Nature Podcast

Evidence so far suggests that the prevalence of long COVID in low- and middle-income countries could be similar to that of wealthier countries. For example, by some estimates, more than four million people in Brazil have long COVID.However, an absence of research on the condition in less-wealthy countries has left advocates hamstrung: few physicians acknowledge that long COVID exists. A lack of data is also hampering efforts to search for the mechanisms of the condition and tailor treatments.This is an audio version of our Feature Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:0:46 Turning a toxic by-product into ironRed mud is a toxic by-product of aluminium manufacture, and millions of tonnes of it is produced each year. The majority ends up in landfills, pumped into vast lakes or stored in dried mounds, posing a serious environmental risk. This week, researchers demonstrate how red mud can be reused to make iron, a vital component in the production of steel. As their method uses hydrogen plasma rather than fossil fuels, they suggest it could be a way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the steelmaking industry.Research article: Jovičević-Klug et al.News and Views: Iron extracted from hazardous waste of aluminium production09:36 Research HighlightsThe economics of next-generation geothermal power plants, and the folded-fabric robot that crawls like a snake.Research Highlight: Flexible geothermal power makes it easier to harness Earth’s inner heatResearch Highlight: Origami fabric robot slithers like a snake20:53 Briefing ChatA computational model that predicts a person's likelihood of developing long COVID, NASA finally crack open the lid of OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, and how the ‘Moon Sniper’ craft pulled off the most precise lunar landing ever.Nature News: Long-COVID signatures identified in huge analysis of blood proteinJohnson Space Centre: NASA’S OSIRIS-REx Curation Team Reveals Remaining Asteroid SampleNature News: Japan’s successful Moon landing was the most precise everSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:0:55 The AI that deduces solutions to complex maths problemsResearchers at Google Deepmind have developed an AI that can solve International Mathematical Olympiad-level geometry problems, something previous AIs have struggled with. They provided the system with a huge number of random mathematical theorems and proofs, which it used to approximate general rules of geometry. The AI then applied these rules to solve the Olympiad problems and show its workings for humans to check. The researchers hope their system shows that it is possible for AIs to ‘learn’ basic principles from large amounts of data and use them to tackle complex logical challenges, which could prove useful in fields outside mathematics.Research article: Trinh et al.09:46 Research HighlightsA stiff and squishy ‘hydrospongel’ — part sponge, part hydrogel — that could find use in soft robotics, and how the spread of rice paddies in sub-Saharan Africa helps to drive up atmospheric methane levels.Research Highlight: Stiff gel as squishable as a sponge takes its cue from cartilageResearch Highlight: A bounty of rice comes at a price: soaring methane emissions12:26 The food-web effects of mass predator die-offsMass Mortality Events, sometimes called mass die-offs, can result in huge numbers of a single species perishing in a short period of time. But there’s not a huge amount known about the effects that events like these might be having on wider ecosystems. Now, a team of researchers have built a model ecosystem to observe the impact of mass die-offs on the delicate balance of populations within it.Research article: Tye et al.20:53 Briefing ChatAn update on efforts to remove the stuck screws on OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, the ancient, fossilized skin that was preserved in petroleum, and a radical suggestion to save the Caribbean’s coral reefs.OSIRIS-REx Mission Blog: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample Nature News: This is the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found — it pre-dates the dinosaursNature News: Can foreign coral save a dying reef? Radical idea sparks debateSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.We chat about: an extra-warm sweater inspired by polar bear fur; the fossil find revealing what a juvenile tyrannosaur liked to snack on; why scientists are struggling to open OSIRIS-REx’s sample container; how 2023 was a record for retractions; and how cats like to play fetch, sometimes.Nature News: Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket — and just as warmScientific American: Tyrannosaur’s Stomach Contents Have Been Found for the First TimeNature News: ‘Head-scratcher’: first look at asteroid dust brought to Earth offers surprisesNature News: More than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 — a new recordScientific American: Cats Play Fetch, Too—But Only on Their Own TermsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2024. We'll hear about the mass of the neutrino, the neural basis of consciousness and the climate lawsuits at the Hague, to name but a few.News: the science events to look our for in 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perovskites are cheap, abundant photovoltaic materials that some have hailed as the future of green energy.Around the world, companies are layering perovskites on top of traditional silicon to develop so-called tandem solar cells that some think could deliver at least 20% more power than a silicon cell alone.However, there remain multiple issues to overcome before these products are ready for widespread uptake in the notoriously competitive solar-power market.This is an audio version of our Feature A new kind of solar cell is coming: is it the future of green energy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:54 Franklin’s real roleWhen it comes to the structure of DNA, everyone thinks they know Rosalind Franklin’s role in its discovery. The story goes that her crucial data was taken by James Watson without her knowledge, helping him and Francis Crick solve the structure. However, new evidence has revealed that this wasn’t really the case. Rosalind Franklin was not a ‘wronged heroine’, she was an equal contributor to the discovery.Nature Podcast: 25 April 2023Comment: What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure14:37 An automated way to monitor wildlife recoveryTo prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team has collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.Nature Podcast: 25 October 2023Research article: Müller et al.27:11 Research HighlightsThe first brain recording from a freely swimming octopus, and how a Seinfeld episode helped scientists to distinguish the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.Research Highlight: How to measure the brain of an octopusResearch Highlight: One brain area helps you to enjoy a joke — but another helps you to get it30:24 Why multisensory experiences can make stronger memoriesIt’s recognized that multisensory experiences can create strong memories and that later-on, a single sensory experience can trigger memories of the whole event, like a specific smell conjuring a visual memory. But the neural mechanisms behind this are not well understood. Now, a team has shown that rich sensory experiences can create direct neural circuit between the memory regions involved with different senses. This circuit increases memory strength in the flies, and helps explain how sense and memories are interlinked.Nature Podcast: 25 April 2023Research article: Okray et al.38:58 Briefing ChatHow elephant seals catch some shut-eye while diving.New York Times: Elephant Seals Take Power Naps During Deep Ocean Dives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many AIs are 'black box' in nature, meaning that part of all of the underlying structure is obfuscated, either intentionally to protect proprietary information, due to the sheer complexity of the model, or both. This can be problematic in situations where people are harmed by decisions made by AI but left without recourse to challenge them.Many researchers in search of solutions have coalesced around a concept called Explainable AI, but this too has its issues. Notably, that there is no real consensus on what it is or how it should be achieved. So how do we deal with these black boxes? In this podcast, we try to find out.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:01:55 “Oh GPT”In the first of our festive songs, we pay homage to LLMs, the generative AI chat bots which have taken 2023 by storm. 05:32 Twenty questionsIn this year’s festive game, our competitors try to guess some of the biggest science stories of the year, solely by asking yes/no questions.24:40 “Warming night”In our final song this year, we take stock as 2023 is named the hottest year since records began. As worsening climate change continues to threaten lives, can science provide hope for the future?28:24 Nature’s 10Every year, Nature’s 10 highlights some of the people who have shaped science. We hear about a few of the people who made the 2023 list.News feature: Nature’s 10Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, astronomer Aomawa Shields discusses her memoir Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe.The book tracks her career path as a scientist and a classically-trained actor, explores her experiences as an African American woman in STEM, and interrogates science’s place in culture — some of the things we discussed in this podcast.Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe Aomawa Shields Constable (2023)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Current COVID-19 vaccines offer great protection from serious illness, but they don't prevent people from becoming infected in the first place. Because of this, researchers have been searching for ways to boost mucosal immunity — the immune response on mucosal surfaces — as this is where the virus is first encountered by the body. Now a team have shown that mucosal immunity can be improved enough to block infection in rhesus macaques by administering booster vaccines directly into their lungs, through inhalation. They hope this could offer a way to stop humans getting COVID-19 in the future.Research Article: McMahan et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:48 A new way to grow a tricky parasite in the labToxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes the zoonotic disease toxoplasmosis, has a complex, multi-stage life cycle. Some of these stages will only grow in the intestines of cats, making it difficult to study. Now, a team has found a way to grow one of these stages in vitro for the first time, which they hope will help researchers learn more about this parasite, estimated to have infected around 30% of the world’s population.Research Article: Antunes et al.08:50 Research HighlightsThe tiny VR goggles designed for mice, and how a squirt of water could give coffee a bigger kick.Research Highlight: Wee VR googles give mice a true immersive experienceResearch Highlight: Why coffee particles clump and make a mess during grinding11:25 Briefing ChatGenetic searches reveal a potential super-sized protein, and the rise of ‘non-stop’ authors who publish a science paper every five daysNature News: The world’s largest proteins? These mega-molecules turn bacteria into predatorsNature News: Surge in number of ‘extremely productive’ authors concerns scientistsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:48 A gap for trapping lightConfining photons within materials opens up potential applications in quantum computing and telecommunications. But capturing light requires nanoscale cavities, which are difficult to make. This week, a team has created the smallest silicon gap yet for this purpose, just two nano-metres wide, by exploiting the intermolecular forces that are usually an obstacle when creating such small structures. They show this gap can trap light effectively, but they also believe that their method could be used to create tiny cavities for use in a range of different fields.Research Article: Babar et al.News and Views: Self-assembling structures close the gap to trap light07:28 Research HighlightsResearchers head into the wilderness to search for dark matter, and the discovery that bottlenose dolphins can sense weak magnetic fields.Research Highlight: The hunt for dark-matter particles ventures into the wildResearch Highlight: Dolphins have a feel for electric fields09:54 The environmental cost of tackling povertyExtreme poverty, defined as living on less than US$2.15 a day, affects around 10% of the world’s population. In the past, economic growth has generally been seen as key to reducing poverty; however, such growth has also led to an increase in climate-warming emissions. To find out whether poverty can be tackled without costing the planet, a team of researchers modelled how different levels of economic growth would affect global emissions. They found that ending poverty has only a negligible impact on emissions, which could be lowered even further by decarbonising energy production.Research Article: Wollburg et al.News and Views: Tackling extreme poverty around the world need not impede climate actionNews: Catastrophic change looms as Earth nears climate ‘tipping points’, report saysNews: Scientists skip COP28 to demand climate action at home18:36 Briefing ChatScientists create a robotic octopus arm that you can control with a finger, and how disruptive science seems to elude farflung teams. Nature News: How does it feel to have an octopus arm? This robo-tentacle lets people find outNature News: ‘Disruptive’ science: in-person teams make more breakthroughs than remote groupsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around 500 million people are estimated to be in period poverty, lacking adequate access to sanitary products. Many of these people rely on donations, but this is far from a long-term solution. To tackle this researchers have developed a method to extract absorbent materials for menstrual pads from a common plant, Agave sisalana. The researchers say that their method can be performed using local techniques and has a lower environmental impact than the manufacture of other period products. They're aiming to scale-up this approach to help those in period poverty.Research Article: Molina et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:49 What to expect at COP28.The UN’s annual climate change conference is starting soon in Dubai. This time will be the first time that humanity formally assesses its progress under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, so we ask if this challenge of keeping warming below 1.5 ˚C can be met and what needs to happen at COP28 to make it a reality. News Feature: Is it too late to keep global warming below 1.5 °C? The challenge in 7 charts10:49 Research HighlightsFalcons show off their smarts, and how smoke from California wildfires made Europe cloudy.Research Highlight: These falcons excel at problem-solving — and outdo some of the world’s smartest birdsResearch Highlight: Huge California wildfires seeded cirrus clouds half a world away12:59 Briefing ChatThe mystery surrounding a powerful cosmic ray, and how to make super hot plasma easily.Nature News: The most powerful cosmic ray since the Oh-My-God particle puzzles scientistsResearch Article: Xie et al.Video: Super hot plasma made easy with stabilising fibresSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Researchers have been resurrecting apple trees to revive forgotten varieties of the fruit. They hope that sequencing these apples' genomes could uncover mutations that influence flavour, colour, crispness and other characteristics. This knowledge could help unlock the next blockbuster fruit, and develop trees that are more resistant to disease, climate change and other environmental pressures.This is an audio version of our Feature Apple revival: how science is bringing historic varieties back to life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 What happens after polio is eradicatedSince 1988, cases of polio have fallen by more than 99%, and many observers predict that the disease could be eradicated within the next three years. However, eradication isn’t the same as extinction, so the next challenge is for researchers to make sure the disease won’t return. We discuss what a post-polio future may look like, and how to ensure that the disease is gone for good.News Feature: Polio is on the brink of eradication. Here's how to keep it from coming back09:48 Research HighlightsBotulinum toxin shows promise in treating a common disorder in older people, and how safeguarding seabirds may require significantly larger conservation-areas than previously thought.Research Highlight: Botox’s paralysing effects can relieve an uncontrolled head tremorResearch Highlight: Seabirds’ lonely travels pose a conservation challenge12:21 Briefing ChatHow demand for research monkeys is fuelling an illegal trade in smuggled animals, and the surprising observation that may help explain mysterious space explosions. Nature: How wild monkeys ‘laundered’ for science could undermine researchNature News: Mysterious ‘Tasmanian devil’ space explosion baffles astronomersSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, writer and researcher Jay Owens joins us to discuss her book Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles. Much like dust itself, Jay’s book travels the globe, looking at the impacts that these microscopic particles are having on the world, our health and environment, as well as exploring the role that humanity has played in creating them.Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles Jay Owens Hodder & Stoughton (2023)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 Machine vision enables multi-material 3D printing3D printers are capable of producing complex shapes, but making functioning objects from multiple materials in a single print-run has proved challenging. To overcome this, a team has combined inkjet printing with an error-correction system guided by machine vision, to allow them to print sophisticated multi-material objects. They used this method to make a bio-inspired robotic hand that combines soft and rigid plastics to make mechanical bones, ligaments, and tendons, as well as a pump based on a mammalian heart.Research article: Buchner et al.News & Views: Multi-material 3D printing guided by machine visionVideo: The 3D printer that crafts complex robotic organs in a single run07:49 Research HighlightsCitizen-scientists help identify an astronomical object that blurs the line between asteroid and comet, and how a Seinfeld episode helped scientists to distinguish the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.Research Highlight: Citizen scientists find a rarity: an asteroid trying to be a cometResearch Highlight: One brain area helps you to enjoy a joke — but another helps you to get it10:31 Assessing the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for diabetesType 2 diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people around the world and represents a significant burden on healthcare systems. But behaviour change programmes — also known as lifestyle interventions — could potentially play a large role in preventing people from developing type 2 diabetes. This week in Nature a new paper assesses how effective this kind of intervention might be. Looking at a huge amount of data from the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the paper concludes that these interventions represent a viable diabetes prevention strategy.Research article: Lemp et al.News & Views: Diabetes prevention programme put to the test17:35 Briefing ChatHow marine heatwaves revved up crabs’ metabolisms until they starved, and the AI-powered, robot chemist that could extract oxygen from water on Mars.Wired: The Surprising Reason Sea Creatures Are Getting HungrierNature News: This AI robot chemist could make oxygen on Mars Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 Modifying a fungal drug to make it less toxicAmphotericin B is a drug used to treat life-threatening fungal infections. But while it is effective against many fungal species, it is also extremely toxic to kidneys, meaning it is mostly used as a drug of last-resort. This week, a team has unpicked the mechanism behind the drug’s toxicity, allowing them to modify it and reduce side effects in human kidney cells. The researchers hope this new version of the drug could become a useful tool in fighting fungal diseases.Research article: Maji et al.09:00 Research HighlightsReconstructing woolly rhino DNA using samples from fossilized hyena dung, and a soft robot that can perform surgery inside a beating heart.Research Highlight: Woolly-rhino genome emerges from cave hyena’s fossilized pooResearch Highlight: A robot performs heart surgery with a strong but delicate touch11:26 Phosphorus found at the edge of our GalaxyPhosphorus is a vital element for life and for planet formation, but although abundant in the inner part of the Milky Way, it has been undetected in the outer regions of our Galaxy. Now, researchers have identified phosphorus-containing molecules huge distances from Earth, although exactly how this phosphorus was created is unclear. The team suspect that lower-mass stars are behind the phosphorus generation, and believe that the detection of the element could broaden the range of planets that may be habitable in our Galaxy.Research article: Koelemay et al.18:14 Briefing ChatWhat Osiris-REx’s hypersonic capsule return could teach researchers about asteroids hitting Earth’s atmosphere, and the genetic studies that could help restore the genomes of Scotland’s endangered ‘Highland tigers’.Nature News: Asteroid sampler’s hypersonic return thrilled scientists: here’s what they learntNature News: How to keep wildcats wild: ancient DNA offers fresh insightsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past year, generative AIs have been taking the world by storm. ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E and more, are changing the nature of how content is produced. In science, they could help transform and streamline publishing. However, they also come with plenty of risks.In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss how these AIs are impacting science and what the future might hold.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 An injectable gel for healing musclesSevere muscle injury can be debilitating, with long recuperation periods. Now, researchers have developed a material that can be directly injected into injured muscle, helping to stimulate and heal damaged tissue. The team showed this approach could rapidly restore walking ability in severely injured rats and regenerate muscles within four weeks. They hope that this solution could one day help humans with similar injuries, and overcome some of the limitations of current recuperation strategies.Research article: Jin et al.News and Views: Hydrogel implant rehabilitates muscles through electrical stimulation10:02 Research HighlightsAncient human genomes fill in a missing link between Europe’s first humans and later arrivals, and how ferns are inspiring pest-resistant crops.Research Highlight: Ancient DNA reveals traces of elusive first humans in EuropeResearch Highlight: Fierce ferns make insect-fighting proteins12:43 Briefing ChatLargest release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes shows promise at controlling dengue, and the genes that explain why starfish aren’t so symmetrical.Nature News: Dengue rates drop after release of modified mosquitoes in ColombiaVideo: How would a starfish wear trousers? Science has an answerResearch Article: Formery et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, BMI — calculated by dividing weight by height squared — has been as an international standard to determine healthy weights.However, BMI does not measure body fat, and ignores many other factors that can affect how healthy someone it.Now, a small but growing movement of reseachers and clinicians are calling for other metrics to be used in conjunction with BMI when diagnosing and treating obesity.This is an audio version of our Feature: Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, researchers have been listening to Mars and the quakes that ripple through it, to understand the planet's internal structure and uncover its history. But often these results have left more questions than answers. Now, though, new research published in Nature reveals the composition and size of Mars's core, finding that it is much smaller than previously thought.Research Article: Khan et al.Research Article: Samuel et al.News and Views: Deep Mars is surprisingly softSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:47 An automated way to monitor wildlife recoveryTo prevent the loss of wildlife, forest restoration is key, but monitoring how well biodiversity actually recovers is incredibly difficult. Now though, a team have collected recordings of animal sounds to determine the extent of the recovery. However, while using these sounds to identify species is an effective way to monitor, it’s also labour intensive. To overcome this, they trained an AI to listen to the sounds, and found that although it was less able to identify species, its findings still correlated well with wildlife recovery, suggesting that it could be a cost-effective and automated way to monitor biodiversity.Research article: Müller et al.12:30 Research HighlightsResearchers develop algae-based living materials that glow when squeezed, and a 50-million-year-old bat skull that suggests echolocation was an ancient skill.Research Highlight: Give these ‘living composite’ objects a squeeze and watch them glowResearch Highlight: Fossilized skull shows that early bats had modern sonar15:11 Briefing ChatA brain imaging study reveals how high-fat foods exert their powerful pull, and how being asleep doesn’t necessarily cut you off from the outside world.Nature News: Deep asleep? You can still follow simple commands, study findsNature News: Milkshake neuroscience: how the brain nudges us toward fatty foodsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:47 An RNA-based viral system that mimics bacterial immune defencesTo protect themselves against viral infection, bacteria often use CRISPR-Cas systems to identify and destroy an invading virus’s genetic material. But viruses aren’t helpless and can deploy countermeasures, known as anti-CRISPRs, to neutralise host defences. This week, a team describe a new kind of anti-CRISPR system, based on RNA, which protects viruses by mimicking part of the CRISPR-Cas system. The researchers hope that this discovery could have future biotechnology applications, including making CRISPR-Cas genome editing more precise.Research article: Camara-Wilpert et al.09:05 Research HighlightsCarved inscriptions suggest a queen named Thyra was the most powerful person in Viking-age Denmark, and the discovery of a puffed-up exoplanet that has just 1.5% the density of Earth.Research Highlight: Runes on Viking stones speak to an ancient queen’s powerResearch Highlight: ‘Super-puff’ planet is one of the fluffiest worlds ever found11:38 Modelling the future of Greenland’s ice sheet meltClimate-change induced melting of Greenland’s vast ice sheet would contribute to 7m of sea level rise. But it has been difficult to calculate how the ice sheet will respond to future warming. This week, a team suggest that abrupt ice loss is likely if the global mean temperature is between 1.7 °C and 2.3 °C above pre-industrial levels. Keeping temperature rise below 1.5 °C could mitigate ice loss, if done within a few centuries, but even a short overshoot of the estimated threshold could lead to several metres of sea-level rise.Research article: Bochow et al.17:50 Briefing ChatA massive reproducibility exercise reveals over 200 ecologists get wildly-diverging results from the same data, and how melting simulated lunar-dust with lasers could help pave the Moon.Nature News: Reproducibility trial: 246 biologists get different results from same data setsNature News: How to build Moon roads using focused beams of sunlightSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 Engineered pig kidneys show transplantation promiseKidneys from genetically-engineered miniature pigs have been transplanted into non-human primates, in some cases keeping the animals alive for more than a year. Using CRISPR, a team made dozens of edits to the pig genome to prevent the monkeys’ immune system from attacking the organs. They also removed pig retrovirus genes that could represent an infection risk. These steps are necessary if pig organs are to be used in human transplants, something many clinicians and researchers think will be needed to overcome a critical shortage of organs for transplantation.Research article: Anand et al.News and Views: Pig-to-primate organ transplants require genetic modifications of donorNature News: The most-complex gene edits yet move pig organs closer to human transplant09:02 Research HighlightsHow babies’ nasal immune systems could explain why they tend to have mild cases of COVID-19, and the molecular ‘glue’ that allows 3D printing with challenging materials.Research Highlight: How the littlest children stop SARS-CoV-2 in its tracksResearch Highlight: 3D printing tackles tricky materials with help from tiny crystals11:35 Briefing ChatThis time, the discovery that the human brain uses one system for estimating whether a group contains four or fewer items, and a different one for when there are five or more. Plus, we discuss how researchers fixed the Euclid telescope’s wobbles.Nature News: Your brain finds it easy to size up four objects but not five — here’s whyNature News: ‘Immense relief’: Universe-mapping Euclid telescope fixes problem that threatened missionSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Podcast Extra, two computer scientists, Shobhana Narasimhan and Sana Odeh, join Nature's Anne Pichon to discuss the barriers that women and gender-diverse people still face when working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.They share their experiences and perspectives on the challenges facing women in research, and reflect on potential ways to move forward.Comment: ‘I wrote my first piece of code at seven’: women share highs and lows in computer science for Ada Lovelace DaySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 A bright satellite is concerning researchersSatellites reflect sunlight down to Earth, and some do so with such intensity it risks obscuring astronomers' observations from ground-based telescopes. A paper in Nature suggests that the telecommunications satellite called BlueWalker 3 at times outshines most stars visible from Earth. Astronomers worry about the increasing number of such bright satellites making astronomy more difficult, and so the team suggest that future launches should undergo impact assessments.Research article: Nandakumar et al.Nature News: Huge new satellite outshines nearly every star in the sky09:27 Research HighlightsAnalysis of carrot genomes reveals how the vegetable got its orange hue, and the self-healing diamond that can fix microscopic fractures.Research article: Coe et al.Research Highlight: Crack this kind of diamond, and it heals itself11:47 The last meal of a 400-million-year-old trilobiteTrilobites are a group of extinct marine arthropods distantly related to animals like crabs and spiders. Although found throughout the fossil record, little is known about the lives of this diverse group of animals. Now, a team has used powerful x-rays to peer inside a trilobite fossil and uncovered the contents of its last meal, over 400-million-years ago. This animal appears to have been an unfussy scavenger, gorging itself on a variety of small, shelled animals.Research article: Kraft et al.22:20 Nobel NewsFlora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel Prizes.Nature News: Pioneers of mRNA COVID vaccines win medicine NobelNature News: Physicists who built ultrafast ‘attosecond’ lasers win Nobel PrizeNature News: Tiny ‘quantum dot’ particles win chemistry NobelSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia's swamp tortoise is one of the most endangered species in the world. This species lives in wetlands that are under threat due to rising temperatures and a reduction in rainfall.In an effort to save the tortoise, researchers are trialling a controversial strategy called assisted migration. This approach has seen captive-bred tortoises released in other wetlands some 330 kilometres south of where they are naturally found. The aim is to see whether the animals can tolerate cooler climates, and whether this new habitat might ensure the species’ future as the planet warms.While many conservation biologists and land managers have long resisted the idea of assisted migration, attitudes are changing and other projects are beginning to test whether it can protect protect animals at risk from climate change.This is an audio version of our Feature: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 How to tackle AI deepfakesIt has long been possible to create deceptive images, videos or audio to entertain or mislead audiences. Now, with the rise of AI technologies, such manipulations have become easier than ever. These deepfakes can spread misinformation, defraud people, and damage economies. To tackle this, researchers and companies are developing tools to find and label deepfakes, in an attempt to rob them of their potential to wreak havoc.News Feature: How to stop AI deepfakes from sinking society — and science11:17 Research HighlightsUltra-accurate measurement of Earth’s day-length using lasers, and the insect that amputates its own legs to survive the cold.Research Highlight: How lasers detect day-length changes of a few millisecondsResearch Highlight: Snow-loving flies amputate their own legs for survival14:04 Stacked timbers might be evidence of ancient woodworkingAncient stone tools are well preserved in the archeological record, and are used by researchers to understand the lives of ancient hominins. But other materials like wood are less common, since they will only preserve under specific conditions. Now researchers have found a trove of wooden artefacts in Zambia dated to be around 476,000 old. In particular, stacked timbers from the site could be the earliest known wooden structure, perhaps implying that ancient hominins had a greater capacity for woodworking than previously thought.Research article: Barham et al.News & Views: Hominins built with wood 476,000 years agoNature News: These ancient whittled logs could be the earliest known wooden structure22:00 OSIRIS-REx brings haul of asteroid dust and rock back to EarthThis week, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx successfully landed a capsule containing rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu. We talk with reporter Alex Witze, who was on the ground in Utah when the samples landed, to find out what these ancient rocks could reveal about the origins of the Solar System.Nature News: Special delivery! Biggest-ever haul of asteroid dust and rock returns to EarthSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 A new insight into cancers' selective spreadCancer cells can spread to bones in the late stages of disease and in many cancers, cells actually preferentially metastasise to the spine. The reason for this has been a puzzle to researchers for years, but now a team has found a new kind of stem cell that may be involved in this process. The stem cell is found in mice and humans and could represent a clinical target in the treatment of cancer.Research article: Sun et al.News and Views: Stem cells provide clues to why vertebrae attract tumour cells09:55 Research HighlightsA preference for certain percussion instruments among palm cockatoos, and modelling where people wait on train platforms.Research Highlight: This parrot taps out beats — and it custom-builds its instrumentsResearch Highlight: The maths of how we wait in crowded places12:29 Briefing ChatThis time, a second trial shows the effectiveness of using MDMA to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, and how an upgrade to an X-ray laser will let researchers make ultra-crisp ‘molecular movies’.Nature News: Psychedelic drug MDMA moves closer to US approval following success in PTSD trialNature News: World’s most powerful X-ray laser will ‘film’ chemical reactions in unprecedented detail Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 A sustainably-sourced, super-strong adhesiveThe modern world is held together by adhesives, but these fossil-fuel derived materials come at an environmental cost. To overcome this, a team have developed a soya-oil based adhesive, which also takes inspiration from the proteins that marine animals like mussels use to stick firmly to rocks. The researchers say their glue is strong, reversible, and less carbon intensive to produce than existing adhesives.Research article: Westerman et al.07:43 Research HighlightsWhy chemicals derived from wood could be sustainable alternatives to a common plastic building block, and how historical accounts helped researchers estimate the brightness of a 1859 solar flare.Research Highlight: Wood component yields useful plastics — without the health risksResearch Highlight: A historic solar flare’s huge intensity is revealed by new tools10:08 New insights into childhood stunting and wastingAround the world, millions of children are affected by malnutrition, which can result in stunting or wasting, both associated with serious health issues. Despite a widespread recognition of the seriousness of stunting and wasting, there are still questions about their extent, causes and consequences. To answer these, a team have pooled data from previous studies, and show that nutritional interventions targeting the earliest years of life could have the greatest impact.Research article: Benjamin-Chung et al.Research article: Mertens et al.Research article: Mertens et al.Nature Collection: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals20:29 Briefing ChatThis time, what rejoining the Horizon Europe research-funding programme means for UK research, and the 1.4-million-year-old stone balls that are mystifying scientists.Nature News: Scientists celebrate as UK rejoins Horizon Europe research programmeScience: Were these stone balls made by ancient human relatives trying to perfect the sphere?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:30 Early humans pushed to brink of extinctionAround 900,000 years ago the ancestors of modern humans were pushed to the brink of extinction, according to new research. Genetic studies suggest that the breeding population of our ancestors in Africa dropped to just 1,280 and didn’t expand again for another 117,000 years. This population crash would likely have had an impact on human genetic diversity, and may have driven the evolution of important features of modern humans, such as brain size.Nature News: Human ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago3:49 The pollution legacy of Antarctica’s research stationsPoor historical waste practices have left high levels of pollution around Antartica’s research facilities. By surveying the seafloor near Australia’s Casey research station, researchers have revealed high concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals.This pollution is likely to be widespread, but its impact on the continent is unknown.Nature News: Antarctic research stations have polluted a pristine wilderness07:43 Melting sea-ice causes catastrophic penguin breeding failurePersistently low levels of sea-ice around Antarctica have caused emperor penguins to abandon their breeding colonies early, resulting in the death of large numbers of chicks. Although the affected populations only represent a small number of the total emperor penguins on the continent, it’s unclear how they’ll fare if trends in sea-ice melt continue.Science: Emperor penguins abandon breeding grounds as ice melts around them09:23 The AI trained to describe smellsResearchers have developed an artificial-intelligence that can describe how compounds smell by analysing their molecular structures. The system’s description of scents are often similar to those of trained human sniffers, and may have applications in the food and perfume industries. Currently the AI works on individual molecules, and is unable to identify the smells associated with complex combinations of molecules, something humans noses do with ease.Nature: AI predicts chemicals’ smells from their structuresSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:47 First observation of oxygen 28Oxygen 28 is an isotope of oxygen with 20 neutrons and eight protons. This strange isotope has long been sought after by physicists, as its proposed unusual properties would allow them to put their theories of how atomic nuclei work to the test. Now, after decades of experiments physicists believe they have observed oxygen 28. The observations are at odds with theory predictions, so they imply that there’s a lot more physicists don’t know about the forces that hold atomic nuclei together.Research article: Kondo et al.News and Views: Heaviest oxygen isotope is found to be unbound10:06 Research HighlightsHow venus fly traps can protect themselves from wildfires, and a ball-point pen that can ‘write’ LEDs.Research Highlight: Venus flytraps shut their traps when flames approachResearch Highlight: A rainbow of LEDs adorns objects at the stroke of a pen12:39 An AI for Drone RacingAIs have been beating humans at games for years, but in these cases the AI has always trained in exactly the same conditions in which it competes. In chess for example, the board can be simulated exactly. Now though, researchers have demonstrated an AI that can beat humans in a place where simulation can only take you so far, the real world. The Swift AI system is able to race drones against champion-level humans, and beat them most of the time. The researchers hope this research can help improve the efficiency of drones in general.Research article: Kaufmann et al.News and Views: Drone-racing champions outpaced by AIVideo: AI finally beats humans at a real-life sport - drone racing19:51 Briefing ChatThis time, the Indian Space Research Organization’s successful moon landing, and the low level of support offered to researchers whose first language isn’t English by journals.Nature News: India lands on the Moon! Scientists celebrate as Chandrayaan-3 touches downNature News: Scientists who don’t speak fluent English get little help from journals, study findsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investigations suggest that, in some fields, at least one-quarter of clinical trials might be problematic or even entirely made up. Faked or unreliable trials are dangerous, as they could end up being included in the reviews that help inform clinical treatments. However, the extent of the problem in unclear, and many researchers urge stronger scrutiny.This is an audio version of our Feature: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:47 The brain-computer interfaces that help restore communicationPeople with certain neurological conditions can lose the ability to speak as a result of facial paralysis. This week, two teams demonstrate the potential of devices called brain-computer interfaces to help people in these situations communicate. These interfaces work by identifying the brain activity associated with the intent to say words, and converting this activity into speech-related outputs, such as text or audio. Both devices show marked improvements compared with previous interfaces, and show that the technology could represent a way to help restore communication to people with severe paralysis.Research article: Metzger et al.Research article: Willett et al.News and Views: Brain implants that enable speech pass performance milestones11:46 Research HighlightsHow wind-tunnel experiments could help athletes run the fastest marathon ever, and an analysis that could help explain why birds are the colours they are.Research Highlight: Physicists find a way to set a new marathon recordResearch Highlight: Which birds are drab and which dazzle? Predators have a say14:06 How much heat can tropical leaves take?As the climate warms, tropical forests around the world are facing increasing temperatures. But it’s unknown how much the trees can endure before their leaves start to die. A team has combined multiple data sources to try and answer this question, and suggest that a warming of 3.9 °C would lead to many leaves reaching a tipping point at which photosynthesis breaks down. This scenario would likely cause significant damage to these ecosystems’ role in vital carbon storage and as homes to significant biodiversity.Research article: Doughty et al.21:01 Briefing ChatThis time, a reexamination of Ötzi the iceman’s DNA suggests he had a different appearance, and the failure of a Russian mission to the moon.Nature News: Ötzi the Iceman has a new look: balding and dark-skinnedNature News: Russian Moon lander crash — what happened, and what’s next?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:49 The search for animals’ magnetic sense sufferers a potential setbackExactly how animals sense Earth’s magnetic field has long eluded researchers. To understand it, many have turned to the fly model Drosophila melanogaster, long thought to be able to detect magnetic fields. However, a recent Nature paper has raised questions about this ability, a finding that could have repercussions for scientists’ efforts to understand the mechanism behind magnetic sensing, one of the biggest questions in sensory biology.Research article: Bassetto et al.News & Views: Replication study casts doubt on magnetic sensing in flies10:53 Research HighlightsThe world’s first filter feeder, and human-caused climate change in the Bronze Age.Research Highlight: This ancient reptile wanted to be a whaleResearch Highlight: Bronze Age deforestation changed Europe’s climate13:03 An iconic observatory shuts downThis week the famed Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico shut down. The facility’s main telescope collapsed in 2020 and the site has since been battered by storms and pandemic-related shutdowns. Now, with funding exhausted and no clear plan in place, scientists are wondering what will become of the site.Nature News: Closing down an icon: will Arecibo Observatory ever do science again?20:28 Briefing ChatThis time, the Standard Model of physics still isn't dead according to new measurements of muons' magnetic moment, and finding the most diverse habitat on Earth under your feet.Nature News: Dreams of new physics fade with latest muon magnetism resultThe Guardian: More than half of Earth’s species live in the soil, study findsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A perfect storm of factors has led to huge racial disparities in maternal healthcare. In the USA, as abortion clinics continue to close, this inequity is projected to widen. In this podcast from Nature and ScientificAmerican, we hear from leading academics unpacking the racism at the heart of the system. From the historical links between slavery and gynaecology to the systematic erasure of America’s Black midwives. What is behind the Black maternal mortality crisis, and what needs to change?Read more of Nature's coverage of racism in science.Read full list of sources here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 A measure of refugees’ welcome in EuropeWith repeated humanitarian crises displacing millions of people, researchers have been considering how this might affect acceptance of refugees. Will some refugees be more welcome than others? Will continued movements erode support for refugees overall? To answer these questions, a huge study looks at the attitudes of 33,000 people from 15 European countries towards refugees. They find that overall support for refugees has slightly increased, although some characteristics, such as ability to speak the language of the country they’re settling in, are preferred. They hope this research will help policymakers to respond to stresses on the asylum system.Research article: Bansak et al.11:26 Research HighlightsThe unusual feeding grounds of the pygmy right whale, and the JWST spots a possible quasar from the early Universe.Research Highlight: An enigmatic little whale’s habits, from its own mouthResearch Highlight: JWST spots what could be a quasar from the early Universe13:44 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how designing shapes to roll down wiggly lines has implications for quantum physics, and a settlement for the family of Henrietta Lacks.Research Article: Sobolev et al.Video: These shapes roll in peculiar ways thanks to new mathematicsNature News: How the ‘groundbreaking’ Henrietta Lacks settlement could change researchSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, physicist Athene Donald joins us to discuss her book Not just for the boys, why we need more women in science. We discuss how science has historically excluded women, the barriers to entry and retention that remain prevalent, and what could be done to improve the situation for female scientists today.Not Just for the Boys: Why We Need More Women in Science, Athene Donald, Oxford University Press (2023)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neuroscientists are creating more naturalistic experiments that they hope will provide a more nuanced understanding of animal — and human — behaviour.These set-ups differ from the classic laboratory experiments that have been used for decades, and may help in the understanding of behaviours such as escaping a predator or finding scarce food. By studying these natural actions, scientists are hoping to glean lessons about the brain and behaviour that are more holistic and more relevant to everyday activity than ever before.This is an audio version of our Feature: Lab mice go wild: making experiments more natural in order to decode the brain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:How tweaking social media algorithms affects polarizationSocieties are becoming increasingly polarized, with people reportedly shunning those with differing political views. Social media is often thought to be exacerbating these divides, by creating echo chambers and filtering out dissimilar views. Many hoped that tweaking the algorithms that drive these platforms could reduce polarization. But, a group of studies show that such changes have little to no affect on polarization, implying that solutions to this issue are trickier than previously thought.Research Article: Nyhan et al.News and Views: Influence of Facebook algorithms on political polarization testedNews: Tweaking Facebook feeds is no easy fix for polarizationSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 How to see in the dark like it’s daytimeThere are many methods for better night-vision, but often these rely on enhancing light, which may not be present, or using devices which can interfere with one another. One alternative solution is to use heat, but such infrared sensors struggle to distinguish between different objects. To overcome this, researchers have now combined such sensors with machine learning algorithms to make a system that grants day-like night-vision. They hope it will be useful in technologies such as self-driving cars.Research article: Bao et al.News and Views: Heat-assisted imaging enables day-like visibility at night09:27 Research HighlightsBenjamin Franklin’s anti-counterfeiting money printing techniques, and how much snow is on top of Mount Everest really?Research Highlight: Ben Franklin: founding father of anti-counterfeiting techniquesResearch Highlight: How much snow is on Mount Everest? Scientists climbed it to find out11:47 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the cost to scientists of English not being their native language, and the mysterious link between COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes.Nature News: The true cost of science’s language barrier for non-native English speakersNature News: As COVID-19 cases rose, so did diabetes — no one knows whySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 A sustainable solution for schistosomiasis controlSchistosomiasis is a serious parasitic disease that affects millions of people, who become infected when they come into contact with contaminated water. To prevent the spread and reinfection of this disease, researchers trialled an environmental intervention that removed plants from lakes in Senegal. These plants act as food for freshwater snails – intermediate hosts for the disease. Results showed that this reduced disease levels, and that the plants could be composted to increase agricultural yields, suggesting this approach could be used to improve health and the economy.Research article: Rohr et al.News and Views: A sustainable way to control the parasitic disease schistosomiasis12:03 Research HighlightsHow artificial intelligence can predict the art that people will find memorable, and the protein-based, shock-absorbing gel that can stop projectiles in their tracks.Research Highlight: Memorable artworks are easy to predictResearch Highlight: Supersonic ‘bullets’ are softly captured by a protein gel14:52 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, an update on Chandrayaan-3, India’s latest attempt to land a craft on the Moon - and birds that use anti-bird spikes to build nests.Nature News: India's Moon lander successfully launches — but biggest challenge lies aheadThe Guardian: Crows and magpies using anti-bird spikes to build nests, researchers findSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:23 Using ChatGPT to generate a research paper from scratchA pair of scientists have produced a research paper in less than an hour with the help of the generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT. The aim of this exercise was to explore the technology’s ability to act as a research ‘co-pilot’ and spark debate about its use. While AI tools like ChatGPT have the potential to speed up research, it is still unclear what role they should play in research.Nature News: Scientists used ChatGPT to generate an entire paper from scratch — but is it any good?06:28 Last week saw the world’s hottest day on record – twiceOn Monday last week the average worldwide temperature reached 17.01 °C, beating a record set in 2016. Then, on Tuesday that record was broken again, as average temperatures hit 17.18 °C. Further record-breaking days may follow this year as a result of climate change, and the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is expected to strengthen in the coming months.Bloomberg: Earth Keeps Breaking Temperature Records Due to Global WarmingNature News: El Niño is here — how bad will it be?10:03 Anti-ageing protein boosts monkey memoriesInjecting monkeys with the naturally occurring protein klotho can improve their cognition. Previous work had shown that elevated levels of the enzyme could improve cognitive functions in mice, now researchers have shown that injecting klotho into old rhesus macaques caused them to perform better in memory-related tasks. While the mechanism behind this effect is unclear, it’s hoped that the finding could ultimately lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in humans.Nature News: Anti-ageing protein injection boosts monkeys’ memoriesSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 The effects of evolution on a minimal genomeIn 2016, researchers created a ‘minimal cell’ bacterium with a genome that only contains genes essential for the organism's survival. Any mutation in these genes could be fatal, so it was unclear whether there could be scope for evolution. But now, a team has grown this bacterium through 2,000 generations and shown that it does have the ability to evolve and can recover from some of the fitness costs associated with its streamlined genome.Research article: Moger-Reischer et al.09:21 Research HighlightsDolphins use ‘baby talk’ when talking to their offspring, and how microwaving plastic containers can release microplastic particles.Research Highlight: Dolphin mums whistle ‘baby talk’ with their calvesResearch Highlight: What happens when you microwave that plastic bowl?12:18 The first hints of giant gravitational wavesGravitational waves were first detected in 2015, when two black holes collided — sending ripples in space-time across the Universe. Last week, four separate research collaborations found signatures of a wholly different kind of gravitational wave, with unknown origins. Nature’s Davide Castelvecchi explains how these waves were detected, and what this could mean for researchers’ understanding of black holes and the history of the cosmos.Nature News: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first timeNature News: Giant gravitational waves: why scientists are so excited20:01 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, new vaccine to protect Tasmanian devils against a deadly contagious cancer, and the ‘paradoxical’ palm that flowers and fruits underground.Nature News: Tasmanian devil cancer vaccine approved for testingThe Guardian: ‘Mind-boggling’ palm that flowers and fruits underground thrills scientistsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past two years, there has been an explosion in the number of papers published relating to 'skeletal editing', a technique that allows chemists to precisely edit a molecule by deleting, adding or swapping single atoms in its core.Although many of these methods are early in development, researchers hope skeletal editing could revolutionize how organic chemists design molecules, dramatically speeding up the drug-discovery process.This is an audio version of our Feature: ‘Almost magical’: chemists can now move single atoms in and out of a molecule’s core Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:46 Inside the brains of sleeping octopusesResearchers have probed the brains of octopuses and confirmed previous reports suggesting that these invertebrates have a two-stage sleep cycle similar to that seen in many vertebrates. The team suggests this system may have evolved independently in the two groups, as there are millions of years of evolutionary history between them. However, despite its presumed importance, it is a mystery why this system exists at all.Research article: Pophale et al.Nature Video: Do octopuses dream? Brain recordings provide the first clues10:37 Research HighlightsA huge volcano eruption that caused the most extreme lightning ever recorded, and a paper-inspired fabric that can keep you warm and cool.Research Highlight: Underwater volcano triggered the most intense lightning ever recordedResearch Highlight: Fabric warms or cools the body at the flick of a switch13:03 A hormone associated with more effective weight lossCalorie-restricted diets often lead to rapid weight loss at first, but over time this can slow, or even reverse. This is due to the body adapting; slowing its metabolism to use energy more efficiently. Now though, researchers have identified a key hormone in mice that seems to prevent this slowdown, which could prove useful for people who wish to lose weight.Research article: Wang et al.20:02 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the robot raspberry that teaches fruit-picking machines how to harvest, and an exoplanet without an atmosphere.Nature Communications: Junge et al.Nature Video: A robotic raspberry teaches machines how to pick fruitNature News: Life in the cosmos: JWST hints at lower number of habitable planetsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 Why losing the Y chromosome makes bladder cancer more aggressiveLoss of the Y chromosome in bladder cancer cells is associated with increased severity of disease, but the reasons behind this have been unclear. Now researchers show that the loss of this chromosome helps tumour cells evade the immune system. However, this mechanism also makes the cells more vulnerable to certain chemotherapy treatments, and the researchers hope their findings could help improve outcomes for patients in the future.Research article: Abdel-Hafiz et al.07:30 Research HighlightsHow pollution particles ferry influenza virus deep into the lungs, and why artificial lights could dazzle glow worms into extinction.Research Highlight: Flu virus hitches a ride with haze particles deep into the lungResearch Highlight: Glow-worms’ ‘come-hither’ signals are lost in the glare of human lights10:10 Engineering synthetic cartilageThe cartilage in our joints is able to withstand and dissipate a lifetime of impacts, protecting our bones and muscles from damage. But the mechanical properties of cartilage have made it difficult to mimic, and developing synthetic cartilage to replace damaged tissue has proved challenging. Now a team has developed a protein-based material that shares some of cartilage’s characteristics, and shown its potential in helping heal damaged tissue.Research article: Fu et al.17:44 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how early magnetic minerals might help explain why nature shows a preference for the ‘left handed’ or ‘right handed’ versions of certain molecules, and how human’s thirst for groundwater has made the North Pole drift.Science: ‘Breakthrough’ could explain why life molecules are left- or right-handedNature News: Rampant groundwater pumping has changed the tilt of Earth’s axisSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.