In the first episode of our new series Nature hits the books, science journalist Ed Yong joins us to talk about his new book An Immense World, which takes a journey through the weird and wonderful realm of animal senses.In the show, we chat about how our human-centric view of the world has restricted researchers' understanding of animal senses, how to conceptualise what it might be like to be an electric-field sensitive fish, and what bees might make of us blushing...An Immense World, Ed Yong, Random House (2022)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:47 Enteric viruses may spread through salivaEnteric viruses, such as norovirus, cause a significant health burden around the world and are generally considered to only spread via the faecal-oral route. However, new research in mice suggests that saliva may also be a route of transmission for these viruses, which the authors say could have important public health implications.Research Article: Ghosh et al.08:59 Research HighlightsHow devouring space rocks helped Jupiter to get so big, and what analysing teeth has revealed about the diet of the extinct super-sized megalodon shark.Research Highlight: The heavy diet that made Jupiter so bigResearch Highlight: What did megalodon the mega-toothed shark eat? Anything it wanted11:24 Making the tetraneutronFor decades there have been hints of the existence of tetraneutrons, strange systems composed of four neutrons, and now researchers may have created one in the lab. This breakthrough could tell us more about the strong nuclear force that holds matter together.Research article: Duer et al.News and Views: Collisions hint that four neutrons form a transient isolated entity18:46 After Roe v. WadeLast Friday the US supreme court struck down the constitutional right to abortion. In the wake of this ruling, Nature has been turning to research to ask what we can expect in the coming weeks and months.News: After Roe v. Wade: US researchers warn of what’s to comeEditorial: The US Supreme Court abortion verdict is a tragedy. This is how research organizations can helpAdditional show linksVideo: The pandemic's unequal tollCollection: The science of inequalitySubscribe 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 the next year, no fewer than seven missions are heading to the Moon. While NASA's Artemis programme might be stealing most of the limelight, the United States is just one of many nations and private companies that soon plan to launch lunar missions.Although some of the agencies running these expeditions are providing scant details about the missions, it is hoped the they will provide streams of data about the Moon, heralding what scientists say could be a new golden age of lunar exploration.This is an audio version of our Feature: These six countries are about to go to the Moon — here’s why Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a long wait, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have finally approved two COVID vaccines for use in children between the ages of six months and five years old. But despite a unanimous decision amongst regulators, parents still have questions about whether to vaccinate their young children, with survey data suggesting that the majority do not intend to accept vaccines right away. In this episode of Coronapod, we dig into the trials, the statistics and the regulators decision making process, in search of clarity around what the data are saying.News: FDA authorizes COVID vaccines for the littlest kids: what the data say Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:38 The science of studying inequalityWe discuss the research looking to understand the root causes and symptoms of inequalities, how they are growing, and how a cross-disciplinary approach may be the key to tackling them.Editorial: Equity must be baked into randomized controlled trialsNews Feature: How COVID has deepened inequality — in six stark graphicsCareer Feature: The rise of inequality research: can spanning disciplines help tackle injustice?07:26 The randomised trials helping to alleviate povertyFor decades, researchers have been running randomised trials to assess different strategies to lift people out of poverty. Many of these trials centre on providing people with cash grants – we hear how these trials have fared, efforts to improve on them, and the difficulties of scaling them up.News Feature: These experiments could lift millions out of dire poverty21:23 Why breast cancers metastasize differently at different times of dayA team of researchers have found that breast cancer tumours are more likely to metastasize while people are asleep. By studying mice, the team suggest that hormone levels that fluctuate during the day play a key role, a finding they hope will change how cancer is monitored and treated.Research article: Diamantopoulou et al.News and Views: Cancer cells spread aggressively during sleep28:46 The inequality of opportunityA comment article in Nature argues that one of the most pernicious types of inequality is inequality of opportunity – based on characteristics over which people have no control. We discuss some of the data behind this and what can be done about it.Comment: Not all inequalities are alikeSubscribe 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.

00:46 Uncovering the origins of the Black DeathThe Black Death is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 60% of the population of Europe. However, despite extensive research, the origin of this wave of disease has remained unclear. Now, by using a combination of techniques, a team have identified a potential starting point in modern day Kyrgyzstan.Research article: Spyrou et al.06:57 Research HighlightsThe cocktails of toxins produced by wriggling ribbon worms, and a tiny thermometer the size of a grain of sand.Research Highlight: A poisonous shield, a potent venom: these worms mean businessResearch Highlight: Mighty mini-thermometer detects tiny temperature changes09:22 Researchers race to understand monkeypoxAround the world, there have been a number of outbreaks of monkeypox, a viral disease that has rarely been seen in countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Although infection numbers are small, researchers are racing to find out what’s driving these outbreaks and the best way to contain them. We get an update on the situation, and the questions scientists are trying to answer.Nature News: Monkeypox vaccination begins — can the global outbreaks be contained?19:20 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, doubts over claims that a Google chat bot has become sentient, and the automated cloud labs that let researchers perform experiments remotely.New Scientist: Has Google's LaMDA artificial intelligence really achieved sentience?The Washington Post: The Google engineer who thinks the company’s AI has come to lifeNature News: Cloud labs: where robots do the researchSubscribe 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.

One of the most curious symptoms of COVID-19 is the loss of smell and taste. For most, this phenomenon is short lived, but for many around the world the symptom can persist for months or even years after the infection has cleared. Once a tell-tale sign of infection, this sensory disruption is now becoming characterised as a chronic problem and scientists are only recently getting clear answers about the mechanisms behind it. In this episode of Coronapod, we dig into the most recent studies on the causes of smell loss after infection with SARS-CoV-2, as well as the treatments scientists are proposing to tackle it.News: COVID and smell loss: answers begin to emergedSubscribe 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.

00:33 A headbashing relative gives insights into giraffe evolutionHow the giraffe got its long neck is a longstanding question in science. One possibility is that giraffes evolved longer necks for sexual competition, with males engaging in violent neck-swinging fights. Now, a team have described fossils of an ancient giraffoid species with a thick headpiece adapted for fighting, which could add weight to this hypothesis.Nature News: How the giraffe got its neck: ‘unicorn’ fossil could shed light on puzzle05:18 A wave of resignations signals discontent in academiaAround the world, the ‘great resignation’ has seen huge numbers of workers re-evaluating their careers and lifestyles and choosing to leave their jobs following the pandemic. Academia is no exception, with many scientists deciding to leave the sector in the face of increased workloads, systemic biases and pressure to publish.Nature Careers: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?10:34 An emergency fix gets MAVEN back on trackEarlier this year, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars since 2014, developed some serious equipment issues that prevented it from keeping its correct orientation in space. In a race against time, a team on Earth fixed the problem by developing a system that allowed the spacecraft to navigate by the stars.Space.com: NASA's Mars MAVEN spacecraft spent 3 months on the brink of disaster14:28 The Perseverance rovers continues its rock collectionNASA’s Perseverance rover has arrived at an ancient Martian river delta where it will spend the next few months exploring, while scientists assess where to drill and extract rock samples. It’s thought that rocks from this region have the best chance of containing evidence of Martian life, and plans are being developed to return them to Earth in the future.Nature News: NASA’s Perseverance rover begins key search for life on MarsSubscribe 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.

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) implanted in the brains of people who are paralysed are allowing them to control prosthetics that are restoring a range of skills.Although the field is relatively young, researchers are making rapid advances in the abilities that these implants can restore. In the past few years, commercial interest in BCIs has soared, but many hurdles remain before these implants can be brought to market.This is an audio version of our Feature: The brain-reading devices helping paralysed people to move, talk and touch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:47 The robot shoulder that exercises cellsRecreating the movements that tendon cells experience as they develop in the human body is necessary for growing tissue for transplantation, but this has been difficult to achieve in a laboratory setting. Now, a team has developed a system that uses a robot shoulder to stretch and twist these cells, which they hope could be used to improve the quality of tissue grafts in the future.Research article: Mouthuy et al.Video: A robotic Petri dish: How to grow human cells in a robot shoulder07:56 Research HighlightsA robotic surgeon that works within an MRI chamber, and an ancient human genome from a resident of Pompeii.Research Highlight: Robot surgeons steer smoothly with help from magnet-free motorResearch Highlight: Vesuvius victim yields first human genome from Pompeii10:30 Overcoming COVID-19 vaccine hesitancyIdentifying sources of vaccine hesitancy is a key challenge in public health. This week, a team show that correcting misperceptions about doctor’s COVID-19 vaccine views increased vaccination rates in the Czech Republic. The team suggest this finding could extend to other countries, and represents a cost-effective intervention for reducing vaccine hesitancy.Research article: Bartoš et al.News and Views: Give physicians’ views to improve COVID vaccine uptake16:21 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, where metals are lost during their economic lifetime, and how pesticide use has spurred cockroach evolution and even affected their mating habits.Nature News: Metal-lifespan analysis shows scale of wasteNew York Times: Cockroach Reproduction Has Taken a Strange TurnSubscribe 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.