A year ago the WHO’s coronavirus emergency alarm was largely ignored. Why?On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a ‘public health emergency of international concern’, or PHEIC, to raise the alarm of the imminent threat of a global coronavirus pandemic.Alongside the PHEIC, the WHO made a number of recommendations to curb the spread of the virus. But many of these were ignored by governments around the world.In this episode of Coronapod, we explore why this emergency warning system failed, and hear about efforts to reform it, and the WHO, to avoid this happening again.News: Why did the world’s pandemic warning system fail when COVID hit? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Researchers are probing the subtle physical forces that sculpt cells and bodies.At every stage of life, from embryo to adulthood, physical forces tug and squeeze at bodies from within.These forces are vital, ensuring that cells are correctly positioned in a developing embryo, for example. But they also play a role in diseases like cancer. Yet despite their importance, relatively little is known about how cells sense, respond to and generate these forces.To find out, researchers have turned to bespoke tools and methods, using them to probe lab-cultured cells and whole animals to get to the root of how mechanical forces sculpt life.This is an audio version of our feature: The secret forces that squeeze and pull life into shape Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A neuroprosthetic device restores blood-pressure control after spinal-cord injury, and identifying the neurons that help us understand others’ beliefs.In this episode:00:47 A neuroprosthetic restores the body’s baroreflexA common problem for people who have experienced spinal-cord injury is the inability to maintain their blood pressure, which can have serious, long-term health consequences. Now, however, researchers have developed a device that may restore this ability, by stimulating the neural circuits involved in the so-called baroreflex.Research Article: Squair et al.News and Views: Neuroprosthetic device maintains blood pressure after spinal cord injury08:27 Research HighlightsHow gesticulating changes the way that speech is perceived, and a new theory of how Saturn got its tilt.Research Highlight: Hands speak: how casual gestures shape what we hearResearch Highlight: The moon that made Saturn a pushover10:58 A neuronal map of understanding othersHumans are very good at understanding that other people have thoughts, feelings and beliefs that are different to our own. But the neuronal underpinnings of this ability have been hard to unpick. Now, researchers have identified a subset of neurons that they think gives us this ability.Research Article: Jamali et al.18:04 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the science of why cats love catnip, and the struggle to identify what the mysterious celestial object StDr 56 actually is.Science: Why cats are crazy for catnipSyfy Wire: So what the heck is StDr 56?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Check out our new video - Fossilised glider takes the origin of mammals back to the Triassic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Analysis of hundreds of thousands of job searches shows that recruiters will discriminate based on ethnicity and gender, and the neural circuitry behind a brief period of forgetting.In this episode:00:47 Hiring discriminationA huge dataset has shown that widespread discrimination occurs in job hiring, based on ethnicity and gender. This backs up decades of research, showing that people from minority backgrounds tend to get contacted far less by employers.Research Article: Hangartner et al.09:31 CoronapodToday Joe Biden becomes the next president of the United States. We find out what this new political chapter could mean for the country’s immediate pandemic response, including the mass rollout of vaccines.News: Joe Biden’s COVID plan is taking shape — and researchers approveNews: Joe Biden names top geneticist Eric Lander as science adviser20:46 Research HighlightsA new way to study fragile helium pairs, and there’s no limit to how much exercise improves your heart health.Research Highlight: Taking tenuous helium molecules for a spinResearch Highlight: Feeling fit? A little more sweat could still help your heart23:17 Forgetful fliesEver had the feeling where you can’t quite remember what you were doing? While common, this sort of ‘tip of the tongue’ forgetting is not well understood. Now though, researchers have uncovered the neural process behind this feeling… in fruit flies.Research Article: Sabadal et al.29:49 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the economics calculations of thieving monkeys, and how in certain situations electric eels will hunt together.The Guardian: Bali’s thieving monkeys can spot high-value items to ransomScience: Shocking discovery: Electric eels hunt in packs in Amazon riversSubscribe 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.

Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker and Elie Dolgin discuss RNA vaccines.In this episode: 01:16 How RNA vaccines came to prominenceIn less than a year, two RNA vaccines against COVID-19 were designed, tested and rolled out across the world. We discuss these vaccines’ pros and cons, how RNA technology lends itself to rapid vaccine development, and what this means for the fight against other diseases.News feature: How COVID unlocked the power of RNA vaccines09:20 The hurdles for trialling new COVID-19 vaccinesMultiple candidates for new COVID-19 vaccines are still being developed, which may offer advantages over the vaccines currently available. However, running placebo-controlled trials of these candidates is becoming increasingly difficult, so researchers are looking for different ways to evaluate them.News: Search for better COVID vaccines confounded by existing rollouts14:45 How long will COVID vaccines be effective?There is much concern around the world about two faster-spreading variants of SARS-CoV-2. We get an update on whether these variants could render vaccines ineffective.News: Could new COVID variants undermine vaccines? Labs scramble to find outSubscribe 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.

DNA clues point to how dire wolves went extinct, and a round-up of the main impacts of Brexit on science.In this episode:00:45 Dire wolf DNADire wolves were huge predators that commonly roamed across North America before disappearing around 13,000 years ago. Despite the existence of a large number of dire wolf fossils, questions remain about why this species went extinct and how they relate to other wolf species. Now, using DNA and protein analysis, researchers are getting a better understanding of what happened to these extinct predators.Research Article: Perri et al.11:43 Research HighlightsThe secret to Pluto’s blue haze, and the neural circuitry underlying mice empathy.Research Highlight: Ice bathes Pluto in a blue hazeResearch Highlight: Brain maps show how empathetic mice feel each other's pain13:31 Post-Brexit scienceIn December, a last minute trade-deal between the UK and EU clarified what the future relationship between the two regions would look like, after Brexit. We discuss the implications of this trade-deal for science funding, the movement of researchers, and data sharing.News Explainer: What the landmark Brexit deal means for science23:18 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, concerns about contaminating water on the moon, and the spy satellites that spied out environmental change.Nature News: Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice?The New York Times: Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet EarthSubscribe 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.

Lessons from Iceland, which utilised huge scientific resources to contain COVID-19.When COVID reached the shores of Iceland back in March, the diminutive island brought it to heel with science. Here’s how they did it, and what they learnt.This is an audio version of our feature: How Iceland hammered COVID with science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nature Podcast team select some of their favourite stories from the past 12 months.In this episode:00:32 Following the Viking footprint across EuropeIn September, we heard about the researchers mapping ancient genomes to better understand who the Vikings were, and where they went.Nature Podcast: 16 September 2020Research Article: Margaryan et al.08:09 Mars hopesIn July, the UAE launched its first mission to Mars. We spoke to the mission leads to learn about the aims of the project, and how they developed the mission in under six years.Nature Podcast: 08 July 2020News Feature: How a small Arab nation built a Mars mission from scratch in six yearsNews Feature: Countdown to Mars: three daring missions take aim at the red planet17:42 Disaster in San QuentinIn July, we reported on a massive COVID-19 outbreak in San Quentin. In Coronapod, we dug into how they got there. Also in the episode, we investigated whether lockdowns could have any lasting impact on young minds.Coronapod: 10 July 2020News: California's San Quentin prison declined free coronavirus tests and urgent advice — now it has a massive outbreak25:23 Communicating complex dataIn April, we found out about some of the methods that communications experts and behavioural scientists recommend to keep the public informed about risks and evidence – something that remains key for governments and other organisations during the pandemic.Coronapod: 17 April 202037:19 ‘Stick to the science’: when science gets politicalIn November, we published our miniseries “Stick to the science” which aimed to find out why a journal of science needs to cover politics. In the series we explored the history, philosophy and reality of science’s complicated relationship with politics.‘Stick to the science’: when science gets political Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker and Traci Watson discuss some of 2020's most significant coronavirus research papers.In the final Coronapod of 2020, we dive into the scientific literature to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have discovered so much about SARS-CoV-2 – information that has been vital for public health responses and the rapid development of effective vaccines. But we also look forward to 2021, and the critical questions that remain to be answered about the pandemic.Papers discussedA Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019 - New England Journal of Medicine, 24 JanuaryClinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China - The Lancet, 24 JanuaryA pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin - Nature, 3 FebruaryA new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China - Nature, 3 FebruaryTemporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19 - Nature Medicine, 15 AprilSpread of SARS-CoV-2 in the Icelandic Population - New England Journal of Medicine, 11 JuneHigh SARS-CoV-2 Attack Rate Following Exposure at a Choir Practice — Skagit County, Washington, March 2020 - Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 15 AugustRespiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks - Nature Medicine, 3 AprilAerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1 - New England Journal of Medicine, 13 AprilProjecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period - Science, 22 May Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A video game provides players with insights into pandemic responses, and our annual festive fun.In this episode:01:02 Balancing responses in a video game pandemicIn the strategy video-game Plague Inc: The Cure, players assume the role of an omnipotent global health agency trying to tackle outbreaks of increasingly nasty pathogens. We find out how the game was developed, and how it might help change public perception of pandemic responses.Plague Inc: The Cure from Ndemic Creations10:02 “We three Spacecraft travel to Mars”The first of our festive songs, we head back to July this year, and the launch of three separate space missions to the red planet. Scroll to the transcript section at the bottom of the page for the lyrics.12:54 Research HighlightsGiant pandas roll in piles of poo to keep warm, and how different bread-baking styles have led to distinct lineages of baker’s yeast.Research Highlight: Why pandas like to roll in piles of pooResearch Highlight: Sourdough starters give rise to a new line of yeast15:17 The Nature Podcast Audio Charades Competition: Lockdown editionIn this year’s festive competition, our reporters try to describe some of the biggest science stories, using only homemade sound effects. Results are mixed, at best...24:15 Nature’s 10We hear about some of the people who made it on to this year’s Nature’s 10 list this year.Nature’s 10: ten people who helped shape science in 202032:20 All I want for Christmas is vaccinesIn our final festive song, we celebrate a huge scientific achievement, and one that’s offering a little hope for 2021. Scroll to the transcript section at the bottom of the page for the lyrics.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Song lyrics:"We three Spacecraft travel to Mars"We three spacecraft travel to MarsBearing probes we traverse afarRockets firingLaunching, flyingOne by one we departOh-oh one from Chinaone the Statesone the Arab Emirates…Careful timingWorlds aligninglaunching on the perfect dates.First is Hope from the UAEI map weather, orbitallyMy ambitionour first missionInterplanetaryOh-oh one from Chinaone the Statesone the Arab Emirates…Careful timingWorlds aligninglaunching on the perfect dates.Next Tianwen-one will debutI’ve a rover and orbiter tooPlus a landerAnd I’ve planned aMission returning soonOh-oh one from Chinaone the Statesone the Arab Emirates…Careful... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.