Why we need to rethink how we talk about cancer
For over a century, cancer has been classified by areas of the body - lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer etc. And yet modern medical research is telling us that the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind cancers are not necessarily tied to parts of the body. Many drugs developed to treat metastatic cancers have the capacity to work across many different cancers, and that presents an opportunity for more tailored and efficient treatments. Oncologists are calling for a change in the way patients, clinicians and regulators think about naming cancers.In this podcast, senior comment editor Lucy Odling-...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 9, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Cancer's power harnessed — lymphoma mutations supercharge T cells
In this episode:0:46 Borrowing tricks from cancer could help improve immunotherapyT cell based immunotherapies have revolutionised the treatment of certain types of cancer. However these therapies — which involved taking someone’s own T cells and reprogramming them to kill cancer cells — have struggled to treat solid tumours, which put up multiple defences. To overcome these, a team has taken mutations found in cancer cells that help them thrive and put them into therapeutic T cells. Their results show these powered-up cells are more efficient at targeting solid tumours, but don’t turn cancerous themselves.Research...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 7, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Cervical cancer could be eliminated: here's how
Cervical cancer is both treatable and preventable, and the WHO has called for countries to come together to to eliminate the disease in the next century.However the disease still kills over 300,000 people each year, and levels of screening, treatment and vaccination need to be stepped up in order to achieve this goal.These challenges are particularly stark in low- and middle-income countries, where a lack of funding, staffing and infrastructure are obstacles. Vaccine hesitancy, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, is also a key problem.In this Podcast Extra, two experts share their thoughts on how best to overcome...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 4, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Ancient DNA solves the mystery of who made a set of stone tools
In this episode:0:48 How hominins spread through EuropeAncient stone tools are often uncovered in Europe, but it can be difficult to identify who crafted them, as Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in the region for several thousand years. The makers of one type of tool found in northern Europe has long puzzled researchers, but now through genetic analysis of nearby skeletal fragments, it has been revealed that they were made by Homo sapiens. The age of these tools suggests that modern humans were more widespread and adaptable to living in colder climates than previously thought.Research article: Mylopotamitaki et al....
Source: Nature Podcast - January 31, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why
Evidence so far suggests that the prevalence of long COVID in low- and middle-income countries could be similar to that of wealthier countries. For example, by some estimates, more than four million people in Brazil have long COVID.However, an absence of research on the condition in less-wealthy countries has left advocates hamstrung: few physicians acknowledge that long COVID exists. A lack of data is also hampering efforts to search for the mechanisms of the condition and tailor treatments.This is an audio version of our Feature Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 26, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Toxic red mud could be turned into 'green' steel
In this episode:0:46 Turning a toxic by-product into ironRed mud is a toxic by-product of aluminium manufacture, and millions of tonnes of it is produced each year. The majority ends up in landfills, pumped into vast lakes or stored in dried mounds, posing a serious environmental risk. This week, researchers demonstrate how red mud can be reused to make iron, a vital component in the production of steel. As their method uses hydrogen plasma rather than fossil fuels, they suggest it could be a way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the steelmaking industry.Research article: Jovičević-Klug et al.News and Views:...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 24, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
This AI just figured out geometry — is this a step towards artificial reasoning?
In this episode:0:55 The AI that deduces solutions to complex maths problemsResearchers at Google Deepmind have developed an AI that can solve International Mathematical Olympiad-level geometry problems, something previous AIs have struggled with. They provided the system with a huge number of random mathematical theorems and proofs, which it used to approximate general rules of geometry. The AI then applied these rules to solve the Olympiad problems and show its workings for humans to check. The researchers hope their system shows that it is possible for AIs to ‘learn’ basic principles from large amounts of data and u...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 17, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The science stories you missed over the holiday period
In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.We chat about: an extra-warm sweater inspired by polar bear fur; the fossil find revealing what a juvenile tyrannosaur liked to snack on; why scientists are struggling to open OSIRIS-REx’s sample container; how 2023 was a record for retractions; and how cats like to play fetch, sometimes.Nature News: Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket — and just as warmScientific American: Tyrannosaur’s Stomach Contents Have Been Found for the First TimeNature News: ‘Head-s...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 10, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Science in 2024: what to expect this year
In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2024. We'll hear about the mass of the neutrino, the neural basis of consciousness and the climate lawsuits at the Hague, to name but a few.News: the science events to look our for in 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - January 3, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: A new kind of solar cell is coming — is it the future of green energy?
Perovskites are cheap, abundant photovoltaic materials that some have hailed as the future of green energy.Around the world, companies are layering perovskites on top of traditional silicon to develop so-called tandem solar cells that some think could deliver at least 20% more power than a silicon cell alone.However, there remain multiple issues to overcome before these products are ready for widespread uptake in the notoriously competitive solar-power market.This is an audio version of our Feature A new kind of solar cell is coming: is it the future of green energy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 29, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The Nature Podcast highlights of 2023
In this episode:00:54 Franklin’s real roleWhen it comes to the structure of DNA, everyone thinks they know Rosalind Franklin’s role in its discovery. The story goes that her crucial data was taken by James Watson without her knowledge, helping him and Francis Crick solve the structure. However, new evidence has revealed that this wasn’t really the case. Rosalind Franklin was not a ‘wronged heroine’, she was an equal contributor to the discovery.Nature Podcast: 25 April 2023Comment: What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure14:37 An automated way to monitor wildlife recoveryTo p...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 27, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
How AI works is often a mystery — that's a problem
Many AIs are 'black box' in nature, meaning that part of all of the underlying structure is obfuscated, either intentionally to protect proprietary information, due to the sheer complexity of the model, or both. This can be problematic in situations where people are harmed by decisions made by AI but left without recourse to challenge them.Many researchers in search of solutions have coalesced around a concept called Explainable AI, but this too has its issues. Notably, that there is no real consensus on what it is or how it should be achieved. So how do we deal with these black boxes? In this podcast, we try to find out.S...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 22, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The Nature Podcast Festive Spectacular 2023
In this episode:01:55 “Oh GPT”In the first of our festive songs, we pay homage to LLMs, the generative AI chat bots which have taken 2023 by storm. 05:32 Twenty questionsIn this year’s festive game, our competitors try to guess some of the biggest science stories of the year, solely by asking yes/no questions.24:40 “Warming night”In our final song this year, we take stock as 2023 is named the hottest year since records began. As worsening climate change continues to threaten lives, can science provide hope for the future?28:24 Nature’s 10Every year, Nature’s 10 highlights some of the peopl...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 20, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Navigating planets, plays and prejudice — a conversation with Aomawa Shields
In the latest episode of Nature hits the books, astronomer Aomawa Shields discusses her memoir Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe.The book tracks her career path as a scientist and a classically-trained actor, explores her experiences as an African American woman in STEM, and interrogates science’s place in culture — some of the things we discussed in this podcast.Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe Aomawa Shields Constable (2023)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound/Getty images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - December 15, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Inhaled vaccine prevents COVID in monkeys
Current COVID-19 vaccines offer great protection from serious illness, but they don't prevent people from becoming infected in the first place. Because of this, researchers have been searching for ways to boost mucosal immunity — the immune response on mucosal surfaces — as this is where the virus is first encountered by the body. Now a team have shown that mucosal immunity can be improved enough to block infection in rhesus macaques by administering booster vaccines directly into their lungs, through inhalation. They hope this could offer a way to stop humans getting COVID-19 in the ...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 14, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
