Research in Nature Sustain Ability

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A lobster's under belly is covered by a membrane that is strong but flexible, providing protection while still allowing the animal to manoeuvre. The team behind this based their new material on a network of water loving polymer chains known as a hydrogel. Tearing the resulting film requires more than ten times the energy needed to rip up an uncrystallized sample. And further improvement came when the team stacked layers of polyma, with each layer at an angle to the one underneath it, just like the lobster's soft armor. We'll be talking about the latest results from a malaria vaccine trial, and the scientists digging up bottles of seeds in the dead of night in the world's oldest experiments

Ultra-precise measurements connect brain activity and energy use in individual fruit-fly neurons.

Vote for our mini-series ‘Stick to the Science’: when science gets political in this year’s Webby Awards.

In this episode:

00:45 How brain cells use energy

A team of researchers have looked in individual fruit-fly neurons to better understand how energy use and information processing are linked – which may have important implications for future fMRI studies in humans.

Research Article: Mann et al.

07:04 Research Highlights

A tough but flexible material inspired by lobster underbellies, and research reveals that red meat consumption hasn't dropped since the 1960s.

Research Highlight: Material mimicking lobster belly cracks the code for toughness

Research Highlight: Meat lovers worldwide pay climate little heed

10:15 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, early results for a new malaria vaccine look positive, and researchers unearth the latest chapter in a long-running plant experiment.

Nature News: Malaria vaccine shows promise — now come tougher trials

BBC News: Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough

New York Times: One of the World’s Oldest Science Experiments Comes Up From the Dirt

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