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In this edition of Backchat we take a deep dive into Nature's coverage of coronavirus. As cases climb, what are some of the challenges involved in reporting on the virus? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, the brain pathways of egg laying in fruit flies, and preventing fractures in metallic glass. In this episode: 00:46 Working out the wiring behind fruit fly behaviour Researchers have identified a neural circuit linking mating and egg laying in female fruit flies. Research Article: Wang et al. 06:01 Research Highlights Ancient, cave-dwelling cockroaches, and hairy moths dampen sound. Research Highlight: Cockroaches preserved in amber are the world’s oldest cave dwellers ; Research High...
In recent days, the number of coronavirus cases have surged in South Korea. In this Podcast Extra Nick Howe speaks to Bartosz Gryzbowski, a researcher based in the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, which is just 60km away from epicentre of the South Korean outbreak. He explains how the outbreak has affected his research and what the atmosphere is like there at the moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, machine learning helps batteries charge faster, and using bacterial nanowires to generate electricity from thin air. In this episode: 00:46 Better battery charging A machine learning algorithm reveals how to quickly charge batteries without damaging them. Research Article: Attia et al. 07:12 Research Highlights Deciphering mouse chit-chat, and strengthening soy glue. Research Highlight: The ‘silent’ language of mice is decoded at last ; Research Article: Gu et al. 09:21 Harnessing hum...
This week, uncovering the structure of materials with useful properties, and quantum entanglement over long distances. In this episode: 00:45 Analysing Prussian blues Analogues of the paint pigment Prussian blue are used in a variety of chemical processes. Now, researchers have uncovered their atomic structure. Research Article: Simonov et al. ; News and Views: Ordered absences observed in porous framework materials 08:17 Research Highlights Teenagers’ natural sleep cycles impact on academic per...
This week, how setting an out-of-office email could help promote a kinder academic culture. In this episode: 00:47 Being truly out of office Last year, a viral tweet about emails sparked a deeper conversation about academics’ work-life-balance. Could email etiquette help tip the balance? Careers Article: Out of office replies and what they can say about you 09:35 Research Highlights Finding the ‘greenest’ oranges, and the benefits of ‘baby talk’. Research Article: Bell and Horvath ; Research Hig...
This week, establishing the role of climate change in Australian bushfires, and revisiting Isaac Asimov’s ethical rules for robots. In this episode: 00:46 Behind the bushfires Researchers are working to establish the role that climate change is playing in the bushfires that are raging across Australia. News Feature: The race to decipher how climate change influenced Australia’s record fires ; Editorial: Australia: show the world what climate action looks like 10:02 Research Highlights The debate...
This week, why stress makes mice turn grey, and how to think about climate change. In this episode: 00:45 Going grey Anecdotal evidence has long suggested stressas a cause of grey hair. Now, a team of researchers have showed experimental evidence to suggest this is the case. Research Article: Zhang et al. ; News & Views: How the stress of fight or flight turns hair white 08:39 Research Highlights Ancient bones suggest that giant ground sloths moved in herds,plus an atomic way to check for wh...
In this episode: 00:45 Observing the centre of the galaxy Researchers have uncovered a population of dust-enshrouded objects orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy. Research Article: Ciurlo et al. 06:34 Research Highlights A London landmark’s height lends itself to a physics experiment, and generous behaviour in parrots. Research Highlight: An iconic structure in London moonlights as a scientific tool ; Research Highlight: Parrots give each other gifts without promise o...
In this episode of the podcast, Nature reporter Davide Castelvecchi joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this special round-up episode of the Nature Podcast , our reporters choose their favourite podcast piece of 2019. In this episode: 00:33 A sole sensation A study of people who do and don't wear shoes looks into whether calluses make feet less sensitive. Nature Podcast: 26 June 2019 ; Research article: Holowka et al. ; News and Views: Your sensitive sole 08:56 The make up of the far side of the Moon Initial observations from the first lander to touch down on the far side of the Moon. Nature Po...
This year, Nature celebrates its 150th birthday. To mark this anniversary we’re rebroadcasting episodes from our PastCast series, highlighting key moments in the history of science. In this episode, we’re heading back to the early twentieth century, when physicists had become deeply entangled in the implications of the quantum theory. At its smallest scales was the world continuous? Or built of discrete units? It all began with Max Planck. His Nobel Prize was the subject of a Nature news article...
2019 will likely go down as a pivotal year for public discourse on climate change. It was the year of Greta Thunberg, the climate school strikes, and Extinction Rebellion. The global activist movement has gained support from a range of influential people, including renowned environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin. In this Podcast Extra, Nature's Chief Opinion Editor Sara Abdulla meets with Farhana to discuss why she ditched resolutions in favour of activism. This is an extended version of an intervie...
As part of Nature's 150th anniversary celebrations, Nick Howe dives into the topic of epigenetics. Since its origin in 1942, the term 'epigenetics' has been repeatedly defined and redefined. There's always been hype around the field, but what actually is epigenetics and how much does it influence our genes? In this Podcast Extra, Nick Howe speaks to Edith Heard, Director General of the EMBL, and Giacomo Cavalli, from the Institute of Human Genetics, to guide us through these questions and find o...
We’ve launched our 2019 listener survey. We want to know what you think of the show to help us make a great podcast. You can find the survey here . Thanks! This week, a solution to a centuries-old physics problem, and holiday shenanigans. In this episode: 00:51 Disentangling three bodies Researchers have been working to unpick a problem that has stumped scientists since the 1600s. Research Article: Stone and Leigh 08:50 Frosty the Snowman The first of our festive science songs, about how a certa...
Research groups around the world are exploring new ways of protecting coral reefs from climate change. This is an audio version of our feature: These corals could survive climate change — and help save the world’s reefs , written by Amber Dance and read by Kerri Smith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We recently launched our 2019 listener survey. We want to hear your views on the show to help us make it even better, so please help us by filling in the survey , thanks! In this episode: 00:45 What’s next for social priming? How might a branch of psychological research move forward in the face of replication failures? News Feature: What’s next for psychology’s embattled field of social priming 08:55 Research Highlights Killer-whale grandmothers help their grandchildren survive, and the failed v...
We recently launched our 2019 listener survey. We want to hear your views on the show to help us make it even better. You can find the survey here . Thanks! In this episode: 00:45 The GenomeAsia 100k project Researchers have released the first data from an ambitious project to sequence the genomes of 100,000 people from populations across Asia. Research Article: GenomeAsia100K Consortium 08:56 Research Highlights Bare riverbanks make meanders move, and human activity affects picky penguins. Rese...
This year, Nature celebrates its 150th birthday. To mark this anniversary we’re rebroadcasting episodes from our PastCast series, highlighting key moments in the history of science. In this episode, we’re heading back to 4 November 1869, when Nature ’s story began. The first issue of the journal looked very different from the way it does now and, to the dismay of the editor, it was not immediately popular. In this podcast, we hear how Nature began, and how it became the journal it is today. From...
This week, delving into the results of the latest graduate student survey, and assessing ageism in science fiction literature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, an antibiotic that targets hard-to-treat bacteria, and a roundup of the latest science news. In this episode: 00:49 Discovering darobactin Researchers looked inside nematode guts and have identified a new antibiotic with some useful properties. Research Article: Imai et al. 05:45 Research Highlights Using urine as a health metric, and sniffing out book decay with an electronic nose. Research Article: Miller et al. ; Research Article: Veríssimo et al. 07:54 News Chat Adding an element ...
This week, a new 3D printer allows quick shifting between many materials, and understanding the link between gut microbes and liver disease. 00:46 A new dimension for 3D printers A new nozzle lets a 3D printer switch between materials at a rapid rate, opening the door to a range of applications. Research Article: Skylar-Scott et al. ; News and Views: How to print multi-material devices in one go 08:07 Research Highlights The slippery secrets of ice, and cells wrapping up their nuclei. Research H...
This week marks 150 years since the first issue of Nature was published, on 4 November 1869. In this anniversary edition of Backchat , the panel take a look back at how the journal has evolved in this time, and discuss the role that Nature can play in today's society. The panel also pick a few of their favourite research papers that Nature has published, and think about where science might be headed in the next 150 years. Collection: 150 years of Nature Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
This week, insights into the evolution of walking upright, how science needs to change in the next 150 years, and the unfinished agenda for vaccines. In this episode: 00:50 Early ape locomotion The discovery of a fossil of a new species of ape gives new insights on how bipedalism may have evolved. Research Article: Böhme et al. ; News and Views: Fossil ape hints at how walking on two feet evolved ; News: Fossil ape offers clues to evolution of walking on two feet 07:24 Research Highlights Women ...
This year, Nature celebrates its 150th birthday. To mark this anniversary we’re rebroadcasting episodes from our PastCast series, highlighting key moments in the history of science. In the early 1990s, a team of astrophysicists led by Carl Sagan looked at data from the Galileo spacecraft and saw the signatures of life on a planet in our galaxy. Historian of science David Kaiser and astrobiologists Charles Cockell and Frank Drake discuss how we can tell if there is life beyond the Earth – and how...
This week, a computer beats the best human players in StarCraft II, and a huge study of insects and other arthropods. In this episode: 00:45 Learning to play By studying and experimenting, an AI has reached Grandmaster level at the video game Starcraft II. Research Article: Vinyals et al. ; News Article: Google AI beats experienced human players at real-time strategy game StarCraft II 10:08 Research Highlights A record-breaking lightning bolt, and identifying our grey matter’s favourite tunes Re...
As part of Nature 's 150th anniversary celebrations, we look back at an important moment in the history of science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, a milestone in quantum computing, and rethinking early mammals. In this episode: 00:43 A quantum computing milestone A quantum computer is reported to have achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ – performing an operation that’s essentially impossible for classical computers. Research Article: Arute et al. ; News and Views: Quantum computing takes flight ; Editorial: A precarious milestone for quantum computing ; News: Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim 08:24 ...
This week, investigating child mortality rates at a local level, and building genes from non-coding DNA. In this episode: 00:43 A regional view of childhood mortality Researchers map countries' progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goals. Research Article: Burstein et al. ; World View: Data on child deaths are a call for justice ; Editorial: Protect the census 07:22 Research Highlights Astronomers identify a second visitor from beyond the solar system, and extreme snowfall stifles ...
This week, a method for predicting follow-up earthquakes, and the issues with deep learning systems in AI. In this episode: 00:47 Which is the big quake? A new technique could allow seismologists to better predict if a larger earthquake will follow an initial tremor. Research Article: Real-time discrimination of earthquake foreshocks and aftershocks ; News and Views: Predicting if the worst earthquake has passed 07:46 Research Highlights Vampire bats transmitting rabies in Costa Rica, and why ar...
