Nature's Take: How Twitter's changes could affect science
Twitter has become indispensable to many scientists. It is a place to share findings, raise their profile, and is even used as a source of data in many studies.In recent months though, the site has been in turmoil after a swathe of policy changes in light of Elon Musk's takeover. Never a stranger to misinformation and abuse, these problems have reportedly gotten worse. Additionally, the ability to use Twitter as a source of data is in peril, and malfunctions are more commonplace.In this episode of Nature's Take we discuss how these changes are affecting the platform and the knock-on effects on science. Hosted on Acast. See...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 27, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: How your first brush with COVID warps your immunity
Imprinting is a quirk of the immune system in which someone’s initial exposure to a virus biases their immune response when they meet the same virus again.Studies are showing how imprinting shapes people’s responses to SARS-CoV-2; those infected with earlier strains can mount weaker responses to a later Omicron infection.This phenomenon is dampening the hope that variant-tailored boosters will markedly reduce transmission of the virus, although researchers agree that variant-tailored boosters are worth getting because they still provide some immunity, and prevent serious illness.This is an audio version of our Feature:...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 24, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
A twisting microscope that could unlock the secrets of 2D materials
00:45 A new microscope to look for ‘magic’ anglesTo better visualise how electrons are ‘moving’ in materials, a team have developed the Quantum Twisting Microscope. This instrument puts two 2D layers of atoms into close contact, allowing them to interact, which can give useful information about their properties. The microscope can also rotate one of the layers, helping researchers look for so-called ‘magic angles’, where 2D materials like graphene can exhibit extraordinary properties.Research article: Inbar et al.News & Views: A twist in the bid to probe electrons in solids09:55 Research HighlightsHow an ex...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 22, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
How 'metadevices' could make electronics faster
00:47 A metadevice for faster electronicsIn the past, increasing the speeds of electronics required designing smaller components, but further reductions in size are being hampered by increasing resistance. To get around this, researchers have demonstrated a ‘metadevice’, which prevents resistance building up by concentrating the flow of signals into specific regions of the device. The hope is that this meta-method could be used to create even smaller electrical components in the future.Research article: Nikoo & Matioli06:27 Research HighlightsHow waiting times for services are higher for people in the US with low i...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 15, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
This mysterious space rock shouldn ’t have a ring — but it does
0:46 The mysterious ring in the distant Solar SystemQuaoar is a small, rocky object that lies beyond Neptune’s orbit. In an unexpected discovery, researchers have shown that this object has its own orbiting ring, similar to those seen encircling planets like Saturn. However, Quaoar’s ring shouldn’t exist, as it is at a distance far outside the theoretical limit at which rings are thought to be stable, and researchers are trying to figure out why.Research article: Morgado et al.News and Views: A planetary ring in a surprising place07:01 Research HighlightsA repurposed skin-disease drug suppresses alcohol consumption i...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 8, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
How mummies were prepared: Ancient Egyptian pots spill secrets
In this episode:00:47 Chemical analysis of ancient embalming materialsMummification was a significant part of ancient Egyptian culture but, despite decades of research, much is unknown about the substances and methods used during the process. Now a team have analysed the contents of ceramic vessels uncovered in an embalming workshop that dates back to around 600 BC. The results reveal that some substances assumed to be a single thing were actually mixtures, while some came from far outside Egypt, providing a clearer picture of ancient mummification practices.Research article: Rageot et al.News and Views: Recipes for ancien...
Source: Nature Podcast - February 1, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A new generation of anti-obesity medications are displaying striking results: drastically diminishing weight, without the serious side effects of previous medications.These drugs have raised hopes the weight can be pharmacologically altered in a safe way, but some researchers are concerned about the drugs' high cost, and that these medications could feed into some societies' obsessions with thinness.This is an audio version of our Feature: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - January 30, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Amino acid slows nerve damage from diabetes, in mouse study
00:45 The role of serine in diabetic neuropathyNerve damage is a common complication of diabetes, and can even lead to limb amputation. Thus far, the only way for people to slow its onset is by managing their diet and lifestyle. Now though, research in mice shows how the amino acid serine may be key to this nerve damage, suggesting a potential role for the molecule in future therapeutics.Research article: Handzlik et al.News and Views: Serine deficiency causes complications in diabetes06:47 Research HighlightsDNA from chickens is spreading to their wild relatives, and a hidden magma chamber is revealed beneath an underwate...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 25, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Laser 'lightning rod' diverts strikes high in the Alps
In this episode:00:45 Laser-guided lightningScientists have shown that a specially designed laser can divert the course of lightning strikes in a real-world setting. The team fired the laser into the sky above a communications tower high in the Swiss Alps and altered the course of four strikes. In future they hope that this kind of system could be used to protect large infrastructure, such as airports.Research article: Houard et al.News: This rapid-fire laser diverts lightning strikes09:36 Research HighlightsThe crabs that lean on bacteria to detoxify sulfur from hydrothermal vents, and how a persons’ nasal microbes migh...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 18, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The science stories you missed over the past four weeks
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’ll hear: how Brazil’s President Lula has started to make good on his pro-environment promises; a new theory for why giant ichthyosaurs congregated in one place; how glass frogs hide their blood; about a new statue honouring Henrietta Lacks; and why T. rex might have cooed like a dove.Nature News: Will Brazil’s President Lula keep his climate promises?Science News: Mysterious ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding groundThe Atlantic: How Glass Frogs Weave the World’s Best I...
Source: Nature Podcast - January 11, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Science in 2023: 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 2023. We'll hear about vaccines, multiple Moon missions and new therapeutics, to name but a few.News: the science events to look out for in 2023Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - January 6, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The Nature Podcast ’s highlights of 2022
In this episode:00:53 How virtual meetings can limit creative ideasIn April, we heard how a team investigated whether switching from face-to-face to virtual meetings came at a cost to creativity. They showed that people meeting virtually produced fewer creative ideas than those working face-to-face, and suggest that when it comes to idea generation maybe it’s time to turn the camera off.Nature Podcast: 27 April 2022Research article: Brucks & LevavVideo: Why video calls are bad for brainstorming08:29 How the Black Death got its startThe Black Death is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 60% of the population ...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 28, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
The Nature Podcast Festive Spectacular 2022
01:07 “Artemis and Dart”In the first of our festive songs, we celebrate some of the big space missions from this year: Artemis which aims to get people back to the moon, and DART which could help defend the Earth from meteor strikes. 03:51 Redacted Headline challengeIn this year’s festive game, our competitors work together to try and figure out some Nature Podcast headlines where all the words have been removed. Find out how they get on…15:57 Research HighlightsResearch Highlight: Why does fat return after dieting? The microbiome might have a handResearch Highlight: Revealed: massive Maya structures built by vast ...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 21, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
COVID deaths: three times the official toll
In this episode:00:47 Estimating pandemic-associated mortalityThis week, a team of researchers working with the World Health Organization have used statistical modelling to estimate the number of excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The work estimates that there were almost 15 million deaths either directly or indirectly attributed to the pandemic, almost three times higher than the official toll.Research article: Msemburi et al.News and Views: Global estimates of excess deaths from COVID-19Editorial: Missing data mean we’ll probably never know how many people died of COVID08:35 Research ...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 14, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
Oldest DNA reveals two-million-year-old ecosystem
In this episode:00:45 World’s oldest DNA shows that mastodons roamed ancient GreenlandDNA recovered from ancient permafrost has been used to reconstruct what an ecosystem might have looked like two million years ago. Their work suggests that Northern Greenland was much warmer than the frozen desert it is today, with a rich ecosystem of plants and animals.Research Article: Kjær et al.Nature Video: The world's oldest DNA: Extinct beasts of ancient Greenland08:21 Research HighlightsWhy low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol don’t predict heart disease risk in Black people, and how firework displays affect the flights of ge...
Source: Nature Podcast - December 7, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
