Nature Podcast

Games, seasonal science songs, and Nature’s 10.01:12 "Oh powered flight"In the first of our festive songs, We pay tribute to NASA's Ingenuity craft - which took the first powered flight on another planet earlier this year. Lyrics by Noah Baker and performed by The Simon Langton School choir, directed by Emily Renshaw-Kidd.Scroll to the bottom of the page for the lyrics.Video: Flying a helicopter on Mars: NASA's IngenuityNews: Lift off! First flight on Mars launches new way to explore worlds07:40 Communicating complex science with common wordsIn this year’s festive challenge, our competitors try to describe some of the biggest science stories of the year, using only the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language. Find out how they get on…Test your skills communicating complex science with simple words with the Up-Goer Five Text Editor18:04 Alphafold oh AlphafoldOur second song brings some Hanukkah magic to Deep Mind's protein solving algorithm Alphafold. Lyrics by Kerri Smith and Noah Baker, arranged and performed by Phil Self.Scroll to the bottom of the page for the lyrics.News: ‘It will change everything’: DeepMind’s AI makes gigantic leap in solving protein structures21:01 Nature’s 10Every year, Nature’s 10 highlights some of the people who played key roles in science. We hear about a few of the people who made the 2021 list.News Feature: Nature's 10 — Ten people who helped shape science in 2021Oh Powered flightO fateful night!The stars are brightly shiningit is the night to look far beyond the Earth!Long was the way to get to the red planet,‘til he appear'd and the world felt his worth.The thrills and hope as he warmed up his motors.Delays cause stress until the glorious morn!Rise! To the skies.Above the Martian surface.Oh powered flight.Hearts are full, as history’s made.Oh joy, it flies!Mars-copter, for the first time.Led by a team, adept in aeronautics,they rethought all of their theories of flight.So led by da-ta, they crafted all the rotors,to create lift though the atmosphere was light.Viscosity is what would make is happen,but Reynold’s number drove the craft’s design.Rise! To the skies.Above the Martian surface.Oh powered flight.Hearts are full, as history’s made.Oh joy, it flies!Mars-copter, for the first time.Truly it showed, our exploration’s boundless,with caves and canyon’s now all within our grasp.Ingenuity will pave the way for others,to pair with rovers, or solo payload tasks.Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,Let all within us praise this great success.Rise! To the skies.Above the Martian surface.Oh powered flight.Hearts are full, as history’s made.Oh joy, it flies!Mars-copter, for the first time.Alphafold oh AlphafoldOh, Alphafold oh... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Several weeks after the Omicron variant was first identified, it has quickly spread across the world. Early data are showing clear signals that the latest variant of concern is able to evade immunity and spread at a rate faster than any other variant to date. But many questions remain unanswered about the severity of infection, the protection afforded by natural and vaccine-derived immunity, and the impact Omicron could have on the global pandemic response. In this episode, we delve into the very latest studies to take stock of where we are so far and, in a Coronapod first, take on questions sent in by Coronapod listeners.News: How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so farNews: Omicron likely to weaken COVID vaccine protectionNews: Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say scientistsNews Feature: Beyond Omicron: what’s next for COVID’s viral evolutionSubscribe 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.

An explanation for giant ice structures on Pluto, and dismantling the mestizo myth in Latin American genetics.In this episode:00:46 The frozen root of Pluto’s polygonal patternsIn 2015, NASA’s New Horizons probe sent back some intriguing images of Pluto. Huge polygonal patterns could be seen on the surface of a nitrogen-ice ice filled basin known as Sputnik Planitia. This week, a team put forward a new theory to explain these perplexing patterns.Research article: Morison et al.06:15 Research HighlightsHow Pamplona’s bull-running defies the dynamics of crowd motion, and self-healing microbial bio-bricks.Research Highlight: Running of the bulls tramples the laws of crowd dynamicsResearch Highlight: It’s alive! Bio-bricks can signal to others of their kind09:06 How the mixed-race ‘mestizo’ myth has fostered discriminationThe term 'mestizo' emerged during the colonial period in Latin America to describe a blend of ethnicities – especially between Indigenous peoples and the Spanish colonizers. But this label is a social construct not a well-defined scientific category. Now researchers are challenging the mestizo myth, which they say is harmful and has a troubling influence on science.Feature: How the mixed-race mestizo myth warped science in Latin America17:22 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how interrupted sleep could be a route to creativity, and the development of vaccines to target respiratory syncytial virus.New Scientist: Interrupting sleep after a few minutes can boost creativityNature News: The race to make vaccines for a dangerous respiratory virusSubscribe 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.

Vaccines significantly reduce the risk of developing COVID-19, but scientists are now asking what effect the vaccines might have on long COVID. Long COVID is a somewhat ill-defined, but common, syndrome that can arise from even mild cases of COVID19 - with symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue to breathing difficulties and even neurological deficiency. But little is known about what triggers long COVID, or how to prevent it. As public health experts consider protection measures, the role of vaccines in protecting against long COVID is poorly understood, and although numerous studies are seeking answers, they are turning up conflicting results.In this episode of Coronapod we pick through a selection of these studies, discuss the prevailing hypotheses on the causes of long COVID and ask how all of this might impact the pandemic.News Feature: Do vaccines protect against long COVID? What the data sayOmicronWe will be discussing Omicron in an upcoming Coronapod on 17 December. If you would like to ask any questions of our reporters about Omicron, please get in touch on Twitter: @naturepodcast or email: podcast@nature.comNews: How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so farNews: Omicron likely to weaken COVID vaccine protectionNews: Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say scientistsNews Feature: Beyond Omicron: what’s next for COVID’s viral evolution Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speeding up comparisons of behavioural interventions, and what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope.In this episode:00:45 Identifying effective interventions with a 'megastudy'Comparing single behavioural interventions and identifying which is most effective can be difficult and time consuming, hampering policy-making decisions. This week, a team demonstrate a ‘megastudy’, which allows researchers to compare multiple interventions within the same group of people.Research article: Milkman et al.News and Views: Benefits of megastudies for testing behavioural interventions10:36 Research HighlightsThe feeding habits of a giant, extinct eagle, and the relatively undisturbed life of a group of exoplanets.Research Highlight: This enormous eagle could have killed you, probablyResearch Highlight: Famous space family has a surprisingly peaceful history13:07 What to expect from the Webb TelescopeDecades in the making, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally due to launch later this month. We discuss the telescope’s mission and what it might reveal about the Universe.Feature: The $11-billion Webb telescope aims to probe the early UniverseNews: NASA won’t rename James Webb telescope — and astronomers are angry20:27 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the supermassive black holes headed for impact (in 250 million years), and a new dinosaur with an unusual tail weapon.New Scientist: A pair of nearby supermassive black holes are heading for a collisionNew York Times: Spike-tailed ankylosaur was built like a tankSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Studying mental health in populations is not a simple task, but as the pandemic has continued, mounting concerns have mobilised researchers.Now, researchers have used data from helplines in 20 countries to assess the impacts that COVID, as well as associated political and public health measures like financial assistance programs and lockdowns, have had on mental health. Contrary to expectations, loneliness and concerns about the impacts of the pandemic drove most of the callers, rather than imminent threats such as suicidal thoughts or abuse.News: Millions of helpline calls reveal how COVID affected mental healthOmicronWe will be discussing Omicron in an upcoming Coronapod on 17 December. If you would like to ask any questions of our reporters about Omicron, please get in touch on Twitter: @naturepodcast or email: podcast@nature.comNews: How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so farNews: Omicron is supercharging the COVID vaccine booster debateNews: Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say 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.

Designing a nutritious and planet-friendly diet, and an AI that guides mathematicians.In this episode:00:46 Designing a healthy diet for the planetResearchers are trying to develop diets that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time providing nutrition. Some of these sustainable diets are now being tested to see if they work in local contexts without damaging livelihoods.Feature: What humanity should eat to stay healthy and save the planet08:24 Research HighlightsHow jellyfish get by without a centralised brain, and reading the runes within a medieval lead amulet.Research Highlight: How jellyfish control their livesResearch Highlight: Neutron beam sheds light on medieval faith and superstition10:32 The AI guiding mathematicians’ intuitionFinding relationships between two seemingly unrelated groups of objects is an important part of some branches of mathematics. To help speed up this process, a new AI has been developed, which points mathematicians towards potential relationships, allowing them to come up with new conjectures.Research article: Davies et al.News and Views: Artificial intelligence aids intuition in mathematical discovery11:23 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a pendant made from mammoth tusk, and developing lab-grown fish for food.Nature News: Is this mammoth-ivory pendant Eurasia’s oldest surviving jewellery?Nature Biotechnology: No bones, no scales, no eyeballs: appetite grows for cell-based seafoodSubscribe 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 host of private companies are promising commercial fusion reactors in the next decade.After decades of promise, it finally seems that nuclear fusion is approaching commercial viability. Companies around the world are securing huge amounts of funding, and advances in materials research and computing are enabling technologies other than the standard designs to be pursued.This is an audio version of our feature: The chase for fusion energy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a quickly developing story a new variant, first detected in Botswana, is triggering rapid action among researchers. The variant - currently named B.1.1.529 has more than 30 changes to the spike protein - and the concern is that these mutations may result in increased transmissibility, severity of disease or even antibody evasion.In this episode of Coronapod, we discuss what we know so far, how scientists are searching for answers and what this could mean for the pandemic.News: Heavily mutated coronavirus variant puts scientists on alert Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nature salary and satisfaction survey reveals researchers' outlook, and NASA’s test of planetary defences.In this episode:00:45 Salary and satisfaction surveyLike all aspects of life, scientific careers have been impacted by the pandemic. To get an insight into how researchers are feeling, Nature has conducted a salary and satisfaction survey. We hear from some of the respondents.Careers Feature: Stagnating salaries present hurdles to career satisfaction09:07 Research HighlightsThe physics of a finger snap, and the surprisingly strong silk of jumping spiders.Research Highlight: It’s a snap: the friction-based physics behind a common gestureResearch Highlight: High-speed spinning yields some of the toughest spider silk ever found11:23 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the plans to smash a spacecraft into an asteroid, and how baby formula is changing to better resemble breast milk.Nature News: NASA spacecraft will slam into asteroid in first planetary-defence testChemistry World: The science of breast milk and baby formulaSubscribe 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.