In surprise news this week, the US government announced its support for waiving patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines, in an effort to boost supplies around the world.As fewer than 1% of people living in low-income countries have received COVID-19 vaccines, it is hoped that this move is a major step towards addressing this inequity by allowing manufacturers to legally produce generic versions of vaccines. We discuss the next steps that need to be taken to make this a reality, and why there is opposition to the plan.Also on the podcast, we look at another aspect of coronavirus inequity: the sharing of genomic data. Around the world, researchers are racing to upload SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences to repositories, to help in the fight against the pandemic. One popular data repository, GISAID, requires users to sign in and acknowledge those whose data they analyse. Although a growing faction of scientists from wealthy nations are calling for the removal of gatekeeping requirements, scientists in the global south are pushing back, arguing that this will deprive them of credit and chances to participate in big-data analyses.News: In shock move, US backs waiving patents on COVID vaccinesNews: Why some researchers oppose unrestricted sharing of coronavirus genome dataNews: Scientists call for fully open sharing of coronavirus genome dataScience: Coronavirus sequence trove sparks frustrationNew York Times: Pfizer Reaps Hundreds of Millions in Profits From Covid VaccineWashington Post: Poor countries may not be vaccinated until 2024. Here’s how to prevent that. 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.

The earliest evidence of deliberate human burial in Africa, and a metal-free rechargeable battery.Listen to our mini-series ‘Stick to the Science’: when science gets political and vote for the show in this year’s Webby Awards.In this episode:00:44 Human burial practices in Stone Age AfricaThe discovery of the burial site of a young child in a Kenyan cave dated to around 78 thousand years ago sheds new light on how Stone Age populations treated their dead.Research Article: Martinón-Torres et al.News and Views: A child’s grave is the earliest known burial site in Africa09:15 Research HighlightsHow warming seas led to a record low in Northwestern Pacific typhoons, and the Arctic bird that maintains a circadian rhythm despite 24 hour sunlight.Research Highlight: Warming seas brought an eerie calm to a stormy regionResearch Highlight: The world’s northernmost bird is a clock-watcher11:35 A metal-free rechargeable batteryLithium-ion batteries have revolutionised portable electronics, but there are significant issues surrounding their recyclability and the mining of the metals within them. To address these problems, a team of researchers have developed a metal-free rechargeable battery that breaks down to its component parts on demand.Research Article: Nguyen et al. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than a century, public health researchers have demonstrated how poverty and discrimination drive disease and the coronavirus pandemic has only reinforced this.In a Coronapod special, Nature reporter Amy Maxmen takes us with her through eight months of reporting in the San Joaquin valley, a part of rural California where COVID's unequal toll has proven deadly.News: Inequality's deadly tollThis piece was supported by grants from the Pulitzer Center and the MIT Knight Science Journalism fellowship.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.

Ultra-precise measurements connect brain activity and energy use in individual fruit-fly neurons.Vote for our mini-series ‘Stick to the Science’: when science gets political in this year’s Webby Awards.In this episode:00:45 How brain cells use energyA team of researchers have looked in individual fruit-fly neurons to better understand how energy use and information processing are linked – which may have important implications for future fMRI studies in humans.Research Article: Mann et al.07:04 Research HighlightsA tough but flexible material inspired by lobster underbellies, and research reveals that red meat consumption hasn't dropped since the 1960s.Research Highlight: Material mimicking lobster belly cracks the code for toughnessResearch Highlight: Meat lovers worldwide pay climate little heed10:15 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, early results for a new malaria vaccine look positive, and researchers unearth the latest chapter in a long-running plant experiment.Nature News: Malaria vaccine shows promise — now come tougher trialsBBC News: Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthroughNew York Times: One of the World’s Oldest Science Experiments Comes Up From the DirtSubscribe 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.

Despite warnings, and a number of close calls, drugmakers failed to develop and stockpile drugs to fight a viral pandemic. Now, in the wake of SARS-CoV-2, they are pledging not to make the same mistake again.Around the world, researchers are racing to develop drugs to target COVID-19, but also broad-spectrum antivirals that could be used to treat future viral threats.This is an audio version of our feature: The race for antiviral drugs to beat COVID — and the next pandemic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs continue, attentions are turning to one group: children. While research suggests that children rarely develop severe forms of COVID-19, scientists still believe they could play a key role in transmission and a plan needs to be in place for the longer term. But clinical trials in children are more complicated than those in adults as different ethical and practical concerns need to be taken into account.In this episode of Coronapod, we discuss the ongoing clinical trials to test vaccines in young children, and ask what scientists want to know about safety, and how effective these vaccines might be at preventing disease and transmission.News: COVID vaccines and kids: five questions as trials begin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The self-supporting structures that snap into place, and how a ban on fossil-fuel funding could entrench poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.In this episode:00:45 Self-supporting, foldable structuresDrawing inspiration from the art of origami, a team of researchers have demonstrated a way to design self-supporting structures that lock into place after being inflated. The team hope that this technique could be used to create arches and emergency shelters that can be quickly unfolded from flat with minimal input.Research Article: Melancon et al.News and Views: Large-scale origami locks into place under pressureVideo: Origami-inspired structures could be deployed in disaster zones07:32 Research HighlightsNocturnal fluctuations cause scientists to underestimate rivers’ carbon emissions, and the ‘island rule’ of animal size-change is seen around the world.Research Highlight: Rivers give off stealth carbon at nightResearch Highlight: Animals around the world follow the ‘island rule’ to a curious fate09:55 Banning fossil-fuel funding will not alleviate povertyA ban by wealthy nations on the funding of overseas fossil-fuel projects would do little to reduce the world’s climate emissions and much to entrench poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, argues economist Vijaya Ramachandran.World View: Blanket bans on fossil-fuel funds will entrench poverty17:17 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the first powered flight on another world, and estimating how many Tyrannosaurus rex ever lived.News: Lift off! First flight on Mars launches new way to explore worldsVideo: Flying a helicopter on Mars: NASA’s IngenuityNews: How many T. rex ever existed? Calculation of dinosaur’s abundance offers an answerSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reports of rare and unusual blood clots have resulted in several vaccine roll outs being paused while scientists scramble to work out if the vaccines are responsible and if so how.The unusual combination of symptoms, including a low platelet count and clots focussed in the abdomen or brain, seems similar to a rare side effect from treatment with the drug blood thinning drug Heparin - however it is not clear how the vaccines could cause the syndrome.In this episode of Coronapod we discuss the latest theories and ask how scientists are trying to get to the bottom of this important question. Medical regulators maintain that the benefits of these vaccines significantly outweigh the risks. But as uncertainty spreads, we ponder the wider implications of these reports, including the public perception of risk.News: How could a COVID vaccine cause blood clots? Scientists race to investigateCoronapod: How to define rare COVID vaccine side effectsSubscribe 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.

The lack of adequate sanitation in parts of the rural US, and physicists reassess muons’ magnetism.In this episode:00:45 How failing sanitation infrastructure is causing a US public health crisisIn the US, huge numbers of people live without access to adequate sanitation. Environmental-health advocate Catherine Coleman Flowers tells us about her new book looking at the roots and consequences of this crisis, focusing on Lowndes County, Alabama, an area inhabited largely by poor Black people, where an estimated 90% of households have failing or inadequate waste-water systems.Book review: Toilets – what will it take to fix them?07:56 Research HighlightsWhy adding new members to the team can spark ideas, and how manta rays remember the best spots for pampering.Research Highlight: Want fresh results? Analysis of thousands of papers suggests trying new teammatesResearch Highlight: What manta rays remember: the best spots to get spruced up10:13 Reassessing muons’ magnetic momentA decade ago, physicists measured the ‘magnetic moment’ of the subatomic muon, and found their value did not match what theory suggested. This puzzled researchers, and hinted at the existence of new physics. Now, a team has used a different method to recalculate the theoretical result and see if this discrepancy remains.Research Article: Fodor et al.News: Is the standard model broken? Physicists cheer major muon resultSubscribe 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.

Rick Bright exposed former president Trump's political meddling in the US COVID response. Now he is championing a new privately funded initiative to track viral spread and combat new variants. We discuss the challenges of collecting data on a rapidly spreading virus, from transmission dynamics to genomic surveillance. We also ask why a veteran government scientist like Bright, the ex-director of the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, would take a new path in the private sector.News Q&A: Pandemic whistle-blower: we need a non-political way to track virusesNews: Why US coronavirus tracking can’t keep up with concerning variantsSubscribe 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.