Scientists have finally confirmed the existence of a CNO cycle fusion reaction in the Sun, and why women’s contraception research needs a reboot.In this episode:00:47 Detection of CNO neutrinosSince the 1930s it has been theorised that stars have a specific fusion reaction known as the CNO cycle, but proof has been elusive. Now, a collaboration in Italy report detection of neutrinos that show that the CNO cycle exists.Research article: The Borexino CollaborationNews and Views: Neutrino detection gets to the core of the Sun08:48 CoronapodWe discuss the search for the animal origin of SARS-CoV-2, with researchers raiding their freezer draws to see if any animals carry similar viruses, and the latest vaccine results.News: Coronaviruses closely related to the pandemic virus discovered in Japan and CambodiaNews: Why Oxford’s positive COVID vaccine results are puzzling scientists19:32 Research HighlightsHow sleep patterns relate to ageing, and a solar-powered steam sterilizer.Research Highlight: For better health, don’t sleep your ageResearch Highlight: Technology for sterilizing medical instruments goes solar21:50 Getting women’s contraception research unstuckSince the 1960s there has been little progress on research into women’s contraceptives. This week in Nature, researchers argue that this needs to change.Comment: Reboot contraceptives research — it has been stuck for decades29:35 Briefing ChatWe discuss a highlight from the Nature Briefing. This time, a tool to summarise papers.Nature News: tl;dr: this AI sums up research papers in a sentenceTry the TLDR tool yourself!Subscribe 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.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.