In this episode of the podcast, Nature reporter Davide Castelvecchi joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2020. We’ll hear about multiple missions to Mars, a prototype electric car, efforts to prevent dengue, and more.
Tag Archives: Nature Podcast
Top Science Podcasts: Sequencing Genomes, Genetic Surveillance And Solar Winds (Nature)
Hear the latest science news, brought to you by Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell. This week, exploring two very different issues surrounding genomic sequencing, and the latest results from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe.
In this episode:
00:45 The GenomeAsia 100k project
Researchers have released the first data from an ambitious project to sequence the genomes of 100,000 people from populations across Asia. Research Article: GenomeAsia100K Consortium
08:56 Research Highlights
Bare riverbanks make meanders move, and human activity affects picky penguins. Research Highlight: The meandering rivers that speed across barren landscapes; Research Highlight: Climate change splits two penguin species into winners and losers
11:18 Curbing the rise in genetic surveillance
Concerns are growing around the use of commercial DNA databases for state-level surveillance. Comment: Crack down on genomic surveillance
20:02 News Chat
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has sent back the most detailed information yet about the birthplace of solar wind. News: Sun-bombing spacecraft uncovers secrets of the solar wind
Top Science Podcasts: 2019 PhD Survey, Older Women In Sci-Fi And Mummified Remains In Egypt (Nature)
Listen to the latest science updated, brought to you by Nick Howe and Shamini Bundell. This week, delving into the results of the latest graduate student survey, and assessing ageism in science fiction literature.
In this episode:
00:45 The graduate student experience
The results of Nature’s 2019 PhD survey are in. David Payne, Nature’s Chief Careers Editor, takes us through them. Nature’s PhD survey collection
06:45 Research Highlights
Giant tortoises are quick learners, and colour-changing magic mushrooms. Research Article: Gutnick et al.; Research Highlights: Why magic mushrooms turn dark blue when picked
08:52 Where are the older women in sci-fi?
Author Sylvia Spruck Wrigley has been looking into the number of older women that appear in sci-fi novels, and the roles they play. Essay: Space ageing: why sci-fi novels shun the badass older woman
16:45 News Chat
A trove of mummified remains causes excitement in Egypt, and Italy plans a new science funding body. News: Rare mummified lions add to Egyptology buzz; News: Italy’s plan to create €300-million research agency draws fire
Top Science Podcasts: A New Antibiotic From Nematodes, “Grants” Thru Lotteries (Nature)
Benjamin Thompson brings you the latest science news. This week, an antibiotic that targets difficult to treat bacteria, and a roundup of the latest science news.
In this episode:
00:49 Discovering darobactin
Researchers looked inside nematode guts and have identified a new antibiotic with some useful properties. Research Article: Imai et al.
05:45 Research Highlights
Using urine as a health metric, and sniffing out book decay with an electronic nose. Research Article: Miller et al.; Research Article: Veríssimo et al.
07:54 News Chat
Adding an element of chance to grant funding, a continental butterfly-sequencing project, and tracking endangered animals via traces of their DNA. News: Science funders gamble on grant lotteries; News: Every butterfly in the United States and Canada now has a genome sequence; News: Rare bird’s detection highlights promise of ‘environmental DNA’
To read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03588-z
Top New Science Podcasts: 3D Printer Advances, Gut Microbes Linked To Liver Disease (Nature Magazine)
Hear this week’s science news, with Nick Howe and Shamini Bundell. This week, a new 3D printer allows quick shifting between many materials, and understanding the link between gut microbes and liver disease.
In this episode:
00:46 A new dimension for 3D printers
A new nozzle lets a 3D printer switch between materials at a rapid rate, opening the door to a range of applications. Research Article: Skylar-Scott et al.; News and Views: How to print multi-material devices in one go
08:07 Research Highlights
The slippery secrets of ice, and cells wrapping up their nuclei. Research Highlight: Viscous water holds the secret to an ice skater’s smooth glide; Research Highlight: Super-thin layer of ‘bubble wrap’ cushions a cell’s nucleus
10:17 Linking bacteria to liver disease
Researchers have isolated a bacterial strain that appears to play an important role in alcoholic liver disease. Research paper: Duan et al.; News and Views: Microbial clues to a liver disease
17:10 News Chat
‘Megaconstellations’ of satellites concern astronomers, and a report on the gender gap in chemistry. News: SpaceX launch highlights threat to astronomy from ‘megaconstellations’; News: Huge study documents gender gap in chemistry publishing
Top Science Podcasts: Earliest Upright Walking Apes, Evolution Of Science And Vaccinations (Nature)
Listen to the latest science updates, with Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell. This week, insights into the evolution of walking upright, how science needs to change in the next 150 years, and the remaining hurdles for vaccination.
In this episode:
00:50 Early ape locomotion
The discovery of a fossil of a new species of ape gives new insights on how bipedalism may have evolved. Research Article: Böhme et al.; News and Views: Fossil ape hints at how walking on two feet evolved; News: Fossil ape offers clues to evolution of walking on two feet
07:24 Research Highlights
Women lacking olfactory bulbs can somehow still smell, and telling whiskies apart through evaporation patterns. Research Highlight: The women who lack an odour-related brain area — and can still smell a rose; Research Highlight: Bourbon or Scotch? A droplet’s dynamics reveal the truth
09:44 How should science evolve?
This year is Nature’s 150th anniversary. Science has made huge strides during this time, but what needs to change to continue this progress for the next 150 years? Comment: Science must move with the times
17:52 The state of vaccination in 2019
Researchers assess the differences in immunization levels worldwide and identify the bottlenecks in developing new vaccines. Research article: Piot et al.
23:54 News Chat
An AI figures out the sun’s place in the Solar System, and reassessing the size of the proton. News article: AI Copernicus: Neural network ‘discovers’ that Earth orbits the Sun; News: Puzzle over size of proton leaps closer to resolution
Top Science Podcasts: AI Beats Humans At A Video Game, Arthropods In Decline (Nature)
Hear the latest science news, with Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell. This week, a computer beats the best human players in StarCraft II, and a huge study of insects and other arthropods.
In this episode:
00:51 Learning to play
By studying and experimenting, an AI has reached Grandmaster level at the video game Starcraft II. Research Article: Vinyals et al.; News Article: Google AI beats experienced human players at real-time strategy game StarCraft II
10:08 Research Highlights
A record-breaking lightning bolt, and identifying our grey matter’s favourite tunes. Research Highlight: Here come the lightning ‘megaflashes’; Research Highlight: Why some songs delight the human brain
12:24 Arthropods in decline
Researchers have surveyed how land-use change has affected arthropod diversity. Research article: Seibold et al.
18:30 News Chat
Young Canadians file a lawsuit against their government, an Alzheimer’s drug gets a second chance, and South Korean efforts to curb a viral epidemic in pigs.
Science Podcasts: Quest To Detect Gravitational Waves, First Hypothesised By Einstein (Nature)
In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) facilities in the US directly detected ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. These waves were produced by the final spiral of two oribiting black holes that smashed into each other, sending ripples across the universe.
In this Podcast Extra, Benjamin Thompson speaks to Cole Miller from the University of Maryland about the quest to detect gravitational waves, which were first hypothesised by Albert Einstein back in 1916.
Top Science Podcasts: Quantum Computing, Speediest Ants & Altering The “Deaf” Gene (Nature)
Listen to the latest from the world of science, with Nick Howe and Shamini Bundell. This week, a milestone in quantum computing, and rethinking early mammals.
In this episode:
00:43 A quantum computing milestone
A quantum computer is reported to have achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ – performing an operation that’s essentially impossible for classical computers. Research Article: Arute et al.; News and Views: Quantum computing takes flight; Editorial: A precarious milestone for quantum computing; News: Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim
08:24 Research Highlights
The world’s speediest ants, and the world’s loudest birdsong. Research Highlight: A land-speed record for ants set in Saharan dunes; Research Highlight: A bird’s ear-splitting shriek smashes the record for loudest song
10:19 The mammals that lived with the dinosaurs
Paleontologists are shifting their view of Mesozoic era mammals. News Feature: How the earliest mammals thrived alongside dinosaurs
18:00 News Chat
A Russian researcher’s plans to edit human embryos, and ‘prime editing’ – a more accurate gene editing system. News: Russian ‘CRISPR-baby’ scientist has started editing genes in human eggs with goal of altering deaf gene; News: Super-precise new CRISPR tool could tackle a plethora of genetic diseases
Top Science Podcasts: Child Mortality Rates, Evolving New Genes & Vaping Deaths (Nature)
Listen to the latest from the world of science, with Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell. This week, investigating child mortality rates at a local level, and building genes from non-coding DNA.
In this episode:
00:43 A regional view of childhood mortality
Researchers map countries’ progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goals. Research Article: Burstein et al.; World View: Data on child deaths are a call for justice; Editorial: Protect the census
07:22 Research Highlights
Astronomers identify a second visitor from beyond the solar system, and extreme snowfall stifles animal breeding in Greenland. Research Highlight: The comet that came in from interstellar space; Research Highlight: Extreme winter leads to an Arctic reproductive collapse
09:22 Evolving genes from the ground up
Natural selection’s creative way to evolve new genes. News Feature: How evolution builds genes from scratch
15:43 News Chat
A spate of vaping-related deaths in the US, and Japan’s import of the Ebola virus. News: Scientists chase cause of mysterious vaping illness as death toll rises; News: Why Japan imported Ebola ahead of the 2020 Olympics
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