Nature Podcast

Springer Nature Limited

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 the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. -3 ДН.

    New bird flu vaccine could tackle multiple variants with one shot

    00:46 A multi-variant avian flu vaccine that could enhance pandemic preparednessA vaccine capable of protecting against multiple strains of avian influenza virus might be a step closer, according to new research. The H5 subtype of avian influenza viruses has spilled over into mammals and is particularly concerning to researchers because of the risk that one of its variants may evolve to cause a pandemic. But because there are multiple variants of these viruses, it has been hard to pre-prepare vaccines. Now, a team has used information on how H5 viruses changed over time to design a vaccine that in animal studies provided protection against different H5 variants. They hope their approach could be applied to create stockpiles of a vaccine that could be used in the event of a pandemic, regardless of the variant that causes it. Research Article: Kok et al. 10:53 Research HighlightsMaking muon beams without a huge particle accelerator — plus, the bats hunting migrating birds in mid-air. Research Highlight: Portable muon beam could accelerate archaeology scans Research Highlight: European bats capture migrating birds and eat them on the wing 13:34 Briefing ChatA new search engine that can sift through the staggering volumes of biological data, and the multiple failings revealed by an assessment of 25 years of carbon offsetting data. Nature: ‘Google for DNA’ brings order to biology’s big data The Guardian: Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says​​​​​​​ Subscribe 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.

    23 мин.
  2. 8 ОКТ.

    How stereotypes shape AI – and what that means for the future of hiring

    00:48 The stereotypes hidden in Internet imagesStereotyped assumptions about women’s ages and their perceived job suitability are enhanced by Internet imagery, according to new research. A study of hundreds of thousands of online images shows that women appear younger than men. This stereotype extends to the jobs that people perceive women do, with men being associated with roles such as CEO or head of research, while women were linked to occupations like cook or nurse. The research shows that these biases have been embedded into the training data for AI models and could affect future hiring. The researchers caution that society is at risk of creating a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ where these stereotypes shape the real world. Research Article: Guilbeault et al. News and Views: Distorted representations of age and gender are reflected in AI models 13:24 Research HighlightsA very hungry planet — plus, how climate change is leading to larger trees in the Amazon. Research Highlight: ‘Rogue’ planet is fastest-growing ever observed Research Highlight: Trees of the Amazon are becoming even mightier 15:49 Astronomers name their favourite exoplanetThirty years ago, astronomers announced the discovery of the first exoplanet around a Sun-like star, sparking a renewed passion into spotting these planets that lie beyond our Solar System. In celebration, Nature asked researchers to tell us about their favourites. News: These alien planets are astronomers’ favourites: here’s why Hear the music of a distant planetary system 25:51 Nobel newsFlora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel prizes. Nature: Medicine Nobel goes to scientists who revealed secrets of immune system ‘regulation’ Nature: Groundbreaking quantum-tunnelling experiments win physics Nobel Nature: Chemistry Nobel for scientists who developed massively porous ‘super sponge’ materials Nature: Will AI ever win its own Nobel? Some predict a prize-worthy science discovery soon Subscribe 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.

    36 мин.
  3. 1 ОКТ.

    Ancient viral DNA helps human embryos develop

    00:50 How ancient viruses drive modern human developmentResearch suggests that ancient viral-DNA embedded in the human genome is playing a key role in early embryo development. Around 8% of our genome consists of endogenous retrovirus DNA — the remnants of ancient infections, but knowledge of their activity is limited. Now, a team show that these sequences are required for the correct development of lab-derived embryo analogues, and for the switching on of human-specific genes. Research Article: Fueyo et al. News and Views: Ancient viral DNA in the human genome shapes early development 10:39 Research HighlightsLonger whale mothers are more likely to give birth to daughters — plus, how the stink of the corpse flower waxes and wanes to attract pollinators. Research Highlight: Big mother whales have more daughters than sons Research Highlight: Corpse flowers waft out stinky compounds as fast as landfills do 13:05 How heat can fuel DNA computersResearchers have developed a way to use heat to recharge DNA-based computer circuits, which could help overcome one of the stumbling blocks preventing this technology from being scaled up. Although DNA strands have been used to perform computational tasks for some time, current methods can run out of energy or build up waste products, preventing their continued use. Now, using just heat a team have demonstrated a reuseable neural network based on DNA. They hope that ultimately this could be a step in the development of bigger and more powerful DNA computers that could be used to power targeted clinical therapies. Research Article: Song & Qian 22:20 Briefing ChatA one-time gene therapy for Huntington’s disease show promise at slowing the brain disorder’s progression — plus, how mitochondria throw out ‘tainted’ DNA. Nature: Huntington’s disease treated for first time using gene therapy Nature: Mitochondria expel tainted DNA — spurring age-related inflammation Subscribe 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.

    34 мин.
  4. 24 СЕНТ.

    How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

    00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitisResearchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In rare cases an infection can lead to serious neurological symptoms, but little was known about how the virus interacts with human cells. Now, a team show that a protein found on the outside of cells plays an important role in infection. In mouse experiments, they show that blocking the ability of the virus to bind to this protein protected the mice from disease. Currently no treatments exist, but the team hopes that this research will ultimately lead to a viable drug for this disease. Research Article: Mittler et al. 08:47 Research HighlightsThe squirming robot that speeds up the insertion of an emergency breathing tube — plus, the 10,000-year-old remains that could be the oldest intentionally preserved mummies Research Highlight: Soft robot steers itself down the human airway Research Highlight: Smoke-dried mummies pre-date Egypt’s embalmed bodies 11:21 How might cancelled NIH grants affect the future of US science?To assess the potential impact of cuts to funding by the Trump administration, Nature trained a machine-learning bot to try and reproduce the NIH’s method of cancelling grants and applied it to science that was successfully funded around ten years ago. This thought experiment shows that highly impactful science and medical research might have been at risk had a similar process been followed a decade ago, revealing the potentially broad-reaching consequences of these actions today. Nature Index: What research might be lost after the NIH’s cuts? Nature trained a bot to find out News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature 20:54 Briefing ChatWhat researchers understand about chatbot-induced psychosis, and the AI designed viruses capable of killing E. coli bacteria. Nature: Can AI chatbots trigger psychosis? What the science says Nature: World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life Subscribe 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.

    33 мин.
  5. 17 СЕНТ.

    This AI tool predicts your risk of 1,000 diseases — by looking at your medical records

    00:50 The AI tool that predicts disease riskResearchers have developed an AI tool that can calculate a person’s risk of developing over 1,000 different diseases, sometimes years in advance. The system, called Delphi-2M, was trained to identify patterns of disease progression using 400,000 people's health records from data repository the UK Biobank. This training allowed it to predict someone’s future disease risks, based on their current medical record. While AI health prediction systems do exist, they typically only estimate risks for a single disease — the authors hope that their system could one day save healthcare professionals time and be used to calculate disease burdens at a population level. Research Article: Shmatko et al. News: What diseases will you have in 20 years? This AI makes predictions 11:01 Research HighlightsEvidence that refugees hosted by local families integrate better into their adoptive country — plus, the squidgy shirt that can keep wearers cool. Research Highlight: How to help refugees thrive: have local families host them Research Highlight: Jelly-filled garment keeps wearers cool when heat and humidity soar 13:50 Give an AI a task and it may cheat for youUsing AI tools may make you more likely to cheat at tasks like tax reporting, according to a new study. Using a well-studied test of honesty, researchers looked to see if people were more likely to engage in unethical behaviour if given the option of delegating it to an AI. Including AIs seemed to increase the chance that someone would be dishonest, which raises concerns about the impacts of these tools on ethics. Research Article: Köbis et al News and Views: People are more likely to cheat when they delegate tasks to AI 24:54 Briefing ChatEurope has a new supercomputer, JUPITER, that could boost its AI ambitions, and a catalogue of octopus movement. Nature: World's most energy-efficient AI supercomputer comes online New York Times: Building an Octopus Dictionary, One Arm Movement at a Time Subscribe 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.

    36 мин.
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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 the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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