turbines drives down home values — but only briefly
Research Highlight:Squeeze, freeze, bake: how to make 3D-printed wood that mimics the real thing
11:14 How melting ice is affecting global timekeeping
Due to variations in the speed of Earth’s rotation, the length of a day is rarely exactly 24 hours. By calculating the strength of the different factors affecting this, a researcher has shown that while Earth’s rotation is overall speeding up, this effect is being tempered by the melting of the polar ice caps. As global time kept by atomic clocks occasionally has to be altered to match Earth’s rotation, human-induced climate change may delay plans to add a negative leap-second to ensure the two align.
Research article:Agnew
News and Views:Melting ice solves leap-second problem — for now
20:04 Briefing Chat
An AI for antibody development, and the plans for the upcoming Simons observatory.
Nature News:‘A landmark moment’: scientists use AI to design antibodies from scratch
Nature News:‘Best view ever’: observatory will map Big Bang’s afterglow in new detail
Subscribe to Nature Briefing: AI and robotics
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Wed, 27 Mar 2024 - 26min - 784 - AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs
This podcast has been corrected: in a previous version at 5:55 we stated that that the team's 200mm devices currently contain only a couple of magnetic tunnelling junctions, in fact they studied 500-1000 devices in this work.
00:48 How mysterious skyrmions could power next-generation computers
Skyrmions are tiny whirlpools of magnetic spin that some researchers believe have useful properties that could unlock new kinds of computing. However getting skyrmions to perform useful computational tasks has been tricky. Now researchers have developed a method to create and manipulate skyrmions in a way that is compatible with existing computing technology, allowing them to read and write data at a fraction of the energy cost of conventional systems. The team think this shows that skyrmions could be a viable part of the next generation of computers.
Research Article:Chen et al.
News and Views:Magnetic whirlpools offer improved data storage
07:51 Research Highlights
How robotically-enhanced, live jellyfish could make ocean monitoring cheap and easy, and how collective saliva tests could be a cost-effective way of testing for a serious infant infection.
Research Highlight:These cyborg jellyfish could monitor the changing seas
Research Highlight:Pooling babies’ saliva helps catch grave infection in newborns
10:01 AI identifies X factor hidden within zebra finch songs
Male songbirds often develop elaborate songs to demonstrate their fitness, but many birds only learn a single song and stick with it their entire lives. How female birds judge the fitness between these males has been a long-standing puzzle. Now, using an AI-based system a team has analysed the songs of male zebra finches and shown that some songs have a hidden factor that is imperceptible to humans. Although it’s not clear exactly what this factor is, songs containing it were shown to be harder to learn and more attractive to females. The researchers hope that this AI-based method will allow them to better understand what makes some birdsong more attractive than others.
Research article:Alam et al.
News and Views:Birds convey complex signals in simple songs
20:04 Briefing Chat
How H5N1 avian influenza is threatening penguins on Antarctica, and why farmed snake-meat could be a more environmentally-friendly way to produce protein for food.
Nature News:Bird-flu threat disrupts Antarctic penguin studies
Scientific American:Snake Steak Could Be a Climate-Friendly Source of Protein
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Wed, 20 Mar 2024 - 29min - 783 - Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
In this episode:
00:45 Making a map of the human heart
The human heart consists of multiple, specialised structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the developing human heart at an individual cell level. Their atlas provides insights into how cell communities communicate and form different structures. They hope that this knowledge will ultimately help in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, often caused by irregular development of the heart.
Research article:Farah et al.
Nature video:Building a heart atlas
08:37 Research Highlights
Residue in ceramic vases suggests that ancient Mesoamerican peoples consumed tobacco as a liquid, and a wireless way to charge quantum batteries.
Research Highlight:Buried vases hint that ancient Americans might have drunk tobacco
Research Highlight:A better way to charge a quantum battery
11:11 The evolution of menopause in toothed whales
Menopause is a rare phenomenon, only known to occur in a few mammalian species. Several of these species are toothed whales, such as killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals. But why menopause evolved multiple times in toothed whales has been a long-standing research question. To answer it, a team examined the life history of whales with and without menopause and how this affected the number of offspring and ‘grandoffpsring’. Their results suggest that menopause allows older females to help younger generations in their families and improve their chances of survival.
Research Article:Ellis et al.
News and Views:Whales make waves in the quest to discover why menopause evolved
18:03 Briefing Chat
How the new generation of anti-obesity drugs could help people with HIV, and the study linking microplastics lodged in a key blood vessel with serious health issues.
Nature News:Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV
Nature News:Landmark study links microplastics to serious health problems
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Wed, 13 Mar 2024 - 27min - 782 - These tiny fish combine electric pulses to probe the environment
In this episode:
00:48 Bumblebees can learn new tricks from each other
One behaviour thought unique to humans is the ability to learn something from your predecessors that you couldn’t figure out on your own. However, researchers believe they have shown bumblebees are also capable of this ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ approach to learning. Bees that were taught how to complete a puzzle too difficult to solve on their own, were able to share this knowledge with other bees, raising the possibility that this thought-to-be human trait could be widespread amongst animals.
Research article:Bridges et al.
News and Views:Bees and chimpanzees learn from others what they cannot learn alone
16:55 Research Highlights
Why the Krakatau eruption made the skies green, and the dining habits of white dwarf stars.
Research Highlight:Why sunsets were a weird colour after Krakatau blew its top
Research Highlight: This dying star bears a jagged metal scar
19:28 The fish that collectively, electrically sense
Many ocean-dwelling animals sense their environment using electric pulses, which can help them hunt and avoid predators. Now research shows that the tiny elephantnose fish can increase the range of this sense by combining its pulses with those of other elephantnose fish. This allows them to discriminate and determine the location of different objects at a much greater distance than a single fish is able to. This is the first time a collective electric sense has been seen in animals, which could provide an ‘early-warning system', allowing a group to avoid predators from a greater distance.
Research Article:Pedraja and Sawtell
27:54 Briefing Chat
The organoids made from cells derived from amniotic fluid, and the debate over the heaviest animal.
Nature News:Organoids grown from amniotic fluid could shed light on rare diseases
The New York Times:Researchers Dispute Claim That Ancient Whale Was Heaviest Animal Ever
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Wed, 06 Mar 2024 - 36min - 781 - Could this one-time ‘epigenetic’ treatment control cholesterol?
In this episode:
00:49 What caused the Universe to become fully transparent?
Around 13 billion years ago, the Universe was filled with a dense ‘fog’ of neutral hydrogen that blocked certain wavelengths of light. This fog was lifted when the hydrogen was hit by radiation in a process known as reionisation, but the source of this radiation has been debated. Now, researchers have used the JWST to peer deep into the Universe’s past and found that charged particles pouring out from dwarf galaxies appear to be the the main driver for reionization. This finding could help researchers understand how some of the structures we now see in the Universe were formed.
Research article:Atek et al.
08:46 Research Highlights
Ancient inscriptions could be the earliest example of the language that became Basque, and how researchers etched a groove… onto soap film.
Research Highlight:Ancient bronze hand’s inscription points to origins of Basque language
Research Highlight:Laser pulses engrave an unlikely surface: soap films
11:05 Controlling cholesterol with epigenetics
To combat high cholesterol, many people take statins, but because these drugs have to be taken every day researchers have been searching for alternatives. Controlling cholesterol by editing the epigenome has shown promise in lab-grown cells, but its efficacy in animals was unclear. Now, researchers have shown the approach can work in mice, and have used it to silence a gene linked to high cholesterol for a year. The mice show markedly lowered cholesterol, a result the team hope could pave the way for epigenetic therapeutics for humans.
Research Article:Cappelluti et al.
18:52 The gene mutation explaining why humans don’t have tails
Why don’t humans and other apes have a tail? It was assumed that a change must have happened in our genomes around 25 million years ago that resulted in the loss of this flexible appendage. Now researchers believe they have pinned down a good candidate for what caused this: an insertion into a particular gene known as TBXT. The team showed the key role this gene plays by engineering mice genomes to contain a similar change, leading to animals that were tail-less. This finding could help paint a picture of the important genetic mutations that led to the evolution of humans and other apes.
Nature News:How humans lost their tails — and why the discovery took 2.5 years to publish
Research Article:Xia et al.
News and Views:A mobile DNA sequence could explain tail loss in humans and apes
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Wed, 28 Feb 2024 - 26min - 780 - Audio long read: Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them
The phenomenon of animals catching diseases from humans, called reverse zoonoses, has had a severe impact on great ape populations, often representing a bigger threat than habitat loss or poaching.
However, while many scientists and conservationists agree that human diseases pose one of the greatest risks to great apes today there are a few efforts under way to use a research-based approach to mitigate this problem.
This is an audio version of our Feature Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them
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Mon, 26 Feb 2024 - 24min - 779 - How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved
The deep haunting tones of the world's largest animals, baleen whales, are iconic - but how the songs are produced has long been a mystery. Whales evolved from land dwelling mammals which vocalize by passing air through a structure called the larynx - a structure which also helps keep food from entering the respiratory system. However toothed whales like dolphins do not use their larynx to make sound, instead they have evolved a specialized organ in their nose. Now a team of researchers have discovered the structure used by baleen whales - a modified version of the larynx. Whales like Humpbacks and Blue whales are able to create powerful vocalizations but their anatomy also limits the frequency of the sounds they can make and depth at which they can sing. This leaves them unable to escape anthropogenic noise pollution which occur in the same range.
Article: Evolutionary novelties underlie sound production in baleen whales
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Fri, 23 Feb 2024 - 14min - 778 - Why are we nice? Altruism's origins are put to the test
In this episode:
00:45 Why are humans so helpful?
Humans are notable for their cooperation and display far more altruistic behaviour than other animals, but exactly why this behaviour evolved has been a puzzle. But in a new paper, the two leading theories have been put the test with a model and a real-life experiment. They find that actually neither theory on its own leads to cooperation but a combination is required for humans to help one another.
Research article:Efferson et al.
News and Views:Why reciprocity is common in humans but rare in other animals
10:55 Research Highlights
The discovery of an ancient stone wall hidden underwater, and the fun that apes have teasing one another.
Research Highlight:Great ‘Stone Age’ wall discovered in Baltic Sea
Research Highlight:What a tease! Great apes pull hair and poke each other for fun
13:14 The DVD makes a comeback
Optical discs, like CDs and DVDs, are an attractive option for long-term data storage, but these discs are limited by their small capacity. Now though, a team has overcome a limitation of conventional disc writing to produce optical discs capable of storing petabits of data, significantly more than the largest available hard disk. The researchers behind the work think their new discs could one day replace the energy-hungry hard disks used in giant data centres, making long-term storage more sustainable.
Research Article:Zhao et al.
20:10 Briefing Chat
The famous fossil that turned out to be a fraud, and why researchers are making hybrid ‘meat-rice’.
Ars Technica:It’s a fake: Mysterious 280 million-year-old fossil is mostly just black paint
Nature News:Introducing meat–rice: grain with added muscles beefs up protein
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Wed, 21 Feb 2024 - 30min - 777 - Smoking changes your immune system, even years after quitting
00:45 Smoking's long-term effects on immunity
It's well-known that smoking is bad for health and it has been linked to several autoimmune disorders, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Now, researchers have investigated the immune responses of 1,000 people. Whilst some effects disappear after quitting, impacts on the T cell response lingers long after. The team hopes that this evidence could help better understand smoking's association with autoimmune diseases.
Research article:Saint-André et al.
News and Views:Smoking’s lasting effect on the immune system
07:03 Research Highlights
Why explosive fulminating gold produces purple smoke, and a curious act of altruism in a male northern elephant seal.
Research Highlight:Why an ancient gold-based explosive makes purple smoke
Research Highlight:‘Altruistic’ bull elephant seal lends a helping flipper
09:28 Briefing Chat
An author-based method to track down fake papers, and the new ocean lurking under the surface of one of Saturn's moons.
Nature News:Fake research papers flagged by analysing authorship trends
Nature News:The Solar System has a new ocean — it’s buried in a small Saturn moon
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Wed, 14 Feb 2024 - 21min - 776 - Why we need to rethink how we talk about cancer
For over a century, cancer has been classified by areas of the body - lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer etc. And yet modern medical research is telling us that the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind cancers are not necessarily tied to parts of the body. Many drugs developed to treat metastatic cancers have the capacity to work across many different cancers, and that presents an opportunity for more tailored and efficient treatments. Oncologists are calling for a change in the way patients, clinicians and regulators think about naming cancers.
In this podcast, senior comment editor Lucy Odling-Smee speaks with Fabrice André from Institute Gustave Roussy, to ask what he thinks needs to change.
Comment: Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: why tumour naming needs to change
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Fri, 09 Feb 2024 - 14min - 775 - Cancer's power harnessed — lymphoma mutations supercharge T cells
In this episode:
0:46 Borrowing tricks from cancer could help improve immunotherapy
T cell based immunotherapies have revolutionised the treatment of certain types of cancer. However these therapies — which involved taking someone’s own T cells and reprogramming them to kill cancer cells — have struggled to treat solid tumours, which put up multiple defences. To overcome these, a team has taken mutations found in cancer cells that help them thrive and put them into therapeutic T cells. Their results show these powered-up cells are more efficient at targeting solid tumours, but don’t turn cancerous themselves.
Research article:Garcia et al.
11:39 Research Highlights
How researchers solved a submerged-sprinkler problem named after Richard Feynman, and what climate change is doing to high-altitude environmental records in Switzerland.
Research Highlight:The mystery of Feynman’s sprinkler is solved at last
Research Highlight:A glacier’s ‘memory’ is fading because of climate change
14:28 What might the car batteries of the future look like?
As electric cars become ever more popular around the world, manufacturers are looking to improve the batteries that power them. While conventional lithium-ion batteries have dominated the electric vehicle market for decades, researchers are developing alternatives that have better performance and safety — we run though some of these options and discuss their pros and cons.
News Feature:The new car batteries that could power the electric vehicle revolution
25:32 Briefing Chat
How a baby’s-eye view of the world helps an AI learn language, and how the recovery of sea otter populations in California slowed rates of coastal erosion.
Nature News:This AI learnt language by seeing the world through a baby’s eyes
News:How do otters protect salt marshes from erosion? Shellfishly
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Wed, 07 Feb 2024 - 35min - 774 - Cervical cancer could be eliminated: here's how
Cervical cancer is both treatable and preventable, and the WHO has called for countries to come together to to eliminate the disease in the next century.
However the disease still kills over 300,000 people each year, and levels of screening, treatment and vaccination need to be stepped up in order to achieve this goal.
These challenges are particularly stark in low- and middle-income countries, where a lack of funding, staffing and infrastructure are obstacles. Vaccine hesitancy, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, is also a key problem.
In this Podcast Extra, two experts share their thoughts on how best to overcome these obstacles, and make elimination of cervical cancer a reality.
Comment:Cervical cancer kills 300,000 people a year — here’s how to speed up its elimination
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Sun, 04 Feb 2024 - 17min - 773 - Ancient DNA solves the mystery of who made a set of stone tools
In this episode:
0:48 How hominins spread through Europe
Ancient stone tools are often uncovered in Europe, but it can be difficult to identify who crafted them, as Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in the region for several thousand years. The makers of one type of tool found in northern Europe has long puzzled researchers, but now through genetic analysis of nearby skeletal fragments, it has been revealed that they were made by Homo sapiens. The age of these tools suggests that modern humans were more widespread and adaptable to living in colder climates than previously thought.
Research article:Mylopotamitaki et al.
News and Views:Stone tools in northern Europe made by Homo sapiens 45,000 years ago
09:36 Research Highlights
How a Colombian mountain range lost its root, and what Roman wine may have looked, smelled and tasted like.
Research Highlight:A mysterious mountain range lacks roots but still stands tall
Research Highlight:The clever system that gave Roman wines an amber colour and nutty aroma
15:21 Briefing Chat
Analysis of lab-grown neurons reveals why brain cells grow so slowly in humans, and a genetic therapy for a certain type of deafness shows promise.
Video:Why human brain cells grow so slowly
Science:Gene therapies that let deaf children hear bring hope—and many questions
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Wed, 31 Jan 2024 - 28min - 772 - Audio long read: Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why
Evidence so far suggests that the prevalence of long COVID in low- and middle-income countries could be similar to that of wealthier countries. For example, by some estimates, more than four million people in Brazil have long COVID.
However, an absence of research on the condition in less-wealthy countries has left advocates hamstrung: few physicians acknowledge that long COVID exists. A lack of data is also hampering efforts to search for the mechanisms of the condition and tailor treatments.
This is an audio version of our Feature Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why
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Fri, 26 Jan 2024 - 12min - 771 - Toxic red mud could be turned into 'green' steel
In this episode:
0:46 Turning a toxic by-product into iron
Red mud is a toxic by-product of aluminium manufacture, and millions of tonnes of it is produced each year. The majority ends up in landfills, pumped into vast lakes or stored in dried mounds, posing a serious environmental risk. This week, researchers demonstrate how red mud can be reused to make iron, a vital component in the production of steel. As their method uses hydrogen plasma rather than fossil fuels, they suggest it could be a way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the steelmaking industry.
Research article:Jovičević-Klug et al.
News and Views:Iron extracted from hazardous waste of aluminium production
09:36 Research Highlights
The economics of next-generation geothermal power plants, and the folded-fabric robot that crawls like a snake.
Research Highlight:Flexible geothermal power makes it easier to harness Earth’s inner heat
Research Highlight:Origami fabric robot slithers like a snake
20:53 Briefing Chat
A computational model that predicts a person's likelihood of developing long COVID, NASA finally crack open the lid of OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, and how the ‘Moon Sniper’ craft pulled off the most precise lunar landing ever.
Nature News:Long-COVID signatures identified in huge analysis of blood protein
Johnson Space Centre:NASA’S OSIRIS-REx Curation Team Reveals Remaining Asteroid Sample
Nature News:Japan’s successful Moon landing was the most precise ever
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Wed, 24 Jan 2024 - 24min - 770 - This AI just figured out geometry — is this a step towards artificial reasoning?
In this episode:
0:55 The AI that deduces solutions to complex maths problems
Researchers at Google Deepmind have developed an AI that can solve International Mathematical Olympiad-level geometry problems, something previous AIs have struggled with. They provided the system with a huge number of random mathematical theorems and proofs, which it used to approximate general rules of geometry. The AI then applied these rules to solve the Olympiad problems and show its workings for humans to check. The researchers hope their system shows that it is possible for AIs to ‘learn’ basic principles from large amounts of data and use them to tackle complex logical challenges, which could prove useful in fields outside mathematics.
Research article:Trinh et al.
09:46 Research Highlights
A stiff and squishy ‘hydrospongel’ — part sponge, part hydrogel — that could find use in soft robotics, and how the spread of rice paddies in sub-Saharan Africa helps to drive up atmospheric methane levels.
Research Highlight:Stiff gel as squishable as a sponge takes its cue from cartilage
Research Highlight:A bounty of rice comes at a price: soaring methane emissions
12:26 The food-web effects of mass predator die-offs
Mass Mortality Events, sometimes called mass die-offs, can result in huge numbers of a single species perishing in a short period of time. But there’s not a huge amount known about the effects that events like these might be having on wider ecosystems. Now, a team of researchers have built a model ecosystem to observe the impact of mass die-offs on the delicate balance of populations within it.
Research article:Tye et al.
20:53 Briefing Chat
An update on efforts to remove the stuck screws on OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, the ancient, fossilized skin that was preserved in petroleum, and a radical suggestion to save the Caribbean’s coral reefs.
OSIRIS-REx Mission Blog:NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample
Nature News:This is the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found — it pre-dates the dinosaurs
Nature News:Can foreign coral save a dying reef? Radical idea sparks debate
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Wed, 17 Jan 2024 - 32min - 769 - The science stories you missed over the holiday period
In this episode of theNature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.
We chat about: an extra-warm sweater inspired by polar bear fur; the fossil find revealing what a juvenile tyrannosaur liked to snack on; why scientists are struggling to open OSIRIS-REx’s sample container; how 2023 was a record for retractions; and how cats like to play fetch, sometimes.
Nature News:Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket — and just as warm
Scientific American:Tyrannosaur’s Stomach Contents Have Been Found for the First Time
Nature News:‘Head-scratcher’: first look at asteroid dust brought to Earth offers surprises
Nature News:More than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 — a new record
Scientific American:Cats Play Fetch, Too—But Only on Their Own Terms
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Wed, 10 Jan 2024 - 29min - 768 - Science in 2024: what to expect this year
In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2024. We'll hear about the mass of the neutrino, the neural basis of consciousness and the climate lawsuits at the Hague, to name but a few.
News: the science events to look our for in 2024
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Wed, 03 Jan 2024 - 13min - 767 - Audio long read: A new kind of solar cell is coming — is it the future of green energy?
Perovskites are cheap, abundant photovoltaic materials that some have hailed as the future of green energy.
Around the world, companies are layering perovskites on top of traditional silicon to develop so-called tandem solar cells that some think could deliver at least 20% more power than a silicon cell alone.
However, there remain multiple issues to overcome before these products are ready for widespread uptake in the notoriously competitive solar-power market.
This is an audio version of our Feature A new kind of solar cell is coming: is it the future of green energy?
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Fri, 29 Dec 2023 - 23min - 766 - The Nature Podcast highlights of 2023
In this episode:
00:54 Franklin’s real role
When it comes to the structure of DNA, everyone thinks they know Rosalind Franklin’s role in its discovery. The story goes that her crucial data was taken by James Watson without her knowledge, helping him and Francis Crick solve the structure. However, new evidence has revealed that this wasn’t really the case. Rosalind Franklin was not a ‘wronged heroine’, she was an equal contributor to the discovery.
Nature Podcast: 25 April 2023
Comment: What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
14:37 An automated way to monitor wildlife recovery
To prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team has collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.
Nature Podcast:25 October 2023
Research article:Müller et al.
27:11 Research Highlights
The first brain recording from a freely swimming octopus, and how a Seinfeld episode helped scientists to distinguish the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.
Research Highlight:How to measure the brain of an octopus
Research Highlight:One brain area helps you to enjoy a joke — but another helps you to get it
30:24 Why multisensory experiences can make stronger memories
It’s recognized that multisensory experiences can create strong memories and that later-on, a single sensory experience can trigger memories of the whole event, like a specific smell conjuring a visual memory. But the neural mechanisms behind this are not well understood. Now, a team has shown that rich sensory experiences can create direct neural circuit between the memory regions involved with different senses. This circuit increases memory strength in the flies, and helps explain how sense and memories are interlinked.
Nature Podcast:25 April 2023
Research article:Okray et al.
38:58 Briefing Chat
How elephant seals catch some shut-eye while diving.
New York Times:Elephant Seals Take Power Naps During Deep Ocean Dives
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Wed, 27 Dec 2023 - 45min - 765 - How AI works is often a mystery — that's a problem
Many AIs are 'black box' in nature, meaning that part of all of the underlying structure is obfuscated, either intentionally to protect proprietary information, due to the sheer complexity of the model, or both. This can be problematic in situations where people are harmed by decisions made by AI but left without recourse to challenge them.
Many researchers in search of solutions have coalesced around a concept called Explainable AI, but this too has its issues. Notably, that there is no real consensus on what it is or how it should be achieved. So how do we deal with these black boxes? In this podcast, we try to find out.
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Fri, 22 Dec 2023 - 37min - 764 - The Nature Podcast Festive Spectacular 2023
In this episode:
01:55 “Oh GPT”
In the first of our festive songs, we pay homage to LLMs, the generative AI chat bots which have taken 2023 by storm.
05:32 Twenty questions
In this year’s festive game, our competitors try to guess some of the biggest science stories of the year, solely by asking yes/no questions.
24:40 “Warming night”
In our final song this year, we take stock as 2023 is named the hottest year since records began. As worsening climate change continues to threaten lives, can science provide hope for the future?
28:24 Nature’s 10
Every year, Nature’s 10 highlights some of the people who have shaped science. We hear about a few of the people who made the 2023 list.
News feature:Nature’s 10
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Wed, 20 Dec 2023 - 45min - 763 - Navigating planets, plays and prejudice — a conversation with Aomawa Shields
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, astronomer Aomawa Shields discusses her memoir Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe.
The book tracks her career path as a scientist and a classically-trained actor, explores her experiences as an African American woman in STEM, and interrogates science’s place in culture — some of the things we discussed in this podcast.
Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe Aomawa ShieldsConstable (2023)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images.
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Fri, 15 Dec 2023 - 35min - 762 - Inhaled vaccine prevents COVID in monkeys
Current COVID-19 vaccines offer great protection from serious illness, but they don't prevent people from becoming infected in the first place. Because of this, researchers have been searching for ways to boost mucosal immunity — the immune response on mucosal surfaces — as this is where the virus is first encountered by the body. Now a team have shown that mucosal immunity can be improved enough to block infection in rhesus macaques by administering booster vaccines directly into their lungs, through inhalation. They hope this could offer a way to stop humans getting COVID-19 in the future.
Research Article:McMahan et al.
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Thu, 14 Dec 2023 - 7min - 761 - Cat parasite Toxoplasma tricked to grow in a dish
In this episode:
00:48 A new way to grow a tricky parasite in the lab
Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes the zoonotic disease toxoplasmosis, has a complex, multi-stage life cycle. Some of these stages will only grow in the intestines of cats, making it difficult to study. Now, a team has found a way to grow one of these stages in vitro for the first time, which they hope will help researchers learn more about this parasite, estimated to have infected around 30% of the world’s population.
Research Article:Antunes et al.
08:50 Research Highlights
The tiny VR goggles designed for mice, and how a squirt of water could give coffee a bigger kick.
Research Highlight:Wee VR googles give mice a true immersive experience
Research Highlight:Why coffee particles clump and make a mess during grinding
11:25 Briefing Chat
Genetic searches reveal a potential super-sized protein, and the rise of ‘non-stop’ authors who publish a science paper every five days
Nature News:The world’s largest proteins? These mega-molecules turn bacteria into predators
Nature News:Surge in number of ‘extremely productive’ authors concerns scientists
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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 - 25min - 760 - The world’s smallest light-trapping silicon cavity
In this episode:
00:48 A gap for trapping light
Confining photons within materials opens up potential applications in quantum computing and telecommunications. But capturing light requires nanoscale cavities, which are difficult to make. This week, a team has created the smallest silicon gap yet for this purpose, just two nano-metres wide, by exploiting the intermolecular forces that are usually an obstacle when creating such small structures. They show this gap can trap light effectively, but they also believe that their method could be used to create tiny cavities for use in a range of different fields.
Research Article:Babar et al.
News and Views:Self-assembling structures close the gap to trap light
07:28 Research Highlights
Researchers head into the wilderness to search for dark matter, and the discovery that bottlenose dolphins can sense weak magnetic fields.
Research Highlight:The hunt for dark-matter particles ventures into the wild
Research Highlight:Dolphins have a feel for electric fields
09:54 The environmental cost of tackling poverty
Extreme poverty, defined as living on less than US$2.15 a day, affects around 10% of the world’s population. In the past, economic growth has generally been seen as key to reducing poverty; however, such growth has also led to an increase in climate-warming emissions. To find out whether poverty can be tackled without costing the planet, a team of researchers modelled how different levels of economic growth would affect global emissions. They found that ending poverty has only a negligible impact on emissions, which could be lowered even further by decarbonising energy production.
Research Article:Wollburg et al.
News and Views:Tackling extreme poverty around the world need not impede climate action
News:Catastrophic change looms as Earth nears climate ‘tipping points’, report says
News:Scientists skip COP28 to demand climate action at home
18:36 Briefing Chat
Scientists create a robotic octopus arm that you can control with a finger, and how disruptive science seems to elude farflung teams.
Nature News:How does it feel to have an octopus arm? This robo-tentacle lets people find out
Nature News:‘Disruptive’ science: in-person teams make more breakthroughs than remote groups
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Wed, 06 Dec 2023 - 31min - 759 - Sanitary products made from plants could help tackle period poverty
Around 500 million people are estimated to be in period poverty, lacking adequate access to sanitary products. Many of these people rely on donations, but this is far from a long-term solution. To tackle this researchers have developed a method to extract absorbent materials for menstrual pads from a common plant, Agave sisalana. The researchers say that their method can be performed using local techniques and has a lower environmental impact than the manufacture of other period products. They're aiming to scale-up this approach to help those in period poverty.
Research Article:Molina et al.
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Thu, 30 Nov 2023 - 9min - 758 - Why COP28 probably won't keep the 1.5 degree dream alive
In this episode:
00:49 What to expect at COP28.
The UN’s annual climate change conference is starting soon in Dubai. This time will be the first time that humanity formally assesses its progress under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, so we ask if this challenge of keeping warming below 1.5 ˚C can be met and what needs to happen at COP28 to make it a reality.
News Feature:Is it too late to keep global warming below 1.5 °C? The challenge in 7 charts
10:49 Research Highlights
Falcons show off their smarts, and how smoke from California wildfires made Europe cloudy.
Research Highlight:These falcons excel at problem-solving — and outdo some of the world’s smartest birds
Research Highlight:Huge California wildfires seeded cirrus clouds half a world away
12:59 Briefing Chat
The mystery surrounding a powerful cosmic ray, and how to make super hot plasma easily.
Nature News:The most powerful cosmic ray since the Oh-My-God particle puzzles scientists
Research Article:Xie et al.
Video:Super hot plasma made easy with stabilising fibres
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Wed, 29 Nov 2023 - 25min - 757 - Audio long read: Apple revival — how science is bringing historic varieties back to life
Researchers have been resurrecting apple trees to revive forgotten varieties of the fruit. They hope that sequencing these apples' genomes could uncover mutations that influence flavour, colour, crispness and other characteristics. This knowledge could help unlock the next blockbuster fruit, and develop trees that are more resistant to disease, climate change and other environmental pressures.
This is an audio version of our Feature Apple revival: how science is bringing historic varieties back to life
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Fri, 24 Nov 2023 - 17min - 756 - Polio could be eradicated within 3 years — what happens then?
In this episode:
00:46 What happens after polio is eradicated
Since 1988, cases of polio have fallen by more than 99%, and many observers predict that the disease could be eradicated within the next three years. However, eradication isn’t the same as extinction, so the next challenge is for researchers to make sure the disease won’t return. We discuss what a post-polio future may look like, and how to ensure that the disease is gone for good.
News Feature:Polio is on the brink of eradication. Here's how to keep it from coming back
09:48 Research Highlights
Botulinum toxin shows promise in treating a common disorder in older people, and how safeguarding seabirds may require significantly larger conservation-areas than previously thought.
Research Highlight:Botox’s paralysing effects can relieve an uncontrolled head tremor
Research Highlight:Seabirds’ lonely travels pose a conservation challenge
12:21 Briefing Chat
How demand for research monkeys is fuelling an illegal trade in smuggled animals, and the surprising observation that may help explain mysterious space explosions.
Nature:How wild monkeys ‘laundered’ for science could undermine research
Nature News:Mysterious ‘Tasmanian devil’ space explosion baffles astronomers
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Wed, 22 Nov 2023 - 22min - 755 - Dust: the tiny substance with enormous power
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, writer and researcher Jay Owens joins us to discuss her book Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles.
Much like dust itself, Jay’s book travels the globe, looking at the impacts that these microscopic particles are having on the world, our health and environment, as well as exploring the role that humanity has played in creating them.
Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles Jay OwensHodder & Stoughton (2023)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images.
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Fri, 17 Nov 2023 - 26min - 754 - How to 3D print fully-formed robots
In this episode:
00:46 Machine vision enables multi-material 3D printing
3D printers are capable of producing complex shapes, but making functioning objects from multiple materials in a single print-run has proved challenging. To overcome this, a team has combined inkjet printing with an error-correction system guided by machine vision, to allow them to print sophisticated multi-material objects. They used this method to make a bio-inspired robotic hand that combines soft and rigid plastics to make mechanical bones, ligaments, and tendons, as well as a pump based on a mammalian heart.
Research article:Buchner et al.
News & Views:Multi-material 3D printing guided by machine vision
Video:The 3D printer that crafts complex robotic organs in a single run
07:49 Research Highlights
Citizen-scientists help identify an astronomical object that blurs the line between asteroid and comet, and how a Seinfeld episode helped scientists to distinguish the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.
Research Highlight:Citizen scientists find a rarity: an asteroid trying to be a comet
Research Highlight:One brain area helps you to enjoy a joke — but another helps you to get it
10:31 Assessing the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for diabetes
Type 2 diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people around the world and represents a significant burden on healthcare systems. But behaviour change programmes — also known as lifestyle interventions — could potentially play a large role in preventing people from developing type 2 diabetes. This week in Nature a new paper assesses how effective this kind of intervention might be. Looking at a huge amount of data from the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the paper concludes that these interventions represent a viable diabetes prevention strategy.
Research article:Lemp et al.
News & Views:Diabetes prevention programme put to the test
17:35 Briefing Chat
How marine heatwaves revved up crabs’ metabolisms until they starved, and the AI-powered, robot chemist that could extract oxygen from water on Mars.
Wired:The Surprising Reason Sea Creatures Are Getting Hungrier
Nature News:This AI robot chemist could make oxygen on Mars
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Wed, 15 Nov 2023 - 26min - 753 - How to tame a toxic yet life-saving antifungal
In this episode:
00:46 Modifying a fungal drug to make it less toxic
Amphotericin B is a drug used to treat life-threatening fungal infections. But while it is effective against many fungal species, it is also extremely toxic to kidneys, meaning it is mostly used as a drug of last-resort. This week, a team has unpicked the mechanism behind the drug’s toxicity, allowing them to modify it and reduce side effects in human kidney cells. The researchers hope this new version of the drug could become a useful tool in fighting fungal diseases.
Research article:Maji et al.
09:00 Research Highlights
Reconstructing woolly rhino DNA using samples from fossilized hyena dung, and a soft robot that can perform surgery inside a beating heart.
Research Highlight:Woolly-rhino genome emerges from cave hyena’s fossilized poo
Research Highlight:A robot performs heart surgery with a strong but delicate touch
11:26 Phosphorus found at the edge of our Galaxy
Phosphorus is a vital element for life and for planet formation, but although abundant in the inner part of the Milky Way, it has been undetected in the outer regions of our Galaxy. Now, researchers have identified phosphorus-containing molecules huge distances from Earth, although exactly how this phosphorus was created is unclear. The team suspect that lower-mass stars are behind the phosphorus generation, and believe that the detection of the element could broaden the range of planets that may be habitable in our Galaxy.
Research article:Koelemay et al.
18:14 Briefing Chat
What Osiris-REx’s hypersonic capsule return could teach researchers about asteroids hitting Earth’s atmosphere, and the genetic studies that could help restore the genomes of Scotland’s endangered ‘Highland tigers’.
Nature News:Asteroid sampler’s hypersonic return thrilled scientists: here’s what they learnt
Nature News:How to keep wildcats wild: ancient DNA offers fresh insights
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Wed, 08 Nov 2023 - 27min - 752 - Nature's Take: How will ChatGPT and generative AI transform research?
In the past year, generative AIs have been taking the world by storm. ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E and more, are changing the nature of how content is produced. In science, they could help transform and streamline publishing. However, they also come with plenty of risks.
In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss how these AIs are impacting science and what the future might hold.
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Fri, 03 Nov 2023 - 30min - 751 - A new hydrogel can be directly injected into muscle to help it regenerate
In this episode:
00:46 An injectable gel for healing muscles
Severe muscle injury can be debilitating, with long recuperation periods. Now, researchers have developed a material that can be directly injected into injured muscle, helping to stimulate and heal damaged tissue. The team showed this approach could rapidly restore walking ability in severely injured rats and regenerate muscles within four weeks. They hope that this solution could one day help humans with similar injuries, and overcome some of the limitations of current recuperation strategies.
Research article:Jin et al.
News and Views:Hydrogel implant rehabilitates muscles through electrical stimulation
10:02 Research Highlights
Ancient human genomes fill in a missing link between Europe’s first humans and later arrivals, and how ferns are inspiring pest-resistant crops.
Research Highlight:Ancient DNA reveals traces of elusive first humans in Europe
Research Highlight:Fierce ferns make insect-fighting proteins
12:43 Briefing Chat
Largest release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes shows promise at controlling dengue, and the genes that explain why starfish aren’t so symmetrical.
Nature News:Dengue rates drop after release of modified mosquitoes in Colombia
Video:How would a starfish wear trousers? Science has an answer
Research Article:Formery et al.
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Wed, 01 Nov 2023 - 23min - 750 - Audio long read: Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
For decades, BMI — calculated by dividing weight by height squared — has been as an international standard to determine healthy weights.
However, BMI does not measure body fat, and ignores many other factors that can affect how healthy someone it.
Now, a small but growing movement of reseachers and clinicians are calling for other metrics to be used in conjunction with BMI when diagnosing and treating obesity.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
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Mon, 30 Oct 2023 - 11min - 749 - Martian sounds reveal the secrets of the red planet's core
For years, researchers have been listening to Mars and the quakes that ripple through it, to understand the planet's internal structure and uncover its history. But often these results have left more questions than answers. Now, though, new research published in Nature reveals the composition and size of Mars's core, finding that it is much smaller than previously thought.
Research Article:Khan et al.
Research Article:Samuel et al.
News and Views:Deep Mars is surprisingly soft
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Fri, 27 Oct 2023 - 13min - 748 - Sounds of recovery: AI helps monitor wildlife during forest restoration
In this episode:
00:47 An automated way to monitor wildlife recovery
To prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team have collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.
Research article:Müller et al.
12:30 Research Highlights
Researchers develop algae-based living materials that glow when squeezed, and a 50-million-year-old bat skull that suggests echolocation was an ancient skill.
Research Highlight:Give these ‘living composite’ objects a squeeze and watch them glow
Research Highlight:Fossilized skull shows that early bats had modern sonar
15:11 Briefing Chat
A brain imaging study reveals how high-fat foods exert their powerful pull, and how being asleep doesn’t necessarily cut you off from the outside world.
Nature News:Deep asleep? You can still follow simple commands, study finds
Nature News:Milkshake neuroscience: how the brain nudges us toward fatty foods
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Wed, 25 Oct 2023 - 25min - 747 - An anti-CRISPR system that helps save viruses from destruction
In this episode:
00:47 An RNA-based viral system that mimics bacterial immune defences
To protect themselves against viral infection, bacteria often use CRISPR-Cas systems to identify and destroy an invading virus’s genetic material. But viruses aren’t helpless and can deploy countermeasures, known as anti-CRISPRs, to neutralise host defences. This week, a team describe a new kind of anti-CRISPR system, based on RNA, which protects viruses by mimicking part of the CRISPR-Cas system. The researchers hope that this discovery could have future biotechnology applications, including making CRISPR-Cas genome editing more precise.
Research article:Camara-Wilpert et al.
09:05 Research Highlights
Carved inscriptions suggest a queen named Thyra was the most powerful person in Viking-age Denmark, and the discovery of a puffed-up exoplanet that has just 1.5% the density of Earth.
Research Highlight:Runes on Viking stones speak to an ancient queen’s power
Research Highlight:‘Super-puff’ planet is one of the fluffiest worlds ever found
11:38 Modelling the future of Greenland’s ice sheet melt
Climate-change induced melting of Greenland’s vast ice sheet would contribute to 7m of sea level rise. But it has been difficult to calculate how the ice sheet will respond to future warming. This week, a team suggest that abrupt ice loss is likely if the global mean temperature is between 1.7 °C and 2.3 °C above pre-industrial levels. Keeping temperature rise below 1.5 °C could mitigate ice loss, if done within a few centuries, but even a short overshoot of the estimated threshold could lead to several metres of sea-level rise.
Research article:Bochow et al.
17:50 Briefing Chat
A massive reproducibility exercise reveals over 200 ecologists get wildly-diverging results from the same data, and how melting simulated lunar-dust with lasers could help pave the Moon.
Nature News:Reproducibility trial: 246 biologists get different results from same data sets
Nature News:How to build Moon roads using focused beams of sunlight
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Wed, 18 Oct 2023 - 30min - 746 - Gene edits move pig organs closer to human transplantation
In this episode:
00:46 Engineered pig kidneys show transplantation promise
Kidneys from genetically-engineered miniature pigs have been transplanted into non-human primates, in some cases keeping the animals alive for more than a year. Using CRISPR, a team made dozens of edits to the pig genome to prevent the monkeys’ immune system from attacking the organs. They also removed pig retrovirus genes that could represent an infection risk. These steps are necessary if pig organs are to be used in human transplants, something many clinicians and researchers think will be needed to overcome a critical shortage of organs for transplantation.
Research article:Anand et al.
News and Views: Pig-to-primate organ transplants require genetic modifications of donor
Nature News:The most-complex gene edits yet move pig organs closer to human transplant
09:02 Research Highlights
How babies’ nasal immune systems could explain why they tend to have mild cases of COVID-19, and the molecular ‘glue’ that allows 3D printing with challenging materials.
Research Highlight:How the littlest children stop SARS-CoV-2 in its tracks
Research Highlight:3D printing tackles tricky materials with help from tiny crystals
11:35 Briefing Chat
This time, the discovery that the human brain uses one system for estimating whether a group contains four or fewer items, and a different one for when there are five or more. Plus, we discuss how researchers fixed the Euclid telescope’s wobbles.
Nature News:Your brain finds it easy to size up four objects but not five — here’s why
Nature News:‘Immense relief’: Universe-mapping Euclid telescope fixes problem that threatened mission
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Wed, 11 Oct 2023 - 21min - 745 - 'This doesn't just fall on women': computer scientists reflect on gender biases in STEM
In this Podcast Extra, two computer scientists, Shobhana Narasimhan and Sana Odeh, join Nature's Anne Pichon to discuss the barriers that women and gender-diverse people still face when working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
They share their experiences and perspectives on the challenges facing women in research, and reflect on potential ways to move forward.
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Tue, 10 Oct 2023 - 14min - 744 - Astronomers are worried by a satellite brighter than most stars
In this episode:
00:45 A bright satellite is concerning researchers
Satellites reflect sunlight down to Earth, and some do so with such intensity it risks obscuring astronomers' observations from ground-based telescopes. A paper in Nature suggests that the telecommunications satellite called BlueWalker 3 at times outshines most stars visible from Earth. Astronomers worry about the increasing number of such bright satellites making astronomy more difficult, and so the team suggest that future launches should undergo impact assessments.
Research article:Nandakumar et al.
Nature News:Huge new satellite outshines nearly every star in the sky
09:27 Research Highlights
Analysis of carrot genomes reveals how the vegetable got its orange hue, and the self-healing diamond that can fix microscopic fractures.
Research article:Coe et al.
Research Highlight:Crack this kind of diamond, and it heals itself
11:47 The last meal of a 400-million-year-old trilobite
Trilobites are a group of extinct marine arthropods distantly related to animals like crabs and spiders. Although found throughout the fossil record, little is known about the lives of this diverse group of animals. Now, a team has used powerful x-rays to peer inside a trilobite fossil and uncovered the contents of its last meal, over 400-million-years ago. This animal appears to have been an unfussy scavenger, gorging itself on a variety of small, shelled animals.
Research article:Kraft et al.
22:20 Nobel News
Flora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel Prizes.
Nature News:Pioneers of mRNA COVID vaccines win medicine Nobel
Nature News:Physicists who built ultrafast ‘attosecond’ lasers win Nobel Prize
Nature News:Tiny ‘quantum dot’ particles win chemistry Nobel
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Wed, 04 Oct 2023 - 33min - 743 - Audio long read: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Australia's swamp tortoise is one of the most endangered species in the world. This species lives in wetlands that are under threat due to rising temperatures and a reduction in rainfall.
In an effort to save the tortoise, researchers are trialling a controversial strategy called assisted migration. This approach has seen captive-bred tortoises released in other wetlands some 330 kilometres south of where they are naturally found. The aim is to see whether the animals can tolerate cooler climates, and whether this new habitat might ensure the species’ future as the planet warms.
While many conservation biologists and land managers have long resisted the idea of assisted migration, attitudes are changing and other projects are beginning to test whether it can protect protect animals at risk from climate change.
This is an audio version of our Feature: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
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Fri, 29 Sep 2023 - 20min - 742 - This isn't the Nature Podcast — how deepfakes are distorting reality
In this episode:
00:45 How to tackle AI deepfakes
It has long been possible to create deceptive images, videos or audio to entertain or mislead audiences. Now, with the rise of AI technologies, such manipulations have become easier than ever. These deepfakes can spread misinformation, defraud people, and damage economies. To tackle this, researchers and companies are developing tools to find and label deepfakes, in an attempt to rob them of their potential to wreak havoc.
News Feature:How to stop AI deepfakes from sinking society — and science
11:17 Research Highlights
Ultra-accurate measurement of Earth’s day-length using lasers, and the insect that amputates its own legs to survive the cold.
Research Highlight:How lasers detect day-length changes of a few milliseconds
Research Highlight:Snow-loving flies amputate their own legs for survival
14:04 Stacked timbers might be evidence of ancient woodworking
Ancient stone tools are well preserved in the archeological record, and are used by researchers to understand the lives of ancient hominins. But other materials like wood are less common, since they will only preserve under specific conditions. Now researchers have found a trove of wooden artefacts in Zambia dated to be around 476,000 old. In particular, stacked timbers from the site could be the earliest known wooden structure, perhaps implying that ancient hominins had a greater capacity for woodworking than previously thought.
Research article:Barham et al.
News & Views:Hominins built with wood 476,000 years ago
Nature News:These ancient whittled logs could be the earliest known wooden structure
22:00 OSIRIS-REx brings haul of asteroid dust and rock back to Earth
This week, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx successfully landed a capsule containing rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu. We talk with reporter Alex Witze, who was on the ground in Utah when the samples landed, to find out what these ancient rocks could reveal about the origins of the Solar System.
Nature News:Special delivery! Biggest-ever haul of asteroid dust and rock returns to Earth
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Wed, 27 Sep 2023 - 30min - 741 - Why does cancer spread to the spine? Newly discovered stem cells might be the key
In this episode:
00:45 A new insight into cancers' selective spread
Cancer cells can spread to bones in the late stages of disease and in many cancers, cells actually preferentially metastasise to the spine. The reason for this has been a puzzle to researchers for years, but now a team has found a new kind of stem cell that may be involved in this process. The stem cell is found in mice and humans and could represent a clinical target in the treatment of cancer.
Research article:Sun et al.
News and Views:Stem cells provide clues to why vertebrae attract tumour cells
09:55 Research Highlights
A preference for certain percussion instruments among palm cockatoos, and modelling where people wait on train platforms.
Research Highlight:This parrot taps out beats — and it custom-builds its instruments
Research Highlight:The maths of how we wait in crowded places
12:29 Briefing Chat
This time, a second trial shows the effectiveness of using MDMA to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, and how an upgrade to an X-ray laser will let researchers make ultra-crisp ‘molecular movies’.
Nature News:Psychedelic drug MDMA moves closer to US approval following success in PTSD trial
Nature News:World’s most powerful X-ray laser will ‘film’ chemical reactions in unprecedented detail
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Wed, 20 Sep 2023 - 23min - 740 - A mussel-inspired glue for more sustainable sticking
In this episode:
00:46 A sustainably-sourced, super-strong adhesive
The modern world is held together by adhesives, but these fossil-fuel derived materials come at an environmental cost. To overcome this, a team have developed a soya-oil based adhesive, which also takes inspiration from the proteins that marine animals like mussels use to stick firmly to rocks. The researchers say their glue is strong, reversible, and less carbon intensive to produce than existing adhesives.
Research article:Westerman et al.
07:43 Research Highlights
Why chemicals derived from wood could be sustainable alternatives to a common plastic building block, and how historical accounts helped researchers estimate the brightness of a 1859 solar flare.
Research Highlight:Wood component yields useful plastics — without the health risks
Research Highlight:A historic solar flare’s huge intensity is revealed by new tools
10:08 New insights into childhood stunting and wasting
Around the world, millions of children are affected by malnutrition, which can result in stunting or wasting, both associated with serious health issues. Despite a widespread recognition of the seriousness of stunting and wasting, there are still questions about their extent, causes and consequences. To answer these, a team have pooled data from previous studies, and show that nutritional interventions targeting the earliest years of life could have the greatest impact.
Research article:Benjamin-Chung et al.
Research article:Mertens et al.
Research article:Mertens et al.
Nature Collection:Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
20:29 Briefing Chat
This time, what rejoining the Horizon Europe research-funding programme means for UK research, and the 1.4-million-year-old stone balls that are mystifying scientists.
Nature News:Scientists celebrate as UK rejoins Horizon Europe research programme
Science:Were these stone balls made by ancient human relatives trying to perfect the sphere?
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Wed, 13 Sep 2023 - 33min - 739 - Our ancestors lost nearly 99% of their population, 900,000 years ago
In this episode:
00:30 Early humans pushed to brink of extinction
Around 900,000 years ago the ancestors of modern humans were pushed to the brink of extinction, according to new research. Genetic studies suggest that the breeding population of our ancestors in Africa dropped to just 1,280 and didn’t expand again for another 117,000 years. This population crash would likely have had an impact on human genetic diversity, and may have driven the evolution of important features of modern humans, such as brain size.
Nature News:Human ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago
3:49 The pollution legacy of Antarctica’s research stations
Poor historical waste practices have left high levels of pollution around Antartica’s research facilities. By surveying the seafloor near Australia’s Casey research station, researchers have revealed high concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals.This pollution is likely to be widespread, but its impact on the continent is unknown.
Nature News:Antarctic research stations have polluted a pristine wilderness
07:43 Melting sea-ice causes catastrophic penguin breeding failure
Persistently low levels of sea-ice around Antarctica have caused emperor penguins to abandon their breeding colonies early, resulting in the death of large numbers of chicks. Although the affected populations only represent a small number of the total emperor penguins on the continent, it’s unclear how they’ll fare if trends in sea-ice melt continue.
Science:Emperor penguins abandon breeding grounds as ice melts around them
09:23 The AI trained to describe smells
Researchers have developed an artificial-intelligence that can describe how compounds smell by analysing their molecular structures. The system’s description of scents are often similar to those of trained human sniffers, and may have applications in the food and perfume industries. Currently the AI works on individual molecules, and is unable to identify the smells associated with complex combinations of molecules, something humans noses do with ease.
Nature:AI predicts chemicals’ smells from their structures
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Wed, 06 Sep 2023 - 13min - 738 - Physicists finally observe strange isotope Oxygen 28 – raising fundamental questions
In this episode:
00:47 First observation of oxygen 28
Oxygen 28 is an isotope of oxygen with 20 neutrons and eight protons. This strange isotope has long been sought after by physicists, as its proposed unusual properties would allow them to put their theories of how atomic nuclei work to the test. Now, after decades of experiments physicists believe they have observed oxygen 28. The observations are at odds with theory predictions, so they imply that there’s a lot more physicists don’t know about the forces that hold atomic nuclei together.
Research article:Kondo et al.
News and Views:Heaviest oxygen isotope is found to be unbound
10:06 Research Highlights
How venus fly traps can protect themselves from wildfires, and a ball-point pen that can ‘write’ LEDs.
Research Highlight:Venus flytraps shut their traps when flames approach
Research Highlight:A rainbow of LEDs adorns objects at the stroke of a pen
12:39 An AI for Drone Racing
AIs have been beating humans at games for years, but in these cases the AI has always trained in exactly the same conditions in which it competes. In chess for example, the board can be simulated exactly. Now though, researchers have demonstrated an AI that can beat humans in a place where simulation can only take you so far, the real world. The Swift AI system is able to race drones against champion-level humans, and beat them most of the time. The researchers hope this research can help improve the efficiency of drones in general.
Research article:Kaufmann et al.
News and Views:Drone-racing champions outpaced by AI
Video:AI finally beats humans at a real-life sport - drone racing
19:51 Briefing Chat
This time, the Indian Space Research Organization’s successful moon landing, and the low level of support offered to researchers whose first language isn’t English by journals.
Nature News:India lands on the Moon! Scientists celebrate as Chandrayaan-3 touches down
Nature News:Scientists who don’t speak fluent English get little help from journals, study finds
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Wed, 30 Aug 2023 - 29min - 737 - Audio long read: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?
Investigations suggest that, in some fields, at least one-quarter of clinical trials might be problematic or even entirely made up. Faked or unreliable trials are dangerous, as they could end up being included in the reviews that help inform clinical treatments. However, the extent of the problem in unclear, and many researchers urge stronger scrutiny.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?
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Fri, 25 Aug 2023 - 26min - 736 - Brain-reading implants turn thoughts into speech
In this episode:
00:47 The brain-computer interfaces that help restore communication
People with certain neurological conditions can lose the ability to speak as a result of facial paralysis. This week, two teams demonstrate the potential of devices called brain-computer interfaces to help people in these situations communicate. These interfaces work by identifying the brain activity associated with the intent to say words, and converting this activity into speech-related outputs, such as text or audio. Both devices show marked improvements compared with previous interfaces, and show that the technology could represent a way to help restore communication to people with severe paralysis.
Research article:Metzger et al.
Research article:Willett et al.
News and Views:Brain implants that enable speech pass performance milestones
11:46 Research Highlights
How wind-tunnel experiments could help athletes run the fastest marathon ever, and an analysis that could help explain why birds are the colours they are.
Research Highlight:Physicists find a way to set a new marathon record
Research Highlight:Which birds are drab and which dazzle? Predators have a say
14:06 How much heat can tropical leaves take?
As the climate warms, tropical forests around the world are facing increasing temperatures. But it’s unknown how much the trees can endure before their leaves start to die. A team has combined multiple data sources to try and answer this question, and suggest that a warming of 3.9 °C would lead to many leaves reaching a tipping point at which photosynthesis breaks down. This scenario would likely cause significant damage to these ecosystems’ role in vital carbon storage and as homes to significant biodiversity.
Research article:Doughty et al.
21:01 Briefing Chat
This time, a reexamination of Ötzi the iceman’s DNA suggests he had a different appearance, and the failure of a Russian mission to the moon.
Nature News:Ötzi the Iceman has a new look: balding and dark-skinned
Nature News:Russian Moon lander crash — what happened, and what’s next?
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Wed, 23 Aug 2023 - 29min - 735 - Fruit flies' ability to sense magnetic fields thrown into doubt
In this episode:
00:49 The search for animals’ magnetic sense sufferers a potential setback
Exactly how animals sense Earth’s magnetic field has long eluded researchers. To understand it, many have turned to the fly model Drosophila melanogaster, long thought to be able to detect magnetic fields. However, a recent Nature paper has raised questions about this ability, a finding that could have repercussions for scientists’ efforts to understand the mechanism behind magnetic sensing, one of the biggest questions in sensory biology.
Research article:Bassetto et al.
News & Views:Replication study casts doubt on magnetic sensing in flies
10:53 Research Highlights
The world’s first filter feeder, and human-caused climate change in the Bronze Age.
Research Highlight:This ancient reptile wanted to be a whale
Research Highlight:Bronze Age deforestation changed Europe’s climate
13:03 An iconic observatory shuts down
This week the famed Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico shut down. The facility’s main telescope collapsed in 2020 and the site has since been battered by storms and pandemic-related shutdowns. Now, with funding exhausted and no clear plan in place, scientists are wondering what will become of the site.
Nature News:Closing down an icon: will Arecibo Observatory ever do science again?
20:28 Briefing Chat
This time, the Standard Model of physics still isn't dead according to new measurements of muons' magnetic moment, and finding the most diverse habitat on Earth under your feet.
Nature News:Dreams of new physics fade with latest muon magnetism result
The Guardian:More than half of Earth’s species live in the soil, study finds
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Wed, 16 Aug 2023 - 31min - 734 - Racism in health: the roots of the US Black maternal mortality crisis
A perfect storm of factors has led to huge racial disparities in maternal healthcare. In the USA, as abortion clinics continue to close, this inequity is projected to widen. In this podcast from Nature and ScientificAmerican, we hear from leading academics unpacking the racism at the heart of the system. From the historical links between slavery and gynaecology to the systematic erasure of America’s Black midwives. What is behind the Black maternal mortality crisis, and what needs to change?
Read more of Nature's coverage of racism in science.
Read full list of sources here
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Thu, 10 Aug 2023 - 44min - 733 - How welcome are refugees in Europe? A giant study has some answers
In this episode:
00:46 A measure of refugees’ welcome in Europe
With repeated humanitarian crises displacing millions of people, researchers have been considering how this might affect acceptance of refugees. Will some refugees be more welcome than others? Will continued movements erode support for refugees overall? To answer these questions, a huge study looks at the attitudes of 33,000 people from 15 European countries towards refugees. They find that overall support for refugees has slightly increased, although some characteristics, such as ability to speak the language of the country they’re settling in, are preferred. They hope this research will help policymakers to respond to stresses on the asylum system.
Research article:Bansak et al.
11:26 Research Highlights
The unusual feeding grounds of the pygmy right whale, and the JWST spots a possible quasar from the early Universe.
Research Highlight:An enigmatic little whale’s habits, from its own mouth
Research Highlight:JWST spots what could be a quasar from the early Universe
13:44 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how designing shapes to roll down wiggly lines has implications for quantum physics, and a settlement for the family of Henrietta Lacks.
Research Article:Sobolev et al.
Video:These shapes roll in peculiar ways thanks to new mathematics
Nature News:How the ‘groundbreaking’ Henrietta Lacks settlement could change research
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Wed, 09 Aug 2023 - 25min - 732 - How to get more women in science, with Athene Donald
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, physicist Athene Donald joins us to discuss her book Not just for the boys, why we need more women in science.
We discuss how science has historically excluded women, the barriers to entry and retention that remain prevalent, and what could be done to improve the situation for female scientists today.
Not Just for the Boys: Why We Need More Women in Science, Athene Donald, Oxford University Press (2023)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images.
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Wed, 02 Aug 2023 - 32min - 731 - Audio long read: Lab mice go wild — making experiments more natural in order to decode the brain
Neuroscientists are creating more naturalistic experiments that they hope will provide a more nuanced understanding of animal — and human — behaviour.
These set-ups differ from the classic laboratory experiments that have been used for decades, and may help in the understanding of behaviours such as escaping a predator or finding scarce food. By studying these natural actions, scientists are hoping to glean lessons about the brain and behaviour that are more holistic and more relevant to everyday activity than ever before.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Lab mice go wild: making experiments more natural in order to decode the brain
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Mon, 31 Jul 2023 - 15min - 730 - Facebook ‘echo chamber’ has little impact on polarized views, according to study
In this episode:
How tweaking social media algorithms affects polarization
Societies are becoming increasingly polarized, with people reportedly shunning those with differing political views. Social media is often thought to be exacerbating these divides, by creating echo chambers and filtering out dissimilar views. Many hoped that tweaking the algorithms that drive these platforms could reduce polarization. But, a group of studies show that such changes have little to no affect on polarization, implying that solutions to this issue are trickier than previously thought.
Research Article:Nyhan et al.
News and Views:Influence of Facebook algorithms on political polarization tested
News:Tweaking Facebook feeds is no easy fix for polarization
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Thu, 27 Jul 2023 - 9min - 729 - AI-enhanced night-vision lets users see in the dark
In this episode:
00:46 How to see in the dark like it’s daytime
There are many methods for better night-vision, but often these rely on enhancing light, which may not be present, or using devices which can interfere with one another. One alternative solution is to use heat, but such infrared sensors struggle to distinguish between different objects. To overcome this, researchers have now combined such sensors with machine learning algorithms to make a system that grants day-like night-vision. They hope it will be useful in technologies such as self-driving cars.
Research article:Bao et al.
News and Views:Heat-assisted imaging enables day-like visibility at night
09:27 Research Highlights
Benjamin Franklin’s anti-counterfeiting money printing techniques, and how much snow is on top of Mount Everest really?
Research Highlight:Ben Franklin: founding father of anti-counterfeiting techniques
Research Highlight:How much snow is on Mount Everest? Scientists climbed it to find out
11:47 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the cost to scientists of English not being their native language, and the mysterious link between COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes.
Nature News:The true cost of science’s language barrier for non-native English speakers
Nature News:As COVID-19 cases rose, so did diabetes — no one knows why
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Wed, 26 Jul 2023 - 21min - 728 - Disrupting snail food-chain curbs parasitic disease in Senegal
In this episode:
00:45 A sustainable solution for schistosomiasis control
Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic disease that affects millions of people, who become infected when they come into contact with contaminated water. To prevent the spread and reinfection of this disease, researchers trialled an environmental intervention that removed plants from lakes in Senegal. These plants act as food for freshwater snails – intermediate hosts for the disease. Results showed that this reduced disease levels, and that the plants could be composted to increase agricultural yields, suggesting this approach could be used to improve health and the economy.
Research article:Rohr et al.
News and Views:A sustainable way to control the parasitic disease schistosomiasis
12:03 Research Highlights
How artificial intelligence can predict the art that people will find memorable, and the protein-based, shock-absorbing gel that can stop projectiles in their tracks.
Research Highlight:Memorable artworks are easy to predict
Research Highlight:Supersonic ‘bullets’ are softly captured by a protein gel
14:52 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, an update on Chandrayaan-3, India’s latest attempt to land a craft on the Moon - and birds that use anti-bird spikes to build nests.
Nature News:India's Moon lander successfully launches — but biggest challenge lies ahead
The Guardian:Crows and magpies using anti-bird spikes to build nests, researchers find
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Wed, 19 Jul 2023 - 24min - 727 - ChatGPT can write a paper in an hour — but there are downsides
In this episode:
00:23 Using ChatGPT to generate a research paper from scratch
A pair of scientists have produced a research paper in less than an hour with the help of the generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT. The aim of this exercise was to explore the technology’s ability to act as a research ‘co-pilot’ and spark debate about its use. While AI tools like ChatGPT have the potential to speed up research, it is still unclear what role they should play in research.
Nature News:Scientists used ChatGPT to generate an entire paper from scratch — but is it any good?
06:28 Last week saw the world’s hottest day on record – twice
On Monday last week the average worldwide temperature reached 17.01 °C, beating a record set in 2016. Then, on Tuesday that record was broken again, as average temperatures hit 17.18 °C. Further record-breaking days may follow this year as a result of climate change, and the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is expected to strengthen in the coming months.
Bloomberg:Earth Keeps Breaking Temperature Records Due to Global Warming
Nature News:El Niño is here — how bad will it be?
10:03 Anti-ageing protein boosts monkey memories
Injecting monkeys with the naturally occurring protein klotho can improve their cognition. Previous work had shown that elevated levels of the enzyme could improve cognitive functions in mice, now researchers have shown that injecting klotho into old rhesus macaques caused them to perform better in memory-related tasks. While the mechanism behind this effect is unclear, it’s hoped that the finding could ultimately lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in humans.
Nature News:Anti-ageing protein injection boosts monkeys’ memories
Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast onApple Podcasts,Google Podcasts,Spotifyor your favourite podcast app.An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.
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Wed, 12 Jul 2023 - 14min - 726 - Even a 'minimal cell' can grow stronger, thanks to evolution
In this episode:
00:46 The effects of evolution on a minimal genome
In 2016, researchers created a ‘minimal cell’ bacterium with a genome that only contains genes essential for the organism's survival. Any mutation in these genes could be fatal, so it was unclear whether there could be scope for evolution. But now, a team has grown this bacterium through 2,000 generations and shown that it does have the ability to evolve and can recover from some of the fitness costs associated with its streamlined genome.
Research article:Moger-Reischer et al.
09:21 Research Highlights
Dolphins use ‘baby talk’ when talking to their offspring, and how microwaving plastic containers can release microplastic particles.
Research Highlight:Dolphin mums whistle ‘baby talk’ with their calves
Research Highlight:What happens when you microwave that plastic bowl?
12:18 The first hints of giant gravitational waves
Gravitational waves were first detected in 2015, when two black holes collided — sending ripples in space-time across the Universe. Last week, four separate research collaborations found signatures of a wholly different kind of gravitational wave, with unknown origins. Nature’s Davide Castelvecchi explains how these waves were detected, and what this could mean for researchers’ understanding of black holes and the history of the cosmos.
Nature News:Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time
Nature News:Giant gravitational waves: why scientists are so excited
20:01 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, new vaccine to protect Tasmanian devils against a deadly contagious cancer, and the ‘paradoxical’ palm that flowers and fruits underground.
Nature News:Tasmanian devil cancer vaccine approved for testing
The Guardian:‘Mind-boggling’ palm that flowers and fruits underground thrills scientists
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023 - 29min - 725 - Audio long read: ‘Almost magical’ — chemists can now move single atoms in and out of a molecule’s core
In the past two years, there has been an explosion in the number of papers published relating to 'skeletal editing', a technique that allows chemists to precisely edit a molecule by deleting, adding or swapping single atoms in its core.
Although many of these methods are early in development, researchers hope skeletal editing could revolutionize how organic chemists design molecules, dramatically speeding up the drug-discovery process.
This is an audio version of our Feature: ‘Almost magical’: chemists can now move single atoms in and out of a molecule’s core
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Fri, 30 Jun 2023 - 19min - 724 - Do octopuses dream? Neural activity resembles human sleep stages
In this episode:
00:46 Inside the brains of sleeping octopuses
Researchers have probed the brains of octopuses and confirmed previous reports suggesting that these invertebrates have a two-stage sleep cycle similar to that seen in many vertebrates. The team suggests this system may have evolved independently in the two groups, as there are millions of years of evolutionary history between them. However, despite its presumed importance, it is a mystery why this system exists at all.
Research article:Pophale et al.
Nature Video:Do octopuses dream? Brain recordings provide the first clues
10:37 Research Highlights
A huge volcano eruption that caused the most extreme lightning ever recorded, and a paper-inspired fabric that can keep you warm and cool.
Research Highlight:Underwater volcano triggered the most intense lightning ever recorded
Research Highlight:Fabric warms or cools the body at the flick of a switch
13:03 A hormone associated with more effective weight loss
Calorie-restricted diets often lead to rapid weight loss at first, but over time this can slow, or even reverse. This is due to the body adapting; slowing its metabolism to use energy more efficiently. Now though, researchers have identified a key hormone in mice that seems to prevent this slowdown, which could prove useful for people who wish to lose weight.
Research article:Wang et al.
20:02 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the robot raspberry that teaches fruit-picking machines how to harvest, and an exoplanet without an atmosphere.
Nature Communications:Junge et al.
Nature Video:A robotic raspberry teaches machines how to pick fruit
Nature News:Life in the cosmos: JWST hints at lower number of habitable planets
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Wed, 28 Jun 2023 - 30min - 723 - Why bladder cancer cells that shed their Y chromosome become more aggressive
In this episode:
00:45 Why losing the Y chromosome makes bladder cancer more aggressive
Loss of the Y chromosome in bladder cancer cells is associated with increased severity of disease, but the reasons behind this have been unclear. Now researchers show that the loss of this chromosome helps tumour cells evade the immune system. However, this mechanism also makes the cells more vulnerable to certain chemotherapy treatments, and the researchers hope their findings could help improve outcomes for patients in the future.
Research article:Abdel-Hafiz et al.
07:30 Research Highlights
How pollution particles ferry influenza virus deep into the lungs, and why artificial lights could dazzle glow worms into extinction.
Research Highlight:Flu virus hitches a ride with haze particles deep into the lung
Research Highlight:Glow-worms’ ‘come-hither’ signals are lost in the glare of human lights
10:10 Engineering synthetic cartilage
The cartilage in our joints is able to withstand and dissipate a lifetime of impacts, protecting our bones and muscles from damage. But the mechanical properties of cartilage have made it difficult to mimic, and developing synthetic cartilage to replace damaged tissue has proved challenging. Now a team has developed a protein-based material that shares some of cartilage’s characteristics, and shown its potential in helping heal damaged tissue.
Research article:Fu et al.
17:44 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how early magnetic minerals might help explain why nature shows a preference for the ‘left handed’ or ‘right handed’ versions of certain molecules, and how human’s thirst for groundwater has made the North Pole drift.
Science:‘Breakthrough’ could explain why life molecules are left- or right-handed
Nature News:Rampant groundwater pumping has changed the tilt of Earth’s axis
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Wed, 21 Jun 2023 - 29min - 722 - What IBM's result means for quantum computing
In this episode:
00:47 How to make quantum computers ready for real world applications
Quantum computers have long held the promise of being able to perform tasks that classical computers can’t. However, despite this promise, there have been few applications that can only be accomplished by a quantum computer. Now though, researchers show that a quantum computer can resolve a physics problem concerning the orientation of quantum particles in a 2D material, which is difficult to accomplish with a ‘regular’ machine. They hope that this shows how quantum computers could be applied in real world research applications in the near future.
Nature News:IBM quantum computer passes calculation milestone
Research article:Kim et al.
News and Views:Quantum computer scales up by mitigating errors
10:11 Research Highlights
How some bacteria turned their defences into weapons, and a forecast of how quickly arctic sea ice will disappear.
Research Highlight:Cholera bacteria turn slime into an offensive weapon
Research Highlight:The Arctic could go ice-free in less than a decade
12:45 How psychedelics might work in the brain
Psychedelics are a group of drugs that affect perceptions of consciousness, and are of increasing interest in the treatment of conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. However, a lot is unknown about how they affect the brain. Now, researchers have shown that these varied drugs may have a shared mechanism: making the brain more able to forge new connections between synapses. They hope that this will inform how best to use psychedelics in treatments.
Research article:Nardou et al.
News and Views:Timing is key for behavioural benefits of psychedelics
20:17 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time a study showing that the energy drink additive taurine increases the lifespans of several animals, and how much reformatting research papers is costing science.
Nature News:Taurine supplement makes animals live longer — what it means for people is unclear
Nature News:Revealed: the millions of dollars in time wasted making papers fit journal guidelines
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Wed, 14 Jun 2023 - 29min - 721 - A brain circuit for infanticide, in mice
In this episode:
00:46 The mouse brain circuit controlling infanticidal behaviour
In mammals, infanticide is a relatively common behaviour, but not a default one. For example, virgin female mice will often kill young produced by other females, but this behaviour disappears when they become mothers themselves. To understand this switch, researchers have identified a brain circuit associated with infanticidal behaviour that gets switched off after mice give birth. They hope that by better understanding this circuit it could inform why animals engage in such behaviours.
Research article:Mei et al.
Research Briefing:A battle between neural circuits for infanticide and maternal-care behaviours
08:11 Research Highlights
The cyclone raging at the north pole of Uranus, and the ants that build landmarks to help them find their way home.
Research Highlight:A storm is whirling atop Uranus
Research Highlight:These hardy ants build their own landmarks in the desert
10:52 Getting to the source of fast solar wind
The sun produces streams of plasma called solar wind that stretch out and provide a protective bubble around the solar system. However, despite decades of study, there’s much that isn’t known about how the Sun makes it. Now, a team has used data from the Parker Solar Probe and shown that the source of one sort of wind, known as ‘fast solar wind’, appears to be due to colliding magnetic fields that produce the huge amount of energy needed to fire plasma away from the Sun.
Research article:Bale et al.
Research reveals system underlying behaviour change towards young
17:50 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time the origins of patriarchal societies, and the tiling pattern that never repeats itself.
BBC Futures:How did patriarchy actually begin?
Nature News:This infinite tiling pattern could end a 60-year mathematical quest
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Wed, 07 Jun 2023 - 31min - 720 - AI identifies gene interactions to speed up search for treatment targets
In this episode:
00:46 An AI that predicts gene interactions
Mapping the network of genes that control cellular processes can be difficult to do when gene-expression data is sparse, such as in rare diseases or those affecting tissues that are hard to clinically sample. To overcome this, a team has developed an artificial intelligence system trained on a large, general dataset, and used it to make predictions about gene interactions in data-limited situations. As a test-case they look at the heart condition cardiomyopathy, and show that the system can identify potential interactions that could represent new therapeutic targets.
Research article:Theodoris et al.
09:08 Research Highlights
Microbes that can break down persistent ‘forever chemicals’, and why intermolecular distances are the key to keeping gummy sweets chewy.
Research Highlight:Microbes take the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals’
Research Highlight:Better gummy sweets are within reach, thanks to physics
12:06 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how chronic stress can inflame the gut, and understanding how rocket launches might impact wildlife.
Nature News:Chronic stress can inflame the gut — now scientists know why
Nature News:Does the roar of rocket launches harm wildlife? These scientists seek answers
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Wed, 31 May 2023 - 21min - 719 - Audio long read: Can giant surveys of scientists fight misinformation on COVID, climate change and more?
Shocked by the impact of online misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers are launching efforts to survey scientists’ thinking on issues from vaccine safety to climate change. They hope that their projects will make scientific debate, and degrees of consensus, more visible and transparent, benefiting public conversation and policymaking. However, others suggest that these attempts might merely further politicize public debate.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Can giant surveys of scientists fight misinformation on COVID, climate change and more?
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Fri, 26 May 2023 - 17min - 718 - ‘Tree islands’ give oil-palm plantation a biodiversity boost
In this episode:
00:45 Tree islands bring biodiversity benefits for oil-palm plantation
Global demand for palm oil has resulted in huge expansion of the palm plantations needed to produce it, causing widespread tropical deforestation and species loss. To address this, researchers planted islands of native trees among the palms in a large plantation, and showed that this approach increases ecosystem health, without affecting crop yields. The team say that while protecting existing tropical rainforests should remain a priority, tree islands represent a promising way to restore ecosystems.
Research article:Zemp et al.
09:42 Research Highlights
The oldest identified ‘blueprints’ depict vast hunting traps with extraordinary precision, and fossil evidence that pliosaurs swimming the Jurassic seas may have been as big as whales.
Research Highlight:Oldest known ‘blueprints’ aided human hunters 9,000 years ago
Research Highlight:This gigantic toothy reptile terrorized the Jurassic oceans
12:08 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how shredded nappies could partially replace sand in construction, and how CRISPR helped crack the mystery of the death cap mushrooms’s deadly toxin.
Nature News:World’s first house made with nappy-blended concrete
Nature News:Deadly mushroom poison might now have an antidote — with help from CRISPR
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Wed, 24 May 2023 - 23min - 717 - JWST shows an ancient galaxy in stunning spectroscopic detail
In this episode:
00:46 What JWST has revealed about an ancient galaxy
Researchers have pointed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at JD1, one of the universe's most distant known galaxies. The power of JWST has filled in some of the gaps in what was known about the galaxy, giving greater insight into its age, structure and composition. The team behind the work hope that learning more about how early galaxies like JD1 formed will help explain how the universe evolved into its present state.
Research article:Roberts-Borsani et al.
10:09 Research Highlights
Why your choice of soap might make you irresistible to mosquitoes, and how tardigrade-inspired claws help tiny robots cling to blood-vessels.
Research Highlight:Your favourite soap might turn you into a mosquito magnet
Research Highlight:Claws like a tardigrade’s give swimming microrobots a grip
12:34 How coral reef fish evolved to grow more quickly
Fish that live in coral reefs are some of the fastest growing in the world, despite the environment they live in being relatively nutrient poor. This contradiction has long puzzled researchers, but now, a team has looked deep into the evolutionary history of the fish and discovered a critical point in time when they shifted towards faster growth, much earlier than was previously thought.
Research article:Siqueira et al.
21:29 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the first frog thought to pollinate flowers, and a field-trial to vaccinate wild koalas against chlamydia.
Scientific American:This Frog May Be the First Amphibian Known to Pollinate Flowers
Associated Press:Koalas are dying from chlamydia. A new vaccine effort is trying to save them
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Wed, 17 May 2023 - 30min - 716 - Nature's Take: Can Registered Reports help tackle publication bias?
Many researchers have been critical of the biases that the publication process can introduce into science. For example, they argue that a focus on publishing interesting or significant results can give a false impression of what broader research is finding about a particular field.
To tackle this, some scientists have championed the publication of Registered Reports. These articles split the peer review process in two, first critically assessing the methodology of a research study before data is collected, and again when the results are found. The idea being to encourage robust research regardless of the outcome.
In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss Nature's recent adoption of the format, the pros and cons of Registered Reports, and what more needs to be done to tackle publication bias.
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Fri, 12 May 2023 - 26min - 715 - ‘Pangenome’ aims to capture the breadth of human diversity
In this episode:
00:45 Making a more diverse human genome
The first draft of the human genome ushered in a new era of genetics research. Since its publication, researchers have constructed ever more accurate ‘reference genomes’ – baselines against which others are compared. But these are based on the DNA of a small number of people, and don’t represent the genetic variation known to exist across human populations. To address this, a consortium of researchers have published the first draft of a ‘pangenome’, which combines the genomes of 47 genetically diverse individuals. This draft provides a more complete picture of the human genome, and is the starting point for a project that aims to include sequences from 350 individuals.
Research article:Liao et al.
Research article:Vollger et al.
Research article:Guarracino et al.
News and Views Forum:Human pangenome supports analysis of complex genomic regions
08:33 Research Highlights
A wearable sensor that lets users see infrared light, and how a vulture’s culture can influence its dining habits.
Research Highlight:Wearable sensor gives a glimpse of ‘invisible’ light
Research Highlight:What drives a scavenger’s diet? Vulture culture
11:06 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a new phosphate-storing organelle found in fruit fly cells, and how extracted DNA revealed who held a deer-tooth pendant 20,000 years ago.
Nature News:New cellular ‘organelle’ discovered inside fruit-fly intestines
Nature News:Prehistoric pendant’s DNA reveals the person who held it
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Wed, 10 May 2023 - 21min - 714 - Menopause and women’s health: why science needs to catch up
In this episode:
00:47 A focus on women’s health
Nature’s Kerri Smith and Heidi Ledford join us to discuss two Features published in Nature looking at topics surrounding women’s health. The first looks at efforts to understand how menopause affects brain health, while the second takes a deep-dive into research funding and shows how conditions affecting women more than men receive less money.
Feature:How menopause reshapes the brain
Feature:Women’s health research lacks funding – these charts show how
18:15 Research Highlights
The herb that could be a new source of cannabinoid compounds, and the vibrating crystal that confirms Schrödinger’s cat.
Research Highlight:Old and new cannabis compounds are found in an African herb
Research Highlight:Schrödinger’s cat is verified by a vibrating crystal
20:34 The planet swallowed by a star
Stars have a finite lifespan, and for many their fate is to expand as they reach the end of their lives. It’s long been speculated that these growing stars will consume any planets in their way, but this process has never been seen directly. Now though, a chance observation led to a team catching a dying star in the act of eating a Jupiter-like planet in the distant Milky Way.
Research article:De et al.
30:25 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a clearer image of the supermassive black hole M87*, and how elephant seals catch some shut-eye while diving.
Nature News:Black-hole image reveals details of turmoil around the abyss
New York Times:Elephant Seals Take Power Naps During Deep Ocean Dives
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Wed, 03 May 2023 - 40min - 713 - Audio long read: Conquering Alzheimer’s — a look at the therapies of the future
Last year, researchers announced that the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab lowered the amount of amyloid protein plaques associated with the disease in the brains of participants in a clinical trial, and slowed their cognitive decline.
Now, researchers are looking to drug combinations, vaccines and gene therapy to tackle different stages of the disease, as they forge the next generation of treatments for the condition.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Conquering Alzheimer’s: a look at the therapies of the future
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Fri, 28 Apr 2023 - 17min - 712 - How Rosalind Franklin’s story was rewritten
In this episode:
00:57 Franklin’s real role
When it comes to the structure of DNA, everyone thinks they know Rosalind Franklin’s role in its discovery. The story goes that her crucial data was taken by James Watson without her knowledge, helping him and Francis Crick solve the structure. However, new evidence has revealed that this wasn’t really the case. Rosalind Franklin was not a ‘wronged heroine’, she was an equal contributor to the discovery.
Comment:What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
13:41 Research Highlights
How the growth of tiny iodine-engined satellites could damage the ozone layer, and how a pill-like detector that could measure radiotherapy dosages.
Research Highlight:How CubeSats could harm the ozone layer
Research Highlight:An easy-to-swallow pill monitors X-ray dosage
16:06 Why multisensory experiences can make stronger memories
It’s recognized that multisensory experiences can create strong memories and that later-on, a single sensory experience can trigger memories of the whole event, like a specific smell conjuring a visual memory. But the neural mechanisms behind this are not well understood. Now, a team has shown that rich sensory experiences can create a direct neural circuit between the memory regions of fruit fly brains. This circuit increases memory strength in the flies, and helps explain how sense and memories are interlinked.
Research article:Okray et al.
23:44 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how video calls could help parrots feel less isolated, and a new method for recycling wind turbine blades.
The Guardian:Parrots taught to video call each other become less lonely, finds research
Nature Video:How to recycle a wind turbine in a test tube
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Wed, 26 Apr 2023 - 33min - 711 - A smarter way to melt down plastics?
In this episode:
00:45 A new method to break down plastic polymers
Plastic waste is an enormous problem, with much of it being incinerated or ending up in landfill. One way to give plastics another life is to break them down into their individual components using heat, but this method yields low amounts of usable product. Now, a team demonstrates a proof-of-concept method of heating that wicks the plastic like a candle through a layer of carbon material. They show that this method is more efficient and could be an additional way of breaking down waste plastics.
Research article:Dong et al.
08:48 Research Highlights
Physicists model the best way to soar on a playground swing, and how wearing ‘perfume’ helps male orchid bees find a mate.
Research Highlight:Physicists’ advice on how to swing high at the playground
Research Highlight:Better than Chanel: perfumed male bees draw more mates
11:20 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the runaway supermassive black hole that’s racing through the cosmos, and the bizarre genomes of yellow crazy ants.
Scientific American:Astronomers Spy a Giant Runaway Black Hole’s Starry Wake
Nature News:Crazy ants’ strange genomes are a biological first
Help us win a People’s Voice award in this year’s Webbies
Vote for How the Black Death got its start in the ‘Best Individual Episode: Science & Education’ category.
Vote for Racism in Health: the harms of biased medicine in the ‘Limited-Series & Specials: Health, Science & Education’ category.
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Wed, 19 Apr 2023 - 21min - 710 - How to battle misinformation with Sander van der Linden
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, psychologist Sander van der Linden joins us to discuss his new book Foolproof, which focuses on misinformation and what can be done to prevent people being duped, particularly by the falsehoods found online.
We discuss how misinformation messages are crafted, why they can be hard to shake once someone is exposed, and how Star Wars: Episode 3 helped in the fight against them…
Foolproof, Sander van der Linden, Fourth Estate (2023)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images.
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Fri, 14 Apr 2023 - 24min - 709 - Octopuses hunt by 'tasting' with their suckers
00:44 The unusual receptors that let octopuses hunt by touch
Researchers have shown that the suckers of octopuses are covered with specialised receptors that allow them to taste by touching things. Similar receptors are also found in squid, but there are differences that mirror differences in the animals’ hunting behaviours; while octopuses feel for their prey, squid pull things towards themselves before deciding whether or not to eat it.
Research article:Kang et al.
Research article:Allard et al.
Nature video:How octopuses taste with their arms
08:48 Research Highlights
How climate change has been linked to a devastating avalanche in the Italian Alps, and evidence of hallucinogenic drug use in prehistoric Europe.
Research Highlight:A glacier’s catastrophic collapse is linked to global warming
Research Highlight:Hair buried in a cave shows hallucinogen use in ancient Europe
11:31 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what climate scientists can learn from medieval descriptions of lunar eclipses; how to retrieve rock samples from the surface of Mars; and the ongoing debate about whether T. rex had lips.
Nature News:Medieval accounts of eclipses shine light on massive volcanic eruptions
Nature News:Mars rocks await a ride to Earth — can NASA deliver?
Nature News:Facelift for T. rex: analysis suggests teeth were covered by thin lips
Help us win a People’s Voice award in this year’s Webbies
Vote for How the Black Death got its start in the‘Best Individual Episode: Science & Education’ category.
Vote for Racism in Health: the harms of biased medicine in the‘Limited-Series & Specials: Health, Science & Education’ category.
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Wed, 12 Apr 2023 - 27min - 708 - Giant black-hole pair from the early Universe gives clues to how galaxies form
00:46 A pair of supermassive black holes in the distant universe
Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of galaxies across the universe. But observations of galaxies with more than one – caused by the merging of two galaxies – have been rare. Now, researchers have combined data from a number of telescopes and satellites, to reveal a pair of supermassive blackholes farther from Earth than any pair detected previously. They hope this will offer insights into how galaxies form.
Research article:Chen et al.
News and Views:Distant supermassive black holes spotted in galaxy merger
10:53 Research Highlights
Why appetite can increase after dieting, and gliding mammals’ flight-associated genes.
Research Highlight:Can’t keep off lost weight? Blame your ‘hunger cells’
Research Highlight:How gliding mammals developed the flaps for ‘flight’
13:35 A clinical trial of an AI heart assessor
A team of researchers and clinicians report results of a clinical trial designed to test the ability of an AI to accurately interpret echocardiogram images – a technique frequently used to assess heart health. The results showed that the AI was as good at measuring a metric of cardiac function as a trained human, but was able to speed up the diagnosing process, suggesting this method could play a role in improving healthcare in future.
Research article:He et al.
20:42 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, we hear the ultrasonic sounds that stressed plants make, and discuss a 3D printed glass made from amino acids.
Nature News:Stressed plants ‘cry’ — and some animals can probably hear them
Nature News:3D-printable glass is made from proteins and biodegrades
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Wed, 05 Apr 2023 - 31min - 707 - Audio long read: What Turkey’s earthquake tells us about the science of seismic forecasting
Last month, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing an estimated 50,000 people. Two decades ago, researchers suggested that an earthquake in this area was likely, but exactly where and when it would strike were unknown.
This shows both the promise — and limitations — of the science of earthquake forecasting. Years of research suggest that it may be impossible to predict exactly when an earthquake will occur. As a result, many in the field have now shifted to identifying high risk fault segments to help policymakers take steps to avoid death and destruction.
This is an audio version of our Feature: What Turkey’s earthquake tells us about the science of seismic forecasting
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Fri, 31 Mar 2023 - 11min - 706 - Bacterial ‘syringes’ could inject drugs directly into human cells
00:48 Tiny syringes for drug delivery
A team of researchers have repurposed tiny syringe-like structures produced by some bacteria to deliver molecules directly into human cells. They hope that this method could be used to overcome a big challenge in modern medicine, namely ensuring that therapeutics are delivered into the precise cells that need to be treated.
Research article:Kreitz et al.
News and Views:Mix-and-match tools for protein injection into cells
07:05 Research Highlights
A diamond-like material could protect spacecraft from intense radiation, and how gene editing could help in the treatment of a rare genetic condition.
Research Highlight:A gem of a material could provide a shield for spacecraft
Research Highlight:Gene editing holds promise for babies with deadly immune disease
09:30 Chronic pain
Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide and it can be debilitating. Research into the condition has come a long way in the past few years, but this knowledge hasn’t necessarily resulted in better outcomes for those with chronic pain. Nature’s Lucy Odling-Smee has written a Feature article on the topic, and she joined us to discuss why this disparity exists, and about her own experiences of chronic pain.
News Feature:Chronic pain: the long road to discovery
Resources for chronic pain:https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-pain;https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/pain/ways-to-manage-chronic-pain/
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out. You can find help through a suicide-prevention line: see https://findahelpline.com for information.
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Wed, 29 Mar 2023 - 24min - 705 - How to make driverless cars safer — expose them to lots of dangerous drivers
00:46 A new test to get autonomous vehicles on the road
Truly autonomous vehicles, ones that don't require a driver to be present and are driven by AI, aren't yet safe for public use. Part of the reason for this is it has been difficult to train them to deal with rare dangerous situations. Now researchers are unveiling a new approach to present lots of these infrequent events to the AI very rapidly, speeding up the training and testing process.
Research Article:Feng et al.
News and Views:Hazards help autonomous cars to drive safely
Video:The driving test for driverless cars
08:23 Research Highlights
How bird-flu is adapting to mammals, and the effect of negative headlines.
Research Highlight:Bird-flu virus makes itself at home in Canada’s foxes and skunks
Research Highlight:It’s bad! Awful! Negative headlines draw more readers
10:43 Why bat research is taking off
Bats are known to tolerate a lot of viruses that are deadly to humans without much issue. With the ongoing pandemic, this has driven researchers to dive more into the world of bats in the hopes of applying bats' tolerance to humans. Reporter Smriti Mallapaty has been writing about this renewed interest and she joined us to tell us more.
News Feature:Bats live with dozens of nasty viruses — can studying them help stop pandemics?
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Wed, 22 Mar 2023 - 19min - 704 - How to build a virus-proof cell
00:47 An edited genetic code that prevents viral infection
Researchers have engineered bacteria with synthetic genomes to be immune to viral infection. The team streamlined the bacteria’s genetic code, and re-engineered the protein-producing machinery to insert the wrong amino acid if used by a virus, effectively making the bacteria ‘speak’ a different language to any invaders. It’s hoped that this technique could be used to reduce unwanted sharing of genes from modified organisms.
Research article:Nyerges et al.
News & Views:Synthetic bacterial genome upgraded for viral defence and biocontainment
07:42 Research Highlights
Estimating the methane output of an enormous wetland ecosystem, and how honeybees improve their dance moves with a little help from their elders.
Research Highlight:Methane from one of Earth’s largest wetland complexes is set to soar
Research Highlight:Watch them waggle: bees dance better after lessons from elders
10:02 How mini-MRI scanners could improve access to imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging is a standard technique in clinical care. However many people, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries have limited access to this technology. To address this, new types of smaller MRI scanners are being designed that are more affordable and practical for use in rural settings or small clinics. We hear from a researcher working on one of these systems about ways improve them and ensure they are available to all.
Comment:Five steps to make MRI scanners more affordable to the world
18:11 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how researchers have developed embryos from two male mice and new claims of room-temperature superconductivity.
News:The mice with two dads: scientists create eggs from male cells
Quanta Magazine:Room-Temperature Superconductor Discovery Meets With Resistance
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Wed, 15 Mar 2023 - 31min - 703 - How the Australian wildfires devastated the ozone layer
00:47 Wildfire smoke’s chemical composition enhances ozone depletion
Smoke from the devastating Australian wildfires of 2019-2020 led to a reduction in ozone levels in the upper atmosphere, but it’s been unclear how. Now, a team proposes that smoke’s particulate matter can enhance the production of ozone depleting chemicals, matching satellite observations during the Australian fires. The results spark concerns that future wildfires, which are set to grow more frequent with ongoing climate change, will undo much of the progress towards restoration of the ozone layer.
Research article:Solomon et al.
News & Views:How wildfires deplete ozone in the stratosphere
08:27 Research Highlights
A global analysis of bats reveals the species most likely to be hunted by humans, and the stem cells that allow deer antlers to regrow.
Research Highlight:Big bats fly towards extinction with hunters in pursuit
Research Highlight:Mice grow ‘mini-antlers’ thanks to deers’ speedy stem cells
10:53 Modelling food systems with ‘digital twins’
Recent global crises have highlighted the fragility of the interconnected systems involved in getting food from farm to fork. However, siloed datasets have made it hard to predict what the exact impacts of these events will be. In a World View for Nature, researcher Zia Mehrabi argues that precise virtual models like those used in the aerospace industry should be developed for food systems. These so-called ‘digital twins’ could inform global food policy before emergencies unfold.
World View:Sims-style ‘digital twin’ models can tell us if food systems will weather crises
18:17 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what the stray dogs of Chernobyl could reveal about the effects of chronic radiation exposure, and the debate surrounding the fate of Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’.
News:What Chernobyl’s stray dogs could teach us about radiation
News:Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’ spark conservation row
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Wed, 08 Mar 2023 - 26min - 702 - How an increased heart rate could induce anxiety in mice
00:47 How a racing heart could trigger anxiety
Anxiety can make the heart beat faster, but could the reverse be true as well? That question has been much debated, but hard to test. Now, a team has shown that artificially increasing a mouse’s heart rate can induce anxiety-like behaviours, and identified an area in the brain that appears to be a key mediator of this response. They hope that this knowledge could help to improve therapies for treating anxiety-related conditions in the future.
Research article:Hsueh et al.
News & Views:How an anxious heart talks to the brain
08:32 Research Highlights
The chance discovery of the smallest rock seen so far in the Solar System, and the first brain recording from a freely swimming octopus.
Research Highlight:Asteroid photobombs JWST practice shots
Research Highlight:How to measure the brain of an octopus
10:57 How NASA’s DART mission beat expectiations
In September 2022, NASA’s DART spacecraft smashed into a space rock known as Dimorphos, which orbits a near-Earth asteroid. The aim of the mission was to test whether asteroids could be redirected as a method to protect Earth against future impacts. This week, multiple papers have been published describing what researchers have learnt about the impact and its aftermath. Reporter Alex Witze joined us to round up the findings.
News:Asteroid lost 1 million kilograms after collision with DART spacecraft
Research article:Thomas et al.
Research article:Daly et al.
Research article:Li et al.
Research article:Cheng et al.
Research article:Graykowski et al.
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Wed, 01 Mar 2023 - 18min - 701 - Nature's Take: How Twitter's changes could affect science
Twitter has become indispensable to many scientists. It is a place to share findings, raise their profile, and is even used as a source of data in many studies.
In recent months though, the site has been in turmoil after a swathe of policy changes in light of Elon Musk's takeover. Never a stranger to misinformation and abuse, these problems have reportedly gotten worse. Additionally, the ability to use Twitter as a source of data is in peril, and malfunctions are more commonplace.
In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss how these changes are affecting the platform and the knock-on effects on science.
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Mon, 27 Feb 2023 - 26min - 700 - Audio long read: How your first brush with COVID warps your immunity
Imprinting is a quirk of the immune system in which someone’s initial exposure to a virus biases their immune response when they meet the same virus again.
Studies are showing how imprinting shapes people’s responses to SARS-CoV-2; those infected with earlier strains can mount weaker responses to a later Omicron infection.
This phenomenon is dampening the hope that variant-tailored boosters will markedly reduce transmission of the virus, although researchers agree that variant-tailored boosters are worth getting because they still provide some immunity, and prevent serious illness.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How your first brush with COVID warps your immunity
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Fri, 24 Feb 2023 - 16min - 699 - A twisting microscope that could unlock the secrets of 2D materials
00:45 A new microscope to look for ‘magic’ angles
To better visualise how electrons are ‘moving’ in materials, a team have developed the Quantum Twisting Microscope. This instrument puts two 2D layers of atoms into close contact, allowing them to interact, which can give useful information about their properties. The microscope can also rotate one of the layers, helping researchers look for so-called ‘magic angles’, where 2D materials like graphene can exhibit extraordinary properties.
Research article:Inbar et al.
News & Views:A twist in the bid to probe electrons in solids
09:55 Research Highlights
How an extinct insect larvae’s prodigiously long ‘neck’ may have helped it hunt, and surveying the levels at which coastal cities are converting water into land.
Research Highlight:Extinct insects hunted like predatory giraffes
Research Highlight:Cities worldwide claw vast amounts of land from the sea
12:21 How Russia’s invasion has affected science in Ukraine
This week marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We discuss how science has fared in Ukraine over the past 12 months, and how international collaborations are shaping the future of research in the country.
News Feature:The fight to keep Ukrainian science alive through a year of war
Editorial:Rebuilding Ukrainian science can’t wait — here’s how to start
World View:Ukrainian science has survived against the odds — now let’s rebuild together
19:52 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the US Food and Drug Administration’s requirements to increase diversity in clinical trials, and research suggesting that snakes are better listeners than previously thought.
Nature News:FDA to require diversity plan for clinical trials
Science Alert:Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think
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Wed, 22 Feb 2023 - 28min - 698 - How 'metadevices' could make electronics faster
00:47 A metadevice for faster electronics
In the past, increasing the speeds of electronics required designing smaller components, but further reductions in size are being hampered by increasing resistance. To get around this, researchers have demonstrated a ‘metadevice’, which prevents resistance building up by concentrating the flow of signals into specific regions of the device. The hope is that this meta-method could be used to create even smaller electrical components in the future.
Research article:Nikoo & Matioli
06:27 Research Highlights
How waiting times for services are higher for people in the US with low incomes, and how your brain hears an alarm while you’re asleep.
Research Highlight:Who wastes more time waiting? Income plays a part
Research Highlight:Noise shatters deep sleep thanks to dedicated brain circuit
08:52 The research gaps in social media's impact on teen mental health
In the last ten years, levels of social media use and reported levels of mental health issues among adolescents have both increased. There is much concern that these trends are linked, but hard evidence has been hard to come by. So how can scientists get a better understanding of what’s going on? In a Comment article for Nature, researchers argue that, rather than lumping ‘young people’ into one homogeneous group, future studies should consider where they are in terms of their development, as this could influence the potential impacts of social media use.
Comment:How social media affects teen mental health: a missing link
19:52 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, we discuss self-burying devices that can plant seeds in remote areas from the air, and scientists’ reactions to a talk by CRISPR-baby researcher He Jiankui.
Nature Video:This device corkscrews itself into the ground like a seed
Nature News:Disgraced CRISPR-baby scientist’s ‘publicity stunt’ frustrates researchers
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Wed, 15 Feb 2023 - 30min - 697 - This mysterious space rock shouldn’t have a ring — but it does
0:46 The mysterious ring in the distant Solar System
Quaoar is a small, rocky object that lies beyond Neptune’s orbit. In an unexpected discovery, researchers have shown that this object has its own orbiting ring, similar to those seen encircling planets like Saturn. However, Quaoar’s ring shouldn’t exist, as it is at a distance far outside the theoretical limit at which rings are thought to be stable, and researchers are trying to figure out why.
Research article:Morgado et al.
News and Views:A planetary ring in a surprising place
07:01 Research Highlights
A repurposed skin-disease drug suppresses alcohol consumption in people with alcohol-use disorder, and how volcanic eruptions may have contributed to social unrest in ancient Egypt.
Research Highlight:Pill for a skin disease also curbs excessive drinking
Research Highlight:Volcanic quartet linked to bad times in ancient Egypt
09:26 Air pollution
Exposure to polluted air has been linked to millions of deaths each year. But while much is known about the sources and impacts of outdoor air pollution, significantly less is understood about the pollution that people are exposed to indoors, despite it causing a significant health burden. In a Comment article for Nature, a group of researchers argue for more research in order to inform future public health initiatives.
Comment:Hidden harms of indoor air pollution — five steps to expose them
19:52 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the discovery of a new type of ice, and how caffeine’s kick comes at a cost.
Nature News:Scientists made a new kind of ice that might exist on distant moons
The Conversation:Nope, coffee won’t give you extra energy. It’ll just borrow a bit that you’ll pay for later
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Wed, 08 Feb 2023 - 28min - 696 - How mummies were prepared: Ancient Egyptian pots spill secrets
In this episode:
00:47 Chemical analysis of ancient embalming materials
Mummification was a significant part of ancient Egyptian culture but, despite decades of research, much is unknown about the substances and methods used during the process. Now a team have analysed the contents of ceramic vessels uncovered in an embalming workshop that dates back to around 600 BC. The results reveal that some substances assumed to be a single thing were actually mixtures, while some came from far outside Egypt, providing a clearer picture of ancient mummification practices.
Research article:Rageot et al.
News and Views:Recipes for ancient Egyptian mummification
09:11 Research Highlights
Modelling how fruit wrinkles as it ages, and a trove of ancient animal skulls suggest Neanderthals may have collected hunting trophies.
Research Highlight:A chilli’s wrinkles and a cherry’s dimples explained
Research Highlight:Neanderthals stashed dozens of animal skulls in a cave — but why?
11:28 The race to refine CAR-T therapies
CAR-T therapies are a type of cancer immunotherapy in which part of a person’s immune system – their T cells – are engineered to recognise and attack tumours. While these therapies have been shown to be effective at treating certain blood cancers, they are expensive and can have serious side effects. We hear about efforts to tackle these issues and even expand the range of diseases that CAR-T could be used to treat.
News Feature:The race to supercharge cancer-fighting T cells
19:36 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, why scientists need to agree on what time it is on the Moon, and the liquid-metal robots that can melt and re-form.
Nature News:What time is it on the Moon?
New Scientist:Metal robot can melt its way out of tight spaces to escape
Nature Video:The race to make a variant-proof COVID vaccine
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Wed, 01 Feb 2023 - 29min - 695 - Audio long read: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A new generation of anti-obesity medications are displaying striking results: drastically diminishing weight, without the serious side effects of previous medications.
These drugs have raised hopes the weight can be pharmacologically altered in a safe way, but some researchers are concerned about the drugs' high cost, and that these medications could feed into some societies' obsessions with thinness.
This is an audio version of our Feature: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
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Mon, 30 Jan 2023 - 17min - 694 - Amino acid slows nerve damage from diabetes, in mouse study
00:45 The role of serine in diabetic neuropathy
Nerve damage is a common complication of diabetes, and can even lead to limb amputation. Thus far, the only way for people to slow its onset is by managing their diet and lifestyle. Now though, research in mice shows how the amino acid serine may be key to this nerve damage, suggesting a potential role for the molecule in future therapeutics.
Research article:Handzlik et al.
News and Views:Serine deficiency causes complications in diabetes
06:47 Research Highlights
DNA from chickens is spreading to their wild relatives, and a hidden magma chamber is revealed beneath an underwater volcano.
Research Highlight:Chickens’ DNA is fouling the genomes of their wild relatives
Research Highlight:Underwater volcano near Greece is a sleeping menace
09:05 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time: how the Hubble Telescope is still helping scientists, and the multimillion-dollar trade of paper authorships.
Nature News:Why the Hubble telescope is still in the game — even as JWST wows
Nature News:Multimillion-dollar trade in paper authorships alarms publishers
Nature Video:Drowning in seaweed: How to stop invasive Sargassum
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Wed, 25 Jan 2023 - 19min - 693 - Laser 'lightning rod' diverts strikes high in the Alps
In this episode:
00:45 Laser-guided lightning
Scientists have shown that a specially designed laser can divert the course of lightning strikes in a real-world setting. The team fired the laser into the sky above a communications tower high in the Swiss Alps and altered the course of four strikes. In future they hope that this kind of system could be used to protect large infrastructure, such as airports.
Research article:Houard et al.
News:This rapid-fire laser diverts lightning strikes
09:36 Research Highlights
The crabs that lean on bacteria to detoxify sulfur from hydrothermal vents, and how a persons’ nasal microbes might exacerbate their hay fever.
Research Highlight:Crabs endure a hellish setting — with help from friends
Research Highlight:Plagued by hay fever? Blame your nasal microbes
12:02 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time: how “hot mixing” has helped ancient Roman concrete stand the test of time, and the first vaccine for honeybees shows promise.
Ars Technica:Ancient Roman concrete could self-heal thanks to “hot mixing” with quicklime
New York Times:U.S.D.A. Approves First Vaccine for Honeybees
Nature Video:3D printing adds a twist with a novel nozzle
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Wed, 18 Jan 2023 - 20min - 692 - The science stories you missed over the past four weeks
In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.
We’ll hear: how Brazil’s President Lula has started to make good on his pro-environment promises; a new theory for why giant ichthyosaurs congregated in one place; how glass frogs hide their blood; about a new statue honouring Henrietta Lacks; and why T. rex might have cooed like a dove.
Nature News:Will Brazil’s President Lula keep his climate promises?
Science News:Mysterious ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding ground
The Atlantic:How Glass Frogs Weave the World’s Best Invisibility Cloak
BBC News:Statue of Henrietta Lacks will replace Robert E Lee
Books & Arts:The woman behind HeLa
Editorial:Henrietta Lacks: science must right a historical wrong
News:Wealthy funder pays reparations for use of HeLa cells
BBC Futures:What did dinosaurs sound like?
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Wed, 11 Jan 2023 - 23min - 691 - Science in 2023: what to expect this year
In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2023. We'll hear about vaccines, multiple Moon missions and new therapeutics, to name but a few.
News: the science events to look out for in 2023
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Fri, 06 Jan 2023 - 15min - 690 - The Nature Podcast’s highlights of 2022
In this episode:
00:53 How virtual meetings can limit creative ideas
In April, we heard how a team investigated whether switching from face-to-face to virtual meetings came at a cost to creativity. They showed that people meeting virtually produced fewer creative ideas than those working face-to-face, and suggest that when it comes to idea generation maybe it’s time to turn the camera off.
Nature Podcast:27 April 2022
Research article:Brucks & Levav
Video:Why video calls are bad for brainstorming
08:29 How the Black Death got its start
The Black Death is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 60% of the population of Europe. However, the origin of this wave of disease has remained unclear. In June, we heard from a team who used a combination of techniques to identify a potential starting point in modern-day Kyrgyzstan.
Nature Podcast:15 June 2022
Research article:Spyrou et al.
15:24 Research Highlights
Hippos’ habit of aggressively spraying dung when they hear a stranger, and why being far from humans helps trees live a long life.
18:36 Higgs boson turns ten
Ten years ago, scientists announced that they’d found evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle first theorised to exist nearly sixty years earlier. We reminisced about what the discovery meant at the time, and what questions are left to be answered about this mysterious particle.
Nature Podcast:06 July 2022
Nature News:Happy birthday, Higgs boson! What we do and don’t know about the particle
28:28 The open-science plan to unseat big Pharma and tackle vaccine inequity
In this episode of Coronapod we investigated a radical new collaboration between 15 countries — co-led by the WHO, and modelled on open-science — that aims to create independent vaccine hubs that could supply the global south. This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Coronapod:29 July 2022
News Feature:The radical plan for vaccine equity
40:10 Missing foot reveals world’s oldest amputation
In September, we heard about the discovery of a skeleton with an amputated foot, dated to 31,000 years ago. The person whose foot was removed survived the procedure, which the researchers behind the find say shows the ‘surgeon’ must have had detailed knowledge of anatomy.
Nature Podcast:07 September 2022
Research article:Maloney et al.
News and Views:Earliest known surgery was of a child in Borneo 31,000 years ago
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Wed, 28 Dec 2022 - 50min
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