Nature Podcast

A team is creating bespoke words for scientific terms in African languages, and the sustainability of the electric car boom.00:46 Creating new words for scientific termsMany words that are common to science have never been written in some African languages, or speakers struggle to agree what the right term is. Now a new project aims to change that, by translating 180 research papers into six languages spoken by millions of people across the continent of Africa.News: African languages to get more bespoke scientific terms11:48 Research HighlightsA rainbow of biodegradable inks derived from brown seaweed, and the enormous centipede that preys on baby birds.Research Highlight: From drab to dazzling: seaweed yields sparkling coloured inksResearch Highlight: The giant centipede that devours fluffy baby seabirds13:58 How sustainable is the electric car boom?As electric cars become more ubiquitous, manufacturers will have to up the production of batteries needed to power them. But that begs the question - can they be

Several wealthy nations have announced plans to give third vaccine doses in a bid to help increase the protection of their most vulnerable citizens - but the science is not clear on whether this strategy will be effective or indeed necessary. Meanwhile with limited vaccine supplies - billions around the world still have no access to vaccines at all. In this episode of Coronapod we discuss the science of boosters, the stark reality of vaccine disparity and what this means for the future of the pandemic.News: COVID boosters for wealthy nations spark outrageNews feature: COVID vaccine boosters: the most important questionsCoronapod: the inequality at the heart of the pandemicCoronapod: the biomarker that could change COVID vaccinesSubscribe 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.

Researchers uncover how grid cells fire in a 3D space to help bats navigate, and a fabric that switches between being stiff and flexible.In this episode:00:47 Mapping a bat’s navigation neurons in 3DGrid cells are neurons that regularly fire as an animal moves through space, creating a pattern of activity that aids navigation. But much of our understanding of how grid cells work has involved rats moving in a 2D plane. To figure out how the system works in a 3D space, researchers have mapped the brain activity of bats flying freely around a room.Research Article: Ginosar et al.07:44 Research HighlightsHow a ‘toxin sponge’ may protect poison dart frogs from themselves, and the world’s oldest known coin foundry has been found.Research Highlight: An absorbing tale: poison dart frogs might have a ‘toxin sponge’Research Highlight: Found: the world’s oldest known mint and its jumbo product09:59 A flexible fabric that transforms from soft to rigid (and back again)Researchers have created a ‘tunable’ fabric, inspired

Ivermectin is a cheap, widely available, anti-parasitic drug that has been proposed by many as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Dozens of trials have been started, but results have been far from clear, with inconsistent results further confused by high profile paper retractions. Nonetheless many countries have recommended the use of Ivermectin, despite WHO advice to the contrary.Now a group of researchers have found suspect data in another influential paper which claimed a Ivermectin caused a 90% reduction in fatality. The paper, published at the end of 2020, has since been withdrawn pending investigation. In this episode of Coronapod we ask what this might mean for Ivermectin, and what's next for the controversial drug.Correction: at 2:53 when discussing two discredited studies, we mistakenly say that the papers say "both drugs worked really well". In fact, this retracted study from the Lancet claimed that the drug hydroxychloroquine caused harm.

Satellite imaging has shown population increases are 10x higher in flood prone areas than previously thought, and a new way to introduce fairness into a democratic process.In this episode:00:47 Calculating how many people are at risk of floods.Researchers have used satellite imagery to estimate the number of people living in flood-prone regions. They suggest that the percentage of people exposed to floods has increased 10 times more than previously thought, and with climate change that number is only set to climb.Research Article: Tellman et al.News and Views: The fraction of the global population at risk of floods is growing09:41 Research HighlightsPeople are happy to be selfish towards a crowd, but generous to an individual; and how wildfire smoke affects clouds’ brightness.Research Highlight: ‘Robber’ experiment tests generosity — with sobering resultsResearch Highlight: Wildfire smoke creates brighter clouds — and weather changes12:01 Making democracy fairerCitizens’ assemblies are small groups of people

Researchers debate whether an ancient fossil is the oldest animal yet discovered, and a new way to eavesdrop on glaciers.In this episode:01:04 Early spongeThis week in Nature, a researcher claims to have found a fossil sponge from 890-million-years-ago. If confirmed, this would be more than 300-million-years older than the earliest uncontested animal fossils but not all palaeontologists are convinced.Research Article: Turner10:13 Research HighlightsA caffeine buzz appears to improve bees’ memory, and reconstructing an Iron Age man’s final meal.Research Highlight: A caffeine buzz gives bees flower powerResearch Highlight: The guts of a ‘bog body’ reveal sacrificed man’s final meal12:34 Eavesdropping on a glacier’s baseWe hear about one researcher’s unorthodox attempt to listen in to the seismic-whisper at the foot of a Greenland glacier – a method that might reveal more about conditions under these enormous blocks of ice.Research Article: Podolskiy et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round

Archaeological evidence shows that ancient people ate carbs, long before domesticated crops.While the idea that early humans subsisted mainly on meat persists, archaeologists are increasingly understanding that ancient people have actually long been in love with carbs, even before the advent of agriculture.This is an audio version of our feature: How ancient people fell in love with bread, beer and other carbs  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Early in 2021 the United Kingdom, along with several other countries, allowed mass gatherings as part of a series of controlled studies aimed at better understanding the role events could play in the pandemic. The goal was to inform policy - however early results have provided limited data on viral transmission. As the Olympic games kick off in Tokyo, we delve into the research, asking what the limitations have been, if more data will become available and whether policy makers are likely to take the findings into account in the future.News: COVID and mass sport events: early studies yield limited insightsNews: Why England’s COVID ‘freedom day’ alarms researchersPodcast: Coronapod: does England's COVID strategy risk breeding deadly variants?Subscribe 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.

Funding for gun violence research in the US returns after a 20-year federal hiatus, and the glass sponges that can manipulate ocean currents.In this episode:00:45 Gun violence research is rebootedFor 20 years there has been no federally-funded research on gun violence in the US. In 2019, $25 million a year was allocated for this work. We speak to some of the researchers that are using these funds, and the questions they are trying to answer about gun violence.News Feature: Gun violence is surging — researchers finally have the money to ask whyPodcast: Stick to the science09:21 Research HighlightsStrategic laziness and yak dung help pikas survive harsh winters, and how food gets wasted in China’s supply chains.Research Highlight: Pikas in high places have a winter-time treat: yak pooResearch Highlight: China wastes almost 30% of its food11:40 How a sea sponge controls ocean currentsVenus’ flower baskets are marine sponges that live at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. These sponges have an unusual glass skelet

The UK government has announced that virtually all COVID restrictions will be removed in England on Monday 18th July. This will do away with social distancing requirements, allow businesses to re-open to full capacity and remove legal mask mandates. This decision comes, however, amidst soaring infections rates in the country, driven by the delta variant.Now scientists are questioning the wisdom of this policy and asking whether the combination of high transmission and a partially vaccinated population could provide the perfect breeding ground for vaccine-resistant variants - a possibility which could have devastating global consequences.News: Why England’s COVID ‘freedom day’ alarms researchers  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why heat waves disproportionately impact minorities in US cities, and the researcher that critiqued his whole career on Twitter.In this episode:00:45 How heat waves kill unequallyResearchers are beginning to unpick how historic discrimination in city planning is making the recent heat waves in North America more deadly for some than others.News Feature: Racism is magnifying the deadly impact of rising city heat11:59 Research HighlightsA graphene layer can protect paintings from age, and a new and endangered species of ‘fairy lantern’.Research Highlight: A graphene cloak keeps artworks’ colours agelesResearch Highlight: Newfound ‘fairy lantern’ could soon be snuffed out forever14:25 Self-criticismWhen researcher Nick Holmes decided to criticise his past papers, in 57 tweets, he found the reflection enlightening. Now he’s encouraging other researchers to self-criticise, to help speed scientific progress.World View: I critiqued my past papers on social media — here’s what I learnt20:53 Briefing ChatWe discuss so

For much of the pandemic, the greatest burden of disease has been felt by older generations. But now, for the first time, vaccine roll outs are starting to skew the average age of those infections towards the young. This has led many researchers to ask what this might mean for the future of the pandemic. In this episode of Coronapod we discuss what we know and what we don't know about this change in the demographic profile of COVID infections. We ask how this might impact global vaccination efforts, disease transmission and the health and wellbeing of young people.News: Will COVID become a disease of the young?News: How kids’ immune systems can evade COVIDPodcast: Coronapod: counting the cost of long COVIDPodcast: Coronapod: Kids and COVID vaccinesSubscribe 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.

Addressing the problem of sudden food scarcity in US cities, and the up-and-coming field of computational social science.In this episode:00:45 Food shocksClimate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical crises can cause food shortages. To tackle this issue, Alfonso Mejia and colleagues have modelled how to best mitigate these food shocks in US cities. Alfonso tells us about the new analyses and what steps cities could take in the future.Research Article: Gomez et al.News and Views: How to buffer against an urban food shortage06:07 Research HighlightsA tiny lattice can withstand the impacts of projectiles at twice the speed of sound, and the neurons that allow humans to perceive time.Research Highlight: Supersonic strikes leave just a dent in this super-light materialResearch Highlight: The ‘time neurons’ that help the brain keep track08:25 Computational Social ScienceBig data is transforming research, and social science is no exception. This week, Nature is running a special issue on ‘computational so

Since the beginning oft he pandemic, researchers have searched for a biomarker which indicates immune protection from COVID-19 known as a correlate of protection. Now, the team developing the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have published the first results of their so-called 'breakthrough study' which indicated puts forwards thresholds of neutralising antibodies that they suggest correlate with protection. The hope is that, should these results be confirmed, such biomarkers could speed up the development of new vaccines, and provide better ways to monitor the efficacy of tweaked vaccine aimed at fighting variants.News: Scientists identify long-sought marker for COVID vaccine successSubscribe 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.

A historian reflects on the life of Chinese crop scientist Yuan Longping, and the possible influence of geothermal energy production on earthquake aftershocks.In this episode:00:46 Remembering Yuan LongpingYuan Longping, one of China’s most famous scientists, died in May at the age of 90. Known as the ‘father of hybrid rice’, we reflect on his life and the impact of his research, which helped feed billions of people.Obituary: Yuan Longping (1930–2021)09:55 Research HighlightsThe ancient and incredibly well-preserved beetle found in dinosaur poo, and a 5,000 year old, less transmissible strain of plague bacteria.Research Highlight: A piece of Triassic poo yields a beautifully preserved beetleResearch Highlight: A hunter-gather’s bones yield the oldest known strain of plague12:14 Geothermal power and earthquake aftershocksIn 2019, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rippled through California, except – according to some researchers – at the site of a geothermal power plant. Now, a paper in Nature tries to understand why

A deluge of trials has stress-tested the systems that produce evidence.Around the world, researchers have raced to test therapies to treat COVID-19. The speed and urgency of this task has revealed both the weaknesses in the collection and use of research-based evidence, and how well-run trials have helped save lives.This is an audio version of our feature: How COVID broke the evidence pipeline  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Early vaccine trials did not include pregnant or breastfeeding people which left some people asking whether COVID vaccines are safe and effective for those who are breastfeeding. The latest data suggests that they are and in this episode of Coronapod we dig into the questions scientists have been asking. Could the vaccine make it into breastmilk? Can COVID antibodies be transferred to a breastfeeding child? And if so, how?News Feature: COVID vaccines and breastfeeding: what the data saySubscribe 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.

Researchers isolate the protein thought to allow birds to sense magnetic fields, and astronomers pinpoint the stars that could view Earth as an exoplanet.In this episode:00:45 Homing in on the molecule that helps birds find their way.How migratory birds sense magnetic fields is a long standing mystery in sensory biology. Now researchers have isolated a molecule, found within the eyes of these birds, which might act as a compass using quantum mechanics.Research paper: Xu et al.07:28 Research HighlightsHow spending time on land boosts the brainpower of amphibious fish, and the neural pathway of sneezing has been revealed.Research Highlight: Amphibious fish get smart — by working out on landResearch Highlight: How the brain makes us go ‘Achoo!’09:52 Exoplanet EarthAstronomers have catalogued almost 2,000 stars from which the Earth could be detected passing in front of the Sun. The team suggest that these stars would be good targets to search for planets that could harbour life.Research Article: Kaltenegger &

After a slew of wildly successful vaccine trials, this week marked a more underwhelming result. The third mRNA vaccine to complete phase three trials, developed by CureVac, is just 47% effective at staving off disease according to preliminary data. This is a stark contrast with previous mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer BioNtec which returned around twice that efficacy in their trials. In this episode of Coronapod, we ask why the CureVac vaccine has faltered, and what this might mean for the future of the pandemic and mRNA vaccine development.News: CureVac COVID vaccine let-down spotlights mRNA design challengesNews Feature: How COVID unlocked the power of RNA vaccinesSubscribe 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.

The pros and pitfalls of collaboration, with insights from researchers and beyond.This week, Nature has a special issue on collaborations, looking at the benefits to science and society that working together can bring. In this collaboration-themed edition of the podcast, we’re joined by Nature’s David Payne to discuss the issue, and the state of research collaborations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.In this episode:02:49 How are research collaborations changing?To answer the biggest questions, research teams are coming together in larger numbers than ever before. But the scientific enterprise hasn’t been set up to support or reward team efforts. We look at how funding systems and methods for giving research-credit need to adapt, to match the reality of modern science.Feature: How the COVID pandemic is changing global science collaborationsCareers Feature: The authorship rows that sour scientific collaborationsCareers Feature: ‘We need to talk’: ways to prevent collaborations breaking down16:45 Community