Using quantum tools to track dark matter, why rabies remains, and a book series on science and food
On this week’s show: How physicists are using quantum sensors to suss out dark matter, how rabies thwarts canine vaccination campaigns, and a kickoff for our new series with authors of books on food, land management, and nutrition science
Dark matter hunters have turned to quantum sensors to find elusive subatomic particles that may exist outside physicists’ standard model. Adrian Cho, a staff writer for Science, joins host Sarah Crespi to give a tour of the latest dark matter particle candidates—and the traps that physicists are setting for them.
Next, we hear from Katie Hampson, a professor in the Institute of Bi...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - April 28, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
Why do naked mole rats live as long as giraffes?
00:54 How Mammals’ mutation rates affects their lifespanFor biologists, a long-standing question has been why some animals live longer than others. This week a team have attempted to answer this, by measuring the rates that different animal species accumulate mutations. They show that longer-lived animals acquire mutations at a slower rate, which helps to explain why cancer risk does not scale with lifespan.Research article: Cagan et al.News and Views: Mutational clocks tick differently across species07:56 Research HighlightsA clinical trial suggests a change to the treatment of a pregnancy ailment, and astronomers ident...
Source: Nature Podcast - April 13, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
A surprisingly weighty fundamental particle, and surveying the seas for RNA viruses
On this week’s show: A new measurement of the W boson could challenge physicists’ standard model, and an abundance of marine RNA viruses
Staff Writer Adrian Cho joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new threat to the standard model of particle physics—a heavier than expected measurement of a fundamental particle called the W boson. They chat about how this measurement was taken, and what it means if it is right.
Next, Sarah talks about the microscopic denizens of Earth’s oceans with Ahmed Zayed, a research scientist in the department of microbiology at Ohio State University, Columbus. They talk about findings from...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - April 7, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
A surprisingly weighty fundamental particle, and surveying the seas for RNA viruses
On this week’s show: A new measurement of the W boson could challenge physicists’ standard model, and an abundance of marine RNA viruses
Staff Writer Adrian Cho joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new threat to the standard model of particle physics—a heavier than expected measurement of a fundamental particle called the W boson. They chat about how this measurement was taken, and what it means if it is right.
Next, Sarah talks about the microscopic denizens of Earth’s oceans with Ahmed Zayed, a research scientist in the department of microbiology at Ohio State University, Columbus. They talk abo...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - April 7, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
The vest that can hear your heartbeat
00:45 A flexible, wearable, fabric microphoneInspired by the ear, a team of researchers have developed an acoustic fibre that can be woven into fabrics to create a sensitive microphone. This fabric microphone is capable of detecting human speech and heartbeats, and the team think it could be used to develop new, wearable sensors for long-term health monitoring.Research article: Yan et al.News and Views: A smart sensor that can be woven into everyday life08:38 Research HighlightsHow a shark’s posture lets you know if it’s asleep, and the desert dust that helps cirrus clouds form.Research Highlight: The secrets of shark ...
Source: Nature Podcast - March 16, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
A global treaty on plastic pollution, and a dearth of Black physicists
On this week’s show: The ins and outs of the first global treaty on plastic pollution, and why the United States has so few Black physicists
First up, Staff Writer Erik Stokstad joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the world’s first global treaty on plastics pollution–and the many questions that need answers to make it work. Read a related Policy Forum here.
Up next, we hear from some of more than 50 Black physicists interviewed for a special news package in Science about the barriers Black physicists face, and potential models for change drawing on a 2020 report that documents how the percentage of under...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - March 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
A global treaty on plastic pollution, and a dearth of Black physicists
On this week’s show: The ins and outs of the first global treaty on plastic pollution, and why the United States has so few Black physicists
First up, Staff Writer Erik Stokstad joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the world’s first global treaty on plastics pollution–and the many questions that need answers to make it work. Read a related Policy Forum here.
Up next, we hear from some of more than 50 Black physicists interviewed for a special news package in Science about the barriers Black physicists face, and potential models for change drawing on a 2020 report that documents how the percentage of undergraduates ph...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - March 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
Tapping fiber optic cables for science, and what really happens when oil meets water
Geoscientists are turning to fiber optic cables as a means of measuring seismic activity. But rather than connecting them to instruments, the cables are the instruments. Joel Goldberg talks with Staff Writer Paul Voosen about tapping fiber optic cables for science.
Also this week, host Sarah Crespi talks with Sylvie Roke, a physicist and chemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, and director of its Laboratory for fundamental BioPhotonics, about the place where oil meets water. Despite the importance of the interaction between the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic to biology, and to life, we don’t kno...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - December 9, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
Tapping fiber optic cables for science, and what really happens when oil meets water
Geoscientists are turning to fiber optic cables as a means of measuring seismic activity. But rather than connecting them to instruments, the cables are the instruments. Joel Goldberg talks with Staff Writer Paul Voosen about tapping fiber optic cables for science.
Also this week, host Sarah Crespi talks with Sylvie Roke, a physicist and chemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, and director of its Laboratory for fundamental BioPhotonics, about the place where oil meets water. Despite the importance of the interaction between the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic to biology, and to life, we don’t...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - December 9, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts
Researcher careers under the microscope: salary satisfaction and COVID impacts
The Nature salary and satisfaction survey reveals researchers' outlook, and NASA’s test of planetary defences.In this episode:00:45 Salary and satisfaction surveyLike all aspects of life, scientific careers have been impacted by the pandemic. To get an insight into how researchers are feeling, Nature has conducted a salary and satisfaction survey. We hear from some of the respondents.Careers Feature: Stagnating salaries present hurdles to career satisfaction09:07 Research HighlightsThe physics of a finger snap, and the surprisingly strong silk of jumping spiders.Research Highlight: It’s a snap: the friction-based ph...
Source: Nature Podcast - November 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Researcher careers under the microscope: salary satisfaction and COVID impacts
The Nature salary and satisfaction survey reveals researchers' outlook, and NASA’s test of planetary defences.In this episode:00:45 Salary and satisfaction surveyLike all aspects of life, scientific careers have been impacted by the pandemic. To get an insight into how researchers are feeling, Nature has conducted a salary and satisfaction survey. We hear from some of the respondents.Careers Feature: Stagnating salaries present hurdles to career satisfaction09:07 Research HighlightsThe physics of a finger snap, and the surprisingly strong silk of jumping spiders.Research Highlight: It’s a snap: the friction-based ph...
Source: Nature Podcast - November 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 819: How to stall a copy machine
TWiV explains how remdesivir inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase: the drug is incorporated into the growing RNA chain and causes synthesis to stall when the drug clashes with an amino acid in the active site. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode How remdesivir stalls the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase (Nat Comm) Movie of polymerase stalling (Nat Comm) Second mechanism of remdesivir inhibition (J Biol Chem) Watson Crick molecular model (Science Museum Group) Letters read on TWiV 819 Timest...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - October 21, 2021 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
The AI that accurately predicts the chances of rain
AI weather forecasters, mapping the human brain and the 2021 science Nobel prizes.In this episode:00:52 Improving the accuracy of weather forecasts with AIShort-term rain predictions are a significant challenge for meteorologists. Now, a team of researchers have come up with an artificial-intelligence based system that weather forecasters preferred to other prediction methods.Research article: Ravuri et al.08:02 Research HighlightsThe vaping robot that could help explain why some e-cigarettes damage lungs, and the sea-slugs that steal chloroplasts to boost egg production.Research Highlight: This robot vapes for scienceRese...
Source: Nature Podcast - October 6, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The AI that accurately predicts the chances of rain
AI weather forecasters, mapping the human brain and the 2021 science Nobel prizes.In this episode:00:52 Improving the accuracy of weather forecasts with AIShort-term rain predictions are a significant challenge for meteorologists. Now, a team of researchers have come up with an artificial-intelligence based system that weather forecasters preferred to other prediction methods.Research article: Ravuri et al.08:02 Research HighlightsThe vaping robot that could help explain why some e-cigarettes damage lungs, and the sea-slugs that steal chloroplasts to boost egg production.Research Highlight: This robot vapes for scienceRese...
Source: Nature Podcast - October 6, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
