Share
Nature Podcast
Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by starlight
We’d like to learn more about our listeners, please help us out by filling in this short survey.
In this episode:
Bogong moths use the stars to help them navigate during their enormous migration across Australia, according to new research. Every year, billions of these nocturnal moths travel up to 1,000 km to cool caves in the Australian Alps, despite having never been there before. By placing moths in a flight-simulator that also acted as a planetarium, the team behind the work showed that moths could use the bright Milky Way to help them fly in the correct direction.
Research article: Dreyer et al.
Nigeria's pangolins are under threat because their meat is delicious, and how the gravitational pull of other galaxies may prevent the Milky Way colliding with Andromeda.
Research Highlight: Why pangolins are poached: they’re the tastiest animal around
Research Highlight: A long-predicted cosmic collision might not happen after all
New research suggests that shortly before modern humans successfully migrated out of Africa, they massively expanded the range of ecosystems they lived in. By combining climate modelling with data from archaeological sites across the African continent, researchers put forward evidence that 70,000 years ago, humans expanded the ecosystems they lived in to include diverse habitat types from forests to deserts. The authors suggest this ability to live in different places may have helped the later humans that migrated out of the continent around 50,000 years ago.
Research article: Hallet et al.
Blowing bubble-rings could be humpback whales' way of trying to communicate with humans, and the research suggesting that everyone’s breathing pattern is unique.
Science Alert: Humpback Whale Bubble Rings May Be an Attempt to Communicate With Us
Nature: How you breathe is like a fingerprint that can identify you
More episodes
View all episodes
Briefing Chat: How 1,000 pairs of buried underpants helped measure soil health
12:24|In this episode:00:21 Our picks of this year’s Ig Nobel prizesNature: Buried underpants and a new definition of kissing win 2026 Ig Nobel prizes07:47 Massive xenon experiment detects tantalizing hint of dark matterNature: Is this the first glimpse of dark matter? Data point excites physicistsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Audio long read: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?
18:16|Scientists are amassing evidence that unrepaired or poorly repaired DNA damage underlies many of the hallmarks of ageing. This has led to research into whether boosting DNA repair can keep people healthy for longer.This is an audio version of our Feature: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?Briefing Chat: How Dolly Parton left her mark on science
14:05|In this episode:00:18 Researchers celebrate Dolly Parton's contributions to scienceNature: Dolly Parton dies aged 80 — researchers celebrate her contributions to science08:40 Phase III trial of melanoma vaccine shows promiseNature: Moderna cancer vaccine stops melanoma returning: what’s next for personalized treatments?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Highest-ever ocean temperatures recorded as El Niño intensifies
19:00|Why extreme temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks — plus, how mitochondrial injections could treat vision loss.00:46 The world’s oceans reach a record temperatureNature: Ocean temperatures set to break all-time record: what’s next?10:05 Research HighlightsNature: Astronaut vest cuts radiation exposure in halfNature: Earth-shaking thunder probes underground geology12:54 How mitochondrial injections could treat vision lossNature: Patient’s own mitochondria injected into eyes in attempt to restore visionSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: New narcolepsy drug could unlock host of novel brain therapies
12:25|Nature staff discuss how an FDA-approved drug for narcolepsy could have promise beyond the condition, and the longest-lived human brain organoids yet.00:28 The promise of a new narcolepsy drugNature: First-of-its-kind narcolepsy drug opens door to new therapies for the brain05:53 Human brain organoids kept alive for over five yearsNature: Human organoids that mimic brain development grown for years in labSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.A black hole's spin could finally be measured by a high-speed star
29:11|Star orbiting close to Sagittarius A* could reveal its spin — plus, how exoskeletons might change the way humans move.00:46 The star that could reveal a black hole’s spinResearch article: Dayem et al.13:23 Research HighlightsNature: Rattlesnakes’ own antivenom could protect humans tooNature: Shipping on rivers packs a surprisingly large climate punch15:40 Commercial exoskeletons are hitting the market — what now?Nature: Will you be wearing an exoskeleton in ten years? The tech that could change how we moveSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: Anthropic rolls out new AI watermark — will it make a difference?
16:52|In this episode:00:29 What does Anthropic’s new watermark mean for research?Nature: Can Anthropic’s invisible watermarks curb ‘AI slop’? Researchers remain sceptical10:57 Ticklishness is a distinct, specialized body sensation, research findsNature: Where are you ticklish? Researchers map the sensation across culturesSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.The probiotic bacteria engineered to treat diabetes
19:37|Genetically modified bacteria lower high blood-sugar in animal trials — plus, how to safely watch a solar eclipse.00:45 A living diabetes treatmentResearch article: Guan et al.08:03 Research HighlightsNature: Pumas are drivers’ guardian angelsNature: How a steady drip-drip can erode the hardest stone10:29 What eclipses might reveal about the Sun’s coronaNature: Solar eclipse offers rare chance to solve Sun’s magnetic-field mysteriesSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: Is DNA repair the secret to a long life? Whales and mole-rats offer tantalizing hints
13:52|Nature staff discuss how animal studies are starting to uncover how DNA repair could prolong life, and how COVID-19 can reawaken dormant viruses.00:25 Could reawakened viruses have a link to long-COVID?Nature: COVID can wake up a slew of dormant viruses inside you05:57 DNA damage can cause ageing, could boosting repair boost longevity?Nature: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.