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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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Briefing Chat: Meet the snakes that cartwheel away from trouble
10:45|In this episode:00:27 The snake that rolls at the first sign of dangerTiktok: This snake does cartwheelsResearch article: Kojima et al.05:10 Evidence of ancient blood cells in a dinosaur fossilScience: Did scientists just find 115-million-year-old dinosaur blood?Nature: Patrick Stewart dies: how Captain Picard inspired today’s science leadersSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Ancient DNA charts spread of Celtic and Germanic languages
25:16|Ancient genomes from thousands of individuals show how migrations helped shape Celtic and Germanic languages — plus, how the brain may regulate emotions differently than we thought. 00:49 How Celtic and Germanic languages spread across EuropeResearch Article: McColl et al.Research Article: McColl et al.13:00 Research HighlightsNature: Barn owls’ ancestors made a transatlantic flightNature: Even stupendous black holes can’t explain dark matter15:34 Why part of the brain may not be controlling emotions in the way researchers thoughtResearch Article: Sicorello et al.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Correction: This article originally stated Simon Rodway’s name incorrectly. The podcast has now been updated to correct this.
Briefing Chat: Dog years: could longevity science extend your pets' lives?
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Briefing Chat: How physicists successfully trapped the electron's antimatter equivalent
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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
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