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1 month ago | 
nature.com | Shamini Bundell |Nick J. Howe
Download the Nature Podcast 19 March 2025In this episode:00:46 Microsatellite makes messaging secureA tiny satellite has enabled quantum-encrypted information to be sent between China and South Africa, the farthest distance yet achieved for quantum communication. Using a laser-based system, a team in the city of Hefei was able to beam a ‘secret key’ encoded in quantum states of photons, to their colleagues over 12,000 km away.
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1 month ago | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Shamini Bundell
Download the Nature Podcast 5 March 2025In this episode: 00:46 Ancient humans made bone tools 1.5 million years ago A 1.5-million-year-old cache of animal-bone tools reveals that ancient humans systematically crafted with this material much earlier than previously thought. Researchers uncovered 27 bone artefacts in Tanzania honed into sharp tools almost 40 cm long.
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1 month ago | 
nature.com | Benjamin Thompson |Nick J. Howe
Download the Nature Podcast 26 February 2025In this episode:00:47 A ‘smart’ way to quickly detect cardiac arrestGoogle researchers have developed an AI for a smartwatch that will call for help if its wearer is having a cardiac arrest. Trained, in part, on data gained when patients had their hearts deliberately stopped during a medical procedure, the team’s machine-learning algorithm can automatically detect the telltale signs of cardiac arrest.
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2 months ago | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Shamini Bundell
Download the Nature Podcast 19 February 2025In this episode:01:14 A simple switch to reduce racist ratingsA study of almost 70,000 ratings showed that racial discrimination could be eliminated from an online platform by switching from a five-star rating system to a thumbs up or down.
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2 months ago | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Benjamin Thompson
Download the Nature Podcast 29 January 2025In 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.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Benjamin Thompson
Download the Nature Podcast 22 January 2025In this episode: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.
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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.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe |Elizabeth Gibney
Download the Nature Podcast 13 November 2024 In this episode: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.
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Nov 6, 2024 | 
nature.com | Nick J. Howe
Mitochondria can come in two different types, according to a surprising new finding. The newly discovered ability of mitochondria to split into two different forms resolves a longstanding mystery of how mitochondria can simultaneously provide cells with energy and essential building blocks, even when resources are limited.
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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.
