Nature Podcast

In this episode:00:47 How to make quantum computers ready for real world applicationsQuantum computers have long held the promise of being able to perform tasks that classical computers can’t. However, despite this promise, there have been few applications that can only be accomplished by a quantum computer. Now though, researchers show that a quantum computer can resolve a physics problem concerning the orientation of quantum particles in a 2D material, which is difficult to accomplish with a ‘regular’ machine. They hope that this shows how quantum computers could be applied in real world research applications in the near future.Nature News: IBM quantum computer passes calculation milestoneResearch article: Kim et al.News and Views: Quantum computer scales up by mitigating errors10:11 Research HighlightsHow some bacteria turned their defences into weapons, and a forecast of how quickly arctic sea ice will disappear.Research Highlight: Cholera bacteria turn slime into an offensive weaponResearch Highlight: The Arctic could go ice-free in less than a decade12:45 How psychedelics might work in the brainPsychedelics are a group of drugs that affect perceptions of consciousness, and are of increasing interest in the treatment of conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. However, a lot is unknown about how they affect the brain. Now, researchers have shown that these varied drugs may have a shared mechanism: making the brain more able to forge new connections between synapses. They hope that this will inform how best to use psychedelics in treatments.Research article: Nardou et al.News and Views: Timing is key for behavioural benefits of psychedelics20:17 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time a study showing that the energy drink additive taurine increases the lifespans of several animals, and how much reformatting research papers is costing science.Nature News: Taurine supplement makes animals live longer — what it means for people is unclearNature News: Revealed: the millions of dollars in time wasted making papers fit journal guidelinesSubscribe 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 The mouse brain circuit controlling infanticidal behaviourIn mammals, infanticide is a relatively common behaviour, but not a default one. For example, virgin female mice will often kill young produced by other females, but this behaviour disappears when they become mothers themselves. To understand this switch, researchers have identified a brain circuit associated with infanticidal behaviour that gets switched off after mice give birth. They hope that by better understanding this circuit it could inform why animals engage in such behaviours.Research article: Mei et al.Research Briefing: A battle between neural circuits for infanticide and maternal-care behaviours08:11 Research HighlightsThe cyclone raging at the north pole of Uranus, and the ants that build landmarks to help them find their way home.Research Highlight: A storm is whirling atop UranusResearch Highlight: These hardy ants build their own landmarks in the desert10:52 Getting to the source of fast solar windThe sun produces streams of plasma called solar wind that stretch out and provide a protective bubble around the solar system. However, despite decades of study, there’s much that isn’t known about how the Sun makes it. Now, a team has used data from the Parker Solar Probe and shown that the source of one sort of wind, known as ‘fast solar wind’, appears to be due to colliding magnetic fields that produce the huge amount of energy needed to fire plasma away from the Sun.Research article: Bale et al.Research reveals system underlying behaviour change towards young17:50 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time the origins of patriarchal societies, and the tiling pattern that never repeats itself.BBC Futures: How did patriarchy actually begin?Nature News: This infinite tiling pattern could end a 60-year mathematical questSubscribe 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 AI that predicts gene interactionsMapping the network of genes that control cellular processes can be difficult to do when gene-expression data is sparse, such as in rare diseases or those affecting tissues that are hard to clinically sample. To overcome this, a team has developed an artificial intelligence system trained on a large, general dataset, and used it to make predictions about gene interactions in data-limited situations. As a test-case they look at the heart condition cardiomyopathy, and show that the system can identify potential interactions that could represent new therapeutic targets.Research article: Theodoris et al.09:08 Research HighlightsMicrobes that can break down persistent ‘forever chemicals’, and why intermolecular distances are the key to keeping gummy sweets chewy.Research Highlight: Microbes take the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals’Research Highlight: Better gummy sweets are within reach, thanks to physics12:06 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how chronic stress can inflame the gut, and understanding how rocket launches might impact wildlife.Nature News: Chronic stress can inflame the gut — now scientists know whyNature News: Does the roar of rocket launches harm wildlife? These scientists seek answersSubscribe 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.

Shocked by the impact of online misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers are launching efforts to survey scientists’ thinking on issues from vaccine safety to climate change. They hope that their projects will make scientific debate, and degrees of consensus, more visible and transparent, benefiting public conversation and policymaking. However, others suggest that these attempts might merely further politicize public debate.This is an audio version of our Feature: Can giant surveys of scientists fight misinformation on COVID, climate change and more? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 Tree islands bring biodiversity benefits for oil-palm plantationGlobal demand for palm oil has resulted in huge expansion of the palm plantations needed to produce it, causing widespread tropical deforestation and species loss. To address this, researchers planted islands of native trees among the palms in a large plantation, and showed that this approach increases ecosystem health, without affecting crop yields. The team say that while protecting existing tropical rainforests should remain a priority, tree islands represent a promising way to restore ecosystems.Research article: Zemp et al.09:42 Research HighlightsThe oldest identified ‘blueprints’ depict vast hunting traps with extraordinary precision, and fossil evidence that pliosaurs swimming the Jurassic seas may have been as big as whales.Research Highlight: Oldest known ‘blueprints’ aided human hunters 9,000 years agoResearch Highlight: This gigantic toothy reptile terrorized the Jurassic oceans12:08 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how shredded nappies could partially replace sand in construction, and how CRISPR helped crack the mystery of the death cap mushrooms’s deadly toxin.Nature News: World’s first house made with nappy-blended concreteNature News: Deadly mushroom poison might now have an antidote — with help from CRISPRSubscribe 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 What JWST has revealed about an ancient galaxyResearchers have pointed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at JD1, one of the universe's most distant known galaxies. The power of JWST has filled in some of the gaps in what was known about the galaxy, giving greater insight into its age, structure and composition. The team behind the work hope that learning more about how early galaxies like JD1 formed will help explain how the universe evolved into its present state.Research article: Roberts-Borsani et al.10:09 Research HighlightsWhy your choice of soap might make you irresistible to mosquitoes, and how tardigrade-inspired claws help tiny robots cling to blood-vessels.Research Highlight: Your favourite soap might turn you into a mosquito magnetResearch Highlight: Claws like a tardigrade’s give swimming microrobots a grip12:34 How coral reef fish evolved to grow more quicklyFish that live in coral reefs are some of the fastest growing in the world, despite the environment they live in being relatively nutrient poor. This contradiction has long puzzled researchers, but now, a team has looked deep into the evolutionary history of the fish and discovered a critical point in time when they shifted towards faster growth, much earlier than was previously thought.Research article: Siqueira et al.21:29 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the first frog thought to pollinate flowers, and a field-trial to vaccinate wild koalas against chlamydia.Scientific American: This Frog May Be the First Amphibian Known to Pollinate FlowersAssociated Press: Koalas are dying from chlamydia. A new vaccine effort is trying to save them 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.

Many researchers have been critical of the biases that the publication process can introduce into science. For example, they argue that a focus on publishing interesting or significant results can give a false impression of what broader research is finding about a particular field.To tackle this, some scientists have championed the publication of Registered Reports. These articles split the peer review process in two, first critically assessing the methodology of a research study before data is collected, and again when the results are found. The idea being to encourage robust research regardless of the outcome.In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss Nature's recent adoption of the format, the pros and cons of Registered Reports, and what more needs to be done to tackle publication bias. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 Making a more diverse human genomeThe first draft of the human genome ushered in a new era of genetics research. Since its publication, researchers have constructed ever more accurate ‘reference genomes’ – baselines against which others are compared. But these are based on the DNA of a small number of people, and don’t represent the genetic variation known to exist across human populations. To address this, a consortium of researchers have published the first draft of a ‘pangenome’, which combines the genomes of 47 genetically diverse individuals. This draft provides a more complete picture of the human genome, and is the starting point for a project that aims to include sequences from 350 individuals.Research article: Liao et al. Research article: Vollger et al.Research article: Guarracino et al.News and Views Forum: Human pangenome supports analysis of complex genomic regions08:33 Research HighlightsA wearable sensor that lets users see infrared light, and how a vulture’s culture can influence its dining habits.Research Highlight: Wearable sensor gives a glimpse of ‘invisible’ lightResearch Highlight: What drives a scavenger’s diet? Vulture culture11:06 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a new phosphate-storing organelle found in fruit fly cells, and how extracted DNA revealed who held a deer-tooth pendant 20,000 years ago.Nature News: New cellular ‘organelle’ discovered inside fruit-fly intestinesNature News: Prehistoric pendant’s DNA reveals the person who held itSubscribe 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 A focus on women’s healthNature’s Kerri Smith and Heidi Ledford join us to discuss two Features published in Nature looking at topics surrounding women’s health. The first looks at efforts to understand how menopause affects brain health, while the second takes a deep-dive into research funding and shows how conditions affecting women more than men receive less money.Feature: How menopause reshapes the brainFeature: Women’s health research lacks funding – these charts show how18:15 Research HighlightsThe herb that could be a new source of cannabinoid compounds, and the vibrating crystal that confirms Schrödinger’s cat.Research Highlight: Old and new cannabis compounds are found in an African herbResearch Highlight: Schrödinger’s cat is verified by a vibrating crystal20:34 The planet swallowed by a starStars have a finite lifespan, and for many their fate is to expand as they reach the end of their lives. It’s long been speculated that these growing stars will consume any planets in their way, but this process has never been seen directly. Now though, a chance observation led to a team catching a dying star in the act of eating a Jupiter-like planet in the distant Milky Way.Research article: De et al.30:25 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a clearer image of the supermassive black hole M87*, and how elephant seals catch some shut-eye while diving.Nature News: Black-hole image reveals details of turmoil around the abyssNew York Times: Elephant Seals Take Power Naps During Deep Ocean DivesSubscribe 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.

Last year, researchers announced that the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab lowered the amount of amyloid protein plaques associated with the disease in the brains of participants in a clinical trial, and slowed their cognitive decline.Now, researchers are looking to drug combinations, vaccines and gene therapy to tackle different stages of the disease, as they forge the next generation of treatments for the condition.This is an audio version of our Feature: Conquering Alzheimer’s: a look at the therapies of the future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:57 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.Comment: What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure13:41 Research HighlightsHow the growth of tiny iodine-engined satellites could damage the ozone layer, and how a pill-like detector that could measure radiotherapy dosages.Research Highlight: How CubeSats could harm the ozone layerResearch Highlight: An easy-to-swallow pill monitors X-ray dosage16:06 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 a direct neural circuit between the memory regions of fruit fly brains. This circuit increases memory strength in the flies, and helps explain how sense and memories are interlinked.Research article: Okray et al.23:44 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how video calls could help parrots feel less isolated, and a new method for recycling wind turbine blades.The Guardian: Parrots taught to video call each other become less lonely, finds researchNature Video: How to recycle a wind turbine in a test tubeSubscribe 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 method to break down plastic polymersPlastic waste is an enormous problem, with much of it being incinerated or ending up in landfill. One way to give plastics another life is to break them down into their individual components using heat, but this method yields low amounts of usable product. Now, a team demonstrates a proof-of-concept method of heating that wicks the plastic like a candle through a layer of carbon material. They show that this method is more efficient and could be an additional way of breaking down waste plastics.Research article: Dong et al.08:48 Research HighlightsPhysicists model the best way to soar on a playground swing, and how wearing ‘perfume’ helps male orchid bees find a mate.Research Highlight: Physicists’ advice on how to swing high at the playgroundResearch Highlight: Better than Chanel: perfumed male bees draw more mates11:20 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the runaway supermassive black hole that’s racing through the cosmos, and the bizarre genomes of yellow crazy ants.Scientific American: Astronomers Spy a Giant Runaway Black Hole’s Starry WakeNature News: Crazy ants’ strange genomes are a biological firstHelp us win a People’s Voice award in this year’s WebbiesVote for How the Black Death got its start in the ‘Best Individual Episode: Science & Education’ category.Vote for Racism in Health: the harms of biased medicine in the ‘Limited-Series & Specials: Health, Science & Education’ category.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 the latest episode of Nature hits the books, psychologist Sander van der Linden joins us to discuss his new book Foolproof, which focuses on misinformation and what can be done to prevent people being duped, particularly by the falsehoods found online.We discuss how misinformation messages are crafted, why they can be hard to shake once someone is exposed, and how Star Wars: Episode 3 helped in the fight against them…Foolproof, Sander van der Linden, Fourth Estate (2023)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:44 The unusual receptors that let octopuses hunt by touchResearchers have shown that the suckers of octopuses are covered with specialised receptors that allow them to taste by touching things. Similar receptors are also found in squid, but there are differences that mirror differences in the animals’ hunting behaviours; while octopuses feel for their prey, squid pull things towards themselves before deciding whether or not to eat it.Research article: Kang et al.Research article: Allard et al.Nature video: How octopuses taste with their arms08:48 Research HighlightsHow climate change has been linked to a devastating avalanche in the Italian Alps, and evidence of hallucinogenic drug use in prehistoric Europe.Research Highlight: A glacier’s catastrophic collapse is linked to global warmingResearch Highlight: Hair buried in a cave shows hallucinogen use in ancient Europe11:31 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what climate scientists can learn from medieval descriptions of lunar eclipses; how to retrieve rock samples from the surface of Mars; and the ongoing debate about whether T. rex had lips.Nature News: Medieval accounts of eclipses shine light on massive volcanic eruptionsNature News: Mars rocks await a ride to Earth — can NASA deliver?Nature News: Facelift for T. rex: analysis suggests teeth were covered by thin lipsHelp us win a People’s Voice award in this year’s WebbiesVote for How the Black Death got its start in the ‘Best Individual Episode: Science & Education’ category.Vote for Racism in Health: the harms of biased medicine in the ‘Limited-Series & Specials: Health, Science & Education’ category.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.

00:46 A pair of supermassive black holes in the distant universeSupermassive black holes are found at the centre of galaxies across the universe. But observations of galaxies with more than one – caused by the merging of two galaxies – have been rare. Now, researchers have combined data from a number of telescopes and satellites, to reveal a pair of supermassive blackholes farther from Earth than any pair detected previously. They hope this will offer insights into how galaxies form.Research article: Chen et al.News and Views: Distant supermassive black holes spotted in galaxy merger10:53 Research HighlightsWhy appetite can increase after dieting, and gliding mammals’ flight-associated genes.Research Highlight: Can’t keep off lost weight? Blame your ‘hunger cells’Research Highlight: How gliding mammals developed the flaps for ‘flight’13:35 A clinical trial of an AI heart assessorA team of researchers and clinicians report results of a clinical trial designed to test the ability of an AI to accurately interpret echocardiogram images – a technique frequently used to assess heart health. The results showed that the AI was as good at measuring a metric of cardiac function as a trained human, but was able to speed up the diagnosing process, suggesting this method could play a role in improving healthcare in future.Research article: He et al.20:42 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, we hear the ultrasonic sounds that stressed plants make, and discuss a 3D printed glass made from amino acids.Nature News: Stressed plants ‘cry’ — and some animals can probably hear themNature News: 3D-printable glass is made from proteins and biodegradesSubscribe 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.

Last month, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing an estimated 50,000 people. Two decades ago, researchers suggested that an earthquake in this area was likely, but exactly where and when it would strike were unknown.This shows both the promise — and limitations — of the science of earthquake forecasting. Years of research suggest that it may be impossible to predict exactly when an earthquake will occur. As a result, many in the field have now shifted to identifying high risk fault segments to help policymakers take steps to avoid death and destruction.This is an audio version of our Feature: What Turkey’s earthquake tells us about the science of seismic forecasting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:48 Tiny syringes for drug deliveryA team of researchers have repurposed tiny syringe-like structures produced by some bacteria to deliver molecules directly into human cells. They hope that this method could be used to overcome a big challenge in modern medicine, namely ensuring that therapeutics are delivered into the precise cells that need to be treated.Research article: Kreitz et al.News and Views: Mix-and-match tools for protein injection into cells07:05 Research HighlightsA diamond-like material could protect spacecraft from intense radiation, and how gene editing could help in the treatment of a rare genetic condition.Research Highlight: A gem of a material could provide a shield for spacecraftResearch Highlight: Gene editing holds promise for babies with deadly immune disease09:30 Chronic painChronic pain affects millions of people worldwide and it can be debilitating. Research into the condition has come a long way in the past few years, but this knowledge hasn’t necessarily resulted in better outcomes for those with chronic pain. Nature’s Lucy Odling-Smee has written a Feature article on the topic, and she joined us to discuss why this disparity exists, and about her own experiences of chronic pain.News Feature: Chronic pain: the long road to discoveryResources for chronic pain: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-pain; https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/pain/ways-to-manage-chronic-pain/If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out. You can find help through a suicide-prevention line: see https://findahelpline.com for information.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.

00:46 A new test to get autonomous vehicles on the roadTruly autonomous vehicles, ones that don't require a driver to be present and are driven by AI, aren't yet safe for public use. Part of the reason for this is it has been difficult to train them to deal with rare dangerous situations. Now researchers are unveiling a new approach to present lots of these infrequent events to the AI very rapidly, speeding up the training and testing process.Research Article: Feng et al.News and Views: Hazards help autonomous cars to drive safelyVideo: The driving test for driverless cars08:23 Research HighlightsHow bird-flu is adapting to mammals, and the effect of negative headlines.Research Highlight: Bird-flu virus makes itself at home in Canada’s foxes and skunksResearch Highlight: It’s bad! Awful! Negative headlines draw more readers10:43 Why bat research is taking offBats are known to tolerate a lot of viruses that are deadly to humans without much issue. With the ongoing pandemic, this has driven researchers to dive more into the world of bats in the hopes of applying bats' tolerance to humans. Reporter Smriti Mallapaty has been writing about this renewed interest and she joined us to tell us more.News Feature: Bats live with dozens of nasty viruses — can studying them help stop pandemics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:47 An edited genetic code that prevents viral infectionResearchers have engineered bacteria with synthetic genomes to be immune to viral infection. The team streamlined the bacteria’s genetic code, and re-engineered the protein-producing machinery to insert the wrong amino acid if used by a virus, effectively making the bacteria ‘speak’ a different language to any invaders. It’s hoped that this technique could be used to reduce unwanted sharing of genes from modified organisms.Research article: Nyerges et al.News & Views: Synthetic bacterial genome upgraded for viral defence and biocontainment07:42 Research HighlightsEstimating the methane output of an enormous wetland ecosystem, and how honeybees improve their dance moves with a little help from their elders.Research Highlight: Methane from one of Earth’s largest wetland complexes is set to soarResearch Highlight: Watch them waggle: bees dance better after lessons from elders10:02 How mini-MRI scanners could improve access to imagingMagnetic resonance imaging is a standard technique in clinical care. However many people, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries have limited access to this technology. To address this, new types of smaller MRI scanners are being designed that are more affordable and practical for use in rural settings or small clinics. We hear from a researcher working on one of these systems about ways improve them and ensure they are available to all.Comment: Five steps to make MRI scanners more affordable to the world18:11 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how researchers have developed embryos from two male mice and new claims of room-temperature superconductivity.News: The mice with two dads: scientists create eggs from male cellsQuanta Magazine: Room-Temperature Superconductor Discovery Meets With Resistance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:47 Wildfire smoke’s chemical composition enhances ozone depletionSmoke from the devastating Australian wildfires of 2019-2020 led to a reduction in ozone levels in the upper atmosphere, but it’s been unclear how. Now, a team proposes that smoke’s particulate matter can enhance the production of ozone depleting chemicals, matching satellite observations during the Australian fires. The results spark concerns that future wildfires, which are set to grow more frequent with ongoing climate change, will undo much of the progress towards restoration of the ozone layer.Research article: Solomon et al.News & Views: How wildfires deplete ozone in the stratosphere08:27 Research HighlightsA global analysis of bats reveals the species most likely to be hunted by humans, and the stem cells that allow deer antlers to regrow.Research Highlight: Big bats fly towards extinction with hunters in pursuitResearch Highlight: Mice grow ‘mini-antlers’ thanks to deers’ speedy stem cells10:53 Modelling food systems with ‘digital twins’Recent global crises have highlighted the fragility of the interconnected systems involved in getting food from farm to fork. However, siloed datasets have made it hard to predict what the exact impacts of these events will be. In a World View for Nature, researcher Zia Mehrabi argues that precise virtual models like those used in the aerospace industry should be developed for food systems. These so-called ‘digital twins’ could inform global food policy before emergencies unfold.World View: Sims-style ‘digital twin’ models can tell us if food systems will weather crises18:17 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what the stray dogs of Chernobyl could reveal about the effects of chronic radiation exposure, and the debate surrounding the fate of Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’.News: What Chernobyl’s stray dogs could teach us about radiationNews: Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’ spark conservation rowSubscribe 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.

00:47 How a racing heart could trigger anxietyAnxiety can make the heart beat faster, but could the reverse be true as well? That question has been much debated, but hard to test. Now, a team has shown that artificially increasing a mouse’s heart rate can induce anxiety-like behaviours, and identified an area in the brain that appears to be a key mediator of this response. They hope that this knowledge could help to improve therapies for treating anxiety-related conditions in the future.Research article: Hsueh et al.News & Views: How an anxious heart talks to the brain08:32 Research HighlightsThe chance discovery of the smallest rock seen so far in the Solar System, and the first brain recording from a freely swimming octopus.Research Highlight: Asteroid photobombs JWST practice shotsResearch Highlight: How to measure the brain of an octopus10:57 How NASA’s DART mission beat expectiationsIn September 2022, NASA’s DART spacecraft smashed into a space rock known as Dimorphos, which orbits a near-Earth asteroid. The aim of the mission was to test whether asteroids could be redirected as a method to protect Earth against future impacts. This week, multiple papers have been published describing what researchers have learnt about the impact and its aftermath. Reporter Alex Witze joined us to round up the findings.News: Asteroid lost 1 million kilograms after collision with DART spacecraftResearch article: Thomas et al.Research article: Daly et al.Research article: Li et al.Research article: Cheng et al.Research article: Graykowski 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.

Twitter has become indispensable to many scientists. It is a place to share findings, raise their profile, and is even used as a source of data in many studies.In recent months though, the site has been in turmoil after a swathe of policy changes in light of Elon Musk's takeover. Never a stranger to misinformation and abuse, these problems have reportedly gotten worse. Additionally, the ability to use Twitter as a source of data is in peril, and malfunctions are more commonplace.In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss how these changes are affecting the platform and the knock-on effects on science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imprinting is a quirk of the immune system in which someone’s initial exposure to a virus biases their immune response when they meet the same virus again.Studies are showing how imprinting shapes people’s responses to SARS-CoV-2; those infected with earlier strains can mount weaker responses to a later Omicron infection.This phenomenon is dampening the hope that variant-tailored boosters will markedly reduce transmission of the virus, although researchers agree that variant-tailored boosters are worth getting because they still provide some immunity, and prevent serious illness.This is an audio version of our Feature: How your first brush with COVID warps your immunity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:45 A new microscope to look for ‘magic’ anglesTo better visualise how electrons are ‘moving’ in materials, a team have developed the Quantum Twisting Microscope. This instrument puts two 2D layers of atoms into close contact, allowing them to interact, which can give useful information about their properties. The microscope can also rotate one of the layers, helping researchers look for so-called ‘magic angles’, where 2D materials like graphene can exhibit extraordinary properties.Research article: Inbar et al.News & Views: A twist in the bid to probe electrons in solids09:55 Research HighlightsHow an extinct insect larvae’s prodigiously long ‘neck’ may have helped it hunt, and surveying the levels at which coastal cities are converting water into land.Research Highlight: Extinct insects hunted like predatory giraffesResearch Highlight: Cities worldwide claw vast amounts of land from the sea12:21 How Russia’s invasion has affected science in UkraineThis week marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We discuss how science has fared in Ukraine over the past 12 months, and how international collaborations are shaping the future of research in the country.News Feature: The fight to keep Ukrainian science alive through a year of warEditorial: Rebuilding Ukrainian science can’t wait — here’s how to startWorld View: Ukrainian science has survived against the odds — now let’s rebuild together19:52 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the US Food and Drug Administration’s requirements to increase diversity in clinical trials, and research suggesting that snakes are better listeners than previously thought.Nature News: FDA to require diversity plan for clinical trialsScience Alert: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You ThinkSubscribe 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.

00:47 A metadevice for faster electronicsIn the past, increasing the speeds of electronics required designing smaller components, but further reductions in size are being hampered by increasing resistance. To get around this, researchers have demonstrated a ‘metadevice’, which prevents resistance building up by concentrating the flow of signals into specific regions of the device. The hope is that this meta-method could be used to create even smaller electrical components in the future.Research article: Nikoo & Matioli06:27 Research HighlightsHow waiting times for services are higher for people in the US with low incomes, and how your brain hears an alarm while you’re asleep.Research Highlight: Who wastes more time waiting? Income plays a partResearch Highlight: Noise shatters deep sleep thanks to dedicated brain circuit08:52 The research gaps in social media's impact on teen mental healthIn the last ten years, levels of social media use and reported levels of mental health issues among adolescents have both increased. There is much concern that these trends are linked, but hard evidence has been hard to come by. So how can scientists get a better understanding of what’s going on? In a Comment article for Nature, researchers argue that, rather than lumping ‘young people’ into one homogeneous group, future studies should consider where they are in terms of their development, as this could influence the potential impacts of social media use.Comment: How social media affects teen mental health: a missing link19:52 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, we discuss self-burying devices that can plant seeds in remote areas from the air, and scientists’ reactions to a talk by CRISPR-baby researcher He Jiankui.Nature Video: This device corkscrews itself into the ground like a seedNature News: Disgraced CRISPR-baby scientist’s ‘publicity stunt’ frustrates researchers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

0:46 The mysterious ring in the distant Solar SystemQuaoar is a small, rocky object that lies beyond Neptune’s orbit. In an unexpected discovery, researchers have shown that this object has its own orbiting ring, similar to those seen encircling planets like Saturn. However, Quaoar’s ring shouldn’t exist, as it is at a distance far outside the theoretical limit at which rings are thought to be stable, and researchers are trying to figure out why.Research article: Morgado et al.News and Views: A planetary ring in a surprising place07:01 Research HighlightsA repurposed skin-disease drug suppresses alcohol consumption in people with alcohol-use disorder, and how volcanic eruptions may have contributed to social unrest in ancient Egypt.Research Highlight: Pill for a skin disease also curbs excessive drinkingResearch Highlight: Volcanic quartet linked to bad times in ancient Egypt09:26 Air pollutionExposure to polluted air has been linked to millions of deaths each year. But while much is known about the sources and impacts of outdoor air pollution, significantly less is understood about the pollution that people are exposed to indoors, despite it causing a significant health burden. In a Comment article for Nature, a group of researchers argue for more research in order to inform future public health initiatives.Comment: Hidden harms of indoor air pollution — five steps to expose them19:52 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the discovery of a new type of ice, and how caffeine’s kick comes at a cost.Nature News: Scientists made a new kind of ice that might exist on distant moonsThe Conversation: Nope, coffee won’t give you extra energy. It’ll just borrow a bit that you’ll pay for laterSubscribe 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 Chemical analysis of ancient embalming materialsMummification was a significant part of ancient Egyptian culture but, despite decades of research, much is unknown about the substances and methods used during the process. Now a team have analysed the contents of ceramic vessels uncovered in an embalming workshop that dates back to around 600 BC. The results reveal that some substances assumed to be a single thing were actually mixtures, while some came from far outside Egypt, providing a clearer picture of ancient mummification practices.Research article: Rageot et al.News and Views: Recipes for ancient Egyptian mummification09:11 Research HighlightsModelling how fruit wrinkles as it ages, and a trove of ancient animal skulls suggest Neanderthals may have collected hunting trophies.Research Highlight: A chilli’s wrinkles and a cherry’s dimples explainedResearch Highlight: Neanderthals stashed dozens of animal skulls in a cave — but why?11:28 The race to refine CAR-T therapiesCAR-T therapies are a type of cancer immunotherapy in which part of a person’s immune system – their T cells – are engineered to recognise and attack tumours. While these therapies have been shown to be effective at treating certain blood cancers, they are expensive and can have serious side effects. We hear about efforts to tackle these issues and even expand the range of diseases that CAR-T could be used to treat.News Feature: The race to supercharge cancer-fighting T cells19:36 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, why scientists need to agree on what time it is on the Moon, and the liquid-metal robots that can melt and re-form.Nature News: What time is it on the Moon?New Scientist: Metal robot can melt its way out of tight spaces to escapeNature Video: The race to make a variant-proof COVID vaccineSubscribe 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 new generation of anti-obesity medications are displaying striking results: drastically diminishing weight, without the serious side effects of previous medications.These drugs have raised hopes the weight can be pharmacologically altered in a safe way, but some researchers are concerned about the drugs' high cost, and that these medications could feed into some societies' obsessions with thinness.This is an audio version of our Feature: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:45 The role of serine in diabetic neuropathyNerve damage is a common complication of diabetes, and can even lead to limb amputation. Thus far, the only way for people to slow its onset is by managing their diet and lifestyle. Now though, research in mice shows how the amino acid serine may be key to this nerve damage, suggesting a potential role for the molecule in future therapeutics.Research article: Handzlik et al.News and Views: Serine deficiency causes complications in diabetes06:47 Research HighlightsDNA from chickens is spreading to their wild relatives, and a hidden magma chamber is revealed beneath an underwater volcano.Research Highlight: Chickens’ DNA is fouling the genomes of their wild relativesResearch Highlight: Underwater volcano near Greece is a sleeping menace09:05 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time: how the Hubble Telescope is still helping scientists, and the multimillion-dollar trade of paper authorships.Nature News: Why the Hubble telescope is still in the game — even as JWST wowsNature News: Multimillion-dollar trade in paper authorships alarms publishersNature Video: Drowning in seaweed: How to stop invasive SargassumSubscribe 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 Laser-guided lightningScientists have shown that a specially designed laser can divert the course of lightning strikes in a real-world setting. The team fired the laser into the sky above a communications tower high in the Swiss Alps and altered the course of four strikes. In future they hope that this kind of system could be used to protect large infrastructure, such as airports.Research article: Houard et al.News: This rapid-fire laser diverts lightning strikes09:36 Research HighlightsThe crabs that lean on bacteria to detoxify sulfur from hydrothermal vents, and how a persons’ nasal microbes might exacerbate their hay fever.Research Highlight: Crabs endure a hellish setting — with help from friendsResearch Highlight: Plagued by hay fever? Blame your nasal microbes12:02 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time: how “hot mixing” has helped ancient Roman concrete stand the test of time, and the first vaccine for honeybees shows promise.Ars Technica: Ancient Roman concrete could self-heal thanks to “hot mixing” with quicklimeNew York Times: U.S.D.A. Approves First Vaccine for HoneybeesNature Video: 3D printing adds a twist with a novel nozzleSubscribe 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’ll hear: how Brazil’s President Lula has started to make good on his pro-environment promises; a new theory for why giant ichthyosaurs congregated in one place; how glass frogs hide their blood; about a new statue honouring Henrietta Lacks; and why T. rex might have cooed like a dove.Nature News: Will Brazil’s President Lula keep his climate promises?Science News: Mysterious ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding groundThe Atlantic: How Glass Frogs Weave the World’s Best Invisibility CloakBBC News: Statue of Henrietta Lacks will replace Robert E LeeBooks & Arts: The woman behind HeLaEditorial: Henrietta Lacks: science must right a historical wrongNews: Wealthy funder pays reparations for use of HeLa cellsBBC Futures: What did dinosaurs sound like?​​​​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, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2023. We'll hear about vaccines, multiple Moon missions and new therapeutics, to name but a few.News: the science events to look out for in 2023 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:00:53 How virtual meetings can limit creative ideasIn April, we heard how a team investigated whether switching from face-to-face to virtual meetings came at a cost to creativity. They showed that people meeting virtually produced fewer creative ideas than those working face-to-face, and suggest that when it comes to idea generation maybe it’s time to turn the camera off.Nature Podcast: 27 April 2022Research article: Brucks & LevavVideo: Why video calls are bad for brainstorming08:29 How the Black Death got its startThe Black Death is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 60% of the population of Europe. However, the origin of this wave of disease has remained unclear. In June, we heard from a team who used a combination of techniques to identify a potential starting point in modern-day Kyrgyzstan.Nature Podcast: 15 June 2022Research article: Spyrou et al.15:24 Research HighlightsHippos’ habit of aggressively spraying dung when they hear a stranger, and why being far from humans helps trees live a long life.18:36 Higgs boson turns tenTen years ago, scientists announced that they’d found evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle first theorised to exist nearly sixty years earlier. We reminisced about what the discovery meant at the time, and what questions are left to be answered about this mysterious particle.Nature Podcast: 06 July 2022Nature News: Happy birthday, Higgs boson! What we do and don’t know about the particle28:28 The open-science plan to unseat big Pharma and tackle vaccine inequityIn this episode of Coronapod we investigated a radical new collaboration between 15 countries — co-led by the WHO, and modelled on open-science — that aims to create independent vaccine hubs that could supply the global south. This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center.Coronapod: 29 July 2022News Feature: The radical plan for vaccine equity40:10 Missing foot reveals world’s oldest amputationIn September, we heard about the discovery of a skeleton with an amputated foot, dated to 31,000 years ago. The person whose foot was removed survived the procedure, which the researchers behind the find say shows the ‘surgeon’ must have had detailed knowledge of anatomy.Nature Podcast: 07 September 2022Research article: Maloney et al.News and Views: Earliest known surgery was of a child in Borneo 31,000 years ago Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

01:07 “Artemis and Dart”In the first of our festive songs, we celebrate some of the big space missions from this year: Artemis which aims to get people back to the moon, and DART which could help defend the Earth from meteor strikes. 03:51 Redacted Headline challengeIn this year’s festive game, our competitors work together to try and figure out some Nature Podcast headlines where all the words have been removed. Find out how they get on…15:57 Research HighlightsResearch Highlight: Why does fat return after dieting? The microbiome might have a handResearch Highlight: Revealed: massive Maya structures built by vast labour forces18:31 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 2022 list.Nature’s 1030:40 “Fairytale of Omicron”In our final song this year, we imagine ourselves in a wintry lab thinking on genetic data from the Omicron variant of coronavirus… 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:00:47 Estimating pandemic-associated mortalityThis week, a team of researchers working with the World Health Organization have used statistical modelling to estimate the number of excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The work estimates that there were almost 15 million deaths either directly or indirectly attributed to the pandemic, almost three times higher than the official toll.Research article: Msemburi et al.News and Views: Global estimates of excess deaths from COVID-19Editorial: Missing data mean we’ll probably never know how many people died of COVID08:35 Research HighlightsWhy dinosaurs' tail clubs may actually have been used to battle rivals, and the ancient images that make up the earliest known narrative scene.Research Highlight: Dinosaurs bashed each other with built-in tail clubsResearch Highlight: Prehistoric carvings are oldest known story sequence10:55 Understanding the lack of diversity in UK academiaStark figures show that the representation of scientists from minority ethnic groups dwindles at each stage of UK academia. To get a sense of the issue and what can be done to tackle it, we spoke to Mahrukh Shameem, a PhD student and an advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion.News Feature: How UK science is failing Black researchers — in nine stark charts19:43 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how the text-generating AI OpenGPT could spell the end for student essays, and what the successful test of NASA’s Orion capsule means for the Artemis programme.Nature News: AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays — should professors worry?Nature News: NASA’s Orion Moon capsule splashes down! Here’s what’s nextSubscribe 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 World’s oldest DNA shows that mastodons roamed ancient GreenlandDNA recovered from ancient permafrost has been used to reconstruct what an ecosystem might have looked like two million years ago. Their work suggests that Northern Greenland was much warmer than the frozen desert it is today, with a rich ecosystem of plants and animals.Research Article: Kjær et al.Nature Video: The world's oldest DNA: Extinct beasts of ancient Greenland08:21 Research HighlightsWhy low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol don’t predict heart disease risk in Black people, and how firework displays affect the flights of geese.Research Highlight: ‘Good’ cholesterol readings can lead to bad results for Black peopleResearch Highlight: New Year’s fireworks chase wild geese high into the sky10:31 Modelling the potential emissions of plasticsWhile the global demand for plastics is growing, the manufacturing and disposal of these ubiquitous materials is responsible for significant CO2 emissions each year. This week, a team have modelled how CO2 emissions could vary in the context of different strategies for mitigating climate change. They reveal how under specific conditions the industry could potentially become a carbon sink.Research Article: Stegmann et al.News and Views: Plastics can be a carbon sink but only under stringent conditionsSubscribe 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 second episode of Nature hits the books, science writer and broadcaster Gaia Vince joins us to talk about her new book Nomad Century, which looks at how climate change could render large parts of the globe uninhabitable, and how surviving this catastrophe will require a planned migration of people on a scale never seen before in human history.Nomad Century, Gaia Vince, Allen Lane (2022)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:45 Inert ant pupae produce a previously unobserved fluidAnt larvae metamorphose into adults by pupating. It was assumed that these inert pupae don’t play a role in the wider ant colony, but a team of researchers have found that they actually secrete a fluid that is consumed by both adult ants and larvae. This fluid is rich in proteins and metabolites, and appears to be an important source of larval nutrition. These secretions have now been seen in the pupae of multiple ant species, suggesting it is an evolutionary ancient behaviour.Research Article: Snir et al.News and Views: A fluid role in ant society as adults give larvae ‘milk’ from pupae07:15 Research HighlightsAncient chefs made bitter plants taste better by soaking and grinding, and an electric fishing-hook attachment that reduces accidental catches of sharks and rays.Research Highlight: Prehistoric rubbish hints that early cooks cared about flavourResearch Highlight: Off the hook: electrical device keeps sharks away from fishing lines09:31 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how analysing mosquito blood meals could reveal evidence of infection in people and animals, and how prolific data generation has driven the need for new metric unit prefixes.Nature News: Mosquito blood meals reveal history of human infectionsNature News: How many yottabytes in a quettabyte? Extreme numbers get new names Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big data is playing an increasingly important role in football, with technologies capturing huge amounts of information about players' positions and actions during a match.To make sense of all this information, most elite football teams now employ data analysts plucked from top companies and laboratories. Their insights are helping to steer everything from player transfers to the intensity of training, and have even altered how the game is played.This is an audio version of our Feature: Science and the World Cup: how big data is transforming football Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:45 Precision positioning without satellitesSatellite navigation has revolutionized how humans find their way. However, these systems often struggle in urban areas, where buildings can interfere with weak satellite signals. To counter this, a team has developed an alternative, satellite-free system, which could improve applications that require precise positioning in cities, such as self-driving cars.Research Article: Koelemeij et al.News and Views: Phone signals can help you find your way in cities even without GPS09:19 Research HighlightsHow deforestation is the biggest threat to a rare lemur’s existence, and ultraviolet-activated molecules can kick-start plastic polymerization.Research Highlight: This rare primate will not survive deforestationResearch Highlight: Lights, chemical reaction! Plastics take shape with help from UV light12:16 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a survey reveals the challenges facing international postgraduate students, and the key takeaways from COP27.Nature Careers: Obstacle race: the barriers facing graduates who study abroadNature News: COP27 climate talks: what succeeded, what failed and what’s nextNew York Times: U.N. Climate Talks End With a Deal to Pay Poor Nations for Damage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:46 Artemis 1 is go!NASA’s Artemis 1 mission has successfully reached Earth orbit. After weeks of delays and issues, and a nail biting launch, the rocket marks the first step in a new era of moon exploration, with plans to test a new way to return astronauts to the moon. We caught up with reporter for all-things-space, Alex Witze, for the latest.News: Lift off! Artemis Moon rocket launch kicks off new era of human exploration10:06 Research HighlightsThe unlevel playing field in women’s football, and domed structures provide evidence for a biological origin of stromatolites.Research Article: Okholm Kryger et al.Research Article: Hickman-Lewis et al.12:39 A mechanistic link for an Alzheimer’s geneAlzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects millions of people every year. Whilst the biggest risk factor of late-onset Alzheimer’s is age, there are a number of genes that have been implicated. How exactly these genes underpin this disease is unclear, but new research may now reveal how one of them does so, by affecting the myelination of neurons. The authors hope this work may help uncover treatments for Alzheimer’s.Research Article: Blanchard et al.News and Views: Alzheimer’s risk variant APOE4 linked to myelin-assembly malfunction20:44 Updates from COP27The second week of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference is underway, as policymakers and scientists try to come together to tackle climate change. Flora Graham, senior editor at Nature is in Egypt at the conference and we caught up with her for the latest.News: ‘Actions, not just words’: Egypt’s climate scientists share COP27 hopesNews: Carbon emissions hit new high: warning from COP27Subscribe 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.

Kathleen Folbigg has spent nearly 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing her four children. But in 2018, a group of scientists began gathering evidence that suggested another possibility for the deaths — that at least two of them were attributable to a genetic mutation that can affect heart function. A judicial inquiry in 2019 failed to reverse Folbigg’s conviction, but this month, the researchers will present new evidence at a second inquiry, which could ultimately spell freedom for Folbigg.This is an audio version of our Feature: She was convicted of killing her four children. Could a gene mutation set her free? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:49 Separating heavy water with molecular cagesHeavy water is molecule very similar to H2O but with deuterium isotopes in the place of hydrogen atoms. Heavy water is useful in nuclear reactions, drug design and nutritional studies, but it's difficult to separate from normal water because they have such similar properties. Now, a team have developed a new separation method using tiny molecular cages, which they hope opens up more energy efficient ways to produce heavy water.Research article: Su et al.News and Views: A molecular flip-flop for separating heavy water07:23 Research HighlightsHow dancers can feel the beat even when they can’t hear it, and how climate change might move desert dunes.Research Highlight: Dancers pick up the pace on a bass beat — even though it’s inaudibleResearch Highlight: Desert dunes pose more danger as Earth warms09:25 Monitoring bridge health using crowd dataBridges are vital pieces of infrastructure but their structural health is hard to monitor, requiring either sophisticated sensors or intense surveying by human engineers. Now though, researchers have utilized large amounts of smartphone accelerometer data to check the health of the Golden Gate Bridge. They hope this new technique can be used to effectively and cheaply monitor bridges around the world.Research Article: Matarazzo et al.Communications Engineering special issue: Resilient Infrastructure17:00 COP27 gets underwayThis week the 27th UN Climate Change Conference began, with world leaders, scientists and activists coming together to continue negotiations aimed at reining in global warming. Jeff Tollefson, senior reporter at Nature, joined us to talk about what’s been happening and what to expect, as the conference continues.News: Climate change is costing trillions — and low-income countries are paying the priceNews: As COP27 kicks off, Egypt warns wealthy nations against ‘backsliding’News: COP27 climate summit: what scientists are watchingSubscribe 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.

Companies are offering genetic tests of embryos generated by in vitro fertilization that they say allow prospective parents to choose those with the lowest risk for diseases such as diabetes or certain cancers. However, some researchers are concerned about the accuracy and ethics of these tests.This is an audio version of our Feature: The controversial embryo tests that promise a better baby Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:46 How flies can move their eyes (a little)It's long been assumed flies’ eyes don’t move, and so to alter their gaze they need to move their heads. Now, researchers have shown that this isn’t quite true and that fruit flies can actually move their retinas using a specific set of muscles, which may allow them to perceive depth. The team also hope that this movement may provide a window into some of the flies’ internal processes.Research article: Fenk et al.08:54 Research HighlightsHow the 80-year-old wreck of a sunken warship is influencing ocean microbes, and tracing an epilepsy-related gene variant back to a single person from 800 years ago.Research Highlight: A ship sunk during the Second World War still stirs up the seabedResearch Highlight: Families on three continents inherited their epilepsy from a single person11:11 Calls to mandate militaries’ emissions reportingThe eyes of the world will be focused on the UN’s upcoming COP27 conference to see what governments will pledge to do to reduce global emissions. But there’s one sector of countries’ carbon outputs that remains something of a mystery: the emissions of their militaries. We speak to Oliver Belcher, one of a group of researchers who have written a Comment article for Nature, calling for better reporting and greater accountability for these military emissions.Comment: Decarbonize the military — mandate emissions reporting19:07 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time: efforts from Middle East countries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions while still supplying fossil fuels; the upcoming demise of NASA’s InSight spacecraft; and new estimates for how long bacteria could survive on Mars.Nature News: The Middle East is going green — while supplying oil to othersNature News: NASA spacecraft records epic ‘marsquakes’ as it prepares to dieNew Scientist: Bacteria could survive just under Mars's surface for 280 million yearsSubscribe 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.

When COVID-19 hit it didn't kill indiscriminately. In the US, being Black, Hispanic, or Native American meant you had a much greater risk of death than if you were white. And these disparities are mirrored across the world.In this episode we explore the complex tale behind this disparity. Throughout history, racism and biases have been embedded within medical technology, along the clinicians who use it. Cultural concepts of race have been falsely conflated with biology. The way medicine is taught, has reinforced flawed stereotypes. Disease itself, has been racialised. All of this adds up to barriers to care and worse health outcomes for many people, just because of the colour of their skin.Science and scientists have played an influential part in embedding such racism into medicine But by challenging received wisdom science too has the power to right wrongs, and work towards solutions.Read more of Nature's coverage of racism in science.Click here for our list of sources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:54 Siberian cave offers first-ever glimpse into Neanderthal familyBy analysing ancient DNA recovered from bone fragments found in two Siberian caves, researchers have identified a set of closely related Neanderthals: a father and daughter, as well as several other more-distant relatives. The work suggests that Neanderthal communities were small, and that females may have left their families to join other groups.Research article: Skov et al.News and Views: The first genomic portrait of a Neanderthal family09:14 Research HighlightsThe robotic falcon that frightens nuisance flocks, and how climate change could lead to power loss in low-income households.Research Highlight: Plagued by problem birds? Call RobotFalcon!Research Highlight: Loss of power looms for some families as climate changes12:32 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, assessing why women are cited less often than men in physics, and uncovering a long-lost star-map from ancient Greece.Science: Women researchers are cited less than men. Here’s why—and what can be done about itNature News: First known map of night sky found hidden in Medieval parchment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:00:45 Implanted brain organoids could offer new insights into diseaseBrain organoids — lab-grown, self-organizing structures made of stem cells — are used in research to better understand brain development and disease progression. However, these structures lack connections seen in real brains, limiting their usefulness. To overcome this, a team has now transplanted human organoids into the brains of newborn rats, showing that these implanted organoids respond to stimuli and could influence the animals’ behaviour.Research article: Revah et al.News and Views: Human brain organoids influence rat behaviour09:20 Research HighlightsThe subtle timing shift that gives jazz music its ‘swing’, and why hydrogen power could be a cost-effective way to reduce heavy industry emissions in China. Research Highlight: What gives jazz its swing? A delay makes the differenceResearch Highlight: Hydrogen could help China’s heavy industry to get greener11:46 The exoskeleton boot that makes walking more efficientWearable robotic exoskeletons that aid or enhance movement are fast becoming a reality, but there are challenges to overcome — to work best these devices frequently require careful calibration for their user using specialist equipment and time in a lab. Now, a team have created exoskeleton boots that can help people walk faster and more efficiently by learning and adapting to the wearer’s gait as they walk. They hope that this approach could be used to develop personalised assistive devices in the future.Research article: Slade et al.Nature Video: The robot boot that learns as you walkSubscribe 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 A virtual chemical library uncovers potential antidepressantsCertain psychedelic drugs are of interest to researchers due to their promising antidepressant effects. To help speed up the discovery of molecules with useful properties, researchers have built a virtual library of 75 million compounds related to these drugs. This approach yielded two molecules that showed antidepressant properties in mice, but without the hallucinogenic activity of psychedelic drugs.Research article: Kaplan et al.Research Briefing: Bespoke library docking for 5-HT2A receptor agonists with antidepressant activity08:25 Research HighlightsResearch suggests that ancient artificial island settlements were hubs of activity for society’s elite, and astronomers spot possibly the most luminous star ever observed.Research Highlight: Ancient DNA suggests that artificial islands were party spots for the eliteResearch Highlight: Scientists face down ‘Godzilla’, the most luminous star known10:42 Nobel NewsFlora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s Nobel Prizes.Nature News: Geneticist who unmasked lives of ancient humans wins medicine NobelNature News: ‘Spooky’ quantum-entanglement experiments win physics NobelNature News: Chemists who invented revolutionary 'click' reactions win NobelEnter Nature’s ‘Scientist at Work’ photo competition, full details hereSubscribe 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.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has devastated the global economy, rocked geopolitics, killed thousands of people and displaced millions. Science too has been affected and the impacts on research are being felt more widely than just in Ukraine and Russia.In this episode of Nature's Takes we discuss the war's impact on publishing, international collaborations, climate change and energy, and the destructive impacts on scientists themselves. And as the war continues, we consider the future of science in the face of a new political climate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.