Nature Podcast

Jan 29 2025 778 ep. 24 mins 84.8k
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The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors.
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Asteroid Bennu contains building blocks of life

Jan 29 2025 34 mins  
In this episode:00:46 Evidence of ancient brine reveals Bennu’s watery pastAnalysis of samples taken from the asteroid Bennu reveal the presence of organic compounds important for life, and that its parent asteroid likely contained salty, subsurface water. Collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, these rocks and dust particles give insights into the chemistry of the early Solar

What's the best way to become a professor? The answer depends on where you are

Jan 22 2025 32 mins  
00:56 How the paths to professorship varyA huge analysis of hiring practices has revealed that criteria to get a promotion to full professorship is hugely variable around the world. The authors suggest that this variability results in researchers from countries that value one type of metric being locked out of professor positions in others. They hope that the database of hiring pra

AI-designed antivenoms could help treat lethal snakebites

Jan 15 2025 33 mins  
00:46 Designing new antivenoms to treat snakebitesResearchers have shown that machine learning can quickly design antivenoms that are effective against lethal snake-toxins, which they hope will help tackle a serious public health issue. Thousands of people die as a result of snakebites each year, but treatment options are limited, expensive and often difficult to access in the reso

A new-year round-up of the science stories you may have missed

Jan 08 2025 25 mins  
In this episode of the Nature Podcast, we catch up on some science stories from the holiday period by diving into the Nature Briefing.00:53 The retraction of a controversial COVID study that promoted unproven treatmentA much-critiqued study demonstrating the now-disproven idea that hydroxychloroquine can treat COVID-19 has been retracted — more than four-and-a-half year

Science in 2025: what to expect this year

Jan 01 2025 11 mins  
In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2025. We’ll hear about: the latest Moon missions, 30 years of the United Nations' COP climate summits, the return of Donald Trump, and more.Nature: Science in 2025: the events to watch for in the coming year Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i

Audio long read: How a silly science prize changed my career

Dec 27 2024 11 mins  
Marc Abrahams created the Ig Nobel prizes in 1991, after years of collecting examples of weird research that he included in the Journal of Irreproducible Results. The aim of these satirical awards is to honour achievements that “make people laugh, then think”.While the initial response from the scientific community was mixed, last year the prize received more than 9,000 no

The Nature Podcast highlights of 2024

Dec 25 2024 49 mins  
00:36 How melting ice is affecting global timekeepingNature Podcast: 27 March 2024Research article: Agnew09:19 Sex and gender discussions don't need to be toxicPodcast extra: 01 May 2024Collection: Sex and gender in science18:10 Research HighlightsResearch Highlight: How to train your crocodileResearch Highlight: Ancient fish dined on bats — or died

Behind the scenes of Nature News and Views in 2024

Dec 20 2024 24 mins  
02:54 The death star moon and a win for the little guysThe shifting orbit of one of Saturn’s moons indicates that the satellite has a subsurface ocean, contradicting theories that its interior is entirely solid. The finding calls for a fresh take on what constitutes an ocean moon.Nature Podcast: 14 February 2024News and Views: Mimas’s surprise ocean prompts an update

The Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2024

Dec 18 2024 37 mins  
01:11 “Ozempic you’re able”In the first of our annual festive songs celebrating the science of the past year, we pay homage to Ozempic, or Semaglutide, that's able to tackle obesity, diabetes and potentially a whole lot more.05:20 A very scientific quizWe gather an all-star cast and see how well they can remember some of the big science stories from 2024 in our annual festive

Should offensive species names be changed? The organisms that honour dictators, racists and criminals

Dec 16 2024 52 mins  
Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed to the stars in the sky.But names have consequences — unintended or otherwise. In our new series What’s in a name we’ll explore naming in science and how names impact the world — whether that’s how the names of st