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137 episodes
Nature Podcast, page 3
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.
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Your phone can use tiny skin-colour changes to measure your heart rate
Smartphone-based health monitoring and a classic decision theory “restaurant dilemma” solved by math.
3 Jun 2026 · 18m · 11 chapters
Briefing Chat: When to trust eyewitness memory – according to science
How eyewitness memory should be treated in court, focusing on whether witness confidence predicts accuracy; plus a Nature Briefing discussion of “registered reports” to reduce publication bias,…
29 May 2026 · 17m · 7 chaptersMajor Ebola outbreak is escalating: what happens next
The Nature Podcast episode “Major Ebola outbreak is escalating: what happens next” explains a growing Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, declared a WHO public health…
22 May 2026 · 12m · 6 chaptersAI ‘scientists’ promise to accelerate research — how do they work?
The episode discusses “AI scientists” designed to generate testable, rigorous hypotheses faster than human-only workflows, and compares two systems: Robin (Future House) and CoScientist (Google…
20 May 2026 · 28m · 20 chapters
Briefing Chat: Hantavirus — what this outbreak reveals about the disease
Nature Briefing episode focuses on the recent Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship NV Hondius (sailing from Argentina toward Antarctica, then across the Atlantic; voyage…
15 May 2026 · 10m · 4 chaptersRed-light therapy is all the rage — does it work?
The episode asks whether red-light therapy “masks” and at-home devices work, separating hype from evidence.
13 May 2026 · 22m · 10 chaptersAudio long read: The air is full of DNA — here’s what scientists are using it for
Scientists are using airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor biodiversity, detect invasive species and pathogens, and potentially track ecosystem restoration—while raising privacy and ethics…
11 May 2026 · 19m · 10 chapters
Briefing Chat: Can't focus? It's not your attention span, it's your notifications
The episode of The Briefing Chat Show discusses two Nature Briefing stories: (1) whether attention spans are declining, arguing that people’s baseline focus ability may not be worse, but…
8 May 2026 · 11m · 6 chaptersAnaesthetized brains can still process podcasts
Whether an unconscious brain under anesthesia can still process complex information, using direct single-neuron recordings from the hippocampus.
6 May 2026 · 15m · 10 chapters
Briefing Chat: Stressed mitochondria spawn new 'organelles' in cells
Two Nature Briefing stories. 1) How the parasite Toxoplasma gondii manipulates mitochondria in human cancer cells, causing mitochondria to shed outer membranes that form “spots” and then engulf…
1 May 2026 · 13m · 4 chaptersImmunity gets a boost from a surprising place — breakfast
The Nature Podcast episode covers (1) how breakfast can rapidly boost immune function by changing T-cell metabolism, and (2) lessons from the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, plus brief…
29 Apr 2026 · 21m · 14 chapters
Inside the evidence revolution — how decision-making became data driven
The “evidence revolution” and how decision-making became data-driven, tracing evidence-based medicine’s rise and its spread to other fields; also discusses pushback, misuse of “evidence,” and what…
24 Apr 2026 · 26m · 12 chaptersMeet Ace, the table-tennis robot that can beat elite players
The episode of The Nature Podcast covers two main research stories. First, “Project ACE,” a Sony AI table-tennis robot designed to beat elite human players.
22 Apr 2026 · 26m · 14 chapters
Briefing Chat: Penguins pick up PFAS pollution
Three Nature Briefing stories. 1) Magellanic penguins in Argentine Patagonia used as “marine detectives” to monitor PFAS (“forever chemicals”) via ankle sensors; 91% of 55 penguins’ bands detected…
17 Apr 2026 · 15m · 4 chaptersGiant cancer study reveals effectiveness of 'off label' treatments
The Nature Podcast episode covers (1) a Dutch “Drug Rediscovery Protocol” using 10 years of data to test off-label targeted cancer therapies based on shared genetic mutations, and (2) an…
15 Apr 2026 · 27m · 13 chaptersBehind the scenes with Artemis II’s scientists during the historic Moon fly-by
A behind-the-scenes look at Artemis II’s science work during the lunar flyby, focused on what Mission Control scientists observed in real time and what humans added that orbiters can’t.
10 Apr 2026 · 14m · 12 chapters
Briefing Chat: The tongue trick that helps sunbirds suck
Three Nature Briefing stories: (1) pig-semen exosome eye drops to deliver cancer drugs for retinoblastoma; (2) quantified “motherhood penalty” in academia using Danish PhD-parent data; (3) how…
8 Apr 2026 · 14m · 6 chaptersArtemis II is go: humans head to the Moon after half-century absence
Artemis II launch and early mission status—NASA’s first crewed lunar mission since Apollo, testing Orion and deep-space human survival, plus what astronauts may see and why it matters.
2 Apr 2026 · 15m · 8 chaptersThese scientists chased a jet to learn more about ‘lean-burn’ contrails
The episode of The Nature Podcast covers two segments. First, scientists study contrails from “lean-burn” aircraft engines: contrails form when water freezes around soot, and they can trap heat, with…
1 Apr 2026 · 25m · 10 chapters
Briefing Chat: ‘Zombie cells’ resurrected with new genes
Two Nature Briefing stories. First: “zombie cells” in bacteria—dead Mycoplasma cells used as recipients for genome transfer to avoid false positives from gene uptake.
27 Mar 2026 · 11m · 3 chaptersWhy insects aren't huge: a new challenge to a decades-old idea
The Nature Podcast episode covers two research stories. First, it challenges the decades-old “high atmospheric oxygen enabled giant insects” idea.
25 Mar 2026 · 23m · 10 chapters
Briefing Chat: Are scientists funny? The evidence is in — and it's no joke
Briefing Chat: Are scientists funny? The evidence is in — and it's no joke
20 Mar 2026 · 10m · 2 chaptersBotanical mystery solved: how plants make a crucial malaria drug
The episode delves into the intricate biochemistry of *Cinchona* plants and how they produce cinchona alkaloids, including quinine, a historically significant treatment for malaria.
18 Mar 2026 · 16m · 8 chapters
Briefing chat: ‘Can it run Doom?’ — why scientists got brain cells and a satellite to play the classic game
‘Can it run Doom?’ — why scientists got brain cells and a satellite to play the classic game
13 Mar 2026 · 11m · 4 chapters