The quest for a longer life continues – raising the question of whether we can escape death. The team discusses a rare gene variant that may explain why centenarians live so long – and how we might be able to use it to create age-defying drugs.
Spring is rolling around earlier and earlier. The team examines a new study which shows that since the 1980s, the warming climate has brought the season forward by a month – which could have major ecological implications. They also discuss a study which looks at the impact of marine heatwaves on things like coral and fish populations.
Rocks are important 🪨 Geology can play a vital role in the climate fight.
Sustainable geoscience Professor Chris Jackson (@seis_matters) speaks to @rowhoop on the #podcast ahead of his appearance at New Scientist Live in Manchester.
New this week in Science: a stiff and strong artificial tooth enamel analog, a clean break for C–H bonds, and a volatile defense against leafhoppers. https://t.co/D1JPxElbofpic.twitter.com/hWwPd33RAB
In Nature this week: Built for speed – the unique motion of its bristled wings powers this tiny beetle's rapid flight. Browse the full issue here: https://t.co/uBQSeNry3Gpic.twitter.com/qQGLVPwfSn
How quantum friction explains water’s strange flows in carbon nanotubes, and the latest from the Nature Briefing.
In this episode:
00:53 A theory for water’s baffling behaviour in carbon nanotubes
At large scales, water flows faster through a wider pipe than a narrower one. However, in tiny carbon nanotubes flow-rate is flipped, with water moving faster through the narrowest channels. This week, researchers have come up with a new explanation for this phenomenon: quantum friction. If validated, it could allow material designers to fine-tune flows through tiny channels, which could be useful in processes such as water purification.
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a global study reveals how antibiotic-resistant infections have led to millions of deaths, and a genetic mutation that plays a big role in a dog’s size.
On this week’s show: A pill derived from human feces treats recurrent gut infections, and how a squirrel’s microbiome supplies nitrogen during hibernation.
First up this week, Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss putting the bacterial benefits of human feces in a pill. The hope is to avoid using fecal transplants to treat recurrent gut infections caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile.
Also this week, Hannah Carey, a professor in the department of comparative biosciences within the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, talks with Sarah about how ground squirrels are helped by their gut microbes during hibernation.
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