The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors.
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
00:25 How brains differ by sex and age Nature: Brain differences between sexes get more pronounced from puberty 07:14 Bumblebees ‘fan themselves’ during flight to keep cool Science: How do busy bees avoid overheating from flying? Video: Birds gliding through bubbles reveal aerodynamic trick 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....
00:46 Data stored in glass Nature: Microsoft Research Project Silica Team Nature: Microsoft team creates 'revolutionary' data storage system that lasts for millennia 08:09 Research Highlights Nature: Parasitic wasps use tamed virus to castrate caterpillars Nature: Flexible joints: robot morphs into a range of cyborg species 10:10 An mRNA vaccine for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Nature: Sahin et al. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis ...
This Nature Briefing episode covers two fascinating scientific stories. First, a large observational study suggests that moderate caffeine consumption could help slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia. Second, researchers employed AI to successfully decode the long-lost rules of an ancient Roman board game, offering a unique glimpse into historical leisure activities.
This episode explores how fruit fly immune cells clean brain waste during sleep, highlighting the importance of lipid metabolism. It also delves into fascinating research highlights, including a beetle's obligate symbiosis with ants and significant methane emissions from oil and gas fields. The discussion concludes with a detailed look at ancient European migrations, revealing a nuanced history of genetic mixing and cultural shifts, particularly focusing on the unique persistence of hunter-gatherer ancestry in the Low Countries and the impact of the Bell Beaker expansion on Britain.
The Nature Briefing Podcast explores two significant scientific advancements. First, a novel extracorporeal total artificial lung (TAL) system allowed a patient to survive 48 hours without lungs, enabling a successful transplant and offering new hope for ARDS patients. Second, new research reveals how lung cancer cells manipulate sensory neurons and the vagus nerve in mice, effectively tricking the brain into suppressing the anti-tumor immune response.
New research uncovers more about rete ridges in human skin, revealing their late formation and potential role in regeneration, with pigs identified as an ideal model for study. The episode also features Open Scholar, an open-source AI system that significantly reduces hallucinations and improves citation accuracy in scientific literature reviews, outperforming commercial models.
The Nature Briefing Podcast investigates preliminary findings from a Brazilian study on centenarians, exploring how genetic diversity rather than lifestyle might contribute to extreme longevity. It also delves into exciting research on developing fluorescent proteins like Maglov that can be "remote controlled" using magnetic fields, offering potential for new ways to monitor cellular processes and control biological functions.
00:46 Why completing difficult tasks feels rewarding Nature: Touponse et al. 11:34 Research Highlights Nature: Disappearing ‘planet’ reveals a solar system’s turbulent times Nature: Getting to the (square) root of stock-market swings 13:43 How extreme weather events could threaten malaria elimination efforts Nature: Symons et al. 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/privac...
This episode explores the growing reliance of ecologists on artificial intelligence and vast datasets, exemplified by studies analyzing digitized specimens and real-time sensor data, transforming how we monitor ecological communities. While these technologies offer immense potential for understanding global change, critics warn of an "extinction of experience," arguing that reduced fieldwork leads to a decline in intimate knowledge of nature, potential biases, and reduced engagement with local communities. The discussion also highlights the systemic pressures and career incentives pushing scientists away from hands-on research, while emphasizing the indispensable value of fieldwork for data validation and developing ecological insights.
This episode delves into two intriguing scientific discoveries. First, it explores how babies' microbiomes are significantly diversified through interactions with peers and surroundings in nursery settings, highlighting extensive microbial transfer. Second, the discussion introduces Veronica, a remarkable cow from Austria, who demonstrates sophisticated tool use by manipulating objects to scratch herself, challenging conventional understanding of animal intelligence.
00:46 Protein-sized superposition surpasses previous experiments Nature: Pedalino et al. News: Schrödinger's cat just got bigger: quantum physicists create largest ever 'superposition' 11:46 Research Highlights Nature: Ancient pottery reveals early evidence of mathematical thinking Nature: Gifted dogs learn new words by overhearing humans 14:11 How Trump’s second term has impacted research Nature: US science after a year of Trump Nature: US science in 2026: five themes that will dominate Trump’s...
In this episode: 00:40 The rock samples destined to remain on Mars Nature: NASA won’t bring Mars samples back to Earth: this is the science that will be lost 05:24 The genetics of dogs’ droopy ears Nature: Do their ears hang low? The genetics of dogs’ adorable floppy ears 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 Nature Podcast investigates how AI tools can enhance scientists' productivity but potentially limit their scope, with expert insights on the implications for future discovery and replicability. Additionally, the episode delves into a new theory that may solve the puzzle of the JWST's enigmatic "little red dots," suggesting they are supermassive black holes enveloped in gas. The podcast also announces an upcoming format change.
This Nature Podcast episode revisits fascinating science stories, including how a 4,400-kilometer undersea cable was repurposed into a vast seismic detector. Delve into the surprising Baltic Sea origins of a 2,400-year-old boat, revealed through chemical analysis and a discovered fingerprint. Learn about ancient cycad plants that utilize heat to attract specific beetles for pollination. Finally, explore the incredibly bizarre, lemon-shaped exoplanet, PSR J2322-2650b, which challenges established theories of planet formation.
In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2026. We’ll hear about: small-scale AI models that could outcompete Large Language Models in reasoning, clinical trials of gene editing to treat rare human disorders, a sample collection mission from Phobos, and how changes to US policy by the Trump team are expected to impact science. Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in you...
Anecdotal stories suggesting that weight-loss drugs can help people shake long-standing addictions have been spreading fast in the past few years, through online forums, weight-loss clinics and news headlines. And now, clinical data are starting to back them up. Over a dozen randomized clinical studies testing whether GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can suppress addiction are now under way, and neuroscientists are working out how these weight-loss drugs act on brain regions that control craving, reward...
00:40 What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the humble spud Researchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple potato types, something they believe can help make it easier to breed and sequence new varieties. The potato’s complicated genetics has made it difficult to sequence the plant’s genome, but improvements in technology have allowed the team to combine sequences, allowing them to look for subtle differences in between varieties. Nature Podcast: 16 April 2025 R...
Nature: Asteroids, antibiotics and ants: a year of remarkable science In this episode: 1:58 Evidence of ancient brine on an asteroid Samples taken from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft suggest the parent body it originated from is likely to have contained salty, subsurface water. This finding provides insights into the chemistry of the early Solar System, and suggests that brines might have been an important place where pre-biotic molecules were formed. News & Views: Astero...
00:46 The gifts that sparked a love of science Nature put a call out for readers to tell us about memorable presents that first got them interested in science, or mementos of their life in research. These include telescopes, yeast-themed wedding rings, and... cows’ eyes. Nature: The gift that shaped my career in science 08:12 “I am the Very Model of a Miniature Tyrannosaur” In the first of our annual festive songs celebrating the science of the past year, we tell the story of a diminutive dinosa...
00:46 Evidence of the earliest fire Baked soil, ancient tools, and materials that could be used to start fires show that Neanderthals were making fire in the UK 400,000 years ago — the earliest evidence of this skill found so far. Ancient humans are known to have used naturally occurring fires, but evidence of deliberate fire-starting has been hard to come by. A new suite of evidence pushes back the date of fire mastery by 350,000 years. The team behind the finding believe it helps create a more...
00:46 How satellite mega-constellations could ruin space-based astronomy The ability of space-based telescopes to image the distant Universe could be in peril, according to new research investigating the impacts of light-pollution from future satellites. Streaks of reflected light from satellites currently in low-Earth orbit are already seen in telescope images, and planned launches could raise the number of satellites from around 15,000 to over half-a-million. Computer modelling revealed that t...
This episode explores the challenges of editing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a realm inaccessible to traditional CRISPR tools, which is crucial for understanding metabolic health and treating over 300 mitochondrial diseases. It details recent breakthroughs in developing specialized base editors that can precisely modify mtDNA, creating animal models and paving the way for potential cures, despite hurdles in safety and delivery.
00:46 Martian ‘micro-lightning’ The sounds of ‘micro-lightning’ have been recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover, ending a long search for the phenomenon on Mars. A lack of suitable equipment has made it difficult to gather evidence of lightning on the red planet, but a team of researchers realized that a microphone on Perseverance should be able to pick up the characteristic sounds of electrical discharges. In total they found 55 such examples, along with signs of electrostatic interference indi...
This episode delves into a groundbreaking skin-permeable polymer that could revolutionize diabetes management by enabling needle-free insulin delivery. Researchers also explore how the human brain processes both familiar and unfamiliar languages, revealing insights into speech comprehension and bilingualism. Additionally, the podcast touches on the projected peak of global greenhouse gas emissions and new findings on ancient human-dog relationships and breeding practices.
Yoshua Bengio, considered by many to be one of the godfathers of AI, has long been at the forefront of machine-learning research . However, his opinions on the technology have shifted in recent years — he joins us to talk about ways to address the risks posed by AI, and his efforts to develop an AI with safety built in from the start. Nature: ‘It keeps me awake at night’: machine-learning pioneer on AI’s threat to humanity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
00:45 A coronal mass ejection from a distant star Researchers have detected what they say is the strongest evidence yet of a coronal mass ejection (CME) coming from a star other than our Sun. CMEs are massive bursts of fast-moving plasma that can be detected thanks to the characteristic radio signal they produce. However, despite decades of searching, these signals have only been identified from the Sun. Now a team has identified a similar signal coming from a distant star in the Milky Way. They...
00:45 The debate around Nanotyrannus A hotly debated species of dinosaur, assumed by many to be a juvenile T. rex, is actually a separate species, according to new research. Nanotyrannus was a dinosaur anatomically similar to T. rex, but about a tenth of the size, leading many to argue it was a young version of the iconic species. However, examination of the limb bones of a well-preserved Nanotyrannus fossil suggests it was close to finishing its growth and so would never become as large as a T....
This episode explores how bowhead whales live over 200 years, highlighting the discovery of a cold-induced RNA-binding protein (CIRBP) that enhances DNA repair, offering potential insights for human anti-aging and cancer prevention. Additionally, researchers detail a breakthrough in creating a broad-spectrum, nanobody-based antivenom, a crucial step towards more effective and accessible treatment for millions affected by snakebites worldwide.
Advice on how to get good sleep is everywhere, with the market for sleep aids worth more than US$100 billion annually. However, scientists warn that online hacks and pricey tools aren’t always effective, and suggest that lessons learnt about the workings of a network of biological clocks found in the human body could ultimately lead to improved sleep. This is an audio version of our Feature: How to get the best night’s sleep: what the science says Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
00:48 How hunger, hormones and aggression interact in mouse brains Researchers have uncovered the neural mechanisms that underlie an aggressive behaviour in mice prompted by hunger and hormonal state. Virgin female mice can become aggressive towards mouse pups when they are food deprived, but it seems that the relevant amounts of pregnancy hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, also played a role. By investigating the neurons involved, neuroscientists showed how hunger and hormones are integrated...
