Nature Podcast

Briefing Chat: Stressed mitochondria spawn new 'organelles' in cells

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:27 How a parasite unveiled a mitochondrial secretNature: Mitochondria can spawn new ‘organelles’ — hinting at how modern...

Immunity gets a boost from a surprising place — breakfast

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:45 How eating can boost the immune systemResearch Article: Kumar et al.08:28 Research HighlightsNature: Cosmic-ray detect...

Inside the evidence revolution — how decision-making became data driven

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Nature hits the books, we speak with Nature's Helen Pearson whose book Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Work...

Meet Ace, the table-tennis robot that can beat elite players

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:45 The table-tennis robot that can mix it with the prosResearch Article: Dürr et al.News and Views: Robot can beat elite...

Briefing Chat: Penguins pick up PFAS pollution

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:30 The penguins measuring environmental PFASScience: Penguins become marine detectives, thanks to pollutant-detecting anklets0...

Giant cancer study reveals effectiveness of 'off label' treatments

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 A massive trial assessing the outcomes of ‘off label’ cancer treatmentResearch Article: Verkerk et al.12:49 Research Hi...

Behind the scenes with Artemis II’s scientists during the historic Moon fly-by

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:On Monday, reporter Alexandra Witze was in the heart of the Artemis II mission’s science operations. She tells us about the experien...

Briefing Chat: The tongue trick that helps sunbirds suck

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:41 Exosome therapies could deliver drugs to hard to reach placesNature: Eye drops made from pig semen deliver cancer treatment...

Artemis II is go: humans head to the Moon after half-century absence

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast we'll talk about NASA's Artemis II launch, which has ushered in a new era of lunar exploration.Nature: Lift off! Artemi...

These scientists chased a jet to learn more about ‘lean-burn’ contrails

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 Collecting contrails at 30,000 feetResearch Article: Voigt et al.11:23 Research HighlightsNature: Sunken Soviet nuclea...

Briefing Chat: ‘Zombie cells’ resurrected with new genes

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Nature staff discuss some of the week's top science news.00:18 ‘Zombie cells’ revived with genome transplantNature: ‘Zombie cells’ return...

Why insects aren't huge: a new challenge to a decades-old idea

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:44 Why insects aren’t massiveResearch Article : Snelling et al.11:39 Research HighlightsNature: Faster ticking of ‘biological clock’...

Briefing Chat: Are scientists funny? The evidence is in — and it's no joke

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:22 Exploring how gut microorganisms contribute to ageingNature: Memory loss is fuelled by gut microbes in ageing mice04:30 How...

Botanical mystery solved: how plants make a crucial malaria drug

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 Piecing together a biochemical puzzleResearch Article : Lombe et al.12:26 Research HighlightsNature: Electric-vehicle ...

Briefing chat: ‘Can it run Doom?’ — why scientists got brain cells and a satellite to play the classic game

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:26 Why researchers keep using Doom in their researchNature: How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for scienceSubscribe to...

This fish shouldn’t exist — the weird genetics of clonal vertebrates

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A study reveals how the asexual Amazon molly defies evolutionary expectations — plus, evidence of what may be powering superluminous supernovae...

Briefing chat: What Galileo’s scribbled margin notes reveal about his scientific journey

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:25 How paediatricians’ antibodies could treat serious viral infectionsNew Scientist: Paediatricians’ blood used to make ne...

Heart surgery with quick-setting magnetic fluid could prevent strokes

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Injectable fluid safely fills area in which blood clots can form, in animal trials — plus, strong evidence that an elusive form of diamond has been ...

Audio long read: Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains?

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is an audio version of our Feature: Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Briefing chat: Pokémon turns 30 — how Pikachu and pals inspired generations of researchers

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:15 How Pokémon inspired fields as diverse as evolution, biodiversity and research integrityNature: Pokémon turns 30 —...

How earthquakes and lightning help explain squeaky sneakers

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

High-speed footage reveals shoe squeaks can start with a tiny bolt of lightning — plus, evidence that a debated brain phenomenon exists in humans.00...

Briefing chat: How hovering bumblebees keep their cool

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:25 How brains differ by sex and ageNature: Brain differences between sexes get more pronounced from puberty07:14 Bumblebees ‘fan themselves’...

This chunk of glass could store two million books for 10,000 years

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Data stored in glassNature: Microsoft Research Project Silica TeamNature: Microsoft team creates 'revolutionary' data storage system t...

Briefing Chat: Caffeine slows brain ageing, suggests decades of data

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:26 Moderate caffeine intake might reduce dementia risk, study suggestsNature: Coffee linked to slower brain ageing in study of...

These hungry immune cells tidy sleeping flies' brains

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 The immune cells that eat waste fats from fruit flies’ brainsNature: Cho et al.10:21 Research HighlightsNature: Beet...

Briefing Chat: 'External lungs' keep man alive for 48 hours until transplant

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:42 External, artificial-lung system keeps patient alive for transplantNature: 48 hours without lungs: artificial organ kept ma...

These mysterious ridges could help skin regenerate

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Understanding how rete ridges form in the skinNature: Thompson et al.09:32 Research HighlightsNature: Genetically engineered ‘stinkweed’ com...

Briefing Chat: What Brazilian centenarians could reveal about the science of ageing

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:36 Study probes genetics of extreme longevityNature: Still working at 107: supercentenarian study probes genetics of extreme l...

How your brain chemistry rewards hard work

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 Why completing difficult tasks feels rewardingNature: Touponse et al.11:34 Research HighlightsNature: Disappearing ‘...

Audio long read: ‘I rarely get outside’ — scientists ditch fieldwork in the age of AI

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is an audio version of our Feature: ‘I rarely get outside’: scientists ditch fieldwork in the age of AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

Briefing Chat: The canny cow that can use tools, and how babies share their microbiomes

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:24 How babies share their gut microbesNature: Sending babies to nursery completely reshapes their microbiome05:25 First eviden...

The biggest 'Schrödinger's cat' yet — physicists put 7,000 atoms in superposition

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Protein-sized superposition surpasses previous experimentsNature: Pedalino et al.News: Schrödinger's cat just got bigger: quantum phy...

Briefing Chat: Can NASA return rocks from Mars? And why dogs have long ears

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:40 The rock samples destined to remain on MarsNature: NASA won’t bring Mars samples back to Earth: this is the science that ...

AI can turbocharge scientists' careers — but limit their scope

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:47 AI can boost research productivity — at what cost?Research article: Hao et al.10:10 Research HighlightsNature: Ancie...

A mysterious ancient fingerprint and a lemon-shaped planet — the stories you’ve missed

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

00:54 Turning an undersea cable into a seismic detectorResearchers have shown that they can piggyback a signal on a 4,400-kilometer-long telecom cable...

Science in 2026: what to expect this year

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2026. We’ll hear about: small-scale AI mode...

Audio long read: Will blockbuster obesity drugs revolutionize addiction treatment?

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anecdotal stories suggesting that weight-loss drugs can help people shake long-standing addictions have been spreading fast in the past few years, thr...

The Nature Podcast highlights of 2025

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:40 What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the humble spudResearchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple p...

Nature's News & Views roundup of 2025

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nature: Asteroids, antibiotics and ants: a year of remarkable scienceIn this episode:1:58 Evidence of ancient brine on an asteroidSamples taken f...

The Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2025

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 The gifts that sparked a love of scienceNature put a call out for readers to tell us about memorable presents that first got them intereste...

Neanderthals mastered fire — 400,000 years ago

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Evidence of the earliest fire Baked soil, ancient tools, and materials that could be used to start fires show that Neanderth...

Photobombing satellites could ruin the night sky for space telescopes

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 How satellite mega-constellations could ruin space-based astronomyThe ability of space-based telescopes to image the distant Universe could be i...

Audio long read: Faulty mitochondria cause deadly diseases — fixing them is about to get a lot easier

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

CRISPR-based gene editing has revolutionized modern biology, but these tools are unable to access the DNA that resides inside mitochondria. Researcher...

This is what lightning on Mars sounds like

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Martian ‘micro-lightning’The sounds of ‘micro-lightning’ have been recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover, ending a long search for the...

Insulin cream offers needle-free option for diabetes

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 A molecule that delivers insulin through the skinResearchers have developed a skin-permeable polymer that can deliver insulin into the body, whi...

‘Malicious use is already happening’: machine-learning pioneer on making AI safer

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yoshua Bengio, considered by many to be one of the godfathers of AI, has long been at the forefront of machine-learning research ....

Huge eruption on a distant star confirmed at last

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 A coronal mass ejection from a distant starResearchers have detected what they say is the strongest evidence yet of a coronal mass ejection (CME...

Meet the ‘Wee-rex’. Tiny tyrannosaur is its own species

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 The debate around NanotyrannusA hotly debated species of dinosaur, assumed by many to be a juvenile T. rex, is actually a separate species, acco...

Bowhead whales can live for more than 200 years – this protein might be why

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:47 How bowhead whales live so longResearchers have uncovered a protein that enhances DNA repair and may explain how bowhead whales can live more th...

Audio long read: How to get the best night’s sleep — what the science says

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Advice on how to get good sleep is everywhere, with the market for sleep aids worth more than US$100 billion annually. However, scientists w...

Honey, I ate the kids: how hunger and hormones make mice aggressive

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:48 How hunger, hormones and aggression interact in mouse brainsResearchers have uncovered the neural mechanisms that underlie an aggressive behavio...

New bird flu vaccine could tackle multiple variants with one shot

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 A multi-variant avian flu vaccine that could enhance pandemic preparednessA vaccine capable of protecting against multiple strains of avian infl...

How stereotypes shape AI – and what that means for the future of hiring

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:48 The stereotypes hidden in Internet imagesStereotyped assumptions about women’s ages and their perceived job suitability are enhanced by Intern...

Ancient viral DNA helps human embryos develop

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:50 How ancient viruses drive modern human developmentResearch suggests that ancient viral-DNA embedded in the human genome is playing a key role in...

Audio long read: Autism is on the rise — what’s really behind the increase?

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr held a press conference about rising diagnoses of autism, and said he would soon be announcing a study t...

How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitisResearchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In ...

Apocalypse then: how cataclysms shaped human societies

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science journalist Lizzie Wade’s first book, Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic Events ...

This AI tool predicts your risk of 1,000 diseases — by looking at your medical records

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:50 The AI tool that predicts disease riskResearchers have developed an AI tool that can calculate a person’s risk of developing over 1,000 differ...

Detecting gravitational waves

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) facilities in the US directly detected ripples in space-time, known as gravita...

Feeling the heat: fossil-fuel producers linked to dozens of heatwaves

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 Attributing extreme heat events to major energy producersMajor energy producers increased the likelihood and intensity of heatwaves, according t...

Research misconduct: how the scientific community is fighting back

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, Brian Wansink wrote a blog post that prompted scientific sleuths to investigate his work. They found evidence of data manipulation, and, afte...

Nature goes inside the world’s largest ‘mosquito factory’ — here’s the buzz

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Raising mosquitoes to tackle disease might sound like an odd concept, but that’s what a facility in Brazil is aiming to do. Millions of mosquitoes a...

Two ants, two species, one mother

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 The ant queen that can produce two different speciesResearchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, know...

Audio long read: How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The search for signs of consciousness has expanded, thanks to advanced neuroimaging techniques. These tools allow researchers to detect conscious...

Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:48 How the 18th-Century 'Great Fear’ spread across rural FranceIn the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristo...

Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Electrochemical fusionResearchers have used electrochemistry to increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in a desktop reactor. Fusion ener...

Controversial climate report from Trump team galvanizes scientists into action

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Podcast Extra, we discuss a report released by the US Department of Energy, which concluded that global warming is “less damaging econo...

Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious mesosphere

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Tiny solar flyerResearchers have used a phenomenon known as thermal transpiration to create a solar-powered flying device that can stay aloft wi...

Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 Researchers develop a new glue and test it on a rubber duckAided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that wo...

Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below the sea

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 The deepest ecosystem ever discoveredResearchers have dived down to more than 9,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and discovered surpr...

Giant laser heats solid gold to 14 times its melting point

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 How hot can solid gold get?A new study suggests that gold can be superheated far beyond its melting point without it becoming a liquid. Using an...

AI, bounties and culture change, how scientists are taking on errors

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A simple methodological error meant that for years researchers considered drinking moderate amounts of alcohol to be healthy. Now plenty of evidence s...

‘Stealth flippers’ helped this extinct mega-predator stalk its prey

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:48 The ancient mega-predator with a ‘stealth mode’The extinct marine mega-predator Temnodontosaurus had specialised a...

Three weeks in a hide to spot one elusive bear: the life of a wildlife film-maker

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Vianet Djenguet is an award-winning wildlife film-maker and camera operator whose work has featured in a number of major nature documentaries.In this ...

Ancient DNA reveals farming led to more human diseases

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:48 The past 35,000 years of diseaseAncient DNA evidence shows that the advent of agriculture led to more infectious disease among humans, with path...

Audio long read: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic — research reveals what works

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide and public-health specialists worry that these trends could worsen. But while the shift ...

3D-printed fake wasps help explain bad animal mimicry

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:45 Why animals evolve to be imperfect mimicsMany harmless animals mimic dangerous ones to avoid being eaten, but often this fakery ...

Is AI watching you? The hidden links between research and surveillance

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’d like to learn more about our listeners, please help us out by filling in this short survey.In this episode:00:45 Is AI-research being co-o...

Flight simulator for moths reveals they navigate by starlight

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’d like to learn more about our listeners, please help us out by filling in this short survey.In this episode:00:45 The tiny moths that use t...

Hundreds of physicists on a remote island: we visit the ultimate quantum party

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to legend, physicist Werner Heisenberg formulated the mathematics behind quantum mechanics in 1925 while on a restorative trip to the remote...

This stretchy neural implant grows with an axolotl's brain

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 A flexible neural-implant that grows with the brainResearchers have developed a soft electronic implant that can measure brain activity of amphi...

Trump wants to put humans on Mars: what scientists think of the plan

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Podcast Extra, we examine President Donald Trump's calls for NASA to land humans on Mars. Although the White House has proposed spending some ...

Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 Iron’s role in mice sex determinationIron deficiency in mice mothers can sometimes result in their offspring developing female sex organs desp...

Audio long read: Three ways to cool Earth by pulling carbon from the sky

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the world looking likely to blow past the temperature targets laid out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a growing number of voices are s...

AI linked to boom in biomedical papers, infrared contact lenses, and is Earth's core leaking?

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:33 Was a boom in papers driven by AI?A spike in papers formulaically analysing a public data set has sparked worries that AI is being used to gener...

These malaria drugs treat the mosquitos — not the people

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:45 Treating mosquitoes for malariaResearchers have developed two compounds that can kill malaria-causing parasites within mosquitoes, an approach t...

How to transport antimatter — stick it on the back of a van

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 An antimatter delivery van takes its first road tripResearchers have developed a portable antimatter containment device and tested it by putting...

NSF terminates huge number of grants and stops awarding new ones

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Podcast Extra, we examine recent developments US National Science Foundation, which has seen significant numbers of research grants terminated...

Herring population loses migration 'memory' after heavy fishing

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 How fishing activity altered the migration pattern of HerringSelective fishing of older herring has resulted in a large shift in the migration p...

The dismantling of US science: can it survive Trump 2.0?

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 What will be left of US science after Trump 2.0?100 days into his term, President Donald Trump and his administration have alrea...

Audio long read: Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Research shows that, over the past two decades, rates of mental illness have been increasing in adolescents in many countries. While some scientists p...

A brand-new colour created by lasers, a pig-liver transplant trial gets the green light, and a nugget-sized chunk of lab-grown meat

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:27 Five people see ‘olo’, a brand-new colourUsing a laser system to activate specific eye cells, a team has allowed five study participants to ...

‘Dark matter’, 'Big Bang' and ‘spin’: how physics terms can confuse researchers

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Categorizing things is central to science. And there are dozens of systems scientists have created to name everything from the trenches on the sea bed...

What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the humble spud

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 A potato pangenomeResearchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple potato types, something they bel...

Long-awaited ape genomes give new insights into their evolution — and ours

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Complete sequencing of ape genomesResearchers have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, helping uncover the evolutionary history o...

From Hippocrates to COVID-19: the scientific fight to prove diseases can be airborne

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science writer and New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer's latest book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life we Breathe dives i...

Trump team removes senior NIH chiefs in shock move

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Podcast Extra, we hear the latest on how decisions by the Trump administration are affecting science in the US. Most recently, a purge of Nati...

World’s tiniest pacemaker could revolutionize heart surgery

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:46 Millimetre-sized pacemaker fits inside syringeResearchers have developed a tiny, temporary pacemaker that dissolves when no longer needed, helpi...

Audio long read: How quickly are you ageing? What molecular ‘clocks’ can tell you about your health

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With money pouring in and an unprecedented level of public attention and excitement, scientists are publishing a steady stream of papers on ways to me...

New lasso-shaped antibiotic kills drug-resistant bacteria

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode:00:46 Newly discovered molecule shows potent antibiotic activityResearchers have identified a new molecule with antibiotic activity ag...