Best Springer Nature Limited Podcasts (2024)

1
How do fish know where a sound comes from? Scientists have an answer 31:42

7d ago31:42

31:42

00:46 How light touches are sensed during sex 150 years after they were discovered, researchers have identified how specific nerve-cell structures on the penis and clitoris are activated. While these structures, called Krause corpuscles, are similar to touch-activated corpuscles found on people’s fingers and hands, there was little known about how …

1
Hybrid working works: huge study reveals no drop in productivity 38:14

14d ago38:14

38:14

00:48 Short-haul spaceflight's effect on the human body. A comprehensive suite of biomedical data, collected during the first all-civilian spaceflight, is helping researchers unpick the effects that being in orbit has on the human body. Analysis of data collected from the crew of SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission reveals that short duration spaceflight…

1
Twitter suspended 70,000 accounts after the Capitol riots and it curbed misinformation 27:54

21d ago27:54

27:54

In this episode: 00:46 Making a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate For the first time, researchers have coaxed molecules into a bizarre form of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate, in which they all act in a single gigantic quantum state. While condensates have been made using atoms for decades, the complex interactions of molecules have preve…

1
How AI could improve robotics, the cockroach’s origins, and promethium spills its secrets 23:19

28d ago23:19

23:19

In this episode: 00:25 What the rise of AI language models means for robots Companies are melding artificial intelligence with robotics, in an effort to catapult both to new heights. They hope that by incorporating the algorithms that power chatbots it will give robots more common-sense knowledge and let them tackle a wide range of tasks. However, …

1
How mathematician Freeman Hrabowski opened doors for Black scientists 36:57

29d ago36:57

36:57

Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s, mathematician Freeman Hrabowski was moved to join the civil rights moment after hearing Martin Luther King Jr speak. Even as a child, he saw the desperate need to make change. He would go on to do just that — at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, one o…

1
Audio long read: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models 17:41

1M ago17:41

17:41

AIs are often described as 'black boxes' with researchers unable to to figure out how they 'think'. To better understand these often inscrutable systems, some scientists are borrowing from psychology and neuroscience to design tools to reverse-engineer them, which they hope will lead to the design of safer, more efficient AIs. This is an audio vers…

1
Fentanyl addiction: the brain pathways behind the opioid crisis 20:23

1M ago20:23

20:23

00:45 The neuroscience of fentanyl addiction Research in mice has shown that fentanyl addiction is the result of two brain circuits working in tandem, rather than a single neural pathway as had been previously thought. One circuit underlies the positive feelings this powerful drug elicits, which the other was responsible for the intense withdrawal …

1
Lizard-inspired building design could save lives 31:27

1M ago31:27

31:27

In this episode: 00:45 A recyclable 3D printing resin from an unusual source Many 3D printers create objects using liquid resins that turn into robust solids when exposed to light. But many of these are derived from petrochemicals that are difficult to recycle. To overcome this a team has developed a new type of resin, which they’ve made using a bo…

1
Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade 21:33

2M ago21:33

21:33

In this episode: 00:45 A nuclear timekeeper that could transform fundamental-physics research. Nuclear clocks — based on tiny shifts in energy in an atomic nucleus — could be even more accurate and stable than other advanced timekeeping systems, but have been difficult to make. Now, a team of researchers have made a breakthrough in the development …

1
Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic 58:39

2M ago58:39

58:39

Ever since scientific enquiry began, people have focused mainly on men, or if studies involve animals, on male mice, male rats or whatever it may be. And this has led to gaps in scientists’ understanding of how diseases, and responses to treatment, and many other things might vary between people of different sexes and genders. These days, mainly th…

1
Dad's microbiome can affect offsprings' health — in mice 25:14

2M ago25:14

25:14

In this episode: 00:46 Using genomics to explain geographic differences in cancer risk The risk of developing cancer can vary hugely depending on geographic region, but it’s not exactly clear why. To get a better idea, a team has compared the genomes of kidney cancers taken from people around the globe. They reveal a link between geographical locat…

1
Audio long read: Why loneliness is bad for your health 14:58

2M ago14:58

14:58

Many people around the world feel lonely. Chronic loneliness is known to have far-reaching health effects and has been linked to multiple conditions and even early death. But the mechanisms through which feeling alone can lead to poor health is a puzzle. Now, researchers are looking at neurons in the hopes that they may help explain why health issu…

1
How gliding marsupials got their 'wings' 28:36

2M ago28:36

28:36

In this episode: 00:46 Optical clocks at sea Optical atomic clocks are the most precise timekeeping devices on the planet, but these devices are huge and difficult to work with, limiting their use outside of the lab. Now, researchers have developed a portable optical clock and demonstrated its robustness by sending it on a perilous sea journey. The…

1
Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why 38:11

2M ago38:11

38:11

Humans setting up home in outer space has long been the preserve of science fiction. Now, thanks to advances in technology and the backing of billionaires, this dream could actually be realised. But is it more likely to be a nightmare? Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join us to discuss their new book A City on Mars and some of the medical, environmental…

1
Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory 34:10

2M ago34:10

34:10

In this episode: 00:46 Mysterious methane emission from a cool brown dwarf The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing the makeup of brown dwarfs — strange space objects that blur the line between a planet and a star. And it appears that methane in the atmosphere of one of these objects, named W1935, is emitting infrared radiation. Where the…

1
The 'ghost roads' driving tropical deforestation 23:01

3M ago23:01

23:01

In this episode: 00:46 Mapping ‘ghost roads’ in tropical forests Across the world, huge numbers of illegal roads have been cut into forests. However, due to their illicit nature, the exact numbers of these roads and their impacts on ecosystems is poorly understood. To address this, researchers have undertaken a huge mapping exercise across the trop…

1
Audio long read: Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say 16:29

3M ago16:29

16:29

Around the world, rates of cancers that typically affect older adults are increasing in those under 50 years old. Models based on global data predict that the number of early-onset cancer cases like these will increase by around 30% between 2019 and 2030. The most likely contributors — such as rising rates of obesity and early-cancer screening — do…

1
Pregnancy's effect on 'biological' age, polite birds, and the carbon cost of home-grown veg 24:32

3M ago24:32

24:32

In this episode: 00:35 Pregnancy advances your ‘biological’ age — but giving birth turns it back Growing a baby leads to changes in the distribution of certain chemical markers on a pregnant person’s DNA, but new research suggests that after giving birth, these changes can revert to an earlier state. Nature News: Pregnancy advances your ‘biological…

1
How climate change is affecting global timekeeping 26:49

3M ago26:49

26:49

In this episode: 01:28 Inflammation’s role in memory How memories are stored is an ongoing question in neuroscience. Now researchers have found an inflammatory pathway that responds to DNA damage in neurons has a key role in the persistence of memories. How this pathway helps memories persist is unclear, but the researchers suggest that how the DNA…

1
AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs 29:42

3M ago29:42

29:42

This podcast has been corrected: in a previous version at 5:55 we stated that that the team's 200mm devices currently contain only a couple of magnetic tunnelling junctions, in fact they studied 500-1000 devices in this work. 00:48 How mysterious skyrmions could power next-generation computers Skyrmions are tiny whirlpools of magnetic spin that som…

1
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why 27:15

3M ago27:15

27:15

In this episode: 00:45 Making a map of the human heart The human heart consists of multiple, specialised structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the …

1
These tiny fish combine electric pulses to probe the environment 36:43

4M ago36:43

36:43

In this episode: 00:48 Bumblebees can learn new tricks from each other One behaviour thought unique to humans is the ability to learn something from your predecessors that you couldn’t figure out on your own. However, researchers believe they have shown bumblebees are also capable of this ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ approach to learning. …

1
Could this one-time ‘epigenetic’ treatment control cholesterol? 26:23

4M ago26:23

26:23

In this episode: 00:49 What caused the Universe to become fully transparent? Around 13 billion years ago, the Universe was filled with a dense ‘fog’ of neutral hydrogen that blocked certain wavelengths of light. This fog was lifted when the hydrogen was hit by radiation in a process known as reionisation, but the source of this radiation has been d…

1
Audio long read: Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them 24:39

4M ago24:39

24:39

The phenomenon of animals catching diseases from humans, called reverse zoonoses, has had a severe impact on great ape populations, often representing a bigger threat than habitat loss or poaching. However, while many scientists and conservationists agree that human diseases pose one of the greatest risks to great apes today there are a few efforts…

1
How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved 14:28

4M ago14:28

14:28

The deep haunting tones of the world's largest animals, baleen whales, are iconic - but how the songs are produced has long been a mystery. Whales evolved from land dwelling mammals which vocalize by passing air through a structure called the larynx - a structure which also helps keep food from entering the respiratory system. However toothed whale…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Springer Nature Limited Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Nature Podcast

Springer Nature Limited

1
How do fish know where a sound comes from? Scientists have an answer 31:42

1
Hybrid working works: huge study reveals no drop in productivity 38:14

1
Twitter suspended 70,000 accounts after the Capitol riots and it curbed misinformation 27:54

1
How AI could improve robotics, the cockroach’s origins, and promethium spills its secrets 23:19

1
How mathematician Freeman Hrabowski opened doors for Black scientists 36:57

1
Audio long read: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models 17:41

1
Fentanyl addiction: the brain pathways behind the opioid crisis 20:23

1
Lizard-inspired building design could save lives 31:27

1
Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade 21:33

1
Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic 58:39

1
Dad's microbiome can affect offsprings' health — in mice 25:14

1
Audio long read: Why loneliness is bad for your health 14:58

1
How gliding marsupials got their 'wings' 28:36

1
Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why 38:11

1
Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory 34:10

1
The 'ghost roads' driving tropical deforestation 23:01

1
Audio long read: Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say 16:29

1
Pregnancy's effect on 'biological' age, polite birds, and the carbon cost of home-grown veg 24:32

1
How climate change is affecting global timekeeping 26:49

1
AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs 29:42

1
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why 27:15

1
These tiny fish combine electric pulses to probe the environment 36:43

1
Could this one-time ‘epigenetic’ treatment control cholesterol? 26:23

1
Audio long read: Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them 24:39

1
How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved 14:28

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