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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

25:36

Audio long read: Autism is on the rise — what’s...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/26

In April,Robert F. Kennedy Jrheld a press conference about rising diagnoses of autism, andsaid he would soon be announcing a study to find the responsible agent. Although Kennedy said that environmental factors are the main cause of autism, research has shown that genetics plays a bigger part.Also, therise in prevalence, many researchers say, is predominantly caused by an increase in diagnoses rather than a true rise in the underlying symptoms and traits.Although theUS National Institutes of Health

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32:42

How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/24

00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitisResearchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In rare cases an infection can lead to serious neurological symptoms, but little was known about how the virus interacts with human cells. Now, a team show that a protein found on the outside of cells plays an important role in infection. In mouse experiments, they show that blocking the ability of the virus to bind to this protein protected the mice from

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27:39

Apocalypse then: how cataclysms shaped human societies

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/19

Science journalist Lizzie Wade’s first book,Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic Eventsexplores some of the cataclysmic events that humans have faced through history. Lizzie joined us to discuss what modern archaeology has revealed about these events, and the role these they’ve have played in shaping societies around the world.Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic EventsLizzie WadeHarper(2025)Music

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35:31

This AI tool predicts your risk of 1,000 diseases —...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/17

00:50 The AI tool that predicts disease riskResearchers have developed an AI tool that can calculate a person’s risk of developing over 1,000 different diseases, sometimes years in advance. The system, called Delphi-2M, was trained to identify patterns of disease progression using 400,000 people's health records from data repository the UK Biobank. This training allowed it to predict someone’s future disease risks, based on their current medical record. While AI health prediction systems do exist,

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10:21

Detecting gravitational waves

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/12

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 orbiting black holes that smashed into each other, sending ripples across the Universe.In this podcast, 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

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36:39

Feeling the heat: fossil-fuel producers linked to...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/10

00:45 Attributing extreme heat events to major energy producersMajor energy producers increased the likelihood and intensity of heatwaves, according to research published inNature. Using data from an international disaster database, a team developed a methodology to investigate how much anthropogenic climate change had influenced heatwaves. They conclude that many of these events would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, and that nearly a quarter of the heatwaves recorded from

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52:13

Research misconduct: how the scientific community is...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/08

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' —

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10:57

Nature goes inside the world’s largest ‘mosquito...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/05

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 harmlessWolbachiabacteria that curbs their ability to spread deadly human viruses.Naturereporter 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 dengueVideo:Inside a mosquito

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27:06

Two ants, two species, one mother

Nature Podcast ·

2025/09/03

00:45 The ant queen that can produce two different speciesResearchers 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

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19:57

Audio long read: How to detect consciousness in...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/29

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 systemsof the future.This is an audio version of our Feature:How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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24:44

Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/27

00:48 How the 18th-Century 'Great Fear’ spread across rural FranceIn 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

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19:57

Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/20

00:46 Electrochemical fusionResearchers 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

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13:05

Controversial climate report from Trump team...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/15

In this Podcast Extra, we discussa report released by the US Department of Energy, which concluded that global warming is “less damaging economically than commonly believed”.However, manyresearchers say that the reportmisrepresents decades of climate science.We discuss how scientists are trying to coordinate a unified response amidstconcerns 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

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31:53

Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/13

00:46 Tiny solar flyerResearchers 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

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28:14

Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/08/06

00:45 Researchers develop a new glue and test it on a rubber duckAided 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

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33:03

Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/30

00:45 The deepest ecosystem ever discoveredResearchers 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

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35:38

Giant laser heats solid gold to 14 times its melting...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/23

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

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49:19

AI, bounties and culture change, how scientists are...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/21

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

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32:50

‘Stealth flippers’ helped this extinct mega-predator...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/16

In this episode:00:48 The ancient mega-predator with a ‘stealth mode’The extinct marine mega-predatorTemnodontosaurushad specialised adaptations to stealthily hunt its prey, suggests an analysis of a fossil flipper. AlthoughTemnodontosauruswas 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

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12:47

Three weeks in a hide to spot one elusive bear: the...

Nature Podcast ·

2025/07/11

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 seriesThe Wild Ones.The Wild Ones Apple TV+ (2025)Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

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