Nature Podcast

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 2023Subscribe 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.