In this episode: 00:37 Lessons from the Ebola outbreak We get an update on the pandemic response in the African countries still reeling from the 2014 Ebola crisis. Resource strapped and under pressure – can the lessons learned from Ebola help keep the coronavirus under control? 15:32 Dexamethasone, a breakthrough drug? A UK-based drugs trial suggests that a cheap steroid could cut deaths by a third among the sickest COVID patients. We discuss what this could mean for the pandemic. News: Cor...
Jun 19, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, researchers make diamonds tough, and evidence of incest in a 5,000 year old tomb. In this episode: 00:51 Tough versus hard Diamonds are famed for their hardness, but they are not so resistant to fracture. Now, researchers have toughened up diamonds, which could open up new industrial applications. Research Article: Yue et al. 06:07 Research Highlights A spacecraft helps physicists work out the lifespan of a neutron, and the icy hideaway of an endangered whale. Resear...
Jun 17, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast An instrument on the International Space Station is providing new insights into some of the Universe’s most baffling objects. Neutron stars have puzzled scientists for decades. It’s known that these ultra-dense objects are born from the remnants of supernovae, yet what’s under their surface, and what processes that go on within them, remain a mystery. Now, an instrument called the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer is providing new information to help answer these questions, ushering in ...
Jun 15, 2020•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode: 00:52 Testing disparities As testing capacities increase, it is clear that not everyone has equal access. But grassroots organisations are trying to correct this inequity. We hear about one researcher’s fight to get testing to those below the poverty line in California. 09:04 The hydroxychloroquine saga continues As a high profile study in the Lancet is retracted, the first data from clinical trials is coming in and it is not encouraging. We discuss the murky future of hydroxych...
Jun 12, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the spaceborne lab that allows investigation of quantum states, and the debate surrounding how mountain height is maintained. Shutdown Stem On the tenth of June, Nature joined #ShutdownStem #strike4blacklives. Podcast: #ShutDownSTEM and the Nature Podcast https://www.shutdownstem.com/ Editorial: Systemic racism: science must listen, learn and change News: Thousands of scientists worldwide to go on strike for Black lives In this episode: 01:18 Space lab Scientists hav...
Jun 11, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the tenth of June, Nature will be joining #ShutdownStem #strike4blacklives. We will be educating ourselves and defining actions we can take to help eradicate anti-Black racism in academia and STEM . Please join us. https://www.shutdownstem.com/ Editorial: Systemic racism: science must listen, learn and change News: Thousands of scientists worldwide to go on strike for Black lives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 09, 2020•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode: 00:45 Black Lives Matter The killing of George Floyd, a black man, by police in Minnesota has sent a shockwave of anger around the globe. As unrest continues, we discuss the protests in Washington DC and ask how scientists are reacting. 04:01 The outsized toll of covid-19 on people of colour Reports from around the globe are showing that ethnic minorities are at much higher risk of infection and death from the coronavirus. But why might that be? And what can be done about it? Ne...
Jun 05, 2020•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, a new method to grow hairy skin in a dish, and new research takes aim at the RNA world hypothesis. In this episode: 00:45 Hairy Skin Researchers may have developed a way to make skin that can grow hair in the lab, paving the way for treatment of a variety of skin disorders, and perhaps even baldness. Research Article: Lee et al. ; News and Views: Regenerative medicine could pave the way to treating baldness 08:56 Research Highlights How mercury moved during the...
Jun 03, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 00:59 Chloroquine on rocky ground President Trump's preferred coronavirus treatment is the focus of a new study suggesting it could cause more harm than good, but not everybody agrees. We discuss the fallout as trials around the world are paused and countries diverge over policy advice. News: India expands use of controversial coronavirus drug amid safety concerns News: Safety fears over hyped drug hydroxychloroquine spark global confusion 12:12 Are we rushing science? Coronavirus papers a...
May 29, 2020•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, perfecting catalysts that split water using light, and the mystery of missing matter in the Universe. In this episode: 00:44 Water splitting After decades of research scientists have managed to achieve near perfect efficiency using a light-activated catalyst to separate hydrogen from water for fuel. Research Article: Takata et al. ; News and Views: An almost perfectly efficient light-activated catalyst for producing hydrogen from water 05:37 Research Highlights...
May 27, 2020•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 01:38 Trump vs the WHO President Trump has given the WHO an ultimatum in a tweet, threatening to pull out of the organisation within 30 days unless unclear demands are met. We discuss what this means for the pandemic, the USA and the future of international health cooperation. 12:06 Where are we with vaccines? The first results from vaccine trials are in and they are encouraging, but scientists are still urging caution. We hear the lowdown on the types of vaccines being developed and what hope t...
May 22, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, crafting an artificial eye with the benefits of a human's, and understanding how disk-galaxies formed by peering back in time. In this episode: 00:45 Biomimetic eye Researchers fabricate an artificial eye complete with a human-like retina. Research Article: Gu et al. ; News and Views: Artificial eye boosted by hemispherical retina 09:27 Research Highlights Dazzling elephant seals to avoid predation, and helping blind people ‘see’ through brain stimulation. ...
May 20, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast With questionable coronavirus content flooding airwaves and online channels, what’s being done to limit its impact? In this episode: 00:57 The epidemiology of misinformation As the pandemic spreads, so does a tidal wave of misinformation and conspiracy theories. We discuss how researchers' are tracking the spread of questionable content, and ways to limit its impact. News: Anti-vaccine movement could undermine efforts to end coronavirus pandemic, researchers warn Nature Video: Infod...
May 15, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Elisabeth Bik tells us about her work uncovering potential image manipulation, and a new route for particulate pollution formation. In this episode: 00:45 Seeing double Elisabeth Bik spends her days identifying duplicated images in science papers. She tells us about her efforts, and why they’re important. Feature: Meet this super-spotter of duplicated images in science papers ; News: Publishers launch joint effort to tackle altered images in research papers 08:...
May 13, 2020•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Outbreaks among those unable to isolate are spreading under the radar. We hear about the researchers scrambling to get a handle on the situation. In this episode: 01:02 How is coronavirus spreading in group settings? In order to successfully stop the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have to understand how the virus is spreading among groups unable to isolate. We hear about efforts to uncover levels of infection among homeless populations in the US, and the challenges associated with doing so. N...
May 08, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, a new way to study elusive subatomic particles - pions, and the story of Galileo remains relevant in a time of modern science denialism. In this episode: 00:46 Probing pions Pions are incredibly unstable and difficult-to-study subatomic particles. Now researchers have come up with a clever way to examine them - by sticking them into helium atoms. Research Article: Hori et al. 08:28 Research Highlights A colourful way to cool buildings, and the rapid expansion of cities.&nb...
May 06, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Coronapod team pick through the latest news, plus we hear from the researchers making lemonade out of lockdown lemons. In this episode: 01:10 Can contact-tracing apps help? Governments around the world are banking on smartphone apps to help end the spread of the coronavirus. But how effective might these apps might be? What are the risks? And how should they fit into wider public health strategies? Editorial: Show evidence that apps for COVID-19 contact-tracing are secure and effective 13:30...
May 01, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, how the ‘sniff-response’ can help clinicians determine a patient's state of consciousness, and how vaccines could help drive down antibiotic use. In this episode: 00:45 Sniffing out consciousness Researchers have found that the sniff reflex can indicate whether a patient is in a vegetative state, and even the likelihood that they will recover consciousness. Research Article: Arzi et al. 08:37 Research Highlights The stupefying effect of carbon dioxide, and a chameleon gems...
Apr 29, 2020•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the role of antibody tests in controlling the pandemic, and how public-health spending could curtail an economic crisis. Also on the show, the open hardware community's efforts to produce medical equipment. In this episode: 02:08 Betting on antibodies Antibody tests could play a key role in understanding how the virus has spread through populations, and in ending lockdowns. We discuss concerns over their reliability, how they could be used, a...
Apr 24, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, evidence of ancient hominin DNA in modern human genomes, and the origin of a snowman-shaped object at the edge of the solar system. In this episode: 00:45 Intermixing of ancient hominins By combing through the DNA of over 27,000 modern day Icelanders, researchers have uncovered new insights about the ancient hominin species who interbred with Homo sapiens . Research Article: Skov et al. 08:05 Research Highlights The scent of lemur love, a hidden Viking trade route, a...
Apr 22, 2020•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss Trump withholding funds from the WHO, and how COVID-19 kills. We also hear about controlling misinformation while communicating risk. In this episode: 01:15 Understanding bottlenecks After listening to last week's episode of Coronapod , researchers in the USA were inspired to start collecting data about the challenges facing labs carrying out testing. After more than 4,000 responses to their online survey, we discuss their goals. 03:08 A hole...
Apr 17, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the labs struggling to get involved in diagnostic testing, and should you be wearing a mask? In this episode: 02:07 A drive to diagnose Many research labs are pivoting from their normal work to offer diagnostic testing for COVID-19. We discuss how to go about retooling a lab, the hurdles researchers are facing and why, in some cases, tests are not being taken up. News: Thousands of coronavirus tests are going unused in US labs 14:18 Masking t...
Apr 10, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, a new enzyme speeds up the breakdown of plastic bottles, and a method to cool molecules to a fraction above absolute zero. In this episode: 01:18 A PET recycling enzyme Researchers have engineered an enzyme that effectively breaks down the plastic PET into its constituent monomers. This could allow for more complete recycling of bottles and clothes. Research Article: Tournier et al. 06:41 Research Highlights The shocking lengths humans will go to to satisfy their curiosity, and the re...
Apr 08, 2020•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the latest on the British response, and what low- and middle-income countries have done to prepare for the pandemic. In this episode: 01:33 Testing in the UK This week, the UK health secretary announced plans to further ramp up testing for COVID-19, with the aim of preforming 100,000 tests a day in England by the end of April. We discuss these plans and why testing remains a key weapon in the fight against the virus. 11:37 Pandemic preparatio...
Apr 03, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, reassessing the age of the ‘Broken Hill skull’, and unearthing evidence of an ancient forest near the South Pole. In this episode: 01:25 A skull’s place in history After nearly a century scientists believe they’ve finally pinned down an age for the ‘Broken Hill skull’ hominid specimen. Research Article: Grun et al. 07:44 Research Highlights A simple way to detect early signs of cancer, and 3D printed soft brain implants. Research Highlight: A blood test finds d...
Apr 01, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss efforts to develop treatments for COVID-19. In this episode: 02:00 A push for plasma In New York, hospitals are preparing to infuse patients with the antibody-rich blood plasma of people who have recovered from COVID-19. This approach has been used during disease outbreaks for over a century and we discuss how it works, and how effective is might be. We also talk about how drug trials for potential treatments are progressing, how scientists a...
Mar 27, 2020•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, a speedy, yet simple switch, and a video-based AI helps assess heart health. In this episode: 01:57 Speedy switches Researchers have developed an ultra-fast electrical switch that they hope can be used in communication and imaging applications. Research Article: Nikoo et al. 08:14 Research Highlights Using sound to estimate glacial retreat, and building a dodgier drone. Research Highlight: Underwater microphones listen as as glacier retreats ; Research ar...
Mar 25, 2020•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Radioactive is a new biopic on Marie Skłodowska Curie with Rosamund Pike taking on the role of Curie. This Podcast Extra is an extended version of reporter Lizzie Gibney's interview with Rosamund, in which they talk about stepping into the shoes of the scientific giant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 21, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the first of our new podcast series, Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the epidemiology needed to control the Covid-19 outbreak. In this episode: 03:57 Testing times Case numbers of Covid-19 have leapt around the world in recent days, but how many undetected cases are out there? We talk about the urgent need to deploy two of the cornerstones of effective epidemiology – testing and contact tracing – and discuss why these measures aren’t being rolled out worldwide. News arti...
Mar 20, 2020•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we speak to Rosamund Pike about her experience portraying Marie Skłodowska Curie, and we find out how science in Russia is changing after years of decline. In this episode: 01:43 Radioactive British actor Rosamund Pike tells us about her new film, and her experience of portraying double Nobel-Laureate Marie Curie. Arts Review: Marie Curie biopic should have trusted pioneer’s passion 10:17 Research Highlights The neural circuitry involved in stopping, and a jelly-like subst...
Mar 18, 2020•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
