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 Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors. For complete access to the original papers featured in the Nature Podcast, subscribe to Nature.
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After decades of trying, scientists coax plastic particles into a diamond-like structure
Coaxing tiny colloid particles into a diamond structure, and manipulating cell death and homeostasis in neurodegenerative disease.
Genes chart Vikings' spread across Europe
Mapping the migration of the Vikings, and the world’s smallest ultrasound device.
A new way to cool computer chips - from within
Keeping electronics from overheating, and how to include minority populations in genetic analyses.
Revealed: A clearer view of how general anaesthetics actually work
Engineering yeast to produce medicines, and the mechanism of anaesthetic action.
The challenge of reproducing results from ten-year-old code
Protecting delicate quantum bits, and a competition to replicate findings from ancient computer code. In this episode: 01:04 Quantum computers vs ionizing radiation The quantum bits, or ‘qubits’, central to the operation of quantum computers are no...
3D-printing some of the world's lightest materials
A new way to produce aerogels opens up their use, and understanding how sulfur can change state between two liquids. In this episode: 01:05 Printing aerogels Aerogels are materials with impressive insulating properties, but they’re difficult to handl...
The chemical that turns locusts from Jekyll into Hyde
Triggering swarming behaviour in locusts, and new insights into how humans synchronize.
Audio long-read: Pluto’s dark side is overflowing with secrets
This is an audio version of our feature: Pluto’s dark side spills its secrets — including hints of a hidden ocean
Why skin grows bigger as you stretch it
Skin's unusual response to stretching is finally explained, and the latest in a huge effort to map DNA. In this episode: 01:06 Stretching skin For decades it’s been known that stretching skin causes more skin to grow, but the reasons why have ...
When did people arrive in the Americas? New evidence stokes debate
New evidence may push back the date on human arrival to the Americas, and an examination of science’s flaws. In this episode: 00:59 Ancient Americans Two papers suggest that humans were present in the Americas thousands of years before many people ...