Share

Nature Podcast
Coronapod: What use are contact tracing apps? And new hopes for coronavirus drug remdesivir
The Coronapod team pick through the latest news, plus we hear from the researchers making lemonade out of lockdown lemons.
In this episode:
01:10 Can contact-tracing apps help?
Governments around the world are banking on smartphone apps to help end the spread of the coronavirus. But how effective might these apps might be? What are the risks? And how should they fit into wider public health strategies?
Editorial: Show evidence that apps for COVID-19 contact-tracing are secure and effective
13:30 Antiviral remdesivir shows promise
Early results from a US trial of the antiviral drug remdesivir suggest it shortens recovery time for patients with COVID-19. We unpick the findings.
News: Hopes rise for coronavirus drug remdesivir
16:52 One good thing
Our hosts pick out things that have made them smile in the last week, including blooming trust in scientists, cooking experiments, and a neighbourhood coming together to clap for healthcare workers.
21:34 Unexpected opportunities
We hear from three researchers making the most of lockdown, studying tiny earthquakes, building balcony-based citizen science projects, or enlisting gamers to fight the coronavirus.
Fold-it, the protein-folding computer game
Vote for us in the 2020 Webby awards!
Nature Podcast: Callused feet, and protein-based archaeology
More episodes
View all episodes

Briefing Chat: Dog years: could longevity science extend your pets' lives?
09:59|Nature staff discuss the emerging field of pet longevity — plus, a researcher decides not to care about their student reviews. Are they wrong? 00:24 Could research help boost your dog’s lifespan?Nature: Can science make your dog live longer? Longevity craze comes to pets05:16 Is it wrong to not care about student reviews?Nature: What students think about my teaching doesn’t matter. Am I wrong?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
This Arabian desert was once a lush paradise. Why did ancient humans avoid it?
26:05|Expedition revealed that water wasn’t enough for human settlement — plus, proposals to block sunlight get serious. 00:49 A failed desert expedition to find human tools reveals what humans needed to thriveResearch Article: Dellmour et al.12:33 Research HighlightsNature: Sleep declines in rural communities after electricity arrivesNature: AI doctors’ orders come with a sky-high bill15:14 Could satellites help cool the Earth?Nature: Could a giant sunshade in space 'solve global warming'? Scientists are taking the idea seriouslySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: How physicists successfully trapped the electron's antimatter equivalent
14:59|In this episode:00:21 New experiment looking for mismatch between matter and antimatterNature: A single antimatter particle in a cage opens door to ‘revolutionary’ physics08:32 JAXA's mission to PhobosAerospace America: JAXA’s MMX mission will include the first wheeled rover to drive in ultra-low gravitySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Scientists put a salt marsh in a giant wave-machine: here's what they learned
19:53|In this episode:00:46 How salt marshes could protect coastal regions from super-stormsResearch Article: Willemsen et al.10:56 Research HighlightsNature: Orangutan mothers arrange play dates for their babiesNature: Lead-tainted teeth reveal medieval mines’ unequal toll13:30 Putting a face to the DenisovansResearch Article: Xing et al.Nature: This is what the mysterious Denisovans looked likeSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Audio long read: How to stay smart in the age of AI — the science of critical thinking
16:05|Critical thinking is a skill that is under threat from the AI revolution in large language models. But all is not lost. Specialists in education and cognition have long been studying critical thinking, and some have useful tips on how to stay cognitively sharp in the age of AI.This is an audio version of our Feature: How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking
Briefing Chat: An invisible tattoo that appears under UV light – and then disappears
09:33|In this episode:00:15 An appearing, disappearing tattoo inkNature: Watch this invisible tattoo appear under UV light04:13 How the epigenome could help explain why big dogs age fasterNature: Big dogs age faster than little ones — rogue ‘jumping genes’ might be to blameSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
The world is closer to a major conservation target than scientists thought
21:37|Analysis suggests number of protected areas is hugely underestimated but biodiversity is still in peril — plus, a huge study looking at the health effects of brown fat.00:45 The world may have more conservation areas than previously thoughtResearch Article: O’Neill et al.08:38 Research HighlightsNature: The Solar System could die one billion times earlier than thoughtNature: Chimp and gorilla brains resist weight loss with age — unlike human brains11:19 Giant study expands list of brown fat’s health benefitsResearch Article: Gómez-Banoy et al.Nature: Overlooked 'brown' body fat linked to wide range of health benefitsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: Top researchers are being misled by sham academic societies
12:50|In this episode we discuss a recent Nature exclusive investigating an international constellation of sham academies and societies that have successfully misled some of the world’s leading scientists and universities.Nature: Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchersSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Nobel Prizes 2026: ‘ghost’ particles, mirror molecules and light switches in the brain
23:31|In this episode:00:45 The Nobel Prizes 2026Nature: Medicine Nobel awarded for brain ‘switch’ that controls neurons with lightNature: ‘What took them so long?’ This year’s medicine Nobel winner is overdueNature: Nobel physics prize awarded for detection of cosmic neutrinosNature: Astronomy’s ‘adrenaline junkies’: Nobel prize captures the thrill of neutrino physicsNature: Chemistry Nobel for solving mystery of how ‘handed’ organic molecules can emerge11:53 Research HighlightsNature: Youthful fans of YouTube sports videos stick to the sofaNature: A black hole’s jets have a halo effect14:11 The ancient human gut microbiomeResearch Article: Carter et al.News and Views: Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeysSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.