Nature Podcast

In this episode: 00:29 Dolly the sheep’s 30-year legacy Metro: Dolly the sheep at 30: The clone that changed science (and celebrity petdom) Nature: From cloning to gene-editing: the enduring legacy of Dolly the sheep 05:20 The ocean floor caught in the act of splitting at the seams Nature: Ocean floor witnessed splitting apart for the first time — releasing lava Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an un...

In this episode: 00:45 A neutron detector could sniff out a secret space nuke Research article: Danagoulian 11:52 Research Highlights Nature: Volcanic magma sculpts eerie domes on the sea floor Nature: Clues to the sloth’s sloth found in its genome 14:18 How indigenous knowledge in the Amazon could disappear Research article: Cámara-Leret et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily ro...

In this episode, we speak with science journalist Rowan Hooper, whose book Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations takes a deep-dive into the world of co-operation between organisms. In the book, he argues that collaboration in nature has often been overlooked in favour of competition, and that organisms working together have played a vital role in makin...

Peptides — short chains of amino acids — have become huge online. The popularity of these molecules has skyrocketed and they are now the latest cure-all trend on social media. But what does the science say about their effectiveness? Animal research suggests that that some of these experimental peptides hold promise, but evidence they work in people is lacking. This is an audio version of our Featu...

Nature staff discuss how apes share a rhythm of laughter, and how AI use may degrade skills in medicine and computer science. 00:32 Early evidence suggests that AI use causes skills to atrophy Nature: Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good 06:42 Humans and chimps share a laugh Nature: Oo oo, ha ha: why humans and great apes giggle alike when tickled Subscribe to Natu...

In this episode: 00:46 How sensitive information can be gleaned from medical AIs Research article: Knolle et al. Correction: The story about medical AI-data privacy incorrectly stated that the number of individuals at high risk of a membership inference attack increases as training-dataset size grows. It should have stated that the increase in risk occurs when the AI model increases in capacity an...

Nature staff discuss preliminary data on the effects of GLP-1 drugs on male fertility plus a two-year trial of a brain-computer interface. 00:18 Brain-computer interface makes a life-changing impact Nature: At-home brain implant gives man with motor neuron disease his daily life back 05:39 The possible benefits of obesity drugs on testosterone Nature: The latest benefit of obesity drugs: boosting...

In this episode: 00:45 Ancient evidence of deadly plague outbreaks Research article: Macleod et al. 12:33 Research Highlights Nature: Bones of Iron Age skeleton were whittled into tools Nature: Giant crustacean of the deep sea steals a trick from bacteria 14:52 A prototype atom interferometer Research article: Baynham et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science new...

In this episode: 00:37 Evidence that Stonehenge's Altar Stone travelled by glacier BBC Science Focus: We may have just cracked one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries 05:44 Fossilized faeces reveal DNA from ancient ecosystem Nature: Ancient ground squirrels feasted on carcasses like ‘zombies of the Pleistocene’ Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and...

In this episode: 00:46 A giant, ancient whale necropolis Research article: Peng et al. News & Views: A vast whale necropolis has been found 08:52 Research Highlights Nature: Babies’ birth weight improves with help of payments to parents Nature: Earliest signs of vision recorded in ancient sea-floor tracks 11:11 Turning plant material into chemical building-blocks Research article: Mains et al....

In this episode: 00:23 Fossil evidence that spinosaurs had an aquatic lifestyle Science: Some spinosaurs cried salty tears to thrive in brackish waters 04:57 The explosive immune cells that kill in minutes Nature: Bang! Exploding immune cells splatter potent toxins everywhere Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every w...

In this episode: 00:57 How your smartphone’s camera could measure your heart rate Research article: Liao et al. 08:55 Research Highlights Nature: A star gone rogue tears through the Galaxy Nature: Gold keeps glittering courtesy of surface chemistry 11:04 Should you try something new in a restaurant? Maths has the answer Nature: Feynman solved the ‘restaurant dilemma’ 50 years ago — now a study con...

In this episode: 00:21 When witnesses identify suspects from police line-ups, confidence matters Nature: Memory on trial: the new science of when to trust eyewitness testimony 07:15 Registered Reports: how this ‘double peer review’ process could benefit scientists and their results Nature: Nature is expanding Registered Reports to all the fields in which we publish Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

On 17 May the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an ongoing Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the outbreak has seen mounting numbers of suspected cases and deaths linked to the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. In this podcast we hear what's currently known about the outbreak and the efforts of...

In this episode: 00:46 Meet the AI scientists designed to accelerate research Research article: Ghareeb et al. Research article: Gottweis et al. Nature: Teams of AI agents boost speed of research Editorial: Why AI cannot do good science without humans Nature: Do you hate or love AI? Take Nature’s poll 13:25 Research Highlights Nature: Dried to survive: desiccated tardigrades tolerate high heat Nat...

In this episode: 00:34 What questions remain about the hantavirus outbreak? Nature: Hantavirus outbreak exposes uncertainty about how disease spreads Nature: There is no vaccine for deadly hantavirus: what that means for future outbreaks 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/...

In this episode: 00:42 Is red-light therapy all hype? Disclaimer: The opinions and assertions expressed herein by Juanita Anders are those of the speaker and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the Department of War. Nature: The surprising science behind red-light therapy — and how it really works 10:52 Research Highlights N...

Although scientists have long been able to gather DNA from water and soil, it's only recently that they've started to see the air as a source of genetic information. Airborne DNA is already being used to monitor individual species, but researchers hope its abundance could have multiple uses, including judging the success of conservation efforts or attacks with biological weapons. However, there re...

00:31 The science of attention spans Nature Feature:  Are attention spans really shrinking? What the science says 04:54 Data centres in space? Nature News Explainer:  AI data hubs in space: when will they take flight? Nature Comment:  Space diplomacy: bridging the operating gaps between myriad missions Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opini...

In this episode: 00:42 Probing the unconscious brain’s processing ability Research Article: Katlowitz et al. Nature: Even the unconscious brain can learn — and predict what you’ll say next 12:32 Research Highlights Nature: An electrifying test to find a good coffee Nature: ​​​​​​​ Forest pests hit trees hard as temperatures rise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: 00:27 How a parasite unveiled a mitochondrial secret Nature:  Mitochondria can spawn new ‘organelles’ — hinting at how modern cells evolved 06:13 The extinct cephalopods that could have been enormous Nature:  Did kraken-like octopuses rule Cretaceous seas? Massive jaw fossils offer clues Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion...

In this episode: 00:45 How eating can boost the immune system Research Article:  Kumar et al. 08:28 Research Highlights Nature:  Cosmic-ray detection heralds era of mega-observatories for neutrinos Nature:  Little ants groom big ones in a desert spa 10:53 The pressing need to plan for future nuclear disasters World View:  Forty years after Chornobyl, more nuclear disasters are...

In this episode of Nature hits the books , we speak with  Nature 's Helen Pearson whose book  Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works  looks at the history of using evidence, rather than opinion, in decision making. The book traces the course of the movement in various disciplines, such as the rise of evidence-based medicine in the 90s, looking at the rebels who led the...

In this episode: 00:45 The table-tennis robot that can mix it with the pros Research Article:  Dürr et al. News and Views:  Robot can beat elite players at table tennis Video:  This robot can beat you at table tennis 14:13 Research Highlights Nature:  Venus’s impenetrable haze could be made of cosmic dust Nature:  Graves reveal plague’s inequitable toll 16:21 Why physicist...

In this episode: 00:30 The penguins measuring environmental PFAS Science:  Penguins become marine detectives, thanks to pollutant-detecting anklets 05:14 Treating autoimmune diseases with CAR-T Nature:  One woman, three autoimmune diseases: CAR-T therapy vanquishes ultra-rare disease trio 10:34 Why an anglerfish’s lure might have two uses Science:  Why do anglerfish have glowing lur...