Emily Bates

Dec 25, 2024 | nature.com | Emily Bates

Download the Nature Podcast 25 December 2024In this episode:00:36 How melting ice is affecting global timekeepingDue to variations in the speed of Earth’s rotation, the length of a day is rarely exactly 24 hours and this effect is being further influenced by climate change, as the melting of the polar ice caps modifies the Earth's momentum. Global time is kept by atomic clocks and occasionally has to be altered to account for this variation.

Nov 27, 2024 | nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Emily Bates

Download the Nature Podcast 27 November 2024In this episode: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.

Nov 15, 2024 | nature.com | Emily Bates

To understand the effects of radiation on the body, two female ‘phantoms’, Helga and Zohar, were strapped into the Orion capsule as part of the Artemis I mission and launched into space on November 16th 2022. There is limited data on the effects of space radiation on the female body and, with future moon missions planned to have female crew, Helga and Zohar are key to filling that void. They were fitted with a multitude of detectors to determine the risks posed to future female astronauts.

Oct 30, 2024 | nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Emily Bates

Download the Nature Podcast 30 October 2024 In this episode:00:48 Rebuilding mental health after the floodsResearchers have been investigating the best ways to help people deal with trauma in the wake of a climate disaster. In April and May devastating floods surged across Rio Grande do Sul in the south of Brazil, affecting two million people and killing hundreds.

Oct 23, 2024 | nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Emily Bates

Download the Nature Podcast 23 October 2024In this episode:00:48 The hidden cities of UzbekistanResearchers have uncovered the scale of two ancient cities buried high in the mountains of Uzbekistan. The cities were thought to be there, but their extent was unknown, so the team used drone-mounted LiDAR equipment to reveal what was hidden beneath the ground. The survey surprised researchers by showing one of the cities was six times bigger than expected.