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 excitin...
Why breast cancer treatments might work best just after your period
00:48 Chemotherapy efficacy varies with the menstrual cycleBreast cancer cells are more susceptible to chemotherapy at certain points in the menstrual cycle, new data in Nature suggests. Researchers studied the equivalent hormonal cycle in mice and found that during the oestrous phase, where progesterone levels are low, tumours are more susceptible to chemotherapy. The same effect was shown in humans in a small retrospective study. The team caution that a larger clinical trial would need to be conducted, but hope that this work could open up an, easy to implement, way to boost the effect of chemotherapy.Research Article: Bornes et al.News and Views: What is the best time of the month to treat breast cancer?09:22 Research HighlightsHow coffee changes your gut microbiota, and the first amber deposits found in Antarctica hint at an ancient rainforest.Research Highlight: Do you drink coffee? Ask your gutResearch Highlight: Antarctica’s first known amber whispers of a vanished rainforest11:47 Is human-level artificial intelligence close?The latest AI system released by OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, is better able to break down problems into smaller chunks, making it closer to a human way of solving problems than other systems. This has reignited discussions about the likelihood of AIs achieving human-level intelligence. Although previously the realm of science fiction, researchers are now taking the idea of ‘artificial general intelligence’, or AGI, more seriously. Although this technology has the potential to help tackle humanity's biggest challenges, there are concerns about the safety of such technology if it were to become autonomous.News Feature: How close is AI to human-level intelligence?21:43 Briefing ChatHow making a bank of centenarians’ stem cells could help unlock the secrets of healthy ageing, and what some 1.5 million year old footprints reveal about how ancient hominin species may have interacted.Nature: What’s the secret to living to 100? Centenarian stem cells could offer cluesNature: These two ancient human relatives crossed paths 1.5 million years agoSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
30:06
Audio long read: AI has dreamt up a blizzard of new proteins. Do any of them actually work?
AI tools that help researchers design new proteins have resulted in a boom in designer molecules. However, these proteins are being churned out faster than they can be made and tested in labs.To overcome this, multiple protein-design competitions have popped up, with the aim of sifting out the functional from the fantastical. But while contests have helped drive key scientific advances in the past, it's unclear how to identify which problems to tackle and how best to select winners objectively.This is an audio version of our Feature: AI has dreamt up a blizzard of new proteins. Do any of them actually work? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
13:13
Fossilised faeces helps explain dinosaurs' rise to dominance
00:50 Fossilised faeces give news insights into dinosaurs’ diets and riseA huge collection of fossilised digestive contents has provided clues as to how dinosaurs grew to become the dominant animals on the planet. Why these animals rose to dominance has been unclear, with one theory proposing that a chance event wiped out other species, whereas another suggests that dinosaurs had adaptations that better allowed them to thrive. By analysing over 500 vomit and faeces fossils, researchers have better identified what dinosaurs ate, and their interactions with other animals. The new work suggests both of these theories are correct, with dinosaurs benefiting from one or the other at different points in time. The researchers believe this work demonstrates how useful fossilised food contents are for understanding these ancient creatures.Research Article: Qvarnström et al.News and Views: Wastes of time — faeces and vomit track how dinosaurs rose to prominenceNews: Fossilized poo and vomit shows how dinosaurs rose to rule Earth10:05 Research HighlightsBacteria found on an asteroid actually came from Earth, and why play helps chimps to cooperate.Research Highlight: Bacteria found on a space rock turn out to be Earth-grownResearch Highlight: Chimps tickle and wrestle in play to pave the way for teamwork12:46 A commensal fungus found in mouse gutsBy testing mice across the United States, researchers have identified a fungus that is well adapted to living in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice, an important step in modelling the role these microorganisms play in the body. Fungi are known to be a constituent of the gut microbiome, but very little is known about what they do. Now, a team has identified that the fungus Kazachstania pintolopesii is likely a long-term resident of mice guts, which they hope will allow them to study how these microbes interact with the immune system, and the role they play in host defence and allergies.Research Article: Liao et al.21:57 The key takeaways from COP29The United Nations annual climate change conference, COP29, finished last week. Largely the discussions revolved around climate finance — the idea that wealthier countries who have benefitted most from past carbon emissions should pay to help poorer, vulnerable countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Although a last minute agreement was hammered out at the conference, not everyone was happy with the text and promised actions. We discuss this and the other key outcomes of COP29.Nature: Is the COP29 climate deal a historic breakthrough or letdown? Researchers reactSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
31:35
Squid-inspired pills squirt drugs straight into your gut
00:45 A squid-inspired device for needle-free drug deliveryInspired by squids’ ability to shoot ink, a team of researchers have developed swallowable devices that can deliver tiny jets of drugs directly into the gut lining, circumventing the need for needles. Previous studies have shown that most people prefer to take medication in pill form, rather than as an injection, but many drugs are degraded as they pass through the digestive system. The team’s new swallowable devices overcome this issue, and deliver drugs directly to where they need to be. So far, this approach has shown efficacy in animal models, but more work needs to be done to ensure their safety in humans.Research Article: Arrick et al.10:50 Research HighlightsThe largest ‘terror bird’ fossil ever found, and a simple solution to help prevent premature births.Research Highlight: Huge carnivorous ‘terror bird’ rivalled the giant panda in sizeResearch Highlight: Reducing pregnancy risk could be as easy as chewing gum12:52 A milder way to break down ‘forever chemicals’.Two papers describe how light-activated catalysts could be used to break down toxic ‘forever chemicals’, hinting at a new way to clean up pollution caused by these persistent compounds. Forever chemicals contain multiple carbon-fluorine bonds that give them useful physical properties, but these bonds are some of the strongest in organic chemistry, making these compounds energetically difficult to break down. The new, light-based methods demonstrate low-energy ways to sever these bonds, a milestone that could make forever chemicals less permanent.Research Article: Zhang et al.Research Article: Liu et al.News and Views: Catalysts degrade forever chemicals with visible light21:04 Briefing ChatAnalysis of far-side soil highlights the Moon’s turbulent past, and how CRISPR can help make sweeter tomatoes.Nature: First rocks returned from Moon’s far side reveal ancient volcanic activityCNN: Findings from the first lunar far side samples raise new questions about the moon’s historyNature: CRISPR builds a big tomato that’s actually sweetSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
29:19
Bone marrow in the skull plays a surprisingly important role in ageing
00:46 The role of skull bone marrow in ageingDuring ageing, bone marrow in the skull becomes an increasingly important site of blood-cell production. This is in stark contrast to most bones where the ability of marrow to make blood and immune cells declines. Studies in mice and humans showed that ageing results in skull bone-marrow expanding, and in mice this marrow was more resistant to inflammation and other hallmarks of ageing. The team behind the work hope by understanding this process better it may be possible to help organs become more resistant to ageing.Research Article: Koh et al.08:56 Research HighlightsElderly big brown bats show remarkable resistance to age-related hearing loss, and why search-engine algorithms may not be the main driver steering people towards misinformation.Research Highlight: No hearing aids needed: bats’ ears stay keen well into old ageResearch Highlight: Don’t blame search engines for sending users to unreliable sites11:38 How to make lead a useful material to date the Solar SystemResearchers have overcome a major hurdle preventing the radioactive isotope lead-205 from being used as a ‘clock’ to date the age of the Solar System. 205Pb is made in some stars and thanks to its half life of around 17 million years has been proposed as a potential way to date ancient astronomical processes. However, exactly how much 205Pb can escape a star were unclear, limiting its dating potential. Now, researchers have mimicked the conditions seen in stars to pin down how much 205Pb can escape into space, paving the way for its use as a clock.Research Article: Leckenby et al.19:51 Briefing ChatHow millions of Android smartphones were used to map the Earth’s ionosphere, and the ethical implications of a virologist who treated her own cancer.Nature: Google uses millions of smartphones to map the ionosphereNature: This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the labSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.