Researchers cast doubt on fruit flies' ability to sense magnetic fields, potentially impacting understanding of sensory biology. Other topics include the closure of the Arecibo Observatory, deforestation's effect on Bronze Age Europe's climate, and the importance of studying soil diversity for food production and climate change.

Leading academics and experts discuss the racism in the US healthcare system that contributes to the Black maternal mortality crisis. They explore the historical links between slavery and gynaecology, the erasure of Black midwives, and the potential impact of overturning Roe v. Wade. The podcast also delves into the mistreatment and health disparities faced by people of color, the racial disparities in maternal care and mortality, and the need to challenge the medical system and address racial disparities in healthcare.

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.