The Future of Mega Studies

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I am really bullish on mega studies being used more by policy makers and governments. This is just another approach we can take, i think the pandemic gave us aparticularly nice example of when it might be really valuable to roll out a mega study. We've actually done some work building on this idea to try to figure out, can we use mega stedies to accelerate science on encouraging vaccination? And we've had a lot of big successes. But that would never have been possible if we hadn't started out with this project and sort of built the idea of a megaStudy.

Speeding up comparisons of behavioural interventions, and what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope.

In this episode:

00:45 Identifying effective interventions with a 'megastudy'

Comparing single behavioural interventions and identifying which is most effective can be difficult and time consuming, hampering policy-making decisions. This week, a team demonstrate a ‘megastudy’, which allows researchers to compare multiple interventions within the same group of people.

Research article: Milkman et al.

News and Views: Benefits of megastudies for testing behavioural interventions

10:36 Research Highlights

The feeding habits of a giant, extinct eagle, and the relatively undisturbed life of a group of exoplanets.

Research Highlight: This enormous eagle could have killed you, probably

Research Highlight: Famous space family has a surprisingly peaceful history

13:07 What to expect from the Webb Telescope

Decades in the making, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally due to launch later this month. We discuss the telescope’s mission and what it might reveal about the Universe.

Feature: The $11-billion Webb telescope aims to probe the early Universe

News: NASA won’t rename James Webb telescope — and astronomers are angry

20:27 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the supermassive black holes headed for impact (in 250 million years), and a new dinosaur with an unusual tail weapon.

New Scientist: A pair of nearby supermassive black holes are heading for a collision

New York Times: Spike-tailed ankylosaur was built like a tank

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