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137 episodes
Nature Podcast
by Springer Nature Limited · English
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 award-winning journalists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes
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The climate crisis: What the data really say | Cooked? Ep 1
The host, Nic Petrucciol, asks whether climate anxiety and “it’s too late” narratives match the data, using three angles: (1) evidence of progress on decarbonization, (2) whether AI/data centers…
13 Nov 2026 · 37m · 15 chaptersToo dry for cacti: extreme droughts could push iconic species to extinction
Climate change and extreme droughts threaten cacti across the Americas; severe droughts are modeled to cause major habitat loss and potentially increase extinction risk.
11 Nov 2026 · 24m · 8 chaptersBriefing Chat: Meet the snakes that cartwheel away from trouble
Two science stories. First: dwarf reed snakes (Pseudorhabdian) in Malaysia escape predators using a rare rolling “cartwheel”/flip locomotion when their tail is tapped; researchers measured it as…
6 Nov 2026 · 11m · 6 chaptersAncient DNA charts spread of Celtic and Germanic languages
Two Nature Podcast segments. (1) Ancient DNA and migrations shaping Celtic and Germanic language origins.
4 Nov 2026 · 25m · 14 chapters
Briefing Chat: Dog years: could longevity science extend your pets' lives?
Animal longevity research—extending pets’ lifespans via cancer/disease studies, muscle-wasting (sarcopenia) research, gene therapies, and repurposed human drugs; includes a fringe cryopreservation…
30 Oct 2026 · 10m · 5 chaptersThis Arabian desert was once a lush paradise. Why did ancient humans avoid it?
The episode explores why ancient humans avoided the Rub’ al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) despite evidence it was once “Green Arabia” with lakes and savannah.
28 Oct 2026 · 26m · 13 chapters
Briefing Chat: How physicists successfully trapped the electron's antimatter equivalent
Two Nature Briefing stories. (1) Physicists trapped a single positron (electron’s antimatter) for months to measure its magnetic moment and test matter–antimatter symmetry at ~1 part in a trillion.
23 Oct 2026 · 15m · 3 chaptersScientists put a salt marsh in a giant wave-machine: here's what they learned
This episode of Nature Podcast covers two science stories. Main topic: researchers simulate “monster” storms to test whether salt marshes can protect coasts.
21 Oct 2026 · 20m · 11 chaptersAudio long read: How to stay smart in the age of AI — the science of critical thinking
How to stay smart in the age of AI by protecting and teaching critical thinking, especially scientific reasoning and the ability to evaluate evidence and misinformation.
19 Oct 2026 · 16m · 6 chapters
Briefing Chat: An invisible tattoo that appears under UV light – and then disappears
A “briefing chat” covering two Nature Briefing stories: (1) a photochromic tattoo ink that appears under UV light and can be erased, and (2) research explaining why small dogs live longer than big…
16 Oct 2026 · 10m · 6 chaptersThe world is closer to a major conservation target than scientists thought
The Nature Podcast episode discusses two science stories: (1) new research suggesting the world is closer than official figures to the “30 by 30” conservation target, and (2) AI-enabled findings…
14 Oct 2026 · 22m · 11 chapters
Briefing Chat: Top researchers are being misled by sham academic societies
Investigation into “sham academic societies” that mimic legitimate learned societies (e.g., Royal Society, U.S. National Academies) to mislead senior researchers and sell memberships/awards.
9 Oct 2026 · 13m · 7 chaptersNobel Prizes 2026: ‘ghost’ particles, mirror molecules and light switches in the brain
This Nature Podcast episode rounds up 2026 Nobel science winners and discusses whether ancient human gut microbiomes persist today.
7 Oct 2026 · 24m · 9 chapters
‘Learning about physics changed my life’: author Hernan Diaz on his new novel Ply
Hernan Diaz discusses his third novel, Ply, a two-part future New York story shaped by a punk ethos, a collapsed state, and an energy-and-water barter economy.
2 Oct 2026 · 32m · 16 chaptersThese optical illusions are why butterflies are so hard to catch
This episode of Nature Podcast argues that butterflies’ wing patterns act like an optical illusion that misleads predators’ motion detection, making butterflies hard to catch in flight.
30 Sep 2026 · 18m · 9 chapters
Briefing Chat: Why scientists made papyrus scrolls, then burnt them
Two science briefs. First, how to read charred papyrus scrolls from Herculaneum (near Mount Vesuvius) that are too damaged to unwrap; researchers recreate the original writing process and use X-rays…
25 Sep 2026 · 12m · 2 chaptersBank accounts reveal the fingerprints of abusive financial control
Uses anonymised UK banking records to identify “fingerprints” of financial abuse in domestic abuse, then briefly covers Earth-science research on why day length subtly changes over decades.
23 Sep 2026 · 24m · 13 chapters
Briefing Chat: Evidence mounts for hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun's tomb
Two science stories from Nature Briefing. First: Egyptian researchers report geophysical evidence for hidden chambers/corridors beyond Tutankhamun’s tomb (possibly connected to Queen Nefertiti),…
18 Sep 2026 · 13m · 9 chaptersTransplanted human brain-tissue takes root in mice without a cortex
The episode covers two Nature Podcast segments. First, researchers transplanted human brain organoids (stem-cell derived cortical tissue) into genetically modified mice lacking the pallium/cortex.
16 Sep 2026 · 28m · 16 chapters
Briefing Chat: The Bunsen burner myth that turns out to be just hot air
Two Nature Briefing stories. First, DeepMind’s AlphaGenome Variant Impact Score (AVI) atlas predicts functional effects of 9 billion genetic mutations, helping researchers prioritize rare-disease…
11 Sep 2026 · 16m · 9 chaptersPhone tutoring boosts math scores when schools are forced to close
The Nature Podcast episode covers two research stories. First, it explains a Nature-published randomized controlled trial testing phone-based tutoring during COVID school closures in India, Kenya,…
9 Sep 2026 · 21m · 15 chapters
Briefing Chat: How 1,000 pairs of buried underpants helped measure soil health
The episode is a “Nature Briefing” Friday chat hosted by Benjamin Thompson with Maren Hunsberger, covering three Ig Nobel winners (soil science, economics, chemistry) plus a dark-matter preprint…
4 Sep 2026 · 12m · 7 chaptersAudio long read: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?
Whether enhancing DNA repair can slow aging and prolong healthy lifespan, and what research suggests about which repair pathways or regulators might be targetable.
2 Sep 2026 · 18m · 8 chapters
Briefing Chat: How Dolly Parton left her mark on science
Dolly Parton’s influence on science and public health, plus a separate Nature briefing on an mRNA cancer vaccine trial.
28 Aug 2026 · 14m · 7 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy