Nature Podcast
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Nature Podcast
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 jour...
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New bird flu vaccine could tackle multiple variants with one shot
A vaccine capable of protecting against multiple strains of avian influenza virus may be a step closer, according to new research. The H5 subtype of a...
How stereotypes shape AI – and what that means for the future of hiring
Stereotyped assumptions about women’s ages and their perceived job suitability are enhanced by Internet imagery, according to new research. A study of...
Ancient viral DNA helps human embryos develop
Research suggests that ancient viral-DNA embedded in the human genome is playing a key role in early embryo development. Around 8% of our genome consi...
Audio long read: Autism is on the rise — what’s really behind the increase?
In April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr held a press conference about rising diagnoses of autism, and said he would soon be announcing a study to find the resp...
How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain
Researchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In rare cases an infection can lead to serious neu...
Apocalypse then: how cataclysms shaped human societies
Science journalist Lizzie Wade’s first book, Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic Events explores som...
This AI tool predicts your risk of 1,000 diseases — by looking at your medical records
Researchers have developed an AI tool that can calculate a person’s risk of developing over 1,000 different diseases, sometimes years in advance. The...
Detecting gravitational waves
In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) facilities in the US directly detected ripples in space-time, known as gravita...
Feeling the heat: fossil-fuel producers linked to dozens of heatwaves
Major energy producers increased the likelihood and intensity of heatwaves, according to research published in Nature. Using data from an internationa...
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, afte...
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...
Two ants, two species, one mother
Researchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, known as the Iberian Harvester Ant can produce offspring of tw...
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...
Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France
In the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristocratic plots to suppress revolutionary ideas. But how, and why, thes...
Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry
Researchers have used electrochemistry to increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in a desktop reactor. Fusion energy promises abundant clean e...
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...
Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious mesosphere
Researchers have used a phenomenon known as thermal transpiration to create a solar-powered flying device that can stay aloft without any moving parts...
Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test
Aided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that works as an underwater adhesive. Inspired by animals like barnacles...
Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below the sea
Researchers have dived down to more than 9,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and discovered surprisingly complex communities of life living...
Giant laser heats solid gold to 14 times its melting point
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 te...
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 s...
‘Stealth flippers’ helped this extinct mega-predator stalk its prey
In this episode:
The extinct marine mega-predator Temnodontosaurus had specialised adaptations to stealthily hunt its prey, sugges...
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.
I...
Ancient DNA reveals farming led to more human diseases
Ancient DNA evidence shows that the advent of agriculture led to more infectious disease among humans, with pathogens from animals only showing up 6,5...
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...
3D-printed fake wasps help explain bad animal mimicry
In this episode:
Many harmless animals mimic dangerous ones to avoid being eaten, but often this fakery is inaccurate. To help exp...
Is AI watching you? The hidden links between research and surveillance
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In this episode:
A signific...
Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by starlight
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Bogong mot...
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...
This stretchy neural implant grows with an axolotl's brain
Researchers have developed a soft electronic implant that can measure brain activity of amphibian embryos as they develop. Understanding the neural ac...
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...
Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron
Iron deficiency in mice mothers can sometimes result in their offspring developing female sex organs despite having male sex genes, according to new r...
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...
AI linked to boom in biomedical papers, infrared contact lenses, and is Earth's core leaking?
A spike in papers formulaically analysing a public data set has sparked worries that AI is being used to generate low quality and potentially misleadi...
These malaria drugs treat the mosquitos — not the people
Researchers have developed two compounds that can kill malaria-causing parasites within mosquitoes, an approach they hope could help reduce transmissi...
How to transport antimatter — stick it on the back of a van
Researchers have developed a portable antimatter containment device and tested it by putting it in a truck and driving it around CERN. Their system co...
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...
Herring population loses migration 'memory' after heavy fishing
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...
The dismantling of US science: can it survive Trump 2.0?
In this episode:
100 days into his term, President Donald Trump and his administration have already caused the biggest shakeup in...
Audio long read: Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?
Research shows that, over the past two decades, rates of mental illness have been increasing in adolescents in many countries. While some scientists p...