Nature Podcast

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.

Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize shortlisted novel Orbital is set inside an International Space Station-like vessel circling 250 miles above Earth. It looks at a day-in-the-life of the crew, investigating the contrasts they experience during the 16 orbits they make around the planet, crossing continents, oceans and the line separating night and day.On the latest episode of Nature hits the books, Samantha joins us to discuss why the ISS is a rich setting for fiction, the challenges of putting yourself in the shoes of an astronaut, and how distance can give new perspectives on global issues like climate change.Orbital Samantha Harvey Vintage (2024)Music supplied by Airae/Epidemic Sound Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:46 Mitochondria divide their labour to help cells thriveResearchers have uncovered that mitochondria divide into two distinct forms when cells are starved, a finding that could help explain how some cancers thrive in hostile conditions. Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses, creating energy and vital metabolic molecules, but how they are able to do this when resources are limited has been a mystery. It turns out that in nutrient-poor situations, mitochondria split into two separate types, one which concentrates on energy production, the other on producing essential cellular building blocks. Together these allow cells to make everything they need. The team showed that this also happens in certain cancer cells, which may help them survive and grow under hostile conditions in the body.Research Article: Ryu et al.News and Views: Division of labour: mitochondria split to meet energy demandsVideo: A new kind of mitochondrion07:53 Research HighlightsA tidy genome may explain naked mole rats’ long lifespans, and why the midlife crisis may not be as ubiquitous as previously thought.Research Highlight: Naked mole rats vanquish genetic ghosts — and achieve long lifeResearch Highlight: The midlife crisis is not universal10:41 A smashing way to snapshot an atomic nuclei’s shapePhysicists have revealed a new technique to image the shape of atomic nuclei — by smashing them together. The nucleus of an atom doesn’t really resemble what is shown in textbooks — they actually come in a variety of shapes, which drive an element’s behaviour. Current methods essentially take a long-exposure photo of an atom’s nucleus, which doesn’t capture the subtle variations in how the protons and neutrons arrange themselves. The new method overcomes this by colliding nuclei together and then using information on the resulting debris to reconstruct the shape of the nucleus. The researchers hope that this technique can help physicists resolve many more mysteries about atomic nuclei.Research Article: STAR CollaborationNews: Scientists worked out the shapes of atomic nuclei — by exploding them19:51 Briefing ChatAnalysing the genome of an ancient clone forest has revealed it could be up to 80,000 years old, and how putting limits on the famous infinite monkey theorem means they probably wouldn’t churn out Shakespeare before the end of the Universe.Nature: The world’s oldest tree? Genetic analysis traces evolution of iconic Pando forestThe Guardian: Universe would die before monkey with keyboard writes Shakespeare, study findsSubscribe 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.

This series was originally broadcast in 2020.Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.In the third and final episode we try to get to the bottom of how journalists, communicators and policymakers influence how science is perceived. We discuss the danger of politicization and ask the question - can science be part of the political narrative without compromising its values?This episode was produced by Nick Petrić Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. It featured: Deborah Blum, Bruce Lewenstein, Dan Sarewitz, Hannah Schmid-Petri, Shobita Parthasarathy, and Beth Simone Noveck. Further ReadingThe great fish pain debatePoliticization of mask wearingMasks workDonald Trump used a quote from Anthony Fauci to falsely suggest Fauci approved of his actions in the pandemicComparing Norway and Sweden in their coronavirus combating actionsBeth Simone Noveck argues for more open and transparent governanceSolving Public Problems, by Beth Simone NoveckSmart Citizens, Smarter State: The Technologies of Expertise and the Future of Governing, by Beth Simone NoveckThe Received Wisdom Podcast, with Shobita Parthasarathy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.