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Long-awaited ape genomes give new insights into their evolution — and ours
Researchers have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, helping uncover the evolutionary history of our closest relatives and offering insights into what makes humans human. The genomes of chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan and siamang have been sequenced end-to-end, filling in gaps that have long eluded researchers.
Research Article: Yoo et al.
News and Views: Complete ape genomes offer a close-up view of human evolution
News: What makes us human? Milestone ape genomes promise clues
How sunflower stars are evading a mysterious epidemic, and how solar panels made of moon dust could power lunar bases.
Research Highlight: Revealed: where rare and giant starfish hide from an enigmatic killer
Research Highlight: Solar cells made of Moon dust could power up a lunar base
After decades of research, physicists have demonstrated that, in principle, an alternative kind of particle accelerator can work just as well as more conventional designs. Many particle accelerators that power huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are radio-frequency accelerators, but they are large and limited in how strong their magnetic fields can be. The new work shows that accelerators that instead use plasma to accelerate particles could be a viable alternative and could be built at much smaller scales.
Research article: Winkler et al.
A drug that makes blood poisonous to mosquitoes, and how an AI worked out how to solve key challenges in Minecraft by ‘imagining’ solutions.
Science Alert: Drug For Rare Disease Turns Human Blood Into Mosquito Poison
Nature: AI masters Minecraft: DeepMind program finds diamonds without being taught
Vote for How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved
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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.
‘Learning about physics changed my life’: author Hernan Diaz on his new novel Ply
32:19|In this episode, we speak with Hernan Diaz whose most recent novel Ply blends a vision of a dystopian future with questions about selfhood and asks whether advanced physics could be used to unravel the fabric of spacetime itself.Ply Hernan Diaz Picador (2026)Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty ImagesNever miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.These optical illusions are why butterflies are so hard to catch
18:01|High-speed footage of takeoffs reveal that the butterfly markings mislead the eye, making them harder to catch.00:45 Butterflies in flight create confusing motion cues that baffle birdsResearch Article: Hancock et al.14:09 Research HighlightsResearch Article: Menezes and PodosResearch Highlight: Huge hoard of metal bars hints at vast Iron Age tradeSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Briefing Chat: Why scientists made papyrus scrolls, then burnt them
11:32|In this episode00:23 How detecting lead could help researchers read damaged Roman scrollsNature: Watch scientists decipher burned scrolls without unrolling them06:42 A biodegradeable, paper-inspired batteryNature: Edible batteries power medical devices in the bodySubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.Bank accounts reveal the fingerprints of abusive financial control
24:12|00:45 Investigating the day-to-day impacts of Financial AbuseNature: Trendl et al.Support organizationsUK: Surviving Economic AbuseUS: National Domestic Violence Helpline12:14 Research HighlightsNature: Mercury is shrinking with age — faster than thoughtNature: Cognitive resilience helps to predict Alzheimer’s dementia14:55 How opposing forces in the Earth's core alter how the planet spinsNature: Gravitational tug-of-war inside Earth is changing the length of our daysSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.- 12:34|In this episode:00:22 Could secret rooms lie beyond Tutankhamun's tomb?Nature: Exclusive: New evidence for hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun’s tomb05:55 A multifunctional brain–computer interfaceNature: ‘Multifunctional’ brain implant translates speech and gestures in real timeSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
