This week, reassessing the age of the ‘Broken Hill skull’, and unearthing evidence of an ancient forest near the South Pole.In this episode:01:25 A skull’s place in historyAfter nearly a century scientists believe they’ve finally pinned down an age for the ‘Broken Hill skull’ hominid specimen. Research Article: Grun et al.07:44 Research HighlightsA simple way to detect early signs of cancer, and 3D printed soft brain implants. Research Highlight: A blood test finds deadly cancers before symptoms start; Research Article: Yuk et al.09:51 Ancient Antarctic rainforestDigging deep below the sea-floor, researchers have uncovered evidence of a verdant forest that existed on Antarctica around 90 million years ago. Research Article: Klages et al.15:47 Research HighlightsWalking more, regardless of the intensity, may improve health. Research Highlight: More steps a day might keep the doctor awaySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Nature Podcast

02 April 2020: Dating an ancient hominid skull, and an ancient Antarctic rainforest

Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss efforts to develop treatments for COVID-19.In this episode:02:00 A push for plasmaIn New York, hospitals are preparing to infuse patients with the antibody-rich blood plasma of people who have recovered from COVID-19. This approach has been used during disease outbreaks for over a century and we discuss how it works, and how effective is might be.We also talk about how drug trials for potential treatments are progressing, how scientists are pulling together, and what COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships are telling epidemiologists.News article: How blood from coronavirus survivors might save lives; News article: What the cruise-ship outbreaks reveal about COVID-1918:44 Switching focusIn the wake of the outbreak, academics are coming together to meet the challenge of the pandemic. We speak to an immunologist and a bioengineer who have changed their research focus and are putting their expertise into action.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Coronapod: Old treatments and new hopes

This week, a speedy, yet simple switch, and a video-based AI helps assess heart health.In this episode:01:57 Speedy switchesResearchers have developed an ultra-fast electrical switch that they hope can be used in communication and imaging applications. Research Article: Nikoo et al.08:14 Research HighlightsUsing sound to estimate glacial retreat, and building a dodgier drone. Research Highlight: Underwater microphones listen as as glacier retreats; Research article: Falanga et al.10:32 Algorithmic heart diagnosisScientists have developed a new algorithm which calculates the amount of blood pumped by the heart beat by beat. Research Article: Ouyang et al.; News and Views: AI tracks a beating heart’s function over timeSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

25 March 2020: Ultra-fast electrical switches, and computing heart health

Radioactive is a new biopic on Marie Skłodowska Curie with Rosamund Pike taking on the role of Curie. This Podcast Extra is an extended version of reporter Lizzie Gibney's interview with Rosamund, in which they talk about stepping into the shoes of the scientific giant. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Podcast Extra: Rosamund Pike on portraying Marie Curie

In the first of our new podcast series, Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the epidemiology needed to control the Covid-19 outbreak.In this episode:03:57 Testing timesCase numbers of Covid-19 have leapt around the world in recent days, but how many undetected cases are out there? We talk about the urgent need to deploy two of the cornerstones of effective epidemiology – testing and contact tracing – and discuss why these measures aren’t being rolled out worldwide.News article: Scientists exposed to coronavirus wonder: why weren’t we notified?; News article: South Korea is reporting intimate details of COVID-19 cases: has it helped?; News explainer: What China’s coronavirus response can teach the rest of the world14:23 Global governance in the wake of Covid-19The International Health Regulations (IHR) were set up to help countries prepare for, and respond to, public-health emergencies. Rebecca Katz, a health security researcher specialising in emerging infectious diseases, tells us how the IHR are holding up during the Covid-19 outbreak.Worldview: Pandemic policy can learn from arms control﻿Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Coronapod: “Test, test, test!”

This week, we speak to Rosamund Pike about her experience portraying Marie Skłodowska Curie, and we find out how science in Russia is changing after years of decline.In this episode:01:43 RadioactiveBritish actor Rosamund Pike tells us about her new film, and her experience of portraying double Nobel-Laureate Marie Curie. Arts Review: Marie Curie biopic should have trusted pioneer’s passion10:17 Research HighlightsThe neural circuitry involved in stopping, and a jelly-like substance that cleans paintings. Research Highlight: A neural highway to human motor control; Research article: Mastrangelo et al.12:27 Russian scienceDecades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian science may be having a revival. News Feature: Russia aims to revive science after era of stagnation; Editorial: The price of Russia–China research collaborationsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

19 March 2020: Rosamund Pike in Radioactive, and the resurgence of Russian science

In this Podcast Extra, we hear from epidemiologists, genomicists and social scientists about how they're working to tackle the coronavirus and what they've learned so far. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Podcast Extra: Coronavirus - science in the pandemic

Research in the 1960s and 1970s suggested that emotional expressions – smiling when happy, scowling when angry, and so on – were universal. This idea stood unchallenged for a generation.But a new cohort of psychologists and cognitive scientists are revisiting the data. Many researchers now think that the picture is a lot more complicated, and that facial expressions vary widely between contexts and cultures.This is an audio version of our feature: Why faces don’t always tell the truth about feelings, written by Douglas Heaven and read by Kerri Smith. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Long Read Podcast: Are feelings more than skin deep?

This week, a newly discovered bird species from the time of the dinosaurs, and microbes hundreds of metres below the ocean floor.In this episode:00:44 A tiny, toothy, ancient birdResearchers have found a perfectly preserved bird fossil trapped in amber, with some rather unusual features. Research Article: Xing et al.; News and Views: Tiny bird fossil might be the world’s smallest dinosaur08:09 Research HighlightsDental hygiene in the time of the Vikings, and wildebeest bones feed an African ecosystem. Research Article: Bertilsson et al; Research Article: Subalusky et al.10:21 Deep sea lifeScientists have uncovered traces of life 750m below the ocean’s surface. Research article: Li et al.17:31 News ChatUpdates on the Coronavirus outbreak, and peer review in predatory journals. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: Labs rush to study coronavirus in transgenic animals — some are in short supply For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

12 March 2020: An ancient bird trapped in amber, and life beneath the ocean floor

This week, improving computers’ image identification, and a new method for growing crystals.00:44 Upgrading computer sightResearchers have designed a sensor that allows machines to assess images in nanoseconds. Research Article: Mennel et al.; News and Views: In-sensor computing for machine vision06:51 Research HighlightsCalorie restriction’s effects on rat cells, and the dwindling of sandy seashores. Research Highlight: Old age’s hallmarks are delayed in dieting rats; Research Highlight: Sandy beaches are endangered worldwide as the climate changes08:53 Crafting crystalsTo understand the structure of materials, researchers often have to grow them in crystal form. A new method aims to speed up this process. Research article: Sun et al.14:48 News ChatCoronavirus outbreak updates, and climate change’s role in the Australian bush fires. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: Climate change made Australia's 'unprecedented' bushfires 30% more likely For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

05 March 2020: Ultrafast machine vision, and quicker crystal creation

In this edition of Backchat we take a deep dive into Nature's coverage of coronavirus. As cases climb, what are some of the challenges involved in reporting on the virus? For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Backchat: Covering coronavirus

This week, the brain pathways of egg laying in fruit flies, and preventing fractures in metallic glass.In this episode:00:46 Working out the wiring behind fruit fly behaviourResearchers have identified a neural circuit linking mating and egg laying in female fruit flies. Research Article: Wang et al.06:01 Research HighlightsAncient, cave-dwelling cockroaches, and hairy moths dampen sound. Research Highlight: Cockroaches preserved in amber are the world’s oldest cave dwellers; Research Highlight: Stealth flyers: moths’ fuzz is superior acoustic camouflage07:57 Making better metallic glassMetallic glasses have many desirable properties, but these materials are prone to fracturing. Now, a new manufacturing process may have overcome this issue. Research article: Pan et al.; News and Views: Metallic glasses rejuvenated to harden under strain13:47 News ChatCoronavirus outbreak updates, a survey shows Indian bird numbers are in decline, and the genomes of New York rats. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: Hundreds of bird species in India are declining; News: Genomes reveal how New York City’s rats thrive in the urban jungle For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

27 February 2020: Mapping fruit flies’ neural circuitry, and perfecting the properties of metallic glass

In recent days, the number of coronavirus cases have surged in South Korea.In this Podcast Extra Nick Howe speaks to Bartosz Gryzbowski, a researcher based in the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, which is just 60km away from epicentre of the South Korean outbreak. He explains how the outbreak has affected his research and what the atmosphere is like there at the moment. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Podcast Extra: How coronavirus is affecting research in South Korea

This week, machine learning helps batteries charge faster, and using bacterial nanowires to generate electricity from thin air.In this episode:00:46 Better battery chargingA machine learning algorithm reveals how to quickly charge batteries without damaging them. Research Article: Attia et al.07:12 Research HighlightsDeciphering mouse chit-chat, and strengthening soy glue. Research Highlight: The ‘silent’ language of mice is decoded at last; Research Article: Gu et al.09:21 Harnessing humidityA new device produces electricity using water in the air. Research Article: Liu et al.16:30 News ChatCoronavirus outbreak updates, the global push to conserve biodiversity, and radar reveals secrets in an ancient Egyptian tomb. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: China takes centre stage in global biodiversity push For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

20 February 2020: Improving battery charging, and harnessing energy from the air

This week, uncovering the structure of materials with useful properties, and quantum entanglement over long distances.In this episode:00:45 Analysing Prussian bluesAnalogues of the paint pigment Prussian blue are used in a variety of chemical processes. Now, researchers have uncovered their atomic structure. Research Article: Simonov et al.; News and Views: Ordered absences observed in porous framework materials08:17 Research HighlightsTeenagers’ natural sleep cycles impact on academic performance, and an extinct, giant rodent with a surprisingly tiny brain. Research Highlight: A teenager’s body clock can ring in school success; Research Highlight: Giant extinct rodent was all brawn and little brain10:49 Distant entanglementResearchers have demonstrated quantum entanglement between two points separated by 50 km of fibre optic cables. Research Article: Yu et al.17:17 News ChatThe latest on the coronavirus outbreak, and gene editing gets an upgrade. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: Super-precise CRISPR tool enhanced by enzyme engineering For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

13 February 2020: The puzzling structures of muddled materials, and paving the way for the quantum internet

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 Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and providing in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors.

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Nature Podcast

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