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PODCAST

Nature Podcast

Springer Nature Limited

The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature"s journalists and editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

science

All Episodes

37:06

Ancient DNA reveals farming led to more human diseases

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/09

00:48 The past 35,000 years of diseaseAncient 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

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16:13

Audio long read: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic —...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/04

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 FeatureHow to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

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27:19

3D-printed fake wasps help explain bad animal mimicry

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/02

In this episode:00:45 Why animals evolve to be imperfect mimicsMany 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

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31:30

Is AI watching you? The hidden links between research...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/25

We’d like to learn more about our listeners, please help us out byfilling in this short survey.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

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30:37

Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/18

We’d like to learn more about our listeners, please help us out byfilling in this short survey.In this episode:00:45 The tiny moths that use the stars to navigateBogong 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

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9:07

Hundreds of physicists on a remote island: we visit...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/13

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.Naturereporter 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

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36:55

This stretchy neural implant grows with an axolotl's...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/11

00:45 A flexible neural-implant that grows with the brainResearchers 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

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11:47

Trump wants to put humans on Mars: what scientists...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/06

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

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30:08

Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/06/04

00:45 Iron’s role in mice sex determinationIron 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

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15:59

Audio long read: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/30

With the world looking likely to blow past the temperature targets laid out in the2015 Paris climate agreement, a growing number of voices are saying that carbon removal technologieswill 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

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20:11

AI linked to boom in biomedical papers, infrared...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/28

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 papers08:07 Lenses that give humans infrared visionResearchers 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

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31:40

These malaria drugs treat the mosquitos — not the people

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/21

00:45 Treating mosquitoes for malariaResearchers 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 HighlightsThe

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30:31

How to transport antimatter — stick it on the back of...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/14

00:46 An antimatter delivery van takes its first road tripResearchers 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

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11:15

NSF terminates huge number of grants and stops...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/12

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 onesNews:Trump proposes

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37:34

Herring population loses migration 'memory' after...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/07

00:46 How fishing activity altered the migration pattern of HerringSelective 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

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27:52

The dismantling of US science: can it survive Trump 2.0?

Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/30

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

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17:33

Audio long read: Do smartphones and social media...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/25

Research shows that, over the past two decades, rates of mental illness have been increasing in adolescents in many countries. While some scientists point to soaring use of smartphones and social media as a key driver for this trend, others say theevidence does not show a large effect of these technologies on teenagers’ psychological health.At the heart of the dispute is a large, complex and often conflicting body of research that different researchers interpret in different ways.This has left

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20:27

A brand-new colour created by lasers, a pig-liver...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/23

00:27 Five people see ‘olo’, a brand-new colourUsing a laser system to activate specific eye cells, a team has allowed five study participants to perceive a vibrant blue-greenish hue well outside the natural range of colours seen by humans. Although the setup required to accomplish this feat is currently complicated, this finding could provide more understanding about how the brain perceives colour and could one day help boost the vision of people with colour blindness.Nature News:Brand-new colour

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33:11

‘Dark matter’, 'Big Bang' and ‘spin’: how physics...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/22

Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed to the stars in the sky.But names have consequences.What’s in a nameis a series exploring naming in science and how names impact the world. We look at whether the system of naming species remains in step with society, how the names of diseases can create stigma, and how the names chosen by scientists can help, or hinder, communication with the

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32:41

What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/16

In this episode:00:46 A potato pangenomeResearchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple potato types, something they believe can help make it easier to breed and sequence new varieties. The potato's complicated genetics has made it difficult to sequence the plant's genome, but improvements in technology have allowed the team to combine sequences, allowing then to look for subtle differences in between varieties.Research Article: Sun et al.09:57 Research HighlightsHow

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