Nature Podcast

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.

How insects help release carbon stored in forests, and the upcoming biodiversity summit COP 15.In this episode:00:44 Fungi, insects, dead trees and the carbon cycleAcross the world forests play a huge role in the carbon cycle, removing huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But when those trees die, some of that carbon goes back into the air. A new project studies how fast dead wood breaks down in different conditions, and the important role played by insects.Research Article: Seibold et al.09:37 Research HighlightsMassive stars make bigger planets, and melting ice moves continents.Research Highlight: Why gassy planets are bigger around more-massive starsResearch Highlight: So much ice is melting that Earth’s crust is moving12:04 The UN’s Convention on Biological DiversityAfter several delays, the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, is now slated to take place next year. Even communicating the issues surrounding biodiversity loss has been a challenge, and reaching the targets due to be set at the upcoming meeting will be an even bigger one.Editorial: The scientific panel on biodiversity needs a bigger role 19:32 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, cannibal cane toads and a pterosaur fossil rescued from smugglers.Nature News: Australia’s cane toads evolved as cannibals with frightening speedResearch Highlight: A plundered pterosaur reveals the extinct flyer’s extreme headgear National Geographic: Stunning fossil seized in police raid reveals prehistoric flying reptile's secretsSubscribe 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.

As women’s soccer, rugby and other sports gain in popularity a growing body of evidence suggests that female athletes are at a greater risk of traumatic brain injury than men - what's more they tend to fare worse after a concussion and take longer to recover. Now researchers are racing to get to the bottom of why and ask how treatment might need to change.This is an audio version of our feature: Why sports concussions are worse for women Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Delta has quickly become the dominant COVID variant in many countries across the world, in this episode we ask why. Over the past few weeks, a slew of studies have started to shed more light on how the Delta variant differs from its cousins and even the mechanisms behind its rampant spread. We dig into studies on the epidemiology and molecular biology of Delta to ask some key questions surrounding its transmissibility, lethality and what all this might mean for vaccine roll outs.News: The mutation that helps Delta spread like wildfireNews: COVID vaccines protect against Delta, but their effectiveness wanes News: How do vaccinated people spread Delta? What the science saysNews: Delta coronavirus variant: scientists brace for impactNews: Delta’s rise is fuelled by rampant spread from people who feel fineSubscribe 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 team is creating bespoke words for scientific terms in African languages, and the sustainability of the electric car boom.00:46 Creating new words for scientific termsMany words that are common to science have never been written in some African languages, or speakers struggle to agree what the right term is. Now a new project aims to change that, by translating 180 research papers into six languages spoken by millions of people across the continent of Africa.News: African languages to get more bespoke scientific terms11:48 Research HighlightsA rainbow of biodegradable inks derived from brown seaweed, and the enormous centipede that preys on baby birds.Research Highlight: From drab to dazzling: seaweed yields sparkling coloured inksResearch Highlight: The giant centipede that devours fluffy baby seabirds13:58 How sustainable is the electric car boom?As electric cars become more ubiquitous, manufacturers will have to up the production of batteries needed to power them. But that begs the question - can they be mass produced in a sustainable way?News Feature: Electric cars and batteries: how will the world produce enough?24:06 Briefing chatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how a tusk-based ‘chemical GPS’ revealed details of a mammoth’s enormous journeys , and why the Perseverance rover’s first efforts to collect a Mars rock sample didn’t go according to plan.Nature: Mammoth’s epic travels preserved in tuskNature: Why NASA’s Mars rover failed to collect its first rock coreSubscribe 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.

Several wealthy nations have announced plans to give third vaccine doses in a bid to help increase the protection of their most vulnerable citizens - but the science is not clear on whether this strategy will be effective or indeed necessary. Meanwhile with limited vaccine supplies - billions around the world still have no access to vaccines at all. In this episode of Coronapod we discuss the science of boosters, the stark reality of vaccine disparity and what this means for the future of the pandemic.News: COVID boosters for wealthy nations spark outrageNews feature: COVID vaccine boosters: the most important questionsCoronapod: the inequality at the heart of the pandemicCoronapod: the biomarker that could change COVID vaccinesSubscribe 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.