Share
Nature Podcast
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?
More episodes
View all episodes
Briefing Chat: When to trust eyewitness memory – according to science
17:14|In this episode:00:21 When witnesses identify suspects from police line-ups, confidence mattersNature: Memory on trial: the new science of when to trust eyewitness testimony07:15 Registered Reports: how this ‘double peer review’ process could benefit scientists and their resultsNature: Nature is expanding Registered Reports to all the fields in which we publish
Major Ebola outbreak is escalating: what happens next
12:01|On 17 May the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an ongoing Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the outbreak has seen mounting numbers of suspected cases and deaths linked to the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.In this podcast we hear what's currently known about the outbreak and the efforts of clinicians, researchers and public health officials to halt its progress.Nature: Ebola outbreak is a global health emergency: what happens nextNature: Race begins to trial Ebola drugs amid current outbreakNature: Ebola outbreak spirals out of control: how might it have started?Nature: Will this Ebola outbreak be the biggest yet?AI ‘scientists’ promise to accelerate research — how do they work?
27:55|In this episode:00:46 Meet the AI scientists designed to accelerate researchResearch article: Ghareeb et al.Research article: Gottweis et al.Nature: Teams of AI agents boost speed of researchEditorial: Why AI cannot do good science without humansNature: Do you hate or love AI? Take Nature’s poll13:25 Research HighlightsNature: Dried to survive: desiccated tardigrades tolerate high heatNature: Pristine Antarctic ice records the Solar System’s travels15:35 Using LiDAR to look around cornersResearch article: Somasundaram 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: Hantavirus — what this outbreak reveals about the disease
09:34|In this episode:00:34 What questions remain about the hantavirus outbreak?Nature: Hantavirus outbreak exposes uncertainty about how disease spreadsNature: There is no vaccine for deadly hantavirus: what that means for future outbreaksSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Red-light therapy is all the rage — does it work?
21:56|In this episode:00:42 Is red-light therapy all hype?Disclaimer: The opinions and assertions expressed herein by Juanita Anders are those of the speaker and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the Department of War.Nature: The surprising science behind red-light therapy — and how it really works10:52 Research HighlightsNature: Trafficked pangolins can be traced to their source by DNA — even to a specific forestNature: A wispy wrapper for a chilly, Pluto-like world13:11 The complex story of global obesity ratesResearch article: NCD Risk Factor CollaborationSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Audio long read: The air is full of DNA — here’s what scientists are using it for
19:06|Although scientists have long been able to gather DNA from water and soil, it's only recently that they've started to see the air as a source of genetic information.Airborne DNA is already being used to monitor individual species, but researchers hope its abundance could have multiple uses, including judging the success of conservation efforts or attacks with biological weapons.However, there remains much to understand, such as how far DNA travels in the air, and the ethics involved in the potential identification of a person's genetic information.This is an audio version of our Feature: The air is full of DNA — here’s what scientists are using it for
Briefing Chat: Can't focus? It's not your attention span, it's your notifications
10:53|00:31 The science of attention spansNature Feature: Are attention spans really shrinking? What the science says04:54 Data centres in space?Nature News Explainer: AI data hubs in space: when will they take flight?Nature Comment: Space diplomacy: bridging the operating gaps between myriad missionsSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Anaesthetized brains can still process podcasts
15:00|In this episode:00:42 Probing the unconscious brain’s processing abilityResearch Article: Katlowitz et al.Nature: Even the unconscious brain can learn — and predict what you’ll say next12:32 Research HighlightsNature: An electrifying test to find a good coffeeNature: Forest pests hit trees hard as temperatures rise
Briefing Chat: Stressed mitochondria spawn new 'organelles' in cells
12:55|In this episode:00:27 How a parasite unveiled a mitochondrial secretNature: Mitochondria can spawn new ‘organelles’ — hinting at how modern cells evolved06:13 The extinct cephalopods that could have been enormousNature: Did kraken-like octopuses rule Cretaceous seas? Massive jaw fossils offer cluesSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.