Stay ConnectedThe 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 award-winning journalists.
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This week, how setting an out-of-office email could help promote a kinder academic culture.
In this episode:
00:47 Being truly out of office
Last year, a viral tweet about emails sparked a deeper conversation about academics’ work-life-balance. Could email etiquette help tip the balance? Careers Article: Out of office replies and what they can say about you
09:35 Research Highlights
Finding the ‘greenest’ oranges, and the benefits of ‘baby talk’. Research Article: Bell and Horvath; Research Highlight: Babies benefit when Mum and Dad are fluent in ‘baby talk’
12:06 News Chat
Updates on the novel coronavirus, assessing Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and the potential impacts of Brexit on UK research. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: How quickly can Iran make a nuclear bomb?; News: Brexit is happening: what does it mean for science?
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This week, establishing the role of climate change in Australian bushfires, and revisiting Isaac Asimov’s ethical rules for robots.
In this episode:
00:46 Behind the bushfires
Researchers are working to establish the role that climate change is playing in the bushfires that are raging across Australia. News Feature: The race to decipher how climate change influenced Australia’s record fires; Editorial: Australia: show the world what climate action looks like
10:02 Research Highlights
The debate around how Vesuvius claimed its victims, and an ancient mummy speaks. Research Highlight: Vitrified brains and baked bones tell the story of Vesuvius deaths; Research Article: Howard et al.
12:21 Asimov’s legacy
This year marks the centenary of Isaac Asimov’s birth. We reflect on the impact of his writing on the field of robotics. Essay: Isaac Asimov: centenary of the great explainer
21:00 News Chat
The latest on a new virus from Wuhan in China, and social scientists' battle with bots. News: Coronavirus: latest news on spreading infection; News: Social scientists battle bots to glean insights from online chatter
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This week, why stress makes mice turn grey, and how to think about climate change.
In this episode:
00:45 Going grey
Anecdotal evidence has long suggested stressas a cause of grey hair. Now, a team of researchers have showed experimental evidence to suggest this is the case. Research Article: Zhang et al.; News & Views: How the stress of fight or flight turns hair white
08:39 Research Highlights
Ancient bones suggest that giant ground sloths moved in herds,plus an atomic way to check for whiskey fakes. Research Highlight: A bone bed reveals mass death of herd of giant ground sloths; Research Highlight: Nuclear-bomb carbon unmasks fraudulent luxury whisky
10:40 Climate optimism
To tackle climate change, the former UN secretary for climate change argues that the biggest change needs to be mindset. Comment: Paris taught me how to do what is necessary to combat climate change
18:09 News Chat
The latest on a new virus from Wuhan in China, and insights from ancient African genomes. News: China virus latest: first US case confirmed; Research Article: Lipson et al.
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In this episode:
00:45 Observing the centre of the galaxy
Researchers have uncovered a population of dust-enshrouded objects orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.
Research Article: Ciurlo et al.
06:34 Research Highlights
A London landmark’s height lends itself to a physics experiment, and generous behaviour in parrots. Research Highlight: An iconic structure in London moonlights as a scientific tool; Research Highlight: Parrots give each other gifts without promise of reward
09:00 The human ‘screenome’ project
To understand the effects of online media consumption, researchers argue that the way it’s measured needs to change. Comment: Time for the Human Screenome Project
17:26 News Chat
A decline in human body temperature, and a new report on research culture. News: Not so hot: US data suggests human bodies are cooling down; News: Stressful, aggressive, damaging: huge survey reveals toils of scientists’ working lives
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In this episode of the podcast, Nature reporter Davide Castelvecchi joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2020.
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In this special round-up episode of the Nature Podcast, our reporters choose their favourite podcast piece of 2019.
In this episode:
00:33 A sole sensation
A study of people who do and don't wear shoes looks into whether calluses make feet less sensitive. Nature Podcast: 26 June 2019; Research article: Holowka et al.; News and Views: Your sensitive sole
08:56 The make up of the far side of the Moon
Initial observations from the first lander to touch down on the far side of the Moon. Nature Podcast: 15 May 2019; Research article: Li et al.
15:43 Growth Mindset
How a one hour course could improve academic achievement. Nature Podcast: 07 August 2019; Research article: Yeager et al.
27:44 ‘Manferences’
Nature investigates the prevalence of conferences where most of the speakers are male. Nature Podcast: 11 September 2019; News Feature: How to banish manels and manferences from scientific meetings
34:02 Q&A with Nobel Prize winner John Goodenough
We talk to John Goodenough, who was jointly awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in the development of the lithium-ion battery. Podcast Extra: 09 October 2019
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This year, Nature celebrates its 150th birthday. To mark this anniversary we’re rebroadcasting episodes from our PastCast series, highlighting key moments in the history of science.
In this episode, we’re heading back to the early twentieth century, when physicists had become deeply entangled in the implications of the quantum theory. At its smallest scales was the world continuous? Or built of discrete units? It all began with Max Planck. His Nobel Prize was the subject of a Nature news article in 1920.
This episode was first broadcast in December 2013.
From the archive
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2019 will likely go down as a pivotal year for public discourse on climate change. It was the year of Greta Thunberg, the climate school strikes, and Extinction Rebellion. The global activist movement has gained support from a range of influential people, including renowned environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin.
In this Podcast Extra, Nature's Chief Opinion Editor Sara Abdulla meets with Farhana to discuss why she ditched resolutions in favour of activism. This is an extended version of an interview originally broadcast in September.
Comment: Why I broke the law for climate change
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As part of Nature's 150th anniversary celebrations, Nick Howe dives into the topic of epigenetics.
Since its origin in 1942, the term 'epigenetics' has been repeatedly defined and redefined. There's always been hype around the field, but what actually is epigenetics and how much does it influence our genes?
In this Podcast Extra, Nick Howe speaks to Edith Heard, Director General of the EMBL, and Giacomo Cavalli, from the Institute of Human Genetics, to guide us through these questions and find out about the history and future of epigenetics.
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We’ve launched our 2019 listener survey. We want to know what you think of the show to help us make a great podcast. You can find the survey here. Thanks!
This week, a solution to a centuries-old physics problem, and holiday shenanigans.
In this episode:
00:51 Disentangling three bodies
Researchers have been working to unpick a problem that has stumped scientists since the 1600s. Research Article: Stone and Leigh
08:50 Frosty the Snowman
The first of our festive science songs, about how a certain snowman is faring under climate change. Scroll to the transcript section below for the lyrics.
11:00 Festive quiz show
Our reporters battle it out to be crowned as this year’s quiz champion. Can they describe some of the top news headlines without saying certain important words? We find out.
19:21 Carol of M87
Our second song is about the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration’s imaging of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the M87 galaxy. Scroll to the transcript section below for the lyrics.
20:33 News Chat
We hear about some of the people on Nature’s 10 this year. Feature: Nature’s 10: Ten people who mattered this year
30:00 Rockin’ Around Supremacy
For our final song, we hark back to October, when Google claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy. Scroll to the transcript section below for the lyrics.
TRANSCRIPT
Frosty the Snowman lyrics:
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul
But the smile wore off as the globe got hot
‘Cause the world used too much coal.
Frosty the Snowman is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow
But the kids won’t know ‘cause it’s them who have to pay.
Gonna’ need some magic to
Convince the world to stop
‘Cause now we’re running out of time
And he’s feeling mighty hot.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman, is endangered as could be
And the children say they wish he’d stay,
But they don’t trust you and me.
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the climate COP.
They gathered there, and Greta stared
And together hollered “STOP”.
Frosty the Snowman, had to hurry on his way
But he said we should do all that we could
For to change our dirty ways.
Frosty the Snowman, knew the time to act was now
So the girls and boys said make some noise
And we’ll get a change somehow
Carol of M87 lyrics:
Hark at the sound
Photons abound
Radio waves
All seem to say
Out in the dark
This glowing spark
We find our goal
See a black hole.
(M) M Eight-se’en
(Eight) As it was then
(tee) eons ago
(se’en) See it aglow
Data from these
Observatries
Processed to give
The first image
One seems to see
With EHT
Fire in a ring
Light circling
Einstein was right,
Warped is the light,
See the lensing
Bending the ring.
Now-we see-a supermassive black hole. (M – eigh-ty- se’en)
How-we see-a supermassive black hole. (M – eigh-ty-se’en)
(M) Space time is bent
(Eight) See this event
(tee) Horizon burn
(ee) So...
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