Nature Podcast

In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on the biggest science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Nature reporter Davide Castelvecchi joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2022. We'll hear about vaccines, multiple Moon missions, the push to save biodiversity, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cutting-edge microscopy techniques are letting researchers visualize biological molecules within cells, rather than studying them in isolation. This approach is providing new insights into how these structures interact in this complex environment.This is an audio version of our feature: The secret lives of cells — as never seen before See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Nature Podcast team select some of their favourite stories from the past 12 months. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Games, seasonal science songs, and Nature’s 10.01:12 "Oh powered flight"In the first of our festive songs, We pay tribute to NASA's Ingenuity craft - which took the first powered flight on another planet earlier this year. Lyrics by Noah Baker and performed by The Simon Langton School choir, directed by Emily Renshaw-Kidd.Scroll to the bottom of the page for the lyrics.Video: Flying a helicopter on Mars: NASA's IngenuityNews: Lift off! First flight on Mars launches new way to explore worlds07:40 Communicating complex science with common wordsIn this year’s festive challenge, our competitors try to describe some of the biggest science stories of the year, using only the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language. Find out how they get on…Test your skills communicating complex science with simple words with the Up-Goer Five Text Editor18:04 Alphafold oh AlphafoldOur second song brings some Hanukkah magic to Deep Mind's protein solving algorithm Alphafold. Lyrics by Kerri Smith and Noa

Several weeks after the Omicron variant was first identified, it has quickly spread across the world. Early data are showing clear signals that the latest variant of concern is able to evade immunity and spread at a rate faster than any other variant to date. But many questions remain unanswered about the severity of infection, the protection afforded by natural and vaccine-derived immunity, and the impact Omicron could have on the global pandemic response. In this episode, we delve into the very latest studies to take stock of where we are so far and, in a Coronapod first, take on questions sent in by Coronapod listeners.News: How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so farNews: Omicron likely to weaken COVID vaccine protectionNews: Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say scientistsNews Feature: Beyond Omicron: what’s next for COVID’s viral evolutionSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free

An explanation for giant ice structures on Pluto, and dismantling the mestizo myth in Latin American genetics.In this episode:00:46 The frozen root of Pluto’s polygonal patternsIn 2015, NASA’s New Horizons probe sent back some intriguing images of Pluto. Huge polygonal patterns could be seen on the surface of a nitrogen-ice ice filled basin known as Sputnik Planitia. This week, a team put forward a new theory to explain these perplexing patterns.Research article: Morison et al.06:15 Research HighlightsHow Pamplona’s bull-running defies the dynamics of crowd motion, and self-healing microbial bio-bricks.Research Highlight: Running of the bulls tramples the laws of crowd dynamicsResearch Highlight: It’s alive! Bio-bricks can signal to others of their kind09:06 How the mixed-race ‘mestizo’ myth has fostered discriminationThe term 'mestizo' emerged during the colonial period in Latin America to describe a blend of ethnicities – especially between Indigenous peoples and the Spanish colonizers. But this label is a

Vaccines significantly reduce the risk of developing COVID-19, but scientists are now asking what effect the vaccines might have on long COVID. Long COVID is a somewhat ill-defined, but common, syndrome that can arise from even mild cases of COVID19 - with symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue to breathing difficulties and even neurological deficiency. But little is known about what triggers long COVID, or how to prevent it. As public health experts consider protection measures, the role of vaccines in protecting against long COVID is poorly understood, and although numerous studies are seeking answers, they are turning up conflicting results.In this episode of Coronapod we pick through a selection of these studies, discuss the prevailing hypotheses on the causes of long COVID and ask how all of this might impact the pandemic.News Feature: Do vaccines protect against long COVID? What the data sayOmicronWe will be discussing Omicron in an upcoming Coronapod on 17 December. If you would like to a

Speeding up comparisons of behavioural interventions, and what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope.In this episode:00:45 Identifying effective interventions with a 'megastudy'Comparing single behavioural interventions and identifying which is most effective can be difficult and time consuming, hampering policy-making decisions. This week, a team demonstrate a ‘megastudy’, which allows researchers to compare multiple interventions within the same group of people.Research article: Milkman et al.News and Views: Benefits of megastudies for testing behavioural interventions10:36 Research HighlightsThe feeding habits of a giant, extinct eagle, and the relatively undisturbed life of a group of exoplanets.Research Highlight: This enormous eagle could have killed you, probablyResearch Highlight: Famous space family has a surprisingly peaceful history13:07 What to expect from the Webb TelescopeDecades in the making, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally due to launch later this month. We discuss the t

Studying mental health in populations is not a simple task, but as the pandemic has continued, mounting concerns have mobilised researchers.Now, researchers have used data from helplines in 20 countries to assess the impacts that COVID, as well as associated political and public health measures like financial assistance programs and lockdowns, have had on mental health. Contrary to expectations, loneliness and concerns about the impacts of the pandemic drove most of the callers, rather than imminent threats such as suicidal thoughts or abuse.News: Millions of helpline calls reveal how COVID affected mental healthOmicronWe will be discussing Omicron in an upcoming Coronapod on 17 December. If you would like to ask any questions of our reporters about Omicron, please get in touch on Twitter: @naturepodcast or email: podcast@nature.comNews: How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so farNews: Omicron is supercharging the COVID vaccine booster debateNews: Omicron-variant border bans ignore the

Designing a nutritious and planet-friendly diet, and an AI that guides mathematicians.In this episode:00:46 Designing a healthy diet for the planetResearchers are trying to develop diets that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time providing nutrition. Some of these sustainable diets are now being tested to see if they work in local contexts without damaging livelihoods.Feature: What humanity should eat to stay healthy and save the planet08:24 Research HighlightsHow jellyfish get by without a centralised brain, and reading the runes within a medieval lead amulet.Research Highlight: How jellyfish control their livesResearch Highlight: Neutron beam sheds light on medieval faith and superstition10:32 The AI guiding mathematicians’ intuitionFinding relationships between two seemingly unrelated groups of objects is an important part of some branches of mathematics. To help speed up this process, a new AI has been developed, which points mathematicians towards potential relationships, allowin

A host of private companies are promising commercial fusion reactors in the next decade.After decades of promise, it finally seems that nuclear fusion is approaching commercial viability. Companies around the world are securing huge amounts of funding, and advances in materials research and computing are enabling technologies other than the standard designs to be pursued.This is an audio version of our feature: The chase for fusion energy  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a quickly developing story a new variant, first detected in Botswana, is triggering rapid action among researchers. The variant - currently named B.1.1.529 has more than 30 changes to the spike protein - and the concern is that these mutations may result in increased transmissibility, severity of disease or even antibody evasion.In this episode of Coronapod, we discuss what we know so far, how scientists are searching for answers and what this could mean for the pandemic.News: Heavily mutated coronavirus variant puts scientists on alert  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Nature salary and satisfaction survey reveals researchers' outlook, and NASA’s test of planetary defences.In this episode:00:45 Salary and satisfaction surveyLike all aspects of life, scientific careers have been impacted by the pandemic. To get an insight into how researchers are feeling, Nature has conducted a salary and satisfaction survey. We hear from some of the respondents.Careers Feature: Stagnating salaries present hurdles to career satisfaction09:07 Research HighlightsThe physics of a finger snap, and the surprisingly strong silk of jumping spiders.Research Highlight: It’s a snap: the friction-based physics behind a common gestureResearch Highlight: High-speed spinning yields some of the toughest spider silk ever found11:23 Briefing ChatWe discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the plans to smash a spacecraft into an asteroid, and how baby formula is changing to better resemble breast milk.Nature News: NASA spacecraft will slam into asteroid in first planetary-defence test

Spineless sea squirts shed light on vertebrate evolution, and an iodine-fuelled engine powering a satellite in space.In this episode:00:45 A story of sea squirts, ancient vertebrates and missing genesWhen a PhD student set out to study the developmental pathways of a strange sea creature, he hoped to shed light on the origins of vertebrate animals. Instead, researchers found themselves investigating a strange case of missing genes. We hear why gene loss could be a more significant factor in evolutionary processes than was previously thought.Research article: Ferrández-Roldán et al.08:17 Research HighlightsThe unusual crystal that gives a beetle its glittering green sheen, and the genetics of a fish’s 200 year lifespan.Research Highlight: Weird crystal makes beetle a living jewelResearch Highlight: Some of Earth’s longest-lived fish show how to reach extreme ages10:43 An iodine-fuelled engine for satellitesIn space, many satellites use xenon-fuelled ‘electric propulsion systems’ to maneuver. However, xenon is

Two new anti-viral pills have been shown to be safe and effective against COVID in clinical trials, according to recent press releases. The drugs, molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer both appear to significantly reduce hospitalisation in people with early COVID. Some researchers are quietly hopeful that these new weapons in the anti-COVID arsenal could have a big impact, in particular in parts of the world where vaccines are still not widely available, but there are a number of caveats. In this episode of Coronapod, we open the pill boxes and pick through the contents - asking how the drugs work, what side effects we might see and how, if at all, they might change the course of the pandemic.News: COVID antiviral pills: what scientists still want to knowSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and op

Reassessing 24,000 years of global temperatures, and on the ground at COP26.In this episode:01:21 Reassessing Earth’s climate over the past 24,000 yearsThe ~20,000 year period from the Last Glacial Maximum to the pre-industrial era saw huge changes to the Earth’s climate. But characterising how temperatures changed during this time has been difficult, with different methods producing different results. Now, a team have combined two techniques, which they hope will provide new insights into the past, and future, of Earth’s climate.Research article: Osman et al.News and Views: Global temperature changes mapped across the past 24,000 years09:53 COP26 Briefing ChatThe United Nations’ climate change conference COP26 continues this week. In this special edition of the Briefing Chat, we head over to the conference to hear the latest on what’s been happening, and the measures being discussed to tackle future warming.Collection: COP26: Inside the scienceVideo: Your COP26 questions answered: carbon captureSubscribe to

Lake Kivu, nestled between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, is a geological anomaly that holds 300 cubic kilometres of dissolved carbon dioxide and 60 cubic kilometres of methane.The lake has the potential to explosively release these gases, which could fill the surrounding valley, potentially killing millions of people.Researchers are trying to establish the likelihood of such an event happening, and the best way to safely siphon the gases from the lake.This is an audio version of our feature: How dangerous is Africa’s explosive Lake Kivu?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last weekend, hundreds of young people boarded a specially chartered train in Amsterdam to travel to Glasgow ahead of the United Nations COP26 climate summit.Among them were scientists, activists and policy makers. In a Nature Podcast special, we boarded the train to catch up with some of them - to talk about their science, their motivations and their message.News: All aboard the climate train! Scientists join activists for COP26 tripSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

More that 3 billions doses of China's CoronaVac and Sinopharm vaccines have been administered across the globe, playing an especially important role in Latin America and South East Asia, as well as China. These vaccines use inactivated virus particles to expose the immune system to Sars-CoV-2, but they do not appear to generate the same levels of neutralising antibodies as other vaccine platforms such as those based on mRNA. Now studies are suggesting that this protection may be waning more quickly than with other vaccines, which has sparked a conundrum - in many countries the only vaccines available are CoronaVac or Sinopharm. In this episode of Coronapod we ask how researchers are trying to get a handle on what is going on and how they might adapt to counteract waning immunity from these crucial vaccines.News: China’s COVID vaccines have been crucial — now immunity is waningSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox