Nature Podcast

Hybrid working works: huge study reveals no drop in productivity

Jun 12, 2024

A study on short-haul spaceflight reveals physiological changes in astronauts. Hybrid working benefits include employee retention without productivity drop. Challenges in building future particle colliders and training large language models are discussed.

38:14

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Quick takeaways

Short-haul spaceflights can induce physiological changes like altered immune-cell function and DNA telomere lengthening.

Hybrid working model boosts employee retention and productivity without compromising output, based on a large-scale trial.

Deep dives

Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Human Body

Commercial space missions are expanding, involving non-astronauts in orbit to test the effects of spaceflight on health. The Inspiration4 mission in 2021 collected biomedical samples, revealing findings like shortened telomeres, heightened immune system activity, and microbe exchange among crew members. Despite the stress on the body, most gene activity returned to normal post-mission.

Intro

3min

Application of Molecular Biology in Space Research

8min

Challenges and Strategies in Conducting Scientific Research on Astronauts

4min

Benefits of a Hybrid Working Model

12min

Challenges in Building Future Particle Colliders

5min

Challenges in Training Large Language Models

5min

Wrap-up and Podcast Advertisement

2min

00:48 Short-haul spaceflight's effect on the human body.

A comprehensive suite of biomedical data, collected during the first all-civilian spaceflight, is helping researchers unpick the effects that being in orbit has on the human body. Analysis of data collected from the crew of SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission reveals that short duration spaceflight can result in physiological changes similar to those seen on longer spaceflights. These changes included things like alterations in immune-cell function and a lengthening of DNA telomeres, although the majority of these changes reverted soon after the crew landed.

Collection: Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) across orbits

12:13 Research Highlights

Researchers have discovered why 2019 was so awash with Painted Lady butterflies, and the meaning behind gigantic rock engravings along the Orinoco river.

Research Highlight: A huge outbreak of butterflies hit three continents — here’s why

Research Highlight: Mystery of huge ancient engravings of snakes solved at last

14:55 The benefits of working from home, some of the time

A huge trial of hybrid working has shown that this approach can help companies retain employees without hurting productivity. While a mix of home and in-person working became the norm for many post-pandemic, the impacts of this approach on workers’ outputs remains hotly debated and difficult to test scientifically. To investigate the effects of hybrid working, researchers randomly selected 1,612 people at a company in China to work in the office either five days a week or three. In addition to the unchanged productivity, employees said that they value the days at home as much as a 10% pay rise. This led to an increase in staff retention and potential savings of millions of dollars for the company involved in the trial.

Research article: Bloom et al.

Editorial: The case for hybrid working is growing — employers should take note