Starting up in science: behind the scenesIn this bonus episode, the four Nature reporters behind Starting up in science discuss how the project came about, what it was like to follow two scientists for three years, and what the series has achieved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 4Ali interviews for a critical grant. While she is waiting for the result, the pandemic throws their labs into chaos. Then comes a personal crisis.Read a written version of Starting up in science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 3As newly-minted principal investigators, Ali and Dan have grand plans for their research – but science is slow, especially when other demands loom large: hiring staff, mentoring and teaching students and, of course, the race to secure funding.Read a written version of Starting up in science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 2Ali and Dan have landed positions as the heads of their very own labs. But how did they get to the starting line? Every scientist’s journey is different, and in this episode we hear Ali and Dan’s, which covers years, thousands of miles, and some very difficult decisions.Read a written version of Starting up in science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every year, thousands of scientists struggle to launch their own labs. For three years, a reporting team from Nature documented the lives of married couple Alison Twelvetrees and Daniel Bose as they worked to get their fledgling research groups off the ground.Frustrations over funding, a global pandemic, and a personal trauma have made this journey anything but simple for Ali and Dan. Listen to their story in Starting up in science.Episode 1What does it take to start up in science? Meet two biologists fighting the odds to build their careers and break new ground. But their first priority is getting grants – without them, their labs might not stay afloat.Read a written version of Starting up in science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian scientists are developing new technologies to help protect coral from climate change.Earlier this year, a team of researchers used a mist-machine to artificially brighten clouds in order to block sunlight above Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The project is the world’s first field trial of marine cloud brightening and is among a number of techniques and technologies being developed to save the country’s reefs from the worst effects of climate change.This is an audio version of our feature: Can artificially altered clouds save the Great Barrier Reef? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Less than 1% of those in low income countries are fully vaccinated, and that number only rises to 10% in low-middle income countries. Meanwhile more than half of the population in wealthier countries have received a double dose with several now rolling out third dosess.In this episode of Coronapod we look at the role of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Drug companies are facing increased pressure to partner with manufacturing firms in the global south but most are reluctant to relinquish control. We ask what needs to change to help address the global disparity in vaccine access.News: The fight to manufacture COVID vaccines in lower-income countries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How tiny seed-like sensors could monitor the environment, and the latest from the Nature Briefing.In this episode:00:45 Spinning seeds inspire floating electronicsResearchers have developed miniature electronic-chips with wings that fall like seeds, which could be a new way to monitor the environment.Research article: Kim et al.Video: Seed-inspired spinners ride the wind and monitor the atmosphere06:02 Research HighlightsHow humans can adjust to an energy-efficient walking pace almost without thinking, and the viral shell that excels at delivering genome-editing tools.Research Highlight: Humans walk efficiently even with their heads in the cloudsResearch Highlight: A CRISPR fix for muscles hatches from a viral shell08:34 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the mystery of the Sun’s super-hot corona, and the latest efforts to toilet-train cows.Physics World: The enduring mystery of the solar coronaThe Guardian: Cows ‘potty-trained’ in experiment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How aquatic foods could help tackle world hunger, and how Australian wildfires spurred phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean.In this episode:00:45 The role of aquatic food in tackling hungerAhead of the UN’s Food Systems Summit, Nature journals are publishing research from the Blue Food Assessment, looking at how aquatic foods could help feed the world's population in a healthy, sustainable and equitable way.We speak to Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, who tells us about the role of blue foods in future food systems.Immersive feature: Blue FoodsNature's Blue Food collection12:27 Research HighlightsThe ingestible capsule that injects drugs straight into stomach tissue, and a soft material that changes colour when twisted.Research Highlight: An easily swallowed capsule injects drugs straight into the gutResearch Highlight: Flowing crystals for quick camouflage14:52 How Australian wildfires spurred phytoplankton bloomsThe devastating Australian wildfires of 2019-2020 released plumes of iron-rich aerosols that circled the globe, fertilizing oceans thousands of miles away. New research suggests that these aerosols ultimately triggered blooms of microscopic phytoplankton downwind of the fires, in the Southern Ocean.Research Article: Tang et al. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new theory to explain missing geological time, the end of leaded petrol, and the ancient humans of Arabia.In this episode: 00:29 Unpicking the Great UnconformityFor more than 150 years, geologists have been aware of ‘missing’ layers of rock from the Earth’s geological record. Up to one billion years appear to have been erased in what’s known as the Great Unconformity. Many theories to explain this have been proposed, and now a new one suggests that the Great Unconformity may have in fact been a series of smaller events.BBC Future: The strange race to track down a missing billion years05:23 The era of leaded petrol is overIn July, Algeria became the final country to ban the sale of leaded petrol, meaning that the fuel is unavailable to buy legally anywhere on Earth. However despite this milestone, the toxic effects of lead petrol pollution will linger for many years to come.Chemistry World: Leaded petrol is finally phased out worldwide 08:26 The ancient humans who lived in a wetter ArabiaWhile much of modern day Arabia is covered by deserts, new research suggests that hundreds of thousands of years ago conditions were much wetter for periods on the peninsula. These lusher periods may have made the area a key migratory crossroads for ancient humans.Research Article: Groucutt et al.News and Views: Traces of a series of human dispersals through ArabiaSubscribe 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.