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Honey, I ate the kids: how hunger and hormones make mice aggressive
Researchers have uncovered the neural mechanisms that underlie an aggressive behaviour in mice prompted by hunger and hormonal state. Virgin female mice can become aggressive towards mouse pups when they are food deprived, but it seems that the relevant amounts of pregnancy hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, also played a role. By investigating the neurons involved, neuroscientists showed how hunger and hormones are integrated by the brain to lead to aggressive behaviour. This could help researchers understand more about how multiple stimuli are interpreted by the brain, something much harder to study than single stimulus effects.
Research Article: Cao et al.
The overlooked environmental costs of wastewater treatment facilities — plus, an ancient communal hunting system that lasted well into the eighteenth century.
Research Highlight: Wastewater treatment produces surprising amounts of greenhouse gases
Research Highlight: Andean peoples hunted and gathered long after they embraced farming
Around the world, universities and students are scrambling to adapt to the use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. And while there is optimism that these tools could improve education, there are also concerns about the ways they could stifle independent, critical thought. We hear about the studies trying to unpick the potential impact of this new technology.
News Feature: Universities are embracing AI: will students get smarter or stop thinking?
A blood test for Alzheimer’s, and what should be the next ‘test’ for AI after the Turing test?
Nature: Blood tests are now approved for Alzheimer’s: how accurate are they?
Nature: AI language models killed the Turing test: do we even need a replacement?
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What counts as a moon? Huge ‘exosatellite’ sparks debate
23:50|00:45 The discovery of a moon-like object in a distant star systemResearch article: Hoy et al.10:34 Research HighlightsNature: Moving floors keep buildings from swaying with the windNature: Wearable sensors on the face are invisible to the eye13:07 A discovery of a new type of rare transmissible-cancerResearch article: Curd et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: Sweet! Elusive sugar molecules found in space
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Briefing Chat: The 30 year-legacy of a science icon – Dolly the sheep
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Togetherness: How co-operation built the world
31:39|In this episode, we speak with science journalist Rowan Hooper, whose book Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations takes a deep-dive into the world of co-operation between organisms.In the book, he argues that collaboration in nature has often been overlooked in favour of competition, and that organisms working together have played a vital role in making the world the way it is.Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations Rowan Hooper Fern Press (2026)Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty ImagesAudio long read: Is the peptide craze backed by science? The promise behind the hype
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Briefing Chat: What tickling a chimpanzee can tell us about the evolution of speech
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