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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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- 884 - Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by starlight
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In this episode:
00:45 The tiny moths that use the stars to navigate
Bogong moths use the stars to help them navigate during their enormous migration across Australia, according to new research. Every year, billions of these nocturnal moths travel up to 1,000 km to cool caves in the Australian Alps, despite having never been there before. By placing moths in a flight-simulator that also acted as a planetarium, the team behind the work showed that moths could use the bright Milky Way to help them fly in the correct direction.
Research article: Dreyer et al.
10:17 Research Highlights
Nigeria's pangolins are under threat because their meat is delicious, and how the gravitational pull of other galaxies may prevent the Milky Way colliding with Andromeda.
Research Highlight: Why pangolins are poached: they’re the tastiest animal around
Research Highlight: A long-predicted cosmic collision might not happen after all
12:37 How humans expanded their habitats before migrating out of Africa
New research suggests that shortly before modern humans successfully migrated out of Africa, they massively expanded the range of ecosystems they lived in. By combining climate modelling with data from archaeological sites across the African continent, researchers put forward evidence that 70,000 years ago, humans expanded the ecosystems they lived in to include diverse habitat types from forests to deserts. The authors suggest this ability to live in different places may have helped the later humans that migrated out of the continent around 50,000 years ago.
Research article: Hallet et al.
21:59 Briefing Chat
Blowing bubble-rings could be humpback whales' way of trying to communicate with humans, and the research suggesting that everyone’s breathing pattern is unique.
Science Alert: Humpback Whale Bubble Rings May Be an Attempt to Communicate With Us
Nature: How you breathe is like a fingerprint that can identify you
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Wed, 18 Jun 2025 - 30min - 883 - Hundreds of physicists on a remote island: we visit the ultimate quantum party
According to legend, physicist Werner Heisenberg formulated the mathematics behind quantum mechanics in 1925 while on a restorative trip to the remote North Sea island of Heligoland.
To celebrate the centenary of this event, several hundred researchers have descended on the island to take part in a conference on all things quantum physics. Nature reporter Lizzie Gibney was also in attendance, and joined us to give an inside track on the meeting.
News: Happy birthday quantum mechanics! I got a ticket to the ultimate physics party
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Fri, 13 Jun 2025 - 9min - 882 - This stretchy neural implant grows with an axolotl's brain
00:45 A flexible neural-implant that grows with the brain
Researchers have developed a soft electronic implant that can measure brain activity of amphibian embryos as they develop. Understanding the neural activity of developing brains is a key aim for neuroscientists, but conventional, rigid probes can damage growing brains. To overcome this, a team have developed a flexible mesh that stretches with the brain and tested it by monitoring single neuron activity during development of frog and axolotl embryos. More testing and ethical considerations will be required, but the researchers hope that eventually such implants could help with neurological conditions that affect humans.
Research article: Sheng et al.
13:11 Research Highlights
The exoplanet slowly evaporating into space, and cockatoos that have figured out an innovative way to stay hydrated.
Research Highlight: Solved: the mystery of the evaporating planet
Research Highlight: Clever cockatoos learn an easy way to quench their thirst
15:30 An AI-based way to repair damaged paintings
By combining AI tools with mechanical engineering techniques, a researcher has developed a new way to speed up the restoration of damaged paintings. The technique creates a removable mask that can be overlaid onto a painting to cover any damage apparent in the artwork. It was successfully tested on an oil painting, fixing a large number of damaged areas in only a few hours. This could offer a significant speed-boost to painting restoration, which can often take months, or even years.
Research article: Kachkine
Video: Meet the engineer who invented an AI-powered way to restore art
27:36 Briefing Chat
A new ranking system could make it easier to spot universities that are chasing publishing metrics at the expense of rigorous science, and evidence that cutting off rhinos’ horns deters poachers.
Nature: ‘Integrity index’ flags universities with high retraction rates
AP: Cutting off rhinos’ horns is a contentious last resort to stop poaching. A new study found it works
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Wed, 11 Jun 2025 - 36min - 881 - Trump wants to put humans on Mars: what scientists think of the plan
In this Podcast Extra, we examine President Donald Trump's calls for NASA to land humans on Mars. Although the White House has proposed spending some US$1 billion in 2026 on Mars plans, critics say the final cost will likely be hundreds of billions of dollars spread over a number of years.
This call comes amidst plans to drastically reduce NASA's funding, and the proposed cancelling of dozens of the space agency's missions, including projects to study Earth, Mars and Venus.
News: Trump wants to put humans on Mars — here’s what scientists think
News: Five key climate and space projects on Trump’s chopping block
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Fri, 06 Jun 2025 - 11min - 880 - Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron
00:45 Iron’s role in mice sex determination
Iron deficiency in mice mothers can sometimes result in their offspring developing female sex organs despite having male sex genes, according to new research. While genetics has been thought to be the primary factor in determining offspring sex in mammals, the new work shows that a lack of iron disrupts an enzyme involved in the development of testes, leading to some mice with male sex-determining genes being born with female genitalia and ovaries. This suggests that sex determination is controlled by more than genetics, but more work will need to be done to understand the precise mechanisms involved.
News: Male mice can grow ovaries if their pregnant mums are iron deficient
Research article: Okashita et al.
06:31 Research Highlights
How climate change is making dust storms more likely, and understanding the genetics of a boy who couldn’t feel pain.
Research Highlight: The perfect storm for dust storms, thanks to global warming
Research Highlight: CRISPR helps to show why a boy felt no pain
08:51 The role of small-scale fishers in sustainability
The contributions that small-scale fishers make to sustainable fishing have been described as ‘invisible’, but now a huge research project has revealed the role this community plays in feeding populations and protecting oceans. Looking at data from 58 countries, researchers have shown that small-scale fishers account for around 40% of the global catch and feed approximately 25% of the world’s population. The people behind the initiative hope that these data can help give a voice to small-scale fishers as people look for ways to feed the world sustainably.
Immersive : Small-scale fisheries
19:44 Briefing Chat
The discovery of an ‘ambidextrous’ protein; and why humpback whales, despite their enormous eyes, appear to be shortsighted.
Nature: Rare ‘ambidextrous’ protein breaks rules of handedness
Discover Magazine: Big Eyes, Blurry Vision: Why Humpback Whales Struggle to See Clearly
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Wed, 04 Jun 2025 - 30min - 879 - Audio long read: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky
With the world looking likely to blow past the temperature targets laid out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a growing number of voices are saying that carbon removal technologies will be necessary if humanity is to achieve its long-term climate goals. If these approaches succeed, they could help nations and corporations to meet their climate commitments — and help the world to halt global warming.
However, questions remain about the financial viability of these technologies, and whether they can live up to the hype.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky
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Fri, 30 May 2025 - 15min - 878 - AI linked to boom in biomedical papers, infrared contact lenses, and is Earth's core leaking?
00:33 Was a boom in papers driven by AI?
A spike in papers formulaically analysing a public data set has sparked worries that AI is being used to generate low quality and potentially misleading analyses.
Nature: AI linked to explosion of low-quality biomedical research papers
08:07 Lenses that give humans infrared vision
Researchers in China have created contact lenses that can allow humans to see infrared light, which could help with search and rescue missions, sending secret messages and even surgery.
Nature: These contact lenses give people infrared vision — even with their eyes shut
14:17 Does the Earth's core have a leak?
Geologists have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that Earth's core is leaking. Rocks from Hawaii were found to contain isotopes of a rare element, which suggests the material originally came from the core. More work will need to be done to rule out other explanations.
Nature: Is Earth’s core leaking? Volcanic rocks provide strongest evidence yet
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Wed, 28 May 2025 - 20min - 877 - These malaria drugs treat the mosquitos — not the people
00:45 Treating mosquitoes for malaria
Researchers have developed two compounds that can kill malaria-causing parasites within mosquitoes, an approach they hope could help reduce transmission of the disease. The team showed that these compounds can be embedded into the plastics used to make bed nets, providing an alternative to insecticide-based malaria-control measures, which are losing efficacy in the face of increased resistance.
Research article: Probst et al.
10:42 Research Highlights
The sunlight-powered device that can harvest drinkable water from desert air, and evidence that the world’s richest people are disproportionately responsible for climate impacts.
Research Highlight: Atacama sunshine helps to pull water from thin air
Research Highlight: The world’s richest people have an outsized role in climate extremes
13:02 The genetics that can lead to pregnancy loss
Researchers have found specific genetic mutations that can lead to pregnancy loss. It’s known that errors, such as the duplication of chromosomes, can lead to nonviable pregnancies but less has been known about non-chromosomal genetic errors. The new work identifies DNA sequence changes that can lead to a non-viable pregnancy. This may offer clinicians the ability to screen embryos for these changes to help avoid pregnancy loss.
Research article: Arnadottir et al.
22:24 Briefing Chat
Bespoke CRISPR-based therapy treats baby boy with devastating genetic disease, and the ‘anti-spice’ compounds that can lower chillies’ heat.
Nature: World’s first personalized CRISPR therapy given to baby with genetic disease
New Scientist: Chemists discover 'anti-spice' that could make chilli peppers less hot
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Wed, 21 May 2025 - 31min - 876 - How to transport antimatter — stick it on the back of a van
00:46 An antimatter delivery van takes its first road trip
Researchers have developed a portable antimatter containment device and tested it by putting it in a truck and driving it around CERN. Their system could represent a big step forward in efforts to take particles made at CERN’s ‘antimatter factory’ and transport them to other labs, something currently impossible due to antimatter being destroyed upon contact with matter. The team showed the feasibility of their approach by using the system to safely transport particles of matter and are now looking to adapt it to ferry antimatter particles.
Research article:Leonhardt et al.
11:45 Research Highlights
How a tradition of female diving on a South Korean island might have shaped the genomes of the island’s population, and a poison-dart frog that curiously seems to be monogamous.
Research Highlight:How Korea’s female divers have adapted to cold plunges
Research Highlight:A ‘hidden gem’ of the Amazon is a frog with odd habits
13:46 The mathematics of a near-miss between black holes
Physicists have tackled a longstanding problem in physics — understanding how two black holes gravitationally interact as they fly past each other — which could help with future detections of the gravitational waves that would be created by these events. Rather than repeatedly running expensive computer simulations to approximate the answer to this problem, a team of theorists have come up with a mathematical formula to describe a black hole fly-by, which can be run in a matter of seconds. Their results could be used to identify the tell-tale signatures of these events when they actually occur.
Research article:Driesse et al.
22:10 Briefing Chat
How physicists turned lead into gold, for a microsecond and at tremendous cost, and the genetics of the skunk cabbage’s foul odour.
Nature:Physicists turn lead into gold — for a fraction of a second
Video:Scientists turn lead into gold
Nature:How skunk cabbages and other smelly plants brew their foul odour
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Wed, 14 May 2025 - 30min - 875 - NSF terminates huge number of grants and stops awarding new ones
In this Podcast Extra, we examine recent developments US National Science Foundation, which has seen significant numbers of research grants terminated. In addition, there have been freezes on funding for new grants and any additional money to existing ones. We also discuss US President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which calls for disproportionately large cuts to federal science funding.
News: Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
News: Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Mon, 12 May 2025 - 11min - 874 - Herring population loses migration 'memory' after heavy fishing
00:46 How fishing activity altered the migration pattern of Herring
Selective fishing of older herring has resulted in a large shift in the migration pattern of these fish, according to new research. For years, herring have visited sites on the south coast of Norway to spawn, but in 2020 a rapid shift was seen, with the fish instead visiting areas hundreds of kilometres to the north. Researchers have concluded that too many older fish have been removed from these waters, preventing the knowledge of the best spawning grounds being passed to younger, less experienced fish. This finding shows how human activity can affect animal migration, which could have serious consequences for the delicately balanced ecosystems built around them.
Research article: Slotte et al.
10:37 Research Highlights
Archaeologists have identified tools that the ancient Maya may have used for tattooing, and the self-assembling stable structures that may help ‘forever chemicals’ persist in nature.
Research Highlight: Tattoo-making tools used by ancient Maya revealed
Research Highlight: ‘Forever’ molecules bunch themselves into cell-like structures
13:02 How might AI companions affect users’ mental health?
AI companions — apps where humans build relationships with computers — are hugely popular, with millions of people around the world using them. But despite increased social and political attention, research investigating how these systems can affect users has been lacking. We find out about the latest research in this space.
News Feature: Supportive? Addictive? Abusive? How AI companions affect our mental health
24:52 Briefing Chat
A technique that lets researchers directly edits proteins within living cells, and how a fibre-rich, low-fat diet could help replenish populations of gut microbes ravaged by antibiotics.
Nature: Powerful protein editors offer new ways of probing living cells
Nature: How to fix a gut microbiome ravaged by antibiotics
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Wed, 07 May 2025 - 37min - 873 - The dismantling of US science: can it survive Trump 2.0?
In this episode:
00:46 What will be left of US science after Trump 2.0?
100 days into his term, President Donald Trump and his administration have already caused the biggest shakeup in modern scientific history, slashing funding, bringing large swathes of US research to a standstill and halting many clinical trials. But many fear these actions are just the beginning. We look at what the long-term impacts of these decisions might be for science in the United States and the world.
Nature: Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
13:42 Research Highlights
A distant planet that orbits two stars, at a right angle, and how fringe-lipped bats’ hearing helps them find palatable amphibians.
Research Highlight: ‘Tatooine’-like planet orbits two stars ― but at a weird angle
Research Highlight: For these bats, eavesdropping is a valuable learnt skill
16:07 Briefing Chat
The first skeletal evidence from bones that Roman gladiators fought lions, and scientists finally pinpoint the genes responsible for three of the pea traits studied by Gregor Mendel.
BBC News: Bites on gladiator bones prove combat with lion
Nature: Century-old genetics mystery of Mendel’s peas finally solved
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Wed, 30 Apr 2025 - 27min - 872 - Audio long read: Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?
Research shows that, over the past two decades, rates of mental illness have been increasing in adolescents in many countries. While some scientists point to soaring use of smartphones and social media as a key driver for this trend, others say the evidence does not show a large effect of these technologies on teenagers’ psychological health.
At the heart of the dispute is a large, complex and often conflicting body of research that different researchers interpret in different ways. This has left parents unsure what to do.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?
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Fri, 25 Apr 2025 - 17min - 871 - A brand-new colour created by lasers, a pig-liver transplant trial gets the green light, and a nugget-sized chunk of lab-grown meat
00:27 Five people see ‘olo’, a brand-new colour
Using a laser system to activate specific eye cells, a team has allowed five study participants to perceive a vibrant blue-greenish hue well outside the natural range of colours seen by humans. Although the setup required to accomplish this feat is currently complicated, this finding could provide more understanding about how the brain perceives colour and could one day help boost the vision of people with colour blindness.
Nature News: Brand-new colour created by tricking human eyes with laser
08:30 US regulator greenlights pig-liver transplant trial
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first trial to test whether genetically modified pig livers can be used safely to treat people with organ failure. In the initial phase of the trial, four people with severe liver failure will be temporarily connected to an external pig liver that will filter their blood. Participants will then be monitored for a year for safety and changes in liver function. The organs have been genetically modified to make them more compatible with humans.
Nature News: Pig livers for people: US regulator greenlights first safety trial
14:08: A chunk of lab-grown chicken
Using a designer ‘circulatory system’, a team of researchers have created what they think is the largest piece of meat grown in the laboratory yet. One of the challenges to producing larger pieces of lab-grown meat has been providing cells with sufficient oxygen and nutrients, something the team’s new setup helps overcome. They used it to grow a chunk of chicken muscle about the size of a nugget, but multiple challenges remain before meat produced in this way could make it to market.
Nature News: Winner, winner, lab-made dinner! Team grows nugget-sized chicken chunk
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Wed, 23 Apr 2025 - 20min - 870 - ‘Dark matter’, 'Big Bang' and ‘spin’: how physics terms can confuse researchers
Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed to the stars in the sky.
But names have consequences. What’s in a name is a series exploring naming in science and how names impact the world. We look at whether the system of naming species remains in step with society, how the names of diseases can create stigma, and how the names chosen by scientists can help, or hinder, communication with the public.
In episode three, we're looking at how the names chosen for concepts in physics can inadvertently send researchers down very specific research avenues while distracting them from others. In this podcast we hear five stories about the importance of names and how much can be lost in translation when physicists try and label the unknown.
For a list of sources and music used, please visit the podcast show notes
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Tue, 22 Apr 2025 - 33min - 869 - What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the humble spud
In this episode:
00:46 A potato pangenome
Researchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple potato types, something they believe can help make it easier to breed and sequence new varieties. The potato's complicated genetics has made it difficult to sequence the plant's genome, but improvements in technology have allowed the team to combine sequences, allowing them to look for subtle differences in between varieties.
Research Article:Sun et al.
09:57 Research Highlights
How ancient DNA analysis revealed that unusually bound medieval books are covered in sealskin, and top quarks and their antimatter counterparts are detected after nuclear smash-ups at the Large Hadron Collider.
Research Highlight:Mystery of medieval manuscripts revealed by ancient DNA
Research Highlight:Top quarks spotted at mega-detector could reveal clues to early Universe
12:30 The top cited twenty-first century research papers
Analysis from Nature reveals the 25 highest-cited papers published this century and explores why they are breaking records. We hear about the field that got the highest number of papers on the list, and whether any feature in the all-time top citation list.
News Feature:Exclusive: the most-cited papers of the twenty-first century
News Feature:These are the most-cited research papers of all time
News Feature:Science’s golden oldies: the decades-old research papers still heavily cited today
21:47 Briefing Chat
Re-analysis of a cosmic collision shows evidence of a planet spiralling into its host star, and how shrugging off lighting strikes gives tonka bean trees an evolutionary edge.
Science:Astronomers spot a planetary ‘suicide’
Live Science:Tropical tree in Panama has evolved to kill its 'enemies' with lightning
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Wed, 16 Apr 2025 - 32min - 868 - Long-awaited ape genomes give new insights into their evolution — and ours
00:46 Complete sequencing of ape genomes
Researchers have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, helping uncover the evolutionary history of our closest relatives and offering insights into what makes humans human. The genomes of chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan and siamang have been sequenced end-to-end, filling in gaps that have long eluded researchers.
Research Article: Yoo et al.
News and Views: Complete ape genomes offer a close-up view of human evolution
News: What makes us human? Milestone ape genomes promise clues
08:47 Research Highlights
How sunflower stars are evading a mysterious epidemic, and how solar panels made of moon dust could power lunar bases.
Research Highlight: Revealed: where rare and giant starfish hide from an enigmatic killer
Research Highlight: Solar cells made of Moon dust could power up a lunar base
11:36 How to make a competitive laser-plasma accelerator
After decades of research, physicists have demonstrated that, in principle, an alternative kind of particle accelerator can work just as well as more conventional designs. Many particle accelerators that power huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are radio-frequency accelerators, but they are large and limited in how strong their magnetic fields can be. The new work shows that accelerators that instead use plasma to accelerate particles could be a viable alternative and could be built at much smaller scales.
Research article: Winkler et al.
19:55 Briefing Chat
A drug that makes blood poisonous to mosquitoes, and how an AI worked out how to solve key challenges in Minecraft by ‘imagining’ solutions.
Science Alert: Drug For Rare Disease Turns Human Blood Into Mosquito Poison
Nature: AI masters Minecraft: DeepMind program finds diamonds without being taught
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Vote for How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved
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Wed, 09 Apr 2025 - 29min - 867 - From Hippocrates to COVID-19: the scientific fight to prove diseases can be airborne
Science writer and New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer's latest book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life we Breathe dives into the invisible maelstrom of microbial life swirling in the air around us — examining how it helped shape our world, and the implications that breathing it in can have on human health. Carl joined us to discuss historical efforts to show that diseases could spread large distances through the air, the staunch resistance to this idea, and what the rivalry between these two groups meant for public health.
Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe Carl Zimmer Dutton (2025)
Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
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Mon, 07 Apr 2025 - 32min - 866 - Trump team removes senior NIH chiefs in shock move
In this Podcast Extra, we hear the latest on how decisions by the Trump administration are affecting science in the US. Most recently, a purge of National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership has seen the chiefs of multiple institutes and centres removed from their posts.
Plus, after cancelling nearly all NIH projects studying transgender health, the White House has directed the agency to focus on studying “regret” after a person transitions to align their body with their gender identity.
News: ‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs
News: Exclusive: Trump White House directs NIH to study ‘regret’ after transgender people transition
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Fri, 04 Apr 2025 - 11min - 865 - World’s tiniest pacemaker could revolutionize heart surgery
00:46 Millimetre-sized pacemaker fits inside syringe
Researchers have developed a tiny, temporary pacemaker that dissolves when no longer needed, helping to overcome some of the challenges associated with current devices. Temporary pacemakers are often required after heart surgery but implanting them can require invasive procedures. This new device is injectable, requires no external power and is controlled using light shone through the skin. The tiny pacemaker has shown promise in animal and heart models, and the team think it could also be used in other situations where electrical stimulation is needed, like the brain.
Research Article: Zhang et al.
08:19 Research Highlights
Measurements show that global warming is causing lakes to lose their oxygen, and a massive, 30-year analysis showing that a diet of plant-rich foods is associated with healthy ageing
Research Highlight: Life-giving oxygen is wafting out of lakes worldwide
Research Highlight: The best foods for healthy ageing ― and the worst
10:21 Shingles vaccine linked to reduced dementia risk
A large-scale population study suggests that getting a shingles vaccine reduces the probability of someone getting dementia by around one-fifth. By taking advantage of the way a shingles vaccine was rolled out in Wales, a team were able to compare dementia outcomes in vaccine-eligible people to those born just a few weeks earlier who were ineligible. Although more tests will be needed to confirm this finding and to understand the mechanisms behind it, the team hope that vaccination against this viral infection could represent a cost-effective way to for preventing or delaying dementia.
Research article: Eyting et al.
20:20 Briefing Chat
Data suggests that racial profiling plays a role in whether someone receives a traffic citation or fine, and studies suggest that paying researchers who review manuscripts could speed up the peer-review process, without affecting the quality of reviews.
Ars Technica: Study of Lyft rideshare data confirms minorities get more tickets
Nature: Publishers trial paying peer reviewers — what did they find?
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Wed, 02 Apr 2025 - 37min - 864 - Audio long read: How quickly are you ageing? What molecular ‘clocks’ can tell you about your health
With money pouring in and an unprecedented level of public attention and excitement, scientists are publishing a steady stream of papers on ways to measure how rapidly a person’s body is declining.
However, there are mixed feelings of enthusiasm and apprehension among researchers about efforts to develop tests that measure the impact of ageing on the body, as they are often interpreted and presented without a full reckoning of the uncertainties that plague them.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How quickly are you ageing? What molecular ‘clocks’ can tell you about your health
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Fri, 28 Mar 2025 - 17min - 863 - New lasso-shaped antibiotic kills drug-resistant bacteria
In this episode:
00:46 Newly discovered molecule shows potent antibiotic activity
Researchers have identified a new molecule with antibiotic activity against a range of disease-causing bacteria, including those resistant to existing drugs. The new molecule — isolated from soil samples taken from a laboratory technician’s garden — is called lariocidin due to its lasso-shaped structure. The team say that in addition to its potent antibiotic activity, the molecule also shows low toxicity towards human cells, making it a promising molecule in the fight against drug-resistant infections.
Research Article:Jangra et al.
09:36 Research Highlights
A reduction in ships' sulfur emissions linked to a steep drop in thunderclouds, and the epic sea-voyage that let iguanas reach Fiji.
Research Highlight:Ship-pollution cuts have an electrifying effect: less lightning at sea
Research Highlight: Iguanas reached Fiji by floating 8,000 kilometres across the sea
13:54 Assessing the nuances of humans’ biodiversity impacts
A huge study analysing data from thousands of research articles has shown that the human impacts on biodiversity are large but are in some cases context dependent. The new study reveals that at larger scales, communities of living things are becoming more similar due to human influence, but at the smaller scale they are becoming more different. "These are generally unwanted effects on biodiversity," says study author Florian Altermatt, "this is one more very strong argument that stopping and reducing these pressures to halt and reverse biodiversity declines is needed."
Research article:Keck et al.
21:45 Briefing Chat
How a proposed green-energy facility in Chile could increase light pollution at one of the world’s most powerful telescopes, and how a calving Antarctic iceberg revealed an unseen aquatic ecosystem.
Nature:Light pollution threatens fleet of world-class telescopes in Atacama Desert
Scientific American:Stunning Antarctic Sea Creatures Discovered after Iceberg Breaks Away
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Wed, 26 Mar 2025 - 32min - 862 - Tiny satellite sets new record for secure quantum communication
00:46 Microsatellite makes messaging secure
A tiny satellite has enabled quantum-encrypted information to be sent between China and South Africa, the farthest distance yet achieved for quantum communication. Using a laser-based system, a team in the city of Hefei was able to beam a ‘secret key’ encoded in quantum states of photons, to their colleagues over 12,000 km away. This key allowed scrambled messages to be decrypted — including one containing a picture of the Great Wall of China. The team’s system is drastically smaller and cheaper that previous attempts, and they think it represents a big step towards the creation of a global network of secure, quantum communication.
Research Article: Li et al.
News: Mini-satellite paves the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth
09:53 Research Highlights
How storms known as ‘atmospheric rivers’ could replenish Greenland’s ice, and a prosthetic hand that can distinguish objects by touch almost as well as a human.
Research Highlight: Mega-storm dumps 11 billion tonnes of snow ― and builds up a melting ice sheet
Research Highlight: Robotic fingers can tell objects apart by touch
12:27 An AI that gives other AIs helpful feedback
Researchers have created an AI system called TextGrad which can provide written feedback on another AI’s performance. This feedback is interpretable by humans, which could help researchers tweak the incredibly complicated, and sometimes inscrutable models that underpin modern AIs. “Previously optimising machine learning algorithms requires quite a lot of human engineering,” says James Zou, one of the team behind this work, “but with TextGrad, now the AI is able to self-improve to a large extent.”
Research Article: Yuksekgonul et al.
20:55 How the Trump administration’s cuts are affecting science
The first two months of Donald Trump’s presidency has seen swingeing cuts to US federal funding for research, particularly to research associated with DEI. We hear the latest on these cuts and their impact from reporter Max Kozlov.
Nature: ‘My career is over’: Columbia University scientists hit hard by Trump team’s cuts
Nature: How the NIH dominates the world’s health research — in charts
Nature: ‘Scientists will not be silenced’: thousands protest Trump research cuts
Nature: Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
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Wed, 19 Mar 2025 - 31min - 861 - Sapphire anvils squeeze metals atomically-thin
00:46 2D metals made using sapphire press
Taking inspiration from industrial forging, researchers have demonstrated a way to squeeze molten metals into atomically-thin layers, creating relatively large flakes of 2D metals. Using a hydraulic press containing two sapphire anvils, a team was able to create sub-nanometer thick sheets of different metals — these sheets had diameters exceeding 0.1 mm, orders of magnitude larger than other methods have achieved. 2D metals have been theorized to possess several useful properties not seen in their larger, 3D counterparts, but have been difficult to make at scale, something this method may help overcome.
Research Article: Zhao et al.
News and Views: Metals squeezed to thickness of just two atoms
09:36 Research Highlights
The discovery of ancient puppets on remains of a large pyramid offers a glimpse into rituals in Mesoamerica, and how the presence of a certain pattern of sleep brainwaves might help predict which people will recover from an unresponsive state.
Research Highlight: Ancient puppets that smile or scowl hint at shared rituals
Research Highlight: Who’s likely to wake up from a coma? Brainwaves provide a clue
12:17 The virology lessons learnt from the COVID pandemic
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has become one of the most closely examined viruses on the planet. In the five years since the pandemic, over 150,000 articles have been written about it, and 17 million genome sequences have been generated. We discuss the lessons virologists have learnt from this intense study of a single organism, and how these might help the world prepare for future pandemics.
News Feature: Four ways COVID changed virology: lessons from the most sequenced virus of all time
23:36 Briefing Chat
How an AI alert-system could help researchers train their telescopes on a neutron star collision, and how expiration dates on plastic food-waste helped biologists age birds’ nests.
Nature: How AI could let us watch epic star collisions in real time
Science: Plastic waste in bird nests can act like a tiny time capsule
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Wed, 12 Mar 2025 - 33min - 860 - Earliest crafted bone tools date back 1.5 million years
00:46 Ancient humans made bone tools 1.5 million years ago
A 1.5-million-year-old cache of animal-bone tools reveals that ancient humans systematically crafted with this material much earlier than previously thought. Researchers uncovered 27 bone artefacts in Tanzania honed into sharp tools almost 40 cm long. This discovery pushes back the dedicated manufacture of bone tools by around a million years and could have helped these early humans develop new kinds of technology. “This raises a lot of interesting questions,” says study author Ignacio de la Torre.
Research Article: de la Torre et al.
09:11 Research Highlights
Cane toads’ remarkable homing abilities, and evidence that the block of rock that makes up southern Tibet originated in what is now Australia.
Research Highlight: Take me home, country toads
Research Highlight: Lhasa′s rocks reveal an Australian birthplace
11:45 A trove of antibacterial molecules hidden in human proteins
To help protect against infection, cells in the body will selectively cut proteins to produce molecules known as antimicrobial peptides, according to new research. A team has found that many potential peptides appear to be locked up within proteins — to get them out, cells shift the activity of a waste-disposal system called the proteasome, known for its role in protein degradation and recycling. In tests, one of these peptides showed efficacy at protecting mice from infection, indicating that these molecules could one day have therapeutic potential.
Research Article: Goldberg et al.
News and Views: Protein waste turned into antibiotics as a defence strategy of human cells
21:08 Briefing Chat
An update on two missions heading to the Moon to look for water, and why fears that a crucial ocean-current system will collapse in the face of climate change may be incorrect.
Nature: Meet the ice-hunting robots headed for the Moon right now
Nature: Iconic ocean-current system is safe from climate collapse ― for now
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Wed, 05 Mar 2025 - 29min - 859 - Audio long read: Why kids need to take more risks — science reveals the benefits of wild, free play
Over the past two decades, research has emerged showing that opportunities for risky play are crucial for children's healthy physical, mental and emotional development. However, because play is inherently free-form it has been difficult to study. Now, scientists are using innovative approaches, including virtual reality, to probe the benefits of risky play, and how best to promote it.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Why kids need to take more risks — science reveals the benefits of wild, free play
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Fri, 28 Feb 2025 - 16min - 858 - If your heart stops, this smartwatch-AI can call for help
00:47 A ‘smart’ way to quickly detect cardiac arrest
Google researchers have developed an AI for a smartwatch that will call for help if its wearer is having a cardiac arrest. Trained, in part, on data gained when patients had their hearts deliberately stopped during a medical procedure, the team’s machine learning algorithm can automatically detect the telltale signs of cardiac arrest. The team think this system could save lives, although more testing is required. "Our hope is that as these capabilities expand it provides a new way to keep people safer,” says Jake Sunshine, one of the researchers behind the study.
Research Article: Shah et al.
09:15 Research Highlights
Evidence that a low dose of yellow fever vaccine might be enough to provide lasting immunity, and the odd umbrella-shaped tree fossil that suggests that early plants may have been more complex than previously thought.
Research Article: Kimathi et al.
Research Article: Gastaldo et al.
11:10 Briefing Chat
Microsoft’s new AI that helps create video game ‘worlds’, and why dogs blink more when other dogs do the same.
Nature: Microsoft builds AI that creates ‘impressive’ video-game worlds
Science: Dogs, like people, may use blinking to bond
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Wed, 26 Feb 2025 - 19min - 857 - Racist ratings linger in five-star systems — a thumbs up could fix that
01:14 A simple switch to reduce racist ratings
A study of almost 70,000 ratings showed that racial discrimination could be eliminated from an online platform by switching from a five-star rating system to a thumbs up or down. The platform connected customers to workers who performed home repair jobs, and prior to the shift people categorised by the study authors as ‘non-white’ had lower ratings and got paid less than their white counterparts. Through follow up studies the authors also showed that the five-star system allowed people to impart their personal opinions, whereas a thumbs up or down just focused them on whether a job was good or bad. The team hopes this could be an easy-to-implement shift to tackle racial discrimination.
Research Article: Botelho et al.
News and Views: Racial bias eliminated when ratings switch from five stars to thumbs up or down
11:24 Research Highlights
Experimental evidence that cockatoos like flavouring their food, and the harsh climate of sixteenth century Transylvania.
Research Highlight: Gourmet cockatoos like to fancy up their food
Research Highlight: Transylvanian diaries reveal centuries-old climate extremes
14:05 An analysis of retraction hotspots
A Nature investigation has revealed where the most retractions come from, with hospitals in China and institutions in India and Pakistan topping the list. Retractions are a normal part of science and may be a sign of necessary scrutiny, but they can also signal misconduct and use of paper mills. Features Editor Richard Van Noorden joins us to discuss what this means for science and tackling sloppy research.
Nature: Exclusive: These universities have the most retracted scientific articles
22:43 Briefing Chat
Layoffs in the US’s Environmental Protection Agency, reactions to the DEI purge at NASA, and what RFK Jr.’s role as secretary of Health and Human Services could mean for health research.
Nature: ‘Targeted and belittled’: scientists at US environmental agency speak out as layoffs begin
Nature: NASA embraced diversity. Trump’s DEI purge is hitting space scientists hard
Nature: Vaccine sceptic RFK Jr is now a powerful force in US science: what will he do?
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Wed, 19 Feb 2025 - 31min - 856 - Record-breaking neutrino detected by huge underwater telescope
In this episode:
00:45 An elusive, cosmic neutrino with a record-breaking energy
An enormous array of detectors, deep under the Mediterranean Sea, has captured evidence of the highest-energy neutrino particle ever recorded, although researchers aren’t sure exactly where in the cosmos it originated. Calculations revealed this particle had over 30 times the energy of previously detected neutrinos. The team hopes that further study and future detections will help reveal the secrets of high-energy phenomena like supernovae.
Research Article: The KM3NeT Collaboration
11:34 Research Highlights
How bonobos adjust their communication to account for what other individuals know, and the discovery of a huge collection of beads adorning the attire of the powerful Copper Age women in Spain.
Research Highlight: Bonobos know when you’re in the know ― and when you’re not
Research Highlight: Record-setting trove of buried beads speaks to power of ancient women
14:15 US judge puts NIH grant cuts on hold
A judge has blocked a policy that would have slashed billions of dollars of funding for US research institutions, which come as part of President Donald Trump’s controversial crackdown on government spending. We discuss the reasoning behind the proposed cuts and the impacts they may have if enacted. We also look at the effects that President Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and funding are having across the US.
Nature: ‘Devastating’ cuts to NIH grants by Trump’s team put on hold by US judge
Nature: Have Trump’s anti-DEI orders hit private funders? HHMI halts inclusive science programme
Nature: Scientists globally are racing to save vital health databases taken down amid Trump chaos
25:50 Briefing Chat
Why the latest odds on asteroid 2024 YR4’s chance of impacting Earth are so hard to calculate, and how the latest version of DeepMind's AlphaGeometry AI has reached the gold-medal level in geometry.
New York Times: Why the Odds of an Asteroid Striking Earth in 2032 Keep Going Up (and Down)
Nature: DeepMind AI crushes tough maths problems on par with top human solvers
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Wed, 12 Feb 2025 - 34min - 855 - From viral variants to devastating storms, how names shape the public's reaction to science
In episode 2 of 'What's in a name' we look how choosing names can help, or hinder, attempts to communicate important messages.
Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed to the stars in the sky.
But names have consequences. In our series What’s in a name we explore naming in science and how names impact the world — whether the system of naming species remains in step with society, how the names of diseases can create stigma, or even how the names of scientific concepts can drive the direction of research itself.
In episode two, we're looking at how the names chosen by scientists help, or hinder, communication with the public.
Well chosen names can quickly convey scientific concepts or health messages — in emergency situations they can even save lives. We'll hear how the systems of naming tropical storms and Covid-19 variants came to be, and how they took different approaches to achieve the same outcome.
We'll also consider the language used to talk about climate change, and how the ways of describing it have been used to deliberately introduce uncertainty and confusion.
Listen to the first episode Should offensive species names be changed? The organisms that honour dictators, racists and criminals
For a list of sources please visit the the episode's webpage
Music credits
Premiumaudio/Pond5
Richard Smithson/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
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Fri, 07 Feb 2025 - 35min - 854 - Kids' real-world arithmetic skills don't transfer to the classroom
In this episode:
00:45 How arithmetic skills don’t transfer between applied and academic environments
Mathematics skills learnt in real-world situations may not translate to the classroom and vice versa, according to a new study. A team surveyed children in India who work in markets, to see whether the skills they learnt there transferred to the classroom. While proficient at solving market-based arithmetic problems, they struggled to solve problems typically used in schools. The reverse was seen for children enrolled in schools with no market-selling experience. The authors hope this finding could help adjust teaching curricula and bridge the gap between intuitive and formal maths.
Research Article: Banerjee et al.
12:38 Research Highlights
Wolverine populations rebound in Sweden and Norway, and why wobbly arrows launch faster than rigid ones.
Research Highlight: Who’s the new furry neighbour? It might be a wolverine
Research Highlight: How a wobbly arrow can achieve superpropulsion
14:59 The unexpected movements seen in super-dense crowds
A study has revealed that when packed crowds reach a certain density, large groups of people suddenly start to move in circular patterns — a finding that could be used to identify dangerous overcrowding. By assessing footage of the densely-packed San Fermín festival, a team observed this spontaneous phenomenon, and modelled the physics underlying it. Studying the movements of giant crowds has been difficult, and the team hope this work could help event organisers to identify and respond to situations where people could get hurt.
Research Article: Gu et al.
News and Views: Crowds start to spin when their densities hit a threshold
Sound effects:
Crowd Cheering - Ambience by GregorQuendel via CC BY 4.0
Cupinzano sounds by Europa Press - Footage News via Getty Images
24:00 Briefing Chat
An update on the US National Science Foundation’s scrutinizing of grants to comply with President Trump’s directives, and why scratching an itch may have unexpected antibacterial properties.
Nature:Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders
Nature: Why it feels good to scratch that itch: the immune benefits of scratching
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Wed, 05 Feb 2025 - 34min - 853 - The AI revolution is running out of data. What can researchers do?
The explosive improvement in artificial intelligence (AI) technology has largely been driven by making neural networks bigger and training them on more data. But experts suggest that the developers of these systems may soon run out of data to train their models. As a result, teams are taking new approaches, such as searching for other unconventional data sources, or generating new data to train their AIs.
This is an audio version of our Feature: The AI revolution is running out of data. What can researchers do?
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Fri, 31 Jan 2025 - 16min - 852 - Asteroid Bennu contains building blocks of life
In this episode:
00:46 Evidence of ancient brine reveals Bennu’s watery past
Analysis of samples taken from the asteroid Bennu reveal the presence of organic compounds important for life, and that its parent asteroid likely contained salty, subsurface water. Collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, these rocks and dust particles give insights into the chemistry of the early Solar System, and suggest that brines may have been an important place where pre-biotic molecules were formed. As brines are found throughout the Solar System, this finding raises questions about whether similar molecules will be found in places like Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Research Article: McCoy et al.
Research Article: Glavin et al.
News: Asteroid fragments upend theory of how life on Earth bloomed
14:22 Research Highlights
How seaweed farms could capture carbon, and why chimps follow each other to the bathroom.
Research Highlight: Seaweed farms dish up climate benefits
Research Highlight: All together now: chimps engage in contagious peeing
16:31 How maize may have supported a civilization
Researchers have found evidence of intensive maize agriculture that could help explain how a mysterious South American society produced enough food to fuel a labour-force big enough to build enormous earth structures. It appears that the Casarabe people, who lived in the Amazon Basin around 500-1400 AD, restructured the landscape to create water conserving infrastructure that allowed for year-round production of maize. While this work provides new insights into how the Casarabe may have established a complex monument-building culture, these people vanished around 600 years ago, and many questions remain about their lives.
Research Article: Lombardo et al.
Research Article: Hermenegildo et al.
25:52 DeepSeek R1 wows scientists
A new AI model from a Chinese company, DeepSeek, rivals the abilities of OpenAI’s o1 — a state-of-the art ‘reasoning’ model — at a fraction of the cost. The release of DeepSeek has thrilled researchers, asked questions about American AI dominance in the area, and spooked stock markets. We discuss why this large language model has sent shockwaves around the world and what it means for the future of AI.
News: China’s cheap, open AI model DeepSeek thrills scientists
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Wed, 29 Jan 2025 - 34min - 851 - What's the best way to become a professor? The answer depends on where you are
00:56 How the paths to professorship vary
A huge analysis of hiring practices has revealed that criteria to get a promotion to full professorship is hugely variable around the world. The authors suggest that this variability results in researchers from countries that value one type of metric being locked out of professor positions in others. They hope that the database of hiring practices created in this study could help institutions adjust their hiring policies to create a more diverse science workforce.
Research Article:Lim et al.
News:Want to become a professor? Here’s how hiring criteria differ by country
09:36 Research Highlights
Lasers reveal hidden tattoos on ancient mummified-skin, and a new pill that cuts flu symptoms and viral levels in the body.
Research Highlight:Hidden tattoos on mummy skin emerge under a laser’s light
Research Highlight:Got flu? Promising drug shortens symptoms
12:13 Cancer cells’ broken mitochondria could poison immune cells
Researchers have shown that cancer cells can slip their dysfunctional mitochondria into T cells, limiting the immune system’s cancer-fighting capabilities. Cancer cells are known to steal healthy mitochondria from immune cells to help tumours survive and thrive. Now, researchers have shown mitochondria can move in the opposite direction too, with the donor T cells showing signs of various stress responses that make them less effective when inside a tumour. The team showed that blocking this transfer limited this effect, and hopes that this mechanism could offer a new avenue for boosting the immune system’s response to cancer.
Research Article:Ikeda et al.
News & Views:Mitochondrial swap from cancer to immune cells thwarts anti-tumour defences
21:12 Science and the Gaza conflict
Noah Baker and Ehsan Masood turn to the war in Gaza, and discuss what comes next for science as a ceasefire comes into force.
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Wed, 22 Jan 2025 - 32min - 850 - AI-designed antivenoms could help treat lethal snakebites
00:46 Designing new antivenoms to treat snakebites
Researchers have shown that machine learning can quickly design antivenoms that are effective against lethal snake-toxins, which they hope will help tackle a serious public health issue. Thousands of people die as a result of snakebites each year, but treatment options are limited, expensive and often difficult to access in the resource-poor settings where most bites occur. The computer-aided approach allowed researchers to design two proteins that provided near total protection against individual snake toxins in mouse experiments. While limited in scope, the team behind the work believe these results demonstrate the promise of the approach in designing effective and cheaper treatments for use in humans.
Research Article:Vázquez Torres et al.
11:28 Research Highlights
How male wasp spiders use hairs on their legs to sniff out mates, and how noradrenaline drives waves of cleansing fluid through the brain.
Research Highlight: Male spiders smell with their legs
Research Highlight: How the brain cleans itself during deep sleep
13:53 Earth breaches 1.5 °C climate limit for the first time
News broke last week that in 2024, Earth’s average temperature climbed to more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Although this is only a single year so far, we discuss what breaking this significant threshold means for the 2015 Paris climate agreement and what climate scientists understand about the speed that Earth is heating up.
Nature: Earth breaches 1.5 °C climate limit for the first time: what does it mean?
23:39 Briefing Chat
NASA delays deciding its strategy for collecting and returning Mars rocks to Earth, and why papers on a handful of bacterial species dominate the scientific literature.
Nature: NASA still has no plan for how to bring precious Mars rocks to Earth
Nature: These are the 20 most-studied bacteria — the majority have been ignored
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Wed, 15 Jan 2025 - 33min - 849 - A new-year round-up of the science stories you may have missed
In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.
00:53 The retraction of a controversial COVID study that promoted unproven treatment
A much-critiqued study demonstrating the now-disproven idea that hydroxychloroquine can treat COVID-19 has been retracted — more than four-and-a-half years after it was published.
Nature: Controversial COVID study that promoted unproven treatment retracted after four-year saga
09:10 The skin’s unexpected immune system
Researchers have discovered that healthy skin — once thought to be a passive barrier — can actually produce antibodies that fight off infections. It’s hoped that the finding could one day lead to the development of needle-free vaccines that can be applied to the skin.
Nature: The skin’s ‘surprise’ power: it has its very own immune system
13:02 Researchers fear Europa’s icy crust may be much thicker than thought
New estimates, based on data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, suggest that the ice on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa may be significantly thicker than previously thought. If these estimates prove accurate it could reduce the chances of Europa being habitable for extraterrestrial life.
Science: Surprisingly thick ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa complicates hunt for life
20:11 Modelling the running prowess of our ancient relatives
3D computer simulations of Australopithecus afarensis — an ancient hominin that lived more than three million years ago — reveals that while our relatives could run on two legs, they likely did so at a far slower pace than modern humans.
Nature: Humans evolved for distance running — but ancestor ‘Lucy’ didn’t go far or fast
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Wed, 08 Jan 2025 - 25min - 848 - Science in 2025: 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 2025. We’ll hear about: the latest Moon missions, 30 years of the United Nations' COP climate summits, the return of Donald Trump, and more.
Nature: Science in 2025: the events to watch for in the coming year
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Wed, 01 Jan 2025 - 11min - 847 - Audio long read: How a silly science prize changed my career
Marc Abrahams created the Ig Nobel prizes in 1991, after years of collecting examples of weird research that he included in the Journal of Irreproducible Results. The aim of these satirical awards is to honour achievements that “make people laugh, then think”.
While the initial response from the scientific community was mixed, last year the prize received more than 9,000 nominations. Several researchers who have won an ‘Ig’ say that it has improved their careers by helping them to reach wider audiences, and spend more time engaging with the public about their work.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How a silly science prize changed my career
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Fri, 27 Dec 2024 - 11min - 846 - The Nature Podcast highlights of 2024
00:36 How melting ice is affecting global timekeeping
Nature Podcast:27 March 2024
Research article: Agnew
09:19 Sex and gender discussions don't need to be toxic
Podcast extra: 01 May 2024
Collection: Sex and gender in science
18:10 Research Highlights
Research Highlight: How to train your crocodile
Research Highlight: Ancient fish dined on bats — or died trying
21:09 ChatGPT has a language problem — but science can fix it
Podcast extra:09 August 2024
26:59 A simple solution to tackle a deadly frog disease
Nature Podcast:03 July 2024
Research Article: Waddle et al.
News and Views: Mini saunas save endangered frogs from fungal disease
39:57 Briefing Chat
Nature News: Your brain on shrooms — how psilocybin resets neural networks
Nature News: NASA cancels $450-million mission to drill for ice on the Moon — surprising researchers
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Wed, 25 Dec 2024 - 49min - 845 - Behind the scenes of Nature News and Views in 2024
02:54 The death star moon and a win for the little guys
The shifting orbit of one of Saturn’s moons indicates that the satellite has a subsurface ocean, contradicting theories that its interior is entirely solid. The finding calls for a fresh take on what constitutes an ocean moon.
Nature Podcast: 14 February 2024
News and Views: Mimas’s surprise ocean prompts an update of the rule book for moons
07:05 Could red mud make green steel?
Millions of tonnes of ‘red mud’, a hazardous waste of aluminium production, are generated annually. A potentially sustainable process for treating this mud shows that it could become a source of iron for making steel.
Nature Podcast: 24 Jan 2024
News and Views: Iron extracted from hazardous waste of aluminium production
12:09 A hierarchy of failure
A design principle for buildings incorporates components that can control the propagation of failure by isolating parts of the structure as they fail — offering a way to prevent a partial collapse snowballing into complete destruction.
Nature podcast: 15 May 2024
Nature video: Controlled failure: The building designed to limit catastrophe
News and Views: Strategic links save buildings from total collapse
17:57 Programable enzyme for genpme editing
RNA-guided recombinase enzymes have been discovered that herald a new chapter for genome editing — enabling the insertion, inversion or deletion of long DNA sequences at user-specified genome positions.
News and Views: Programmable RNA-guided enzymes for next-generation genome editing
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Fri, 20 Dec 2024 - 24min - 844 - The Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2024
01:11 “Ozempic you’re able”
In the first of our annual festive songs celebrating the science of the past year, we pay homage to Ozempic, or Semaglutide, that's able to tackle obesity, diabetes and potentially a whole lot more.
05:20 A very scientific quiz
We gather an all-star cast and see how well they can remember some of the big science stories from 2024 in our annual festive quiz.
21:31 “CAR T Cells”
In the second of our festive songs, we look at CAR-T cells. These engineered immune cells have shown great promise at tackling cancer, but these treatments are not without their drawbacks.
25:43 Nature’s 10
Every year, Nature’s 10 highlights some of the people who have helped shape science over the past 12 months. We hear about a few of the people who made the 2024 list, including an economist who now needs to run a country, a Russian science-sleuth, a researcher who’s been sounding the alarm on Mpox, and a PhD student who won a salary bump for researchers in Canada.
News Feature:Nature’s 10
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Wed, 18 Dec 2024 - 37min - 843 - Should offensive species names be changed? The organisms that honour dictators, racists and criminals
Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed to the stars in the sky.
But names have consequences — unintended or otherwise. In our new series What’s in a name we’ll explore naming in science and how names impact the world — whether that’s how the names of storms impact public safety, how the names of diseases impact patient care, or even how the names of scientific concepts can drive the direction of research itself.
In this first episode we’re looking at species names. The modern system of species naming began in the 1700s and has played a vital role in standardizing academic communication, ensuring that scientists are on the same page when they talk about an organism. However, this system is not without its issues. For example, there has been much debate around whether species with names considered offensive — such as those named after historical racists — should be changed, and what rule changes need to be made to allow this to happen.
We speak to researchers about the history of this naming system, how it’s applied and how it might evolve in the face of growing pressures.
Sources
For a full list of sources, please visit https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04200-9
Music credits
Premiumaudio/Pond5
Alon Marcus/Pond5
Groove Committee/Pond5
Opcono/Pond5
Erik Mcnerny/Pond5
Earless Pierre/Pond5
Richard Smithson/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
Douglas Romayne/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
Sound effects via Pond5
Thick-billed Longspur/Andrew Spencer via CC BY-NC-ND 2.5
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Mon, 16 Dec 2024 - 52min - 842 - Targeted mRNA therapy tackles deadly pregnancy condition in mice
00:45 A potential treatment for pre-eclampsia
Researchers have shown in mice experiments that an mRNA-based therapy can reverse the underlying causes of pre-eclampsia, a deadly complication of pregnancy for which treatment options are limited. Inspired by the success of mRNA vaccines, the team behind the work designed a method to deliver the genomic instructions for a blood-vessel growth factor directly into mouse placentas. This stimulated the production of extra blood vessels reducing the very high-blood pressure associated with the condition. Pre-eclampsia causes 15% of maternal deaths and 25% of foetal and newborn deaths worldwide and although the work is early and human trials will be required, the team hope that this work demonstrates the potential of using this approach to treat pre-eclampsia.
Research Article:Swingle et al.
11:00 Research Highlights
Stacks of, mass-produced bowls suggest that people founded, but then abandoned an ancient Mesopotamian civilization, and analysis of Venus’s gases suggests that the planet was always dry.
Research Highlight:Ancient stacks of dishes tell tale of society’s dissolution
Research Highlight:Has Venus ever had an ocean? Its volcanoes hint at an answer
13:29 Programmable cellular switches
A team of scientists have created cellular switches on the surface of cells, allowing them to control their behaviour. Creating these switches has been a long-term goal for synthetic biologists — especially a group of proteins called G-protein-coupled receptors that already control many cellular processes. However, engineering these proteins has been challenging, as modifications can ruin their function. Instead, the team added another molecular component that blocked the receptors activity, but could be removed in response to specific signals. This allowed the researchers to activate these receptors on command, potentially opening up a myriad of new ways to control cell behaviour, such as controlling when neurons fire.
Research Article:Kalogriopoulos et al.
19:35 Google reaches a milestone in quantum computing
A team at Google has shown it is possible to create a quantum computer that becomes more accurate as it scales up, a goal researchers have been trying to achieve for decades. Quantum computing could potentially open up applications beyond the capabilities of classical computers, but these systems are error-prone, making it difficult to scale them up without introducing errors into calculations. The team showed that by increasing the quality of all the components in a quantum computer they could create a system with fewer errors, and that this trend of improvement continued as the system became larger. This breakthrough could mean that quantum computers are getting very close to realising the useful applications that their proponents have long promised.
Nature:‘A truly remarkable breakthrough’: Google’s new quantum chip achieves accuracy milestone
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Wed, 11 Dec 2024 - 28min - 841 - Will humans ever speak wolf? A scientist unravels the complexities of animal chatter
Zoologist Arik Kershenbaum has spent his career studying animals and how they communicate in the wild. In his book Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication, Arik takes a deep dive into the various forms of communication, from wolf howls to gibbon songs, to look at how different species get their points across, why they do it the way they do, and what insights they provide into our own use of language.
Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication Arik Kershenbaum Penguin (2024)
Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
Wolf howl via NPS & MSU Acoustic Atlas/Jennifer Jerrett
Slowed down dolphin whistle via Arik Kershenbaum
Hyrax song via Arik Kershenbaum
Pileated gibbon song via Rushenb CC BY-SA 4.0
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Mon, 09 Dec 2024 - 28min - 840 - Why breast cancer treatments might work best just after your period
00:48 Chemotherapy efficacy varies with the menstrual cycle
Breast cancer cells are more susceptible to chemotherapy at certain points in the menstrual cycle, new data in Nature suggests. Researchers studied the equivalent hormonal cycle in mice and found that during the oestrous phase, where progesterone levels are low, tumours are more susceptible to chemotherapy. The same effect was shown in humans in a small retrospective study. The team caution that a larger clinical trial would need to be conducted, but hope that this work could open up an, easy to implement, way to boost the effect of chemotherapy.
Research Article:Bornes et al.
News and Views:What is the best time of the month to treat breast cancer?
09:22 Research Highlights
How coffee changes your gut microbiota, and the first amber deposits found in Antarctica hint at an ancient rainforest.
Research Highlight:Do you drink coffee? Ask your gut
Research Highlight:Antarctica’s first known amber whispers of a vanished rainforest
11:47 Is human-level artificial intelligence close?
The latest AI system released by OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, is better able to break down problems into smaller chunks, making it closer to a human way of solving problems than other systems. This has reignited discussions about the likelihood of AIs achieving human-level intelligence. Although previously the realm of science fiction, researchers are now taking the idea of ‘artificial general intelligence’, or AGI, more seriously. Although this technology has the potential to help tackle humanity's biggest challenges, there are concerns about the safety of such technology if it were to become autonomous.
News Feature:How close is AI to human-level intelligence?
21:43 Briefing Chat
How making a bank of centenarians’ stem cells could help unlock the secrets of healthy ageing, and what some 1.5 million year old footprints reveal about how ancient hominin species may have interacted.
Nature:What’s the secret to living to 100? Centenarian stem cells could offer clues
Nature:These two ancient human relatives crossed paths 1.5 million years ago
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Wed, 04 Dec 2024 - 30min - 839 - Audio long read: AI has dreamt up a blizzard of new proteins. Do any of them actually work?
AI tools that help researchers design new proteins have resulted in a boom in designer molecules. However, these proteins are being churned out faster than they can be made and tested in labs.
To overcome this, multiple protein-design competitions have popped up, with the aim of sifting out the functional from the fantastical. But while contests have helped drive key scientific advances in the past, it's unclear how to identify which problems to tackle and how best to select winners objectively.
This is an audio version of our Feature: AI has dreamt up a blizzard of new proteins. Do any of them actually work?
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Fri, 29 Nov 2024 - 13min - 838 - Fossilised faeces helps explain dinosaurs' rise to dominance
00:50 Fossilised faeces give news insights into dinosaurs’ diets and rise
A huge collection of fossilised digestive contents has provided clues as to how dinosaurs grew to become the dominant animals on the planet. Why these animals rose to dominance has been unclear, with one theory proposing that a chance event wiped out other species, whereas another suggests that dinosaurs had adaptations that better allowed them to thrive. By analysing over 500 vomit and faeces fossils, researchers have better identified what dinosaurs ate, and their interactions with other animals. The new work suggests both of these theories are correct, with dinosaurs benefiting from one or the other at different points in time. The researchers believe this work demonstrates how useful fossilised food contents are for understanding these ancient creatures.
Research Article:Qvarnström et al.
News and Views:Wastes of time — faeces and vomit track how dinosaurs rose to prominence
News:Fossilized poo and vomit shows how dinosaurs rose to rule Earth
10:05 Research Highlights
Bacteria found on an asteroid actually came from Earth, and why play helps chimps to cooperate.
Research Highlight:Bacteria found on a space rock turn out to be Earth-grown
Research Highlight:Chimps tickle and wrestle in play to pave the way for teamwork
12:46 A commensal fungus found in mouse guts
By testing mice across the United States, researchers have identified a fungus that is well adapted to living in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice, an important step in modelling the role these microorganisms play in the body. Fungi are known to be a constituent of the gut microbiome, but very little is known about what they do. Now, a team has identified that the fungus Kazachstania pintolopesii is likely a long-term resident of mice guts, which they hope will allow them to study how these microbes interact with the immune system, and the role they play in host defence and allergies.
Research Article:Liao et al.
21:57 The key takeaways from COP29
The United Nations annual climate change conference, COP29, finished last week. Largely the discussions revolved around climate finance — the idea that wealthier countries who have benefitted most from past carbon emissions should pay to help poorer, vulnerable countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Although a last minute agreement was hammered out at the conference, not everyone was happy with the text and promised actions. We discuss this and the other key outcomes of COP29.
Nature:Is the COP29 climate deal a historic breakthrough or letdown? Researchers react
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Wed, 27 Nov 2024 - 31min - 837 - Squid-inspired pills squirt drugs straight into your gut
00:45 A squid-inspired device for needle-free drug delivery
Inspired by squids’ ability to shoot ink, a team of researchers have developed swallowable devices that can deliver tiny jets of drugs directly into the gut lining, circumventing the need for needles. Previous studies have shown that most people prefer to take medication in pill form, rather than as an injection, but many drugs are degraded as they pass through the digestive system. The team’s new swallowable devices overcome this issue, and deliver drugs directly to where they need to be. So far, this approach has shown efficacy in animal models, but more work needs to be done to ensure their safety in humans.
Research Article:Arrick et al.
10:50 Research Highlights
The largest ‘terror bird’ fossil ever found, and a simple solution to help prevent premature births.
Research Highlight:Huge carnivorous ‘terror bird’ rivalled the giant panda in size
Research Highlight:Reducing pregnancy risk could be as easy as chewing gum
12:52 A milder way to break down ‘forever chemicals’.
Two papers describe how light-activated catalysts could be used to break down toxic ‘forever chemicals’, hinting at a new way to clean up pollution caused by these persistent compounds. Forever chemicals contain multiple carbon-fluorine bonds that give them useful physical properties, but these bonds are some of the strongest in organic chemistry, making these compounds energetically difficult to break down. The new, light-based methods demonstrate low-energy ways to sever these bonds, a milestone that could make forever chemicals less permanent.
Research Article:Zhang et al.
Research Article:Liu et al.
News and Views:Catalysts degrade forever chemicals with visible light
21:04 Briefing Chat
Analysis of far-side soil highlights the Moon’s turbulent past, and how CRISPR can help make sweeter tomatoes.
Nature:First rocks returned from Moon’s far side reveal ancient volcanic activity
CNN:Findings from the first lunar far side samples raise new questions about the moon’s history
Nature:CRISPR builds a big tomato that’s actually sweet
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Wed, 20 Nov 2024 - 29min - 836 - Bone marrow in the skull plays a surprisingly important role in ageing
00:46 The role of skull bone marrow in ageing
During ageing, bone marrow in the skull becomes an increasingly important site of blood-cell production. This is in stark contrast to most bones where the ability of marrow to make blood and immune cells declines. Studies in mice and humans showed that ageing results in skull bone-marrow expanding, and in mice this marrow was more resistant to inflammation and other hallmarks of ageing. The team behind the work hope by understanding this process better it may be possible to help organs become more resistant to ageing.
Research Article:Koh et al.
08:56 Research Highlights
Elderly big brown bats show remarkable resistance to age-related hearing loss, and why search-engine algorithms may not be the main driver steering people towards misinformation.
Research Highlight:No hearing aids needed: bats’ ears stay keen well into old age
Research Highlight:Don’t blame search engines for sending users to unreliable sites
11:38 How to make lead a useful material to date the Solar System
Researchers have overcome a major hurdle preventing the radioactive isotope lead-205 from being used as a ‘clock’ to date the age of the Solar System. 205Pb is made in some stars and thanks to its half life of around 17 million years has been proposed as a potential way to date ancient astronomical processes. However, exactly how much 205Pb can escape a star were unclear, limiting its dating potential. Now, researchers have mimicked the conditions seen in stars to pin down how much 205Pb can escape into space, paving the way for its use as a clock.
Research Article:Leckenby et al.
19:51 Briefing Chat
How millions of Android smartphones were used to map the Earth’s ionosphere, and the ethical implications of a virologist who treated her own cancer.
Nature:Google uses millions of smartphones to map the ionosphere
Nature:This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab
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Wed, 13 Nov 2024 - 35min - 835 - ’Rapture and beauty’: a writer's portrait of the International Space Station
Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize shortlisted novel Orbital is set inside an International Space Station-like vessel circling 250 miles above Earth. It looks at a day-in-the-life of the crew, investigating the contrasts they experience during the 16 orbits they make around the planet, crossing continents, oceans and the line separating night and day.
On the latest episode of Nature hits the books, Samantha joins us to discuss why the ISS is a rich setting for fiction, the challenges of putting yourself in the shoes of an astronaut, and how distance can give new perspectives on global issues like climate change.
Orbital Samantha Harvey Vintage (2024)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound
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Fri, 08 Nov 2024 - 26min - 834 - Surprise finding reveals mitochondrial 'energy factories' come in two different types
00:46 Mitochondria divide their labour to help cells thrive
Researchers have uncovered that mitochondria divide into two distinct forms when cells are starved, a finding that could help explain how some cancers thrive in hostile conditions. Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses, creating energy and vital metabolic molecules, but how they are able to do this when resources are limited has been a mystery. It turns out that in nutrient-poor situations, mitochondria split into two separate types, one which concentrates on energy production, the other on producing essential cellular building blocks. Together these allow cells to make everything they need. The team showed that this also happens in certain cancer cells, which may help them survive and grow under hostile conditions in the body.
Research Article:Ryu et al.
News and Views:Division of labour: mitochondria split to meet energy demands
Video:A new kind of mitochondrion
07:53 Research Highlights
A tidy genome may explain naked mole rats’ long lifespans, and why the midlife crisis may not be as ubiquitous as previously thought.
Research Highlight:Naked mole rats vanquish genetic ghosts — and achieve long life
Research Highlight:The midlife crisis is not universal
10:41 A smashing way to snapshot an atomic nuclei’s shape
Physicists have revealed a new technique to image the shape of atomic nuclei — by smashing them together. The nucleus of an atom doesn’t really resemble what is shown in textbooks — they actually come in a variety of shapes, which drive an element’s behaviour. Current methods essentially take a long-exposure photo of an atom’s nucleus, which doesn’t capture the subtle variations in how the protons and neutrons arrange themselves. The new method overcomes this by colliding nuclei together and then using information on the resulting debris to reconstruct the shape of the nucleus. The researchers hope that this technique can help physicists resolve many more mysteries about atomic nuclei.
Research Article:STAR Collaboration
News:Scientists worked out the shapes of atomic nuclei — by exploding them
19:51 Briefing Chat
Analysing the genome of an ancient clone forest has revealed it could be up to 80,000 years old, and how putting limits on the famous infinite monkey theorem means they probably wouldn’t churn out Shakespeare before the end of the Universe.
Nature:The world’s oldest tree? Genetic analysis traces evolution of iconic Pando forest
The Guardian:Universe would die before monkey with keyboard writes Shakespeare, study finds
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Wed, 06 Nov 2024 - 27min - 833 - REBROADCAST: Talking politics, talking science
This series was originally broadcast in 2020.
Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.
In the third and final episode we try to get to the bottom of how journalists, communicators and policymakers influence how science is perceived. We discuss the danger of politicization and ask the question - can science be part of the political narrative without compromising its values?
This episode was produced by Nick Petrić Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. It featured: Deborah Blum, Bruce Lewenstein, Dan Sarewitz, Hannah Schmid-Petri, Shobita Parthasarathy, and Beth Simone Noveck.
Further Reading
Politicization of mask wearing
Comparing Norway and Sweden in their coronavirus combating actions
Beth Simone Noveck argues for more open and transparent governance
Solving Public Problems, by Beth Simone Noveck
The Received Wisdom Podcast, with Shobita Parthasarathy
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Sun, 03 Nov 2024 - 23min - 832 - REBROADCAST: Politics of the life scientific
This series was originally broadcast in 2020.
Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.
In this episode we're asking how politics shapes the life of a working scientist. Be it through funding agendas, cultural lobbies or personal bias, there's a myriad of ways in which politics can shape the game; influencing the direction and quality of research, But what does this mean for the objective ideals of science?
This episode was produced by Nick Petrić Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. it featured contributions from many people, including: Mayana Zatz, Shobita Parthasarathy, Michael Erard, Peg AtKisson, Susannah Gal, Allen Rostron, Mark Rosenberg, and Alice Bell.
Further Reading
Brazil’s budget cuts threaten more than 80,000 science scholarships
Move to reallocate funds from scientific institutions in São Paulo
Backlash to “Shrimps on a treadmill”
Explanation of the Dickey Amendment
After over 20 years the CDC can now fund gun violence research
Spirometer use “race-correction” software
Black researchers less likely to get funding from the National Institutes of Health in the US
Black researchers may get less funding from the National Institutes of Health due to topic choice
Black researchers fill fewer academic roles in the UK
Clinical trials use mostly white participants
The Received Wisdom Podcast, with Shobita Parthasarathy
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Sat, 02 Nov 2024 - 24min - 831 - REBROADCAST: A brief history of politics and science
This series was originally broadcast in 2020.
Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.
In this episode we delve into the past, and uncover the complicated relationship between science, politics and power. Along the way, we come up against some pretty big questions: what is science? Should science be apolitical? And where does Naturefit in?
This episode was produced by Nick Petrić Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. it featured contributions from many researchers, including: Shobita Parthasarathy, Alice Bell, Dan Sarewitz, Anna Jay, Melinda Baldwin, Magdelena Skipper, Steven Shapin, David Edgerton, Deborah Blum, Bruce Lewenstein and Chiara Ambrosio. Quotes from social media were read by: Shamini Bundell, Flora Graham, Dan Fox, Edie Edmundson and Bredan Maher. And excerpts from Nature were read by Jen Musgreave.
Further Reading
History of Education in the UK
Natureeditorial on covering politics
Making “Nature”, by Melinda Baldwin
David Edgerton’s writing on the history of science and politics in the Guardian
The received wisdom podcast with Shobita Parthasarathy
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Fri, 01 Nov 2024 - 28min - 830 - How to recover from the trauma of a climate disaster
00:48 Rebuilding mental health after the floods
Researchers have been investigating the best ways to help people deal with trauma in the wake of a climate disaster. In April and May devastating floods surged across Rio Grande do Sul in the South of Brazil, affecting two million people and killing hundreds. As people try to put their lives back together scientists have been conducting surveys and investigating how to make sure that any mental health issues don’t become persistent. We hear from some of the affected people and researchers in the region.
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
News Feature:How to recover when a climate disaster destroys your city
13:48 Research Highlights
A new way to make ultra-heavy elements, and how some plankton swim by blowing up like a balloon.
Research Highlight:Atomic smash-ups hold promise of record-breaking elements
Research Highlight:This plankton balloons in size to soar upwards through the water
16:54 What are your thoughts on the US election?
Nature has conducted a poll of its readers to get a sense of what is on researchers’ minds in the run up to the US election. Overwhelmingly, the survey respondents identified as researchers and reported that they supported Vice President Harris (86%). Many also voiced concerns about a possible victory for former President Trump, saying that they would consider changing where they would live if he wins. Reporter Jeff Tollefson tells us more about the results and what the election means for US science.
News:The US election is monumental for science, say Nature readers — here’s why
27:07 Briefing Chat
The possible benefits of ‘poo milkshakes’ for newborns, and how Tardigrades can withstand incredibly high levels of radiation.
Nature:‘Poo milkshake’ boosts the microbiome of c-section babies
Nature:New species of tardigrade reveals secrets of radiation-resisting powers
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Wed, 30 Oct 2024 - 35min - 829 - Audio long read: Which is the fairest electoral system? Mega-election year sparks debate
By the end of 2024 up to two billion people will have gone to the polls, in a pivotal year of elections around the globe. This is giving political scientists the chance to dive into each election in detail but also to compare the differing voting systems involved.
They hope understanding the advantages and drawbacks of the systems will help highlight whether some are more likely to promote democratic resilience or to stave off corrosive partisanship.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Which is the fairest electoral system? Mega-election year sparks debate
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Fri, 25 Oct 2024 - 18min - 828 - Massive lost mountain cities revealed by lasers
00:48 The hidden cities of Uzbekistan
Researchers have uncovered the scale of two ancient cities buried high in the mountains of Uzbekistan. The cities were thought to be there, but their extent was unknown, so the team used drone-mounted LiDAR equipment to reveal what was hidden beneath the ground. The survey surprised researchers by showing one of the cities was six times bigger than expected. The two cities, called Tashbulak and Tugunbulak, were nestled in the heart of Central Asia’s medieval Silk Road, suggesting that highland areas played an important role in trade of the era.
Research Article:Frachetti et al.
Video:Uncovering a lost mountain metropolis
09:32 Research Highlights
How children's’ movements resemble water vapour, and why coastal waters may be a lot dirtier than we thought.
Research Highlight:Kids in the classroom flow like water vapour
Research Highlight:Sewage lurks in coastal waters — often unnoticed by widely used test
12:06 Watermarking AI-generated text
A team at Google Deepmind has demonstrated a way to add a digital watermark to AI-generated text that can be detected by computers. As AI-generated content becomes more pervasive, there are fears that it will be impossible to tell it apart from content made by humans. To tackle this, the new method subtly biases the word choices made by a Large Language Model in a statistically detectable pattern. Despite the changes to word choice, a test of 20 million live chat interactions revealed that users did not notice a drop in quality compared to unwatermarked text.
Research Article:Dathathri et al.
News:DeepMind deploys invisible ‘watermark’ on AI-written text
22:38 Briefing Chat
What one researcher found after repeatedly scanning her own brain to see how it responded to birth-control pills, and how high-altitude tree planting could offer refuge to an imperilled butterfly species.
Nature:How does the brain react to birth control? A researcher scanned herself 75 times to find out
Nature:Mexican forest ‘relocated’ in attempt to save iconic monarch butterflies
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Wed, 23 Oct 2024 - 29min - 827 - Star-eating black hole could power cosmic particle accelerator
In this episode:
00:46 An unusual γ-ray producing microquasar
A type of binary-system known as a microquasar has been found to be firing out γ-rays at high energy-levels, which may make it a candidate to be a long-theorized natural particle-accelerator known as a PeVatron. These objects are thought to be a source of galactic cosmic rays, the origins of which are currently a mystery.
Understanding how this microquasar works could also help researchers learn more about full-sized quasars — monstrous objects centred around supermassive black holes, which are too distant to study easily.
Research Article:Alfaro et al.
News and Views:High-altitude particle detector spots a second Galactic microquasar
09:27 Research Highlights
The comb jellies caught fusing their bodies, and an ancient burial site reveals that Classical accounts of Scythian culture appear to be true.
Research Highlight:Two comb jellies fuse their bodies and then act as one
Research Highlight:Evidence of dead people posed on dead horses found in ancient tomb
12:08 A ‘smart’ insulin-molecule that could lower hypoglycaemia risk
Researchers have developed a modified insulin-molecule that varies its level of activity depending on blood-glucose levels. It’s hoped that this ‘smart’ insulin could one day help those with diabetes regulate their blood sugar more easily.
Many people with diabetes rely on regular insulin injections, but because blood-sugar levels can be difficult to predict it can be hard to select the correct dose. This can lead to hypoglycaemia — a life-threateningly low level of glucose. To overcome this, a team created a modified form of insulin with a switch that activates the molecule when glucose levels are high, and deactivates it when levels are low. This insulin-molecule was effective at maintaining correct blood glucose in animal models, and may eventually help lessen diabetes-related complications in humans.
Research Article:Hoeg-Jensen et al.
News and Views:Smart insulin switches itself off in response to low blood sugar
20:33 Briefing Chat
Ancient DNA confirms that infamous lions hunted humans and a variety of game, and a new technique can sequence a cell’s DNA and pinpoint its proteins, without cracking it open.
Nature:Famed lions’ full diet revealed by DNA — and humans were among their prey
Nature:‘Phenomenal’ tool sequences DNA and tracks proteins — without cracking cells open
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Wed, 16 Oct 2024 - 29min - 826 - This AI powered 'tongue' can tell Coke and Pepsi apart
00:55 Graphene Tongue
Researchers have developed a graphene ‘tongue’ that uses AI to tell the subtle differences between drinks. Graphene has long been sought after as a chemical sensor, but tiny variations between devices have meant that it couldn’t be used very reliably. The team behind the ‘tongue’ got around this problem by training an AI to tell the difference between similar liquids regardless of variations between graphene devices. They hope that their work shows that it’s possible to use ‘imperfect’ chemical sensors to get accurate readings and that the ‘tongue’ will be able to help detect problems with food.
Research Article:Pannone et al.
09:22 Research Highlights
A 3D-printed optical microscope that can image biological samples with ultrahigh resolution, and how newly-hatched sea turtles dig their way up to the beach.
Research Highlight:A ‘Swiss army knife’ microscope that doesn’t break the bank
Research Highlight:Baby sea turtles ‘swim’ up from buried nests to the open air
11:32 How migrating salmon move nutrients and contaminants at a continental scale
Studies of migrating Pacific salmon have revealed that these animals transport thousands of tonnes of nutrients and kilograms of contaminants from the ocean to freshwater ecosystems. It’s been known that as the fish return to their freshwater spawning grounds from the sea they bring with them both nutrients and contaminants, but the impact of each has largely been studied separately. A new study combines datasets to estimate that over 40 years, the levels of nutrients these fish carry have increased at a proportionally higher rate than the contaminants, but the toxins could nevertheless be present at concerning levels to the animals that eat them.
Research Article:Brandt et al.
News and Views:Salmon’s moveable feast of nutrients with a side order of contaminants
23:19 Nobel News
Flora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel Prizes.
News:Medicine Nobel awarded for gene-regulating ‘microRNAs’
News:Physics Nobel scooped by machine-learning pioneers
News: Chemistry Nobel goes to developers of AlphaFold AI that predicts protein structures
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Wed, 09 Oct 2024 - 38min - 825 - Strange gamma-ray flickers seen in thunderstorms for the first time
00:46 Physicists spot new types of high-energy radiation in thunderstorms
Physicists have identified new forms of γ-ray radiation created inside thunderclouds, and shown that levels of γ-ray production are much higher on Earth than previously thought.
Scientists already knew about two types of γ-ray phenomena in thunderclouds — glows that last as long as a minute and high-intensity flashes that come and go in only a few millionths of a second. Now, researchers have identified that these both occur more frequently than expected, and that previously undetected γ-ray types exist, including flickering flashes that share characteristics of the other two types of radiation.
The researchers hope that understanding more about these mysterious phenomena could help explain what initiates lightning, which often follows these γ-ray events.
Research Article:Østgaard et al.
Research Article:Marisaldi et al.
Nature:Mysterious form of high-energy radiation spotted in thunderstorms
10:00 Research Highlights
Ancient arrowheads reveal that Europe's oldest battle likely featured warriors from far afield, and why the dwarf planet Ceres’s frozen ocean has deep impurities.
Research Highlight:Bronze Age clash was Europe’s oldest known interregional battle
Research Highlight:A dwarf planet has dirty depths, model suggests
12:09 A complete wiring diagram of the fruit fly brain
Researchers have published the most complete wiring diagram, or ‘connectome’ of the fruit fly’s brain, which includes nearly 140,000 neurons and 54.5 million connections between nerve cells.
The map, made from the brain of a single female fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), reveals over 8,400 neuron types in the brain, and has enabled scientists to learn more about the brain and how it controls aspects of fruit fly behaviour.
The FlyWire connectome: neuronal wiring diagram of a complete fly brain
Nature:Largest brain map ever reveals fruit fly's neurons in exquisite detail
22:16 Briefing Chat
How researchers created an elusive single-electron bond between carbon atoms, and why bigger chatbots get over-confident when answering questions.
Nature:Carbon bond that uses only one electron seen for first time: ‘It will be in the textbooks’
Nature:Bigger AI chatbots more inclined to spew nonsense — and people don't always realize
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Wed, 02 Oct 2024 - 30min - 824 - Audio long read: A day in the life of the world’s fastest supercomputer
The world's fastest supercomputer, known as Frontier, is located at the Leadership Computing Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. This machine churns through data at record speed, outpacing 100,000 laptops working simultaneously.
With nearly 50,000 processors, Frontier was designed to push the bounds of human knowledge. It's being used to create open-source large language models to compete with commercial AI systems, simulate proteins for drug development, help improve aeroplane engine design, and more.
This is an audio version of our Feature: A day in the life of the world’s fastest supercomputer
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Fri, 27 Sep 2024 - 20min - 823 - Children with Down's syndrome are more likely to get leukaemia: stem-cells hint at why
In this episode:
00:46 Unravelling why children with Down’s syndrome are at a higher risk of leukaemia
Children with Down’s syndrome have a 150-fold increased risk of developing leukaemia than those without the condition. Now, an in-depth investigation has revealed that changes to genome structures in fetal liver stem-cells appear to be playing a key role in this increase.
Down’s syndrome is characterised by cells having an extra copy of chromosome 21. The team behind this work saw that in liver stem-cells — one of the main places blood is produced in a growing fetus — this extra copy results in changes in how DNA is packaged in a nucleus, opening up areas that are prone to mutation, including those known to be important in leukaemia development.
The researchers hope their work will be an important step in understanding and reducing this risk in children with Down’s syndrome.
Research Article:Marderstein et al.
News and Views:Childhood leukaemia in Down’s syndrome primed by blood-cell bias
11:47 Research Highlights
How taking pints of beer off the table lowers alcohol consumption, and a small lizard’s ‘scuba gear’ helps it stay submerged.
Research Highlight:A small fix to cut beer intake: downsize the pint
Research Highlight:This ‘scuba diving’ lizard has a self-made air supply
14:12 Briefing Chat
How tiny crustaceans use ‘smell’ to find their home cave, and how atomic bomb X-rays could deflect an asteroid away from a deadly Earth impact.
Science:In the dark ocean, these tiny creatures can smell their way home
Nature:Scientists successfully ‘nuke asteroid’ — in a lab mock-up
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Wed, 25 Sep 2024 - 21min - 822 - Colossal 'jets' shooting from a black hole defy physicists' theories
In this episode:
00:45 The biggest black hole jets ever seen
Astronomers have spotted a pair of enormous jets emanating from a supermassive black hole with a combined length of 23 million light years — the biggest ever discovered. Jets are formed when matter is ionized and flung out of a black hole, creating enormous and powerful structures in space. Thought to be unstable, physicists had theorized there was a limit to how large these jets could be, but the new discovery far exceeds this, suggesting there may be more of these monstrous jets yet to be discovered.
Research Article:Oei et al.
09:44 Research Highlights
The knitted fabrics designed to protect wearers from mosquito bites, and the role that islands play in fostering language diversity.
Research Highlight:Plagued by mosquitoes? Try some bite-blocking fabrics
Research Highlight:Islands are rich with languages spoken nowhere else
12:26 A sustainable, one-step method for alloy production
Making metal alloys is typically a multi-step process that creates huge amounts of emissions. Now, a team demonstrates a way to create these materials in a single step, which they hope could significantly reduce the environmental burdens associated with their production. In a lab demonstration, they use their technique to create an alloy of nickel and iron called invar — a widely-used material that has a high carbon-footprint. The team show evidence that their method can produce invar to a quality that rivals that of conventional manufacturing, and suggest their technique is scalable to create alloys at an industrial scale.
Research article:Wei et al.
25:29 Briefing Chat
How AI-predicted protein structures have helped chart the evolution of a group of viruses, and the neurons that cause monkeys to ‘choke’ under pressure.
Nature News:Where did viruses come from? AlphaFold and other AIs are finding answers
Nature News:Why do we crumble under pressure? Science has the answer
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Wed, 18 Sep 2024 - 34min - 821 - Ancient DNA debunks Rapa Nui ‘ecological suicide’ theory
In this episode:
00:45 What ancient DNA has revealed about Rapa Nui’s past
Ancient DNA analysis has further demonstrated that the people of Rapa Nui did not cause their own population collapse, further refuting a controversial but popular claim. Rapa Nui, also known as Easter island, is famous for its giant Moai statues and the contested idea that the people mismanaged their natural resources leading to ‘ecological suicide’. Genomes sequenced from the remains of 15 ancient islanders showed no evidence of a sudden population crash, substantiating other research challenging the collapse idea.
Research Article:Moreno-Mayar et al.
News and Views:Rapa Nui’s population history rewritten using ancient DNA
News article:Famed Pacific island’s population 'crash' debunked by ancient DNA
17:03 Research Highlights
The extinct bat-eating fish that bit off more than they could chew, and how manatee dung shapes an Amazonian ecosystem.
Research Highlight:Ancient fish dined on bats — or died trying
Research Highlight:The Amazon’s gargantuan gardeners: manatees
19:29 A macabre parasite of adult fruit flies
Despite being a hugely-studied model organism, it seems that there’s still more to find out about the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, as researchers have discovered a new species of parasitoid wasp that infects the species. Unlike other parasitic wasps, this one lays its eggs in adult flies, with the developing larva devouring its host from the inside. The miniscule wasp was discovered by chance in an infected fruit fly collected in a Mississippi backyard and analysis suggests that despite having never been previously identified, it is widespread across parts of North America.
Research article:Moore et al.
32:04 Briefing Chat
How a dye that helps to give Doritos their orange hue can turn mouse tissues transparent, and an effective way to engage with climate-science sceptics.
Nature News:Transparent mice made with light-absorbing dye reveal organs at work
Nature News:How to change people’s minds about climate change: what the science says
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Wed, 11 Sep 2024 - 41min - 820 - The baseless stat that could be harming Indigenous conservation efforts
The often repeated claim that "80% of the world's biodiversity is found in the territories of Indigenous Peoples" appears widely in policy documents and reports, yet appears to have sprung out of nowhere. According to a group of researchers, including those from Indigenous groups, this baseless statistic could be undermining the conservation efforts of the Indigenous People it's meant to support and prevent further work to really understand how best to conserve biodiversity.
Two of the authors joined us to discuss how this statistic gained traction, the harm it could cause, and how better to support the work of Indigenous Peoples.
Read more in a Comment article from the authors:No basis for claim that 80% of biodiversity is found in Indigenous territories
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Fri, 06 Sep 2024 - 14min - 819 - Long-sought 'nuclear clocks' are one tick closer
In this episode:
00:45 Why a 'nuclear clock' is now within researchers’ reach
Researchers have made a big step towards the creation of the long theorized nuclear clock, by getting the most accurate measurement of the frequency of light required to push thorium nuclei into a higher energy state. Such a timekeeper would differ from the best current clocks as their ‘tick’ corresponds to the energy transitions of protons and neutrons, rather than electrons. Nuclear clocks have the potential to be more robust and accurate than current systems, and could offer researchers new insights into fundamental forces present within atomic nuclei.
Research Article:Zhang et al.
News and Views:Countdown to a nuclear clock
Nature News:‘Nuclear clock’ breakthrough paves the way for super-precise timekeeping
Editorial:Progress on nuclear clocks shows the benefits of escaping from scientific silos
10:10 Research Highlights
The star that got partially shredded by a supermassive black hole, not just once, but twice, and how heatwaves could mangle bumblebees’ sense of smell.
Research Highlight:This unlucky star got mangled by a black hole — twice
Research Highlight:Bumblebees’ sense of smell can’t take the heat
12:11 How engineered immune cells could help limit damage after spinal injury
By harnessing T cells to fine-tune the inflammation response, researchers have limited the damage caused by spinal injury in mice, an approach they hope might one day translate into a human therapy. Following injury to the central nervous system, immune cells rush to the scene, resulting in a complex array of effects, both good and bad. In this work researchers have identified the specific kind of T cells that amass at the site, and used them to create an immunotherapy that helps the mice recover more quickly from injuries by slowing damage to neurons.
Research article:Gao et al.
20:36 Briefing Chat
How unprecedented floods in Brazil have helped and hindered paleontologists, and the ‘AI scientist’ that does everything from literature review through to manuscript writing, to an extent.
Nature News:The race to save fossils exposed by Brazil’s record-setting floods
Nature News:Researchers built an ‘AI Scientist’ — what can it do?
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Wed, 04 Sep 2024 - 31min - 818 - Audio long read: So you got a null result. Will anyone publish it?
The 'file-drawer problem', where findings with null or negative results gather dust and are left unpublished, is well known in science. There has been an overriding perception that studies with positive or significant findings are more important, but this bias can have real-world implications, skewing perceptions of drug efficacies, for example.
Multiple efforts to get negative results published have been put forward or attempted, with some researchers saying that the incentive structures in academia, and the ‘publish or perish’ culture, need to be overturned in order to end this bias.
This is an audio version of our Feature: So you got a null result. Will anyone publish it?
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Fri, 30 Aug 2024 - 17min - 817 - Covert racism in AI chatbots, precise Stone Age engineering, and the science of paper cuts
In this episode:
00:31 Chatbots makes racist judgements on the basis of dialect
Research has shown that large language models, including those that power chatbots such as ChatGPT, make racist judgements on the basis of users’ dialect. If asked to describe a person, many AI systems responded with racist stereotypes when presented with text written in African American English — a dialect spoken by millions of people in the United States that is associated with the descendants of enslaved African Americans — compared with text written in Standardized American English. The findings show that such models harbour covert racism, even when they do not display overt racism, and that conventional fixes to try and address biases in these models had no effect on this issue.
Research Article:Hoffman et al.
News and Views:LLMs produce racist output when prompted in African American English
Nature News:Chatbot AI makes racist judgements on the basis of dialect
07:01 How ancient engineers built a megalithic structure
The 6,000-year-old Dolmen of Menga is a marvel of ancient engineering. New research reveals new insights into the structure and the technical abilities of the Neolithic builders who constructed it. The work shows that a setup of counterweights and ramps may have been used to correctly position the massive sandstone blocks that make up walls of the structure, which were each tilted at precise, millimetre-scale angles. The researchers suggest that this construction shows that the Neolithic people who built the dolmen had a working understanding of physics, geometry, geology and architectural principles.
Nature News:Stone Age builders had engineering savvy, finds study of 6000-year-old monument
12:28 Spider makes fireflies flash as bait
Orb-weaving spiders (Araneus ventricosus) use ensnared male Absocondita terminalis fireflies to trick more insects into their web. A bite from the spider causes the flashing pattern of the trapped firefly to shift to one resembling a female looking to mate, leading others into an ambush. Exactly how this system works is unclear, but researchers say it is a rare example of a predator altering the behaviour of its prey to catch others.
Science:Spiders force male fireflies to flash like females—luring more males to their death
16:35 The physics of paper cuts
By combining experiments and theoretical work, a team has unraveled the mystery of why only certain types of paper can cut into human skin. Their work shows that paper that is too thin will buckle without cutting, while paper that’s too thick will distribute force over a relatively large area without inflicting damage. The research suggests that the sweet spot for slicing is paper with around 65 micrometres in thickness, which includes the kind used to print certain high-profile journals…
Research Highlight:WhatScience andNature are good for: causing paper cuts
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Wed, 28 Aug 2024 - 20min - 816 - Can ageing be stopped? A biologist explains
For millennia, humanity has obsessed about halting ageing and, ultimately, preventing death. Yet while advances in medicine and public-health have seen human life-expectancy more than double, our maximum lifespan stubbornly remains around 120 years.
On the latest episode of Nature hits the books, Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan joins us to discuss what scientists have learnt about the molecular processes underlying ageing, whether they can be prevented, and why the quest for longevity also needs to consider the health-related issues associated with old age.
Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality Venki Ramakrishnan Hodder (2024)
Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images.
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Thu, 22 Aug 2024 - 30min - 815 - AI can't learn new things forever — an algorithm can fix that
00:46 Old AIs can’t learn new tricks
An algorithm that reactivates dormant ‘neurons’ in deep learning based AIs could help them overcome their inability to learn new things and make future systems more flexible, research has shown. AIs based on deep learning struggle to learn how to tackle new tasks indefinitely, making them less adaptable to new situations. The reasons for this are unclear, but now a team has identified that ‘resetting’ parts of the neural networks underlying these systems can allow deep learning methods to keep learning continually.
Research Article:Dohare et al.
News and Views:Switching between tasks can cause AI to lose the ability to learn
08:55 Research Highlights
To stop crocodiles eating poisonous toads researchers have been making them sick, and a sacrificed child in ancient Mexico was the progeny of closely related parents.
Research Highlight:How to train your crocodile
Research Highlight: DNA of child sacrificed in ancient city reveals surprising parentage
11:20 Briefing Chat
How video games gave people a mental health boost during the pandemic, and where the dinosaur-destroying Chicxulub asteroid formed.
Nature News:PlayStation is good for you: video games improved mental health during COVID
Nature News:Dinosaur-killing Chicxulub asteroid formed in Solar System’s outer reaches
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Wed, 21 Aug 2024 - 19min - 814 - The mystery of Stonehenge's central stone unearthed
00:48 The mystery of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone
Stonehenge’s central stone came from Northern Scotland, more than 600 miles away from the monument, according to a new analysis of its geochemistry. It is commonly accepted that many of the rocks that make up the iconic neolithic monument came from Wales, 150 miles from the site. Previously, it had been thought that a central stone, called the Altar Stone, had also come from this area, known as the Preseli Hills. The new work suggests that the ancient Britons went much further, perhaps ferrying the Altar Stone hundreds of miles, to place the rock at the centre of Stonehenge.
Research Article:Clarke et al.
News:Stonehenge’s massive slabs came from as far as Scotland — 800 kilometres away
12:12 Research Highlights
How a parasite could help scientists break through the blood-brain barrier, and the physics of skateboard moves.
Research Highlight:Engineered brain parasite ferries useful proteins into neurons
Research Highlight:How expert skateboarders use physics on the half-pipe
14:13 A new way to break bonds
Chemists have demonstrated a way to break Selenium-Selenium bonds unevenly, something they have been trying for decades. Chemical bonds have to be broken and reformed to create new compounds, but they often don’t break in a way that allows chemists to form new bonds in the ways they would like. Breaks are often ‘even’, with electrons shared equally between atoms. To prevent such an even split, a team used a specific solvent and a combination of light and heat to force the selenium bonds to break unevenly. This could potentially open up ways to create compounds that have never been made before.
Research Article:Tiefel et al.
News and Views:Innovative way to break chemical bonds broadens horizons for making molecules
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Wed, 14 Aug 2024 - 22min - 813 - ChatGPT has a language problem — but science can fix it
AIs built on Large Language Models have wowed by producing particularly fluent text. However, their ability to do this is limited in many languages. As the data and resources used to train a model in a specific language drops, so does the performance of the model, meaning that for some languages the AIs are effectively useless.
Researchers are aware of this problem and are trying to find solutions, but the challenge extends far beyond just the technical, with moral and social questions to be answered. This podcast explores how Large Language Models could be improved in more languages and the issues that could be caused if they are not.
Watch our related video of people trying out ChatGPT in different languages.
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Fri, 09 Aug 2024 - 36min - 812 - Where weird plants thrive: aridity spurs diversity of traits
00:48 Plant trait diversity in drylands
A study reveals that, unexpectedly, plants display a greater diversity of traits in drier environments. Trait diversity is a measure of an organism's performance in an environment and can include things like the size of a plant or its photosynthetic rate. Whilst there are good data on this kind of diversity in temperate regions, an assessment of drylands has been lacking. The new study fills this knowledge gap and finds that, counter to a prevailing expectation that fewer traits would be displayed, at a certain level of aridity trait diversity doubles. The team behind the new work hope that it can help us better protect biodiversity as the planet warms and areas become drier.
Research Article:Gross et al.
08:25 Research Highlights
Butterflies and moths use static charge to pick up pollen, and quantum physics rules out black holes made of light.
Research Highlight:Charged-up butterflies draw pollen through the air
Research Highlight:Black holes made from light? Impossible, say physicists
10:59 The Great Barrier Reef is the hottest it’s been for centuries
An assessment of coral skeletons has shown that the past decade has been the warmest for the Great Barrier Reef for 400 years. By looking at the chemical composition of particularly old specimens of coral in the reef, researchers were able to create a record of temperatures going back to 1618. In addition to showing recent record breaking temperatures they also developed a model that suggests that such temperatures are very unlikely to occur without human-induced climate change. Altogether, the study suggests that the reef is in dire straits and much of the worlds’ coral could be lost.
Research Article:Henley et al.
News and Views:Coral giants sound the alarm for the Great Barrier Reef
Nature News:Great Barrier Reef's temperature soars to 400-year high
18:56 ‘Publish or Perish’ becomes a card game
Most researchers are familiar with the refrain ‘Publish or Perish’ — the idea that publications are the core currency of a scientist’s career — but now that can be played out for laughs in a new board game. Created as a way to help researchers “bond over shared trauma”, the game features many mishaps familiar to academics, scrambles for funding and scathing comments, all while players must compete to get the most citations on their publications. Reporter Max Kozlov set out to avoid perishing and published his way to a story about the game for the Nature Podcast.
Nature News:‘Publish or Perish’ is now a card game — not just an academic’s life
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Wed, 07 Aug 2024 - 26min - 811 - How light-based computers could cut AI’s energy needs
00:45 Increasing the energy efficiency of light-based computers
Computer components based on specialised LEDs could reduce the energy consumption of power hungry AI systems, according to new research. AI chips with components that compute using light can run more efficiently than those using digital electronics, but these light-based systems typically use lasers that can be bulky and difficult to control. To overcome these obstacles, a team has developed a way to replace these lasers with LEDs, which are cheaper and more efficient to run. Although only a proof of concept, they demonstrate that their system can perform some tasks as well as laser-based computers.
Research Article:Dong et al.
News and Views:Cheap light sources could make AI more energy efficient
10:36 Research Highlights
The genes that make roses smell so sweet, and how blocking inflammation could reduce heart injury after a stroke.
Research Highlight:How the rose got its iconic fragrance
Research Highlight:Strokes can damage the heart — but reining in the immune system might help
13:02 What researchers know about H5N1 influenza in cows
The highly-pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was first identified in US cattle in March 2024 and has been detected in multiple herds across the country. We round up what researchers currently know about this spread, what can be done to prevent it, and the risks this outbreak may pose to humans.
Nature News:Can H5N1 spread through cow sneezes? Experiment offers clues
Nature News:Huge amounts of bird-flu virus found in raw milk of infected cows
Nature News:Could bird flu in cows lead to a human outbreak? Slow response worries scientists
Research article:Eisfeld et al.
22:38 Briefing Chat
NASA’s Perseverance rover finds a Martian rock containing features associated with fossilized microbial life, and how metallic nodules on the ocean floor could be the source of mysterious ‘dark oxygen’
Space.com:NASA's Perseverance Mars rover finds possible signs of ancient Red Planet life
Nature News:Mystery oxygen source discovered on the sea floor — bewildering scientists
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Wed, 31 Jul 2024 - 32min - 810 - Audio long read: Hope, despair and CRISPR — the race to save one woman’s life
In India, a group of researchers raced to develop a CRISPR-based genome editing therapy to save the life of a young woman with a rare neurodegenerative disease. Despite a valiant effort, the pace of research was ultimately too slow to save her life. While many are convinced that these therapies could offer hope to those with overlooked genetic conditions, it will likely take years to develop the techniques needed to quickly create bespoke treatments, something people in need don't have.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Hope, despair and CRISPR — the race to save one woman’s life
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Fri, 26 Jul 2024 - 23min - 809 - Rapid sepsis test identifies bacteria that spark life-threatening infection
00:48 A rapid way to identify serious bacterial infections
A newly-developed method that can rapidly identify the type of bacteria causing a blood-infection, and the correct antibiotics to treat it, could save clinicians time, and patient lives. Blood infections are serious, and can lead to the life-threatening condition sepsis, but conventional diagnostic methods can take days to identify the causes. This new method does away with some of the time-consuming steps, and the researchers behind it say that if it can be fully automated, it could provide results in less than a day.
Research Article:Kim et al.
11:49 Research Highlights
The discovery of a connection between three star-forming interstellar clouds could help explain how these giant structures form, and evidence of the largest accidental methane leak ever recorded.
Research Highlight:Found: the hidden link between star-forming molecular clouds
Research Highlight:Blowout! Satellites reveal one of the largest methane leaks on record
14:22 AIs fed AI-generated text start to spew nonsense
When artificial intelligences are fed data that has itself been AI-generated, these systems quickly begin to spout nonsense responses, according to new research. Typically, large language model (LLM) AI’s are trained on human-produced text found online. However, as an increasing amount of online content is AI-generated, a team wanted to know how these systems would cope. They trained an AI to produce Wikipedia-like entries, then trained new iterations on the model on the text produced by its predecessor. Quickly the outputs descended into gibberish, which highlights the dangers of the Internet becoming increasingly full of AI-generated text.
Research Article:Shumailov et al.
25:49 Briefing Chat
How psilocybin — the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms — resets communication between brain regions, and the surprise cancellation of a NASA Moon mission.
Nature News:Your brain on shrooms — how psilocybin resets neural networks
Nature News:NASA cancels $450-million mission to drill for ice on the Moon — surprising researchers
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Wed, 24 Jul 2024 - 34min - 808 - The plastic that biodegrades in your home compost
01:04 A gel to safely transport proteins
A gel that encases proteins could be a new way to safely transport medicines without requiring them to be kept cold, according to new research. To test it, the team behind the work posted themselves a protein suspended in this gel, showing that it was perfectly preserved and retained its activity, despite being dropped in transit and exposed to varying temperatures. The researchers hope this gel will help overcome the need to freeze protein-based medicines, which can be expensive to do and difficult to maintain during transportation.
Research Article:Bianco et al.
News and Views:Gel protects therapeutic proteins from deactivation — even in the post
08:51 Research Highlights
How an abundance of cicadas led to a host of raccoon activity, and how wine-grape harvest records can be used to estimate historical summertime temperatures
Research Highlight:Massive cicada emergence prompted raccoons to run wild
Research Highlight:Wine grapes’ sweetness reveals Europe’s climate history
11:24 Making a plastic biodegradable
By embedding a plastic with an engineered enzyme, researchers have developed a fully biodegradable material that can be broken down in a home compost heap. Plastic production often requires high temperatures, so the team adapted an enzyme to make it more able to withstand heat, while still able to break down a common plastic called PLA. They hope this enzyme-embedded plastic could replace current single-use items, helping to reduce the huge amount of waste produced each year.
Research Article:Guicherd et al.
19:53 Briefing Chat
This time, how to make lab-grown meat taste more meaty, and a subterranean Moon cave that could be a place for humans to shelter.
Nature News:This lab-grown meat probably tastes like real beef
The Guardian:Underground cave found on moon could be ideal base for explorers
Nature hits the books:Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why
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Wed, 17 Jul 2024 - 28min - 807 - Breastfeeding should break down mothers' bones — here's why it doesn't
00:45 In situ editing of the gut microbiome
Researchers have developed a method to directly edit the genes of specific bacteria in the guts of live mice, something that has previously been difficult to accomplish due to the complexity of this environment. The tool was able to edit over 90% of an E. coli strain colonising mice guts, with other work showing the tool could be used to edit genes in pathogenic bacterial species and strains. It is hoped that with further research this technique could be adapted to work in humans, potentially altering bacteria associated with disease.
Nature News:This gene-editing tool alters bacteria in the gut of living mice
Research Article:Brödel et al.
06:56 Research Highlights
The ants that perform life-saving surgery on their nest-mates, and why amber’s scarcity led ancient artisans to make imitation jewellery.
Research Highlight:Ants amputate their nest-mates’ legs to save lives
Research Highlight:Fake jewellery from the Stone Age looks like the real deal
08:46 How is bone health maintained during breastfeeding?
During breastfeeding bones are stripped of calcium, while levels of oestrogen — which normally helps keep them healthy — drop off precipitously. This puts bones under tremendous stress, but why they don’t break down at this time has proved a mystery. Now, a team has identified a hormone produced in lactating mice that promotes the build up of bones, keeping them strong during milk production. Injecting this hormone into injured mice helped their bones heal faster, and the team hopes that their finding could ultimately help treat bone-weakening conditions like osteoporosis in humans.
Research Article:Babey et al.
17:55 Briefing Chat
This time, new clues about the neurological events that spark migraines, and a quick chemical method to recycle old clothes.
Nature News:What causes migraines? Study of ‘brain blackout’ offers clues
Nature News:Chemical recycling’: 15-minute reaction turns old clothes into useful molecules
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Wed, 10 Jul 2024 - 27min - 806 - These frog 'saunas’ could help endangered species fight off a deadly fungus
00:47 Searching for dark matter in black holes
Researchers have been scanning the skies looking for black holes that formed at the very beginning of the Universe — one place where elusive and mysterious dark matter is thought to be located. If these black holes did contain dark matter, they would be especially massive and so researchers would be able to see the bending of light as they pass in front of stars. Such events would be rare, so to find them researchers trawled through a decades-long dataset. However, despite the large number of observations, the researchers didn't find many examples of these events and none that were long enough to show signs of much dark matter. So, the hunt for enigmatic material goes on.
Research Article:Mróz et al.
09:42 Research Highlights
How some comb jellies survive the crushing ocean depths, and how giving cash to mothers in low-income households can boost time and money spent on children.
Research Highlight:Deep-sea creatures survive crushing pressures with just the right fats
Research Highlight:Families given cash with no strings spend more money on kids
12:39 A simple, solution to tackle a deadly frog disease
A simple ‘sauna’ built of bricks and a supermarket-bought greenhouse, can help frogs rid themselves of a devastating fungal disease, new research has shown. While options to prevent or treat infection are limited, the fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis has an achilles heel: it can’t survive at warm temperatures. A team in Australia used this knowledge to their advantage to develop saunas where frogs can warm themselves to clear an infection. Frogs who spent time in these hot environments were able to shake the fungus, and gained some immunity to subsequent infections. While this research only involved one type of frog, it offers some hope in tackling a deadly disease that has driven multiple species to extinction.
Research Article:Waddle et al.
News and Views:Mini saunas save endangered frogs from fungal disease
20:06 Briefing Chat
This time, we discuss what the upcoming UK election could mean for science, and the return of rock samples from the Moon’s far side.
Nature News:UK general election: five reasons it matters for science
Nature News:First ever rocks from the Moon’s far side have landed on Earth
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Wed, 03 Jul 2024 - 36min - 805 - Audio long read: How NASA astronauts are training to walk on the Moon in 2026
In 2026, NASA aims to send humans back to the Moon's surface, as part of the Artemis III mission. In preparation, astronauts have been performing moonwalking simulations to ensure that they are able to make the most of their precious time on the lunar surface. In one dress rehearsal, a pair of astronauts took part in a training exercise in an Arizona volcanic field, working with a science team to practice doing geology work in difficult conditions designed to mimic some that will be experienced at the lunar south pole.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How NASA astronauts are training to walk on the Moon in 2026
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Fri, 28 Jun 2024 - 15min - 804 - Why ‘open source’ AIs could be anything but, the derailment risks of long freight trains, and breeding better wheat
00:31 How open are ‘open source’ AI systems?
Many of the large language models powering AI systems are described as ‘open source’ but critics say this is a misnomer, with restricted access to code and training data preventing researchers from probing how these systems work. While the definition of open source in AI models is yet to be agreed, advocates say that ‘full’ openness is crucial in efforts to make AI accountable. New research has ranked the openness of different systems, showing that despite claims of ‘openness’ many companies still don’t disclose a lot of key information.
Nature News:Not all ‘open source’ AI models are actually open: here’s a ranking
06:12 Why longer freight trains are more prone to derailment
In the US, there are no federal limits on the length of a freight train, but as companies look to run longer locomotives, questions arise about whether they are at greater risk of derailment. To find out, a team analysed data on accidents to predict the chances of longer trains coming off the tracks. They showed that replacing two 50-car freight trains with one 100-car train raises the odds of derailment by 11%, with the chances increasing the longer a train gets. While derailments are uncommon, this could change as economic pressures lead the freight industry to experiment with ever-longer trains.
Scientific American:Longer and Longer Freight Trains Drive Up the Odds of Derailment
11:44 How historic wheat could give new traits to current crops
Genes from century-old wheat varieties could be used to breed useful traits into modern crops, helping them become more disease tolerant and reducing their need for fertiliser. Researchers sequenced the genomes of hundreds of historic varieties of wheat held in a seed collection from the 1920s and 30s, revealing a huge amount of genetic diversity unseen in modern crops. Plant breeding enabled the team to identify some of the areas of the plants’ genomes responsible for traits such as nutritional content and stress tolerance. It’s hoped that in the long term this knowledge could be used to improve modern varieties of wheat.
Science:‘Gold mine’ of century-old wheat varieties could help breeders restore long lost traits
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Wed, 26 Jun 2024 - 17min - 803 - How do fish know where a sound comes from? Scientists have an answer
00:46 How light touches are sensed during sex
150 years after they were discovered, researchers have identified how specific nerve-cell structures on the penis and clitoris are activated. While these structures, called Krause corpuscles, are similar to touch-activated corpuscles found on people’s fingers and hands, there was little known about how they work, or their role in sex. Working in mice, a team found that Krause corpuscles in both male and females were activated when exposed to low-frequency vibrations and caused sexual behaviours like erections. The researchers hope that this work could help uncover the neurological basis underlying certain sexual dysfunctions.
News:Sensory secrets of penis and clitoris unlocked after more than 150 years
Research article:Qi et al.
News and Views:Sex organs sense vibrations through specialized touch neurons
07:03 Research Highlights
Astronomers struggle to figure out the identity of a mysterious object called a MUBLO, and how CRISPR gene editing could make rice plants more water-efficient.
Research Highlight:An object in space is emitting microwaves — and baffling scientists
Research Highlight:CRISPR improves a crop that feeds billions
09:21 How fish detect the source of sound
It’s long been understood that fish can identify the direction a sound came from, but working out how they do it is a question that’s had scientists stumped for years. Now using a specialist setup, a team of researchers have demonstrated that some fish can independently detect two components of a soundwave — pressure and particle motion — and combine this information to identify where a sound comes from.
Research article:Veith et al.
News and Views:Pressure and particle motion enable fish to sense the direction of sound
D. cerebrum sounds:Schulze et al.
20:30: Briefing Chat
Ancient DNA sequencing reveals secrets of ritual sacrifice at Chichén Itzá, and how AI helped identify the names that elephants use for each other.
Nature News:Ancient DNA from Maya ruins tells story of ritual human sacrifices
Nature News:Do elephants have names for each other?
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Wed, 19 Jun 2024 - 31min - 802 - Hybrid working works: huge study reveals no drop in productivity
00:48 Short-haul spaceflight's effect on the human body.
A comprehensive suite of biomedical data, collected during the first all-civilian spaceflight, is helping researchers unpick the effects that being in orbit has on the human body. Analysis of data collected from the crew of SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission reveals that short duration spaceflight can result in physiological changes similar to those seen on longer spaceflights. These changes included things like alterations in immune-cell function and a lengthening of DNA telomeres, although the majority of these changes reverted soon after the crew landed.
Collection:Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) across orbits
12:13 Research Highlights
Researchers have discovered why 2019 was so awash with Painted Lady butterflies, and the meaning behind gigantic rock engravings along the Orinoco river.
Research Highlight:A huge outbreak of butterflies hit three continents — here’s why
Research Highlight:Mystery of huge ancient engravings of snakes solved at last
14:55 The benefits of working from home, some of the time
A huge trial of hybrid working has shown that this approach can help companies retain employees without hurting productivity. While a mix of home and in-person working became the norm for many post-pandemic, the impacts of this approach on workers’ outputs remains hotly debated and difficult to test scientifically. To investigate the effects of hybrid working, researchers randomly selected 1,612 people at a company in China to work in the office either five days a week or three. In addition to the unchanged productivity, employees said that they value the days at home as much as a 10% pay rise. This led to an increase in staff retention and potential savings of millions of dollars for the company involved in the trial.
Research article:Bloom et al.
Editorial:The case for hybrid working is growing — employers should take note
25:50: Briefing Chat
Germany balks at the $17 billion bill for CERN’s new supercollider, and working out when large language models might run out of data to train on.
Nature News:CERN’s $17-billion supercollider in question as top funder criticizes cost
Associated Press:AI ‘gold rush’ for chatbot training data could run out of human-written text
Subscribe to Nature Briefing: AI and Robotics
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Wed, 12 Jun 2024 - 38min - 801 - Twitter suspended 70,000 accounts after the Capitol riots and it curbed misinformation
In this episode:
00:46 Making a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate
For the first time, researchers have coaxed molecules into a bizarre form of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate, in which they all act in a single gigantic quantum state. While condensates have been made using atoms for decades, the complex interactions of molecules have prevented them from being cooled into this state. Now, a team has successfully made a Bose-Einstein condensate using molecules made of caesium and sodium atoms, which they hope will allow them to answer more questions about the quantum world, and could potentially form the basis of a new kind of quantum computer.
Research article:Bigagli et al.
News:Physicists coax molecules into exotic quantum state — ending decades-long quest
9:57 How deplatforming affects the spread of social media misinformation
The storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 resulted in the social media platform Twitter (now X) rapidly deplatforming 70,000 users deemed to be sharers of misinformation. To evaluate the effect of this intervention, researchers analysed the activity of over 500,000 Twitter users, showing that it reduced the sharing of misinformation, both from the deplatformed users and from those who followed them. Results also suggest that other misinformation traffickers who were not deplatformed left Twitter following the intervention. Together these results show that social media platforms can curb misinformation sharing, although a greater understanding of the efficacy of these actions in different contexts is required.
Research article:McCabe et al.
Editorial:What we do — and don’t — know about how misinformation spreads online
Comment:Misinformation poses a bigger threat to democracy than you might think
20:14: Briefing Chat
A new antibiotic that can kill harmful bacteria without damaging the gut microbiome, and the tiny plant with the world’s biggest genome.
News:‘Smart’ antibiotic can kill deadly bacteria while sparing the microbiome
News:Biggest genome ever found belongs to this odd little plant
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Wed, 05 Jun 2024 - 27min - 800 - How AI could improve robotics, the cockroach’s origins, and promethium spills its secrets
In this episode:
00:25 What the rise of AI language models means for robots
Companies are melding artificial intelligence with robotics, in an effort to catapult both to new heights. They hope that by incorporating the algorithms that power chatbots it will give robots more common-sense knowledge and let them tackle a wide range of tasks. However, while impressive demonstrations of AI-powered robots exist, many researchers say there is a long road to actual deployment, and that safety and reliability need to be considered.
News Feature:The AI revolution is coming to robots: how will it change them?
16:09 How the cockroach became a ubiquitous pest
Genetic research suggests that although the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) spread around the world from a population in Europe, its origins were actually in South Asia. By comparing genomes from cockroaches collected around the globe, a team could identify when and where different populations might have been established. They show that the insect pest likely began to spread east from South Asia around 390 years ago with the rise of European colonialism and the emergence of international trading companies, before hitching a ride into Europe and then spreading across the globe.
Nature News:The origin of the cockroach: how a notorious pest conquered the world
20:26: Rare element inserted into chemical 'complex' for the first time
Promethium is one of the rarest and most mysterious elements in the periodic table. Now, some eight decades after its discovery, researchers have managed to bind this radioactive element to other molecules to make a chemical ‘complex’. This feat will allow chemists to learn more about the properties of promethium filling a long-standing gap in the textbooks.
Nature News:Element from the periodic table’s far reaches coaxed into elusive compound
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Wed, 29 May 2024 - 23min - 799 - How mathematician Freeman Hrabowski opened doors for Black scientists
Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s, mathematician Freeman Hrabowski was moved to join the civil rights moment after hearing Martin Luther King Jr speak. Even as a child, he saw the desperate need to make change. He would go on to do just that — at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, one of the leading pathways to success for Black students in STEM subjects in the United States.
Freeman is the subject of the first in a new series of Q&As in Nature celebrating ‘Changemakers’ in science — individuals who fight racism and champion inclusion. He spoke to us about his about his life, work and legacy.
Career Q&A: I had my white colleagues walk in a Black student’s shoes for a day
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Tue, 28 May 2024 - 36min - 798 - Audio long read: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models
AIs are often described as 'black boxes' with researchers unable to to figure out how they 'think'. To better understand these often inscrutable systems, some scientists are borrowing from psychology and neuroscience to design tools to reverse-engineer them, which they hope will lead to the design of safer, more efficient AIs.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models
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Fri, 24 May 2024 - 17min - 797 - Fentanyl addiction: the brain pathways behind the opioid crisis
00:45 The neuroscience of fentanyl addiction
Research in mice has shown that fentanyl addiction is the result of two brain circuits working in tandem, rather than a single neural pathway as had been previously thought. One circuit underlies the positive feelings this powerful drug elicits, which the other was responsible for the intense withdrawal when it is taken away. Opioid addiction leads to tens of thousands of deaths each year, and the team hopes that this work will help in the development of drugs that are less addictive.
Research Article:Chaudun et al.
09:16 Research Highlights
How an ‘assembloid’ could transform how scientists study drug delivery to the brain, and an edible gel that prevents and treats alcohol intoxication in mice.
Research Highlight:Organoids merge to model the blood–brain barrier
Research Highlight:How cheesemaking could cook up an antidote for alcohol excess
11:36: Briefing Chat
Why babies are taking the South Korean government to court, and Europe’s efforts to send a nuclear-powered heater to Mars.
Nature News:Why babies in South Korea are suing the government
Nature News:Mars rover mission will use pioneering nuclear power source
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Wed, 22 May 2024 - 20min - 796 - Lizard-inspired building design could save lives
In this episode:
00:45 A recyclable 3D printing resin from an unusual source
Many 3D printers create objects using liquid resins that turn into robust solids when exposed to light. But many of these are derived from petrochemicals that are difficult to recycle. To overcome this a team has developed a new type of resin, which they’ve made using a bodybuilding supplement called lipoic acid. Their resin can be printed, recycled and reused multiple times, which they hope could in future contribute to reducing waste associated with 3D printing.
Research Article:Machado et al
10:05 Research Highlights
How housing shortages can drive a tiny parrot resort to kill, and the genes that gave cauliflower its curls.
Research Highlight:These parrots go on killing sprees over real-estate shortages
Research Highlight:How the cauliflower got its curlicues
12:27 To learn how to make safe structures researchers... destroyed a building
Many buildings are designed to prevent collapse by redistributing weight following an initial failure. However this relies on extensive structural connectedness that can result in an entire building being pulled down. To prevent this, researchers took a new approach inspired by the ability of some lizards to shed their tails. They used this to develop a modular system, which they tested by building — and destroying — a two storey structure. Their method stopped an initial failure from spreading, preventing a total collapse. The team hope this finding will help prevent catastrophic collapses, reducing loss of life in aid rescue efforts.
Research Article:Makoond et al.
Nature video:Controlled failure: The building designed to limit catastrophe
23:20: Briefing Chat
An AI algorithm discovers 27,500 new asteroids, and an exquisitely-accurate map of a human brain section reveals cells with previously undiscovered features.
New York Times:Killer Asteroid Hunters Spot 27,500 Overlooked Space Rocks
Nature News:Cubic millimetre of brain mapped in spectacular detail
Subscribe to Nature Briefing: AI and robotics
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Wed, 15 May 2024 - 31min - 795 - Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade
In this episode:
00:45 A nuclear timekeeper that could transform fundamental-physics research.
Nuclear clocks — based on tiny shifts in energy in an atomic nucleus — could be even more accurate and stable than other advanced timekeeping systems, but have been difficult to make. Now, a team of researchers have made a breakthrough in the development of these clocks, identifying the correct frequency of laser light required to make this energy transition happen. Ultimately it’s hoped that physicists could use nuclear clocks to probe the fundamental forces that hold atoms together.
News:Laser breakthrough paves the way for ultra precise ‘nuclear clock’
10:34 Research Highlights
Why life on other planets may come in purple, brown or orange, and a magnetic fluid that could change shape inside the body.
Research Highlight:Never mind little green men: life on other planets might be purple
Research Highlight:A magnetic liquid makes for an injectable sensor in living tissue
13:48 AlphaFold gets an upgrade
Deepmind’s AlphaFold has revolutionised research by making it simple to predict the 3D structures of proteins, but it has lacked the ability to predict situations where a protein is bound to another molecule. Now, the AI has been upgraded to AlphaFold 3 and can accurately predict protein-molecule complexes containing DNA, RNA and more. Whilst the new version is restricted to non-commercial use, researchers are excited by its greater range of predictive abilities and the prospect of speedier drug discovery.
News:Major AlphaFold upgrade offers huge boost for drug discovery
Research Article:Abramson et al.
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Wed, 08 May 2024 - 21min - 794 - Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic
Ever since scientific enquiry began, people have focused mainly on men, or if studies involve animals, on male mice, male rats or whatever it may be. And this has led to gaps in scientists’ understanding of how diseases, and responses to treatment, and many other things might vary between people of different sexes and genders.
These days, mainly thanks to big funders like the NIH introducing new guidelines and mandates, a lot more scientists are thinking about sex and, where appropriate, gender. And this has led to a whole host of discoveries.
But all this research is going on within a sociopolitical climate that’s becoming increasingly hostile and polarized, particularly in relation to gender identity. And in some cases, science is being weaponized to push agendas, creating confusion and fear.
It is clear that sex and gender exist beyond a simple binary. This is widely accepted by scientists and it is not something we will be debating in this podcast. But this whole area is full of complexity, and there are many discussions which need to be had around funding, inclusivity or research practices.
To try to lessen fear, and encourage clearer, less divisive thinking, we have asked three contributors to a special series of opinion pieces on sex and gender to come together and thrash out how exactly scientists can fill in years of neglected research – and move forward with exploring the differences between individuals in a way that is responsible, inclusive and beneficial to as many people as possible.
Read the full collection: Sex and gender in science
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Thu, 02 May 2024 - 58min - 793 - Dad's microbiome can affect offsprings' health — in mice
In this episode:
00:46 Using genomics to explain geographic differences in cancer risk
The risk of developing cancer can vary hugely depending on geographic region, but it’s not exactly clear why. To get a better idea, a team has compared the genomes of kidney cancers taken from people around the globe. They reveal a link between geographical locations and specific genetic mutations, suggesting that there are as-yet unknown environmental or chemical exposures in different locations. They hope this work will inform public health efforts to identify and reduce potential causes of cancer.
Research Article:Senkin et al.
News and Views:Genomics reveal unknown mutation-promoting agents at global sites
07:46 Research Highlights
Research reveals that the extinct ‘sabre-toothed salmon’ actually had tusks, and a common fungus that can clean up both heavy-metal and organic pollutants.
Research Highlight:This giant extinct salmon had tusks like a warthog
Research Highlight:Garden-variety fungus is an expert at environmental clean-ups
09:55 How disrupting a male mouse’s microbiome affects its offspring
Disruption of the gut microbiota has been linked to issues with multiple organs. Now a team show disruption can even affect offspring. Male mice given antibiotics targeting gut microbes showed changes to their testes and sperm, which lead to their offspring having a higher probability of severe growth issues and premature death. Although it’s unknown whether a similar effect would be seen in humans, it suggests that factors other than genetics play a role in intergenerational disease susceptibility.
Research article:Argaw-Denboba et al.
News and Views:Dad’s gut microbes matter for pregnancy health and baby’s growth
17:23 Briefing Chat
An updated atlas of the Moon that was a decade in the making, and using AI to design new gene-editing systems.
Nature News:China's Moon atlas is the most detailed ever made
Nature News:‘ChatGPT for CRISPR’ creates new gene-editing tools
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Wed, 01 May 2024 - 25min - 792 - Audio long read: Why loneliness is bad for your health
Many people around the world feel lonely. Chronic loneliness is known to have far-reaching health effects and has been linked to multiple conditions and even early death. But the mechanisms through which feeling alone can lead to poor health is a puzzle. Now, researchers are looking at neurons in the hopes that they may help explain why health issues arise when social needs go unmet.
This is an audio version of our Feature Why loneliness is bad for your health
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Fri, 26 Apr 2024 - 14min - 791 - How gliding marsupials got their 'wings'
In this episode:
00:46 Optical clocks at sea
Optical atomic clocks are the most precise timekeeping devices on the planet, but these devices are huge and difficult to work with, limiting their use outside of the lab. Now, researchers have developed a portable optical clock and demonstrated its robustness by sending it on a perilous sea journey. The team hope that this work will pave the way to more practical uses of optical clocks, such as on satellites where they could help improve the accuracy of GPS technologies.
Research Article:Roslund et al.
News and Views: Robust optical clocks promise stable timing in a portable package
09:34 Research Highlights
Evidence of ritual burning of the remains of a Maya royal family, and the first solid detection of an astrophysical tau-neutrino.
Research Highlight:Burnt remains of Maya royalty mark a dramatic power shift
Research Highlight:Detectors deep in South Pole ice pin down elusive tau neutrino
11:52 How marsupial gliding membranes evolved
Several marsupial species have evolved a membrane called a patagium that allows them to glide gracefully from tree to tree. Experiments show that mutations in areas of DNA around the gene Emx2 were key to the evolution of this ability, which has appeared independently in multiple marsupial species.
Research article:Moreno et al.
News and Views:Marsupial genomes reveal how a skin membrane for gliding evolved
19:22 Briefing Chat
How overtraining AIs can help them discover novel solutions, and researchers manage to make one-atom thick sheets of ‘goldene’.
Quanta Magazine:How Do Machines ‘Grok’ Data?
Nature news:Meet ‘goldene’: this gilded cousin of graphene is also one atom thick
Subscribe to Nature Briefing: AI and robotics
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Wed, 24 Apr 2024 - 28min - 790 - Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why
Humans setting up home in outer space has long been the preserve of science fiction. Now, thanks to advances in technology and the backing of billionaires, this dream could actually be realised. But is it more likely to be a nightmare?
Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join us to discuss their new book A City on Mars and some of the medical, environmental and legal roadblocks that may prevent humanity from ultimately settling in space.
A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Particular Books (2023)
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Fri, 19 Apr 2024 - 38min - 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
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