Nature Podcast
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Research misconduct: how the scientific community is fighting back
In 2016, Brian Wansink wrote a blog post that prompted scientific sleuths to investigate his work. They found evidence of data manipulation, and, after several news articles and two investigations by his institution, he would found to have committed misconduct, as defined by Cornell University. His work had been used to inform US policy around food, much of which has now been thrown into question.
Cases like this are rare, but science is not immune to misconduct. The rise in 'paper mills' — organisations that produce questionable or fake papers that they sell authorships on — has led some to worry that misconduct is on the rise and that a proportion of the scientific literature cannot be trusted.
In episode two of Self Correction, we explore how researchers are responding to the problem of research misconduct. We discuss how difficult it is to determine the prevalence of misconduct, and how sleuths, journalists and research integrity institutions are fighting back.
This episode was written and produced by Nick Petrić Howe. Dan Fox was the editor. The music was provided by Triple Scoop Music.
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Nature goes inside the world’s largest ‘mosquito factory’ — here’s the buzz
Raising mosquitoes to tackle disease might sound like an odd concept, but that’s what a facility in Brazil is aiming to do. Millions of mosquitoes are produced there every week, but these insects carry harmless Wolbachia bacteria that curbs their ability to spread deadly human viruses. Nature reporter Mariana Lenharo visited the facility and told us all about her experience in this Podcast Extra.
News: This is the world’s largest ‘mosquito factory’: its goal is to stop dengue
Video: Inside a mosquito factory
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Two ants, two species, one mother
00:45 The ant queen that can produce two different species
Researchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, known as the Iberian Harvester Ant can produce offspring of two completely different species. Many ants need to mate with other species to produce workers that are a genetic mix of the two, known as hybrids. But in Sicily, a team found hybrid worker ants but no trace of the father. They suggest that the one species present, Messor ibericus, is able to lay its own eggs, but also eggs of another species, Messor structor. These offspring can then mate to produce the hybrid workers. This strategy conflicts with several conventional definitions of what a species is, which may prompt a rethink of these already blurry concepts.
Research Article: Juvé et al.
News and Views: Ant queens produce sons of two distinct species
News: ‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
09:33 Research Highlights
Humans are living longer but a life expectancy of a hundred appears out of reach — plus, how light pollution is making birds sing for longer.
Research Highlight: When will life expectancy reach 100? No time soon
Research Highlight: Bright city lights make birds around the world sing longer
11:42 How to keep bridges standing
Researchers have discovered that steel truss bridges possess a number of mechanisms that make them resilient to collapse, even after damage. Steel truss bridges are a common kind of bridge, but many are ageing and under increased pressure due to climate change and increased vehicle loads. To understand how damage affects these bridges a team of engineers built a scale replica of a bridge section and monitored how it coped when different sections were cut. They found six distinct resistance mechanisms that allowed the bridge to continue carrying heavy loads even with the damaged sections. They hope these data will help fortify existing bridges and inform the design of future bridges to help prevent catastrophic collapse.
Research Article: Reyes-Suárez et al.
18:37 Briefing Chat
The chemistry underlying why beer drinkers fall into two taste camps, and how a deep-sea worm uses arsenic to survive its toxic environment..
Nature: Beer lovers fall into two flavour camps — which one are you in?
Science: Deep-sea worms fight poison with poison to survive in hydrothermal vents
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Audio long read: How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI
The search for signs of consciousness has expanded, thanks to advanced neuroimaging techniques. These tools allow researchers to detect consciousness in unresponsive humans, and now researchers are looking to develop tests that work in animals and perhaps even artificial intelligence systems of the future.
This is an audio version of our Feature: How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI
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Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France
00:48 How the 18th-Century 'Great Fear’ spread across rural France
In the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristocratic plots to suppress revolutionary ideas. But how, and why, these rumours were able to spread so quickly has puzzled historians. Now, using modern epidemiological modelling, a team suggests that a combination of high wheat prices, income and literacy level drove this period of French history known as the Great Fear.
Research Article: Zapperi et al.
News: An abiding mystery of the French Revolution is solved — by epidemiology
12:40 Research Highlights
An unorthodox explanation for dark energy — plus, and how a tiny marsupial predator overcame near extinction.
Research Highlight: Does dark energy spawn from black holes? Could be a bright idea
Research Highlight: Tiny Australian predator defies drought to recover from near-extinction
15:13 The quantum interpretation quiz
Physicists differ widely in their interpretations of quantum mechanics, and so do Nature readers, according to our Cosmo-inspired quiz. The quantum world is notoriously difficult to explain, with interpretations of the mathematical foundations ranging from the epistemic, which only describes information, to the realist, where equations map onto the real world. The quiz suggests that many readers prefer the realist, even if that is difficult to mesh with the physics itself.
Feature: Physicists disagree wildly on what quantum mechanics says about reality, Nature survey show
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Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry
00:46 Electrochemical fusion
Researchers have used electrochemistry to increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in a desktop reactor. Fusion energy promises abundant clean energy, but fusion events are rare, hindering progress. Now, inspired by the controversial claim of cold fusion, researchers used electrochemistry to get palladium to absorb more deuterium ions, that are used in fusion. When a beam of deuterium was fired at the deuterium-filled palladium, they saw a 15% increase in fusion events. They did not get more energy than they put in, but the authors believe this is a step towards enhancing fusion energy and shows the promise of electrochemical techniques.
Research Article: Chen et al.
News and Views: Low-energy nuclear fusion boosted by electrochemistry
10:06 Research Highlights
Do ants hold the key to better teamwork? — plus, the coins that hint at extensive hidden trade networks in southeast Asia.
Research Highlight: Super-efficient teamwork is possible — if you’re an ant
Research Highlight: Ancient coins unveil web of trade across southeast Asia
12:31 The microbial taste of chocolate
Chocolate gets its best tastes from microbes, according to a new study. Fermentation of cocoa beans helps create chocolate tastes but not much has been known about the process. Now, the temperature, pH and microbes involved have been identified and the researchers showed how it would be possible to manipulate these to produce premium chocolate flavours.
News: Why chocolate tastes so good: microbes that fine-tune its flavour
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Controversial climate report from Trump team galvanizes scientists into action
In this Podcast Extra, we discuss a report released by the US Department of Energy, which concluded that global warming is “less damaging economically than commonly believed”. However, many researchers say that the report misrepresents decades of climate science.
We discuss how scientists are trying to coordinate a unified response amidst concerns that this report will be used in attempts to repeal a 2009 government ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public welfare.
News: Outrage over Trump team’s climate report spurs researchers to fight back
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious mesosphere
00:46 Tiny solar flyer
Researchers have used a phenomenon known as thermal transpiration to create a solar-powered flying device that can stay aloft without any moving parts. The diminutive device, just one centimetre across, consists of two thin, perforated membranes that allow air to flow through the device, generating lift. Although only a proof-of-concept, the team hope that a scaled-up version of the device could be used to measure conditions in the mesosphere, a particularly hard-to-study part of the Earth’s atmosphere, or even on Mars.
Research Article: Schafer et al.
News and Views: Levitating platform could ride sunlight into the ‘ignorosphere’
News: These tiny flyers levitate on the Sun's heat alone
07:57 Research Highlights
A 3D scan of body art on a 2,000-year-old mummy reveals the techniques used by ancient tattooists — plus, the bacterial cause of a devastating sea-star disease.
Research Highlight: Intricate origins of ice mummy’s ink revealed
Research Highlight: Mystery of billions of sea-star deaths solved at last
10:22 Quantum gravity goes to the lab
Despite being one of the most successful scientific frameworks in history, there is one thing that quantum physics can’t explain: gravity. Whether gravity is quantum in nature is something that has had physicists vexed, but now a slew of experiments are being planned to try and answer this question. We hear how these experiments will work, and what their results might mean for physicists’ understanding of the universe.
News Feature: Is gravity quantum? Experiments could finally probe one of physics’ biggest questions
20:26 Briefing Chat
How genes can have different effects depend on the parent they come from, and how lithium shows promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease in mice studies.
Nature: These genes can have the opposite effects depending on which parent they came from
Nature: New hope for Alzheimer’s: lithium supplement reverses memory loss in mice
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Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test
00:45 Researchers develop a new glue and test it on a rubber duck
Aided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that works as an underwater adhesive. Inspired by animals like barnacles, the team developed a new kind of a material called a hydrogel. The material is capable of securely fastening objects together even when immersed in salty water— a challenge for existing adhesives. To show off its properties the researchers applied it to a rubber duck, which stuck firmly to a rock on a beach despite being battered by waves.
Research Article: Liao et al.
News and Views: AI learns from nature to design super-adhesive gels that work underwater
07:37 Research Highlights
The tomato-infused origins of the modern potato — plus, a specific group of stem cells that may help to drive osteoarthritis.
Research Highlight: Potato, tomato: the roots of the modern tater
Research Highlight: Ageing stem cells in the knees drive arthritis damage
09:46 The diversity of microbes within living trees
By taking samples from over 150 trees in a forest in the US, researchers have revealed a previously unknown community of microorganisms living there. While the microbiomes of animals have been well explored, studies looking at the microbes living inside trees are limited. In this work the team show distinct populations of microbes living within different parts of a tree, and huge diversity in populations between trees. The team behind the work hope these findings will lead to a greater understanding of tree physiology and the role these microbes play in broader ecosystems.
Research Article: Arnold et al.
18:46 The ‘de-extinction’ debate
Back in April, the company Colossal Biosciences claimed to have de-extincted dire wolves, a large-bodied wolf species that once roamed North America. We discuss the science behind this technology, and the debates within the research community surrounding Colossal’s announcement.
News Feature: This company claimed to ‘de-extinct’ dire wolves. Then the fighting started.
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Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below the sea
00:45 The deepest ecosystem ever discovered
Researchers have dived down to more than 9,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and discovered surprisingly complex communities of life living in deep ocean trenches. The new research shows an array of animal life that appears to be using methane as a source of energy. The researchers are planning more dives to learn more about this mysterious ecosystem and how these animals can thrive despite the extreme pressure they face.
Research Article: Peng et al
09:36 Research Highlights
A fossilized leg bone reveals an 11-million-year-old fight between a terror bird and a caiman, plus the anti-ageing secret of ‘immortal’ stars.
Research Highlight: Rumble in the Miocene: terror bird versus caiman
Research Highlight: ‘Immortal’ stars have an elixir of youth: dark matter
11:45 How infections could awaken dormant cancer
New research reveals that infection by a respiratory virus has the potential to awaken dormant cancer cells. In mice studies, a team showed that inflammation caused by infection with influenza or SARS-CoV-2 could initiate the awakening of breast cancer cells that had metastasized to the lungs. Observational studies using human health data also showed that a COVID-19 infection was associated with increased risk of lung metastasis and cancer death. While the precise mechanisms are unknown, the team say that understanding the process could help mitigate any risks of cancer progression caused by a viral infection.
Research Article: Chia et al.
News and Views: Inflammation during viral infection can rouse dormant cancer cells
21:45 Will physicists ever agree on quantum mechanics?
A survey of more than 1,100 physicists has revealed that there are widely different interpretations of what quantum mechanics means for our understanding or reality. Reporter Lizzie Gibney takes us through the different ideas physicists have and asks if such disagreements even matter.
Nature: Physicists disagree wildly on what quantum mechanics says about reality, Nature survey shows
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Giant laser heats solid gold to 14 times its melting point
00:46 How hot can solid gold get?
A new study suggests that gold can be superheated far beyond its melting point without it becoming a liquid. Using an intense burst from a laser, a team heated a gold foil to 14 times its melting point, far beyond a theoretical limit put forward in previous studies. The team suggest that the speed at which they heated the gold allowed them to shoot past this limit, but there is scepticism about whether the team actually achieved the level of heating they report.
Research Article: White et al.
News and Views: Solid gold superheated to 14 times its melting temperature
News: Superheated gold stays solid well past its predicted melting point
10:05 Research Highlights
How island life led to huge wingspans for flying foxes, and how a sugary diet ‘rewires’ a mouse’s brain.
Research Highlight: How the world’s biggest bats got their enormous wingspans
Research Highlight: How sugar overload in early life affects the brain later
12:30 Researchers warn about the threat of nuclear war
With increasing political polarisation and more nuclear-armed nations, researchers are warning about the threat of nuclear war. Reporter Alex Witze has been speaking to scientists, and she told us about their chief concerns and how to avoid a conflict in an era of AI and misinformation.
News Feature: How to avoid nuclear war in an era of AI and misinformation
23:22 Briefing Chat
What a new AI model from China means for science, and why some dolphins use sponges to hunt.
Nature: ‘Another DeepSeek moment’: Chinese AI model Kimi K2 stirs excitement
Associated Press: Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it’s harder than it looks
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AI, bounties and culture change, how scientists are taking on errors
A simple methodological error meant that for years researchers considered drinking moderate amounts of alcohol to be healthy. Now plenty of evidence suggests that isn't the case, but errors like this still plague the scientific literature. So, how can the scientific literature become more error-free?
In the first episode of this two-part series, to determine what steps can be taken to help clean up science we explore peer review, replications, AI and even paying people to detect errors.
This episode was written and produced by Nick Petrić Howe. Dan Fox was the editor. The Swiss horn music came from DangerLaef on Freesound. All other sound effects and music were provided by Triple Scoop Music.
Correction 25 July 2025: a previous version of this podcast incorrectly stated that one in five papers are retracted, when it should have been one in 500. This has now been updated.
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‘Stealth flippers’ helped this extinct mega-predator stalk its prey
In this episode:
00:48 The ancient mega-predator with a ‘stealth mode’
The extinct marine mega-predator Temnodontosaurus had specialised adaptations to stealthily hunt its prey, suggests an analysis of a fossil flipper. Although Temnodontosaurus was a member of a well-studied group of marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs, its lifestyle has been a mystery due to a lack of preserved soft tissue. Now, a team have studied the fossil remains of a fore-fin, revealing several anatomical details that likely reduced low-frequency noise as the animal swam. It’s thought that these adaptations helped Temnodontosaurus stalk other ichthyosaurs and squid-like creatures that made up its prey.
Research Article: Lindgren et al.
09:46 Research Highlights
Research shows that future space probes could navigate using two stars as reference points, and how objects are more memorable when people encounter them while feeling positive emotions.
Research Highlight: Lonely spacecraft can navigate the stars
Research Highlight: Memory gets a boost from positive emotion
12:11 ‘Leaky’ mitochondria could be the root cause of sleep
Cumulative damage to mitochondria during waking hours could be a key driver for the need to sleep, according to new research. In fruit fly experiments, a team showed that being awake caused damage to mitochondria found in a specific set of neurons. Once this damage reaches a threshold it kicks off a process that ultimately leads to sleep. Although it’s unclear if this process occurs in humans, the researchers think this need for sleep may be an ancient process that coincided with the evolution of organisms with power-hungry nervous systems.
Research Article: Sarnataro et al.
23:04 The secret messages used to trick peer-review AI
Researchers have been sneaking text into their papers designed to trick AI tools into giving them a positive peer-review report. Multiple instances of these prompts have been found, which are typically hidden using white text or an extremely small font invisible to humans. We discuss the rise in this practice and what is being done to tackle it.
Video: Could hidden AI prompts game peer review?
Nature: Scientists hide messages in papers to game AI peer review
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Three weeks in a hide to spot one elusive bear: the life of a wildlife film-maker
Vianet Djenguet is an award-winning wildlife film-maker and camera operator whose work has featured in a number of major nature documentaries.
In this podcast, Vianet joins us to talk about his career, how wildlife film-making have changed, and his experiences working with local researchers to capture footage of endangered animals on the new television series The Wild Ones.
The Wild Ones Apple TV+(2025)
Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images
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Ancient DNA reveals farming led to more human diseases
00:48 The past 35,000 years of disease
Ancient DNA evidence shows that the advent of agriculture led to more infectious disease among humans, with pathogens from animals only showing up 6,500 years ago. The DNA, extracted from human teeth, shows the history of diseases present in Eurasia over tens of thousands of years. The approach used could be a powerful way to understand how illness has shaped humanity, but it is unable to detect some bacteria that enter the bloodstream at low concentrations or some viruses, so future work could seek to fill that gap.
Research Article: Sikora et al.
News: Animal diseases leapt to humans when we started keeping livestock
10:58 Research Highlights
DNA studies confirm that sardines were a major ingredient of the Roman Empire’s favourite fish sauce, and how analysis of animal manure identified global hotspots for antibiotic-resistance genes.
Research Highlight: Ancient DNA helps trace stinky Roman fish sauce to its source
Research Highlight: Poo of farm animals teems with drug-resistance genes
13:17 Using whale poo to study toxic algae in the Arctic
A 19-year experiment sampling bowhead whale faeces reveals a link between warming Arctic waters and increasing levels of toxic algae, researchers say. While climate change is expected to drive increases in the prevalence of harmful algal blooms, long-term data is lacking. To address this, a team worked with indigenous communities to collect and sample whale poo, showing that increases in algal toxins in the Arctic food chain are linked to rising ocean temperatures. The researchers suggest levels of these toxins need to be closely monitored to protect Arctic communities that depend on marine resources for food.
Research Article: Lefebvre et al.
24:06 Briefing Chat
An object from beyond our solar system has been spotted zipping past Jupiter, and evidence that Neanderthals created ‘fat factories’ to extract vital nutrients from animal bones.
Nature: Neanderthals boiled bones in ‘fat factories’ to enrich their lean diet
Nature: Rare find: interstellar visitor seen blazing through our Solar System
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Audio long read: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic — research reveals what works
Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide and public-health specialists worry that these trends could worsen. But while the shift in public attitudes towards immunizations can leave scientists, physicians and many others feeling disheartened, a surge of research on vaccine hesitancy is starting to offer ways to address the issue.
This is an audio version of our Feature How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works
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3D-printed fake wasps help explain bad animal mimicry
In this episode:
00:45 Why animals evolve to be imperfect mimics
Many harmless animals mimic dangerous ones to avoid being eaten, but often this fakery is inaccurate. To help explain why evolution sometimes favours imperfect mimicry, a team 3D printed a range of imaginary insects. The novel creatures were designed to mimic wasps with varying degrees of accuracy and the team then presented these models to different predators. They showed that while birds were hard to fool, invertebrate predators were less able to discern between the mimics and accurate wasp models. The results suggest that predator perception plays a key role in the level of accuracy needed to fool them and may help explain the existence of inaccurate mimics in nature.
Research article: Taylor et al.
News and Views: 3D printing offers a way to study mimicry by insects
12:53 Research Highlights
Ritual ‘retirement’ rather than family feud may explain broken statues of a female pharaoh, and how kelp ‘loofahs’ made by killer whales might be the first example of toolmaking by a marine mammal.
Research Highlight: The shattered statues of Queen Hatshepsut: the reasons for the wreckage
Research Highlight: Killer whales exfoliate each other with home-made scrubbers
15:02 Briefing Chat
The sea slugs that steal chloroplasts to snack on, and the researchers re-enacting a Stone Age sea-voyage.
Nature: ‘Wildest thing’: solar-powered slug steals chloroplasts and stores them for emergencies
Nature: These scientists re-enacted Stone Age voyage to Japan’s remote islands
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Is AI watching you? The hidden links between research and surveillance
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In this episode:
00:45 Is AI-research being co-opted to keep track of people?
A significant amount of research in the AI field of computer vision is being used to analyse humans in ways that support the development of surveillance technologies, according to new research. By analysing the contents of thousands of research papers, the team behind the work showed that 90% of studies, and 86% of patents resulting from them, involved data relating to imaging humans. While there are many positive applications for this technology, such as in medical diagnostics, this work shows evidence of a pipeline from computer-vision research to surveillance.
Research article: Kalluri et al.
News and Views: Computer-vision research is hiding its role in creating ‘Big Brother’ technologies
Video: Is AI powering Big Brother? Surveillance research is on the rise
News: Wake up call for AI: computer-vision research increasingly used for surveillance
Editorial: Don’t sleepwalk from computer-vision research into surveillance
09:38 Research Highlights
A minuscule robot that can manipulate liquid droplets, and the sensors that can identify hydrothermal explosions at Yellowstone National Park.
Research Highlight: This tiny robot moves mini-droplets with ease
Research Highlight: Sensors pinpoint the exact time of a Yellowstone explosion
12:12 The first images from the world’s largest digital camera
This week, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has unveiled the first images from its 3,200 megapixel digital camera. We discuss the images, and how the facility will help researchers learn more about the Universe.
News: First images from world’s largest digital camera leave astronomers in awe
19:18 Briefing Chat
How scientists created hexanitrogen, a new molecule made of six nitrogen atoms, and the why researchers are excited about the first confirmed skull of an extinct Denisovan.
Chemistry World: Most energetic molecule ever made is stable – in liquid nitrogen
Nature: First ever skull from ‘Denisovan’ reveals what ancient people looked like
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Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by starlight
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In this episode:
00:45 The tiny moths that use the stars to navigate
Bogong moths use the stars to help them navigate during their enormous migration across Australia, according to new research. Every year, billions of these nocturnal moths travel up to 1,000 km to cool caves in the Australian Alps, despite having never been there before. By placing moths in a flight-simulator that also acted as a planetarium, the team behind the work showed that moths could use the bright Milky Way to help them fly in the correct direction.
Research article: Dreyer et al.
10:17 Research Highlights
Nigeria's pangolins are under threat because their meat is delicious, and how the gravitational pull of other galaxies may prevent the Milky Way colliding with Andromeda.
Research Highlight: Why pangolins are poached: they’re the tastiest animal around
Research Highlight: A long-predicted cosmic collision might not happen after all
12:37 How humans expanded their habitats before migrating out of Africa
New research suggests that shortly before modern humans successfully migrated out of Africa, they massively expanded the range of ecosystems they lived in. By combining climate modelling with data from archaeological sites across the African continent, researchers put forward evidence that 70,000 years ago, humans expanded the ecosystems they lived in to include diverse habitat types from forests to deserts. The authors suggest this ability to live in different places may have helped the later humans that migrated out of the continent around 50,000 years ago.
Research article: Hallet et al.
21:59 Briefing Chat
Blowing bubble-rings could be humpback whales' way of trying to communicate with humans, and the research suggesting that everyone’s breathing pattern is unique.
Science Alert: Humpback Whale Bubble Rings May Be an Attempt to Communicate With Us
Nature: How you breathe is like a fingerprint that can identify you
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Hundreds of physicists on a remote island: we visit the ultimate quantum party
According to legend, physicist Werner Heisenberg formulated the mathematics behind quantum mechanics in 1925 while on a restorative trip to the remote North Sea island of Heligoland.
To celebrate the centenary of this event, several hundred researchers have descended on the island to take part in a conference on all things quantum physics. Nature reporter Lizzie Gibney was also in attendance, and joined us to give an inside track on the meeting.
News: Happy birthday quantum mechanics! I got a ticket to the ultimate physics party
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This stretchy neural implant grows with an axolotl's brain
00:45 A flexible neural-implant that grows with the brain
Researchers have developed a soft electronic implant that can measure brain activity of amphibian embryos as they develop. Understanding the neural activity of developing brains is a key aim for neuroscientists, but conventional, rigid probes can damage growing brains. To overcome this, a team have developed a flexible mesh that stretches with the brain and tested it by monitoring single neuron activity during development of frog and axolotl embryos. More testing and ethical considerations will be required, but the researchers hope that eventually such implants could help with neurological conditions that affect humans.
Research article: Sheng et al.
13:11 Research Highlights
The exoplanet slowly evaporating into space, and cockatoos that have figured out an innovative way to stay hydrated.
Research Highlight: Solved: the mystery of the evaporating planet
Research Highlight: Clever cockatoos learn an easy way to quench their thirst
15:30 An AI-based way to repair damaged paintings
By combining AI tools with mechanical engineering techniques, a researcher has developed a new way to speed up the restoration of damaged paintings. The technique creates a removable mask that can be overlaid onto a painting to cover any damage apparent in the artwork. It was successfully tested on an oil painting, fixing a large number of damaged areas in only a few hours. This could offer a significant speed-boost to painting restoration, which can often take months, or even years.
Research article: Kachkine
Video: Meet the engineer who invented an AI-powered way to restore art
27:36 Briefing Chat
A new ranking system could make it easier to spot universities that are chasing publishing metrics at the expense of rigorous science, and evidence that cutting off rhinos’ horns deters poachers.
Nature: ‘Integrity index’ flags universities with high retraction rates
AP: Cutting off rhinos’ horns is a contentious last resort to stop poaching. A new study found it works
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Trump wants to put humans on Mars: what scientists think of the plan
In this Podcast Extra, we examine President Donald Trump's calls for NASA to land humans on Mars. Although the White House has proposed spending some US$1 billion in 2026 on Mars plans, critics say the final cost will likely be hundreds of billions of dollars spread over a number of years.
This call comes amidst plans to drastically reduce NASA's funding, and the proposed cancelling of dozens of the space agency's missions, including projects to study Earth, Mars and Venus.
News: Trump wants to put humans on Mars — here’s what scientists think
News: Five key climate and space projects on Trump’s chopping block
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron
00:45 Iron’s role in mice sex determination
Iron deficiency in mice mothers can sometimes result in their offspring developing female sex organs despite having male sex genes, according to new research. While genetics has been thought to be the primary factor in determining offspring sex in mammals, the new work shows that a lack of iron disrupts an enzyme involved in the development of testes, leading to some mice with male sex-determining genes being born with female genitalia and ovaries. This suggests that sex determination is controlled by more than genetics, but more work will need to be done to understand the precise mechanisms involved.
News: Male mice can grow ovaries if their pregnant mums are iron deficient
Research article: Okashita et al.
06:31 Research Highlights
How climate change is making dust storms more likely, and understanding the genetics of a boy who couldn’t feel pain.
Research Highlight: The perfect storm for dust storms, thanks to global warming
Research Highlight: CRISPR helps to show why a boy felt no pain
08:51 The role of small-scale fishers in sustainability
The contributions that small-scale fishers make to sustainable fishing have been described as ‘invisible’, but now a huge research project has revealed the role this community plays in feeding populations and protecting oceans. Looking at data from 58 countries, researchers have shown that small-scale fishers account for around 40% of the global catch and feed approximately 25% of the world’s population. The people behind the initiative hope that these data can help give a voice to small-scale fishers as people look for ways to feed the world sustainably.
Immersive : Small-scale fisheries
19:44 Briefing Chat
The discovery of an ‘ambidextrous’ protein; and why humpback whales, despite their enormous eyes, appear to be shortsighted.
Nature: Rare ‘ambidextrous’ protein breaks rules of handedness
Discover Magazine: Big Eyes, Blurry Vision: Why Humpback Whales Struggle to See Clearly
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Audio long read: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky
With the world looking likely to blow past the temperature targets laid out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a growing number of voices are saying that carbon removal technologies will be necessary if humanity is to achieve its long-term climate goals. If these approaches succeed, they could help nations and corporations to meet their climate commitments — and help the world to halt global warming.
However, questions remain about the financial viability of these technologies, and whether they can live up to the hype.
This is an audio version of our Feature: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky
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AI linked to boom in biomedical papers, infrared contact lenses, and is Earth's core leaking?
00:33 Was a boom in papers driven by AI?
A spike in papers formulaically analysing a public data set has sparked worries that AI is being used to generate low quality and potentially misleading analyses.
Nature: AI linked to explosion of low-quality biomedical research papers
08:07 Lenses that give humans infrared vision
Researchers in China have created contact lenses that can allow humans to see infrared light, which could help with search and rescue missions, sending secret messages and even surgery.
Nature: These contact lenses give people infrared vision — even with their eyes shut
14:17 Does the Earth's core have a leak?
Geologists have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that Earth's core is leaking. Rocks from Hawaii were found to contain isotopes of a rare element, which suggests the material originally came from the core. More work will need to be done to rule out other explanations.
Nature: Is Earth’s core leaking? Volcanic rocks provide strongest evidence yet
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These malaria drugs treat the mosquitos — not the people
00:45 Treating mosquitoes for malaria
Researchers have developed two compounds that can kill malaria-causing parasites within mosquitoes, an approach they hope could help reduce transmission of the disease. The team showed that these compounds can be embedded into the plastics used to make bed nets, providing an alternative to insecticide-based malaria-control measures, which are losing efficacy in the face of increased resistance.
Research article: Probst et al.
10:42 Research Highlights
The sunlight-powered device that can harvest drinkable water from desert air, and evidence that the world’s richest people are disproportionately responsible for climate impacts.
Research Highlight: Atacama sunshine helps to pull water from thin air
Research Highlight: The world’s richest people have an outsized role in climate extremes
13:02 The genetics that can lead to pregnancy loss
Researchers have found specific genetic mutations that can lead to pregnancy loss. It’s known that errors, such as the duplication of chromosomes, can lead to nonviable pregnancies but less has been known about non-chromosomal genetic errors. The new work identifies DNA sequence changes that can lead to a non-viable pregnancy. This may offer clinicians the ability to screen embryos for these changes to help avoid pregnancy loss.
Research article: Arnadottir et al.
22:24 Briefing Chat
Bespoke CRISPR-based therapy treats baby boy with devastating genetic disease, and the ‘anti-spice’ compounds that can lower chillies’ heat.
Nature: World’s first personalized CRISPR therapy given to baby with genetic disease
New Scientist: Chemists discover 'anti-spice' that could make chilli peppers less hot
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How to transport antimatter — stick it on the back of a van
00:46 An antimatter delivery van takes its first road trip
Researchers have developed a portable antimatter containment device and tested it by putting it in a truck and driving it around CERN. Their system could represent a big step forward in efforts to take particles made at CERN’s ‘antimatter factory’ and transport them to other labs, something currently impossible due to antimatter being destroyed upon contact with matter. The team showed the feasibility of their approach by using the system to safely transport particles of matter and are now looking to adapt it to ferry antimatter particles.
Research article:Leonhardt et al.
11:45 Research Highlights
How a tradition of female diving on a South Korean island might have shaped the genomes of the island’s population, and a poison-dart frog that curiously seems to be monogamous.
Research Highlight:How Korea’s female divers have adapted to cold plunges
Research Highlight:A ‘hidden gem’ of the Amazon is a frog with odd habits
13:46 The mathematics of a near-miss between black holes
Physicists have tackled a longstanding problem in physics — understanding how two black holes gravitationally interact as they fly past each other — which could help with future detections of the gravitational waves that would be created by these events. Rather than repeatedly running expensive computer simulations to approximate the answer to this problem, a team of theorists have come up with a mathematical formula to describe a black hole fly-by, which can be run in a matter of seconds. Their results could be used to identify the tell-tale signatures of these events when they actually occur.
Research article:Driesse et al.
22:10 Briefing Chat
How physicists turned lead into gold, for a microsecond and at tremendous cost, and the genetics of the skunk cabbage’s foul odour.
Nature:Physicists turn lead into gold — for a fraction of a second
Video:Scientists turn lead into gold
Nature:How skunk cabbages and other smelly plants brew their foul odour
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NSF terminates huge number of grants and stops awarding new ones
In this Podcast Extra, we examine recent developments US National Science Foundation, which has seen significant numbers of research grants terminated. In addition, there have been freezes on funding for new grants and any additional money to existing ones. We also discuss US President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which calls for disproportionately large cuts to federal science funding.
News: Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
News: Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
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Herring population loses migration 'memory' after heavy fishing
00:46 How fishing activity altered the migration pattern of Herring
Selective fishing of older herring has resulted in a large shift in the migration pattern of these fish, according to new research. For years, herring have visited sites on the south coast of Norway to spawn, but in 2020 a rapid shift was seen, with the fish instead visiting areas hundreds of kilometres to the north. Researchers have concluded that too many older fish have been removed from these waters, preventing the knowledge of the best spawning grounds being passed to younger, less experienced fish. This finding shows how human activity can affect animal migration, which could have serious consequences for the delicately balanced ecosystems built around them.
Research article: Slotte et al.
10:37 Research Highlights
Archaeologists have identified tools that the ancient Maya may have used for tattooing, and the self-assembling stable structures that may help ‘forever chemicals’ persist in nature.
Research Highlight: Tattoo-making tools used by ancient Maya revealed
Research Highlight: ‘Forever’ molecules bunch themselves into cell-like structures
13:02 How might AI companions affect users’ mental health?
AI companions — apps where humans build relationships with computers — are hugely popular, with millions of people around the world using them. But despite increased social and political attention, research investigating how these systems can affect users has been lacking. We find out about the latest research in this space.
News Feature: Supportive? Addictive? Abusive? How AI companions affect our mental health
24:52 Briefing Chat
A technique that lets researchers directly edits proteins within living cells, and how a fibre-rich, low-fat diet could help replenish populations of gut microbes ravaged by antibiotics.
Nature: Powerful protein editors offer new ways of probing living cells
Nature: How to fix a gut microbiome ravaged by antibiotics
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The dismantling of US science: can it survive Trump 2.0?
In this episode:
00:46 What will be left of US science after Trump 2.0?
100 days into his term, President Donald Trump and his administration have already caused the biggest shakeup in modern scientific history, slashing funding, bringing large swathes of US research to a standstill and halting many clinical trials. But many fear these actions are just the beginning. We look at what the long-term impacts of these decisions might be for science in the United States and the world.
Nature: Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
13:42 Research Highlights
A distant planet that orbits two stars, at a right angle, and how fringe-lipped bats’ hearing helps them find palatable amphibians.
Research Highlight: ‘Tatooine’-like planet orbits two stars ― but at a weird angle
Research Highlight: For these bats, eavesdropping is a valuable learnt skill
16:07 Briefing Chat
The first skeletal evidence from bones that Roman gladiators fought lions, and scientists finally pinpoint the genes responsible for three of the pea traits studied by Gregor Mendel.
BBC News: Bites on gladiator bones prove combat with lion
Nature: Century-old genetics mystery of Mendel’s peas finally solved
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