Nature Podcast

Benjamin Thompson and Elizabeth Gibney discuss an experiment trapping a single positron and how precise measurements could probe differences between matter and antimatter. The episode then turns to JAXA’s mission to Phobos, including the challenge of operating a wheeled rover under extremely low gravity. These conversations connect laboratory tests of fundamental physics with the engineering and scientific aims of planetary exploration.

Experiments using a giant wave machine test how salt marshes protect shorelines during extreme storms. The episode also explores evidence about Denisovan faces, orangutan mothers arranging play encounters, and the unequal effects of medieval lead exposure.

This audio edition of Nature’s feature examines concerns that widespread reliance on large language models could weaken critical thinking. It draws on research in cognition and education to consider how people can preserve and practise reasoning skills while using AI tools. The feature distinguishes the concern about cognitive offloading from evidence and practical approaches developed by researchers studying critical thought.

This Briefing Chat examines a tattoo ink that becomes visible under ultraviolet light and then fades, before discussing whether epigenetic changes and jumping genes help explain why larger dogs age more quickly.

A global analysis suggests protected areas are more extensive than existing conservation accounts imply, while biodiversity remains under threat. A second research segment examines a large study associating brown fat with a broader range of health benefits. Research highlights consider Solar System stability and differences in brain aging among great apes.

Nature’s science-prize roundup discusses the research recognised by the 2026 Nobel prizes: light-based control of neurons, detection of cosmic neutrinos and the emergence of handed organic molecules. A further segment examines what gut microbes can reveal about ancient human populations and journeys. Research highlights address young viewers of online sports videos and observations of black-hole jets. The episode connects neuroscience, particle physics and chemistry with evolutionary questions about the human microbiome.

High-speed recordings reveal how butterfly markings generate misleading motion cues during takeoff, potentially confusing pursuing birds. The episode considers visual camouflage and predator–prey interactions, followed by short research highlights on evolution and an Iron Age hoard of metal bars.

Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell discuss two scientific stories from the Nature Briefing. The first concerns a technique for detecting lead that may help researchers read damaged Roman scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling the fragile, charred material. The second examines a biodegradable, paper-inspired edible battery and its potential use in medical devices inside the body. The publisher’s episode page and official podcast feed both identify this 25 September 2026 episode; the discussion lasts 11 minutes 32 seconds.

This Nature Podcast explores how anonymized banking records can reveal patterns of financial abuse and inform support for victim-survivors. A second segment examines how opposing forces within Earth’s core can change the planet’s rotation and the length of a day. Research highlights cover Mercury’s contraction and cognitive resilience in predicting Alzheimer’s dementia.

Nature staff discuss geophysical evidence that could indicate hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun's tomb and what the findings might imply for the search for Nefertiti's burial place. The episode also examines a multifunctional brain-computer interface that translates neural activity into both speech and gestures, highlighting how one implant can support several forms of communication.

This Nature Podcast episode examines human brain organoids transplanted into mice lacking a cerebral cortex, where extensive cellular integration could create an in-vivo platform for testing therapies and studying human neurobiology. It also covers research highlights and Paper2Agent, an AI system that turns research papers into interactive virtual corresponding authors able to answer questions and support complex scientific tasks.

Nature staff discuss an AI tool for assessing the effects of nine billion human genetic mutations, followed by research challenging assumptions about Bunsen burners and contamination near laboratory work areas. This episode is part of Nature Podcast’s Briefing Chat series and is available from the publisher on Acast.

This Nature Podcast episode discusses telephone tutoring during school shutdowns and what changing world-map projections could mean for atlases. Research highlights cover synchronized optical clocks and greenhouse-gas emissions from pigs. The publisher provides the episode audio on Acast.

Nature's Benjamin Thompson and Maren Hunsberger discuss research recognised by the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, including a soil-health experiment, and examine an intriguing signal from a xenon-based dark-matter experiment. Published on 4 September 2026, this episode connects environmental measurement with particle-physics news.

An audio feature examining research on DNA damage, repair and ageing. The episode explores evidence that inadequate repair contributes to age-related biological changes, and scientific efforts to test whether improving repair can extend healthy life. Nature published this episode on 2 September 2026.

Nature reporters discuss Dolly Parton's advocacy for vaccines and public health alongside promising phase III results for a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma.

Nature reporters explain why record ocean temperatures associated with an intensifying El Niño could weaken marine carbon sinks. The episode also covers radiation protection for astronauts, thunder-based underground geology and experimental mitochondrial injections for vision loss.

Nature staff discuss how a newly approved orexin-targeting narcolepsy drug could enable therapies for other neurological conditions, and examine human brain organoids that have remained viable for more than five years. The episode connects sleep medicine, therapeutic neuroscience, and long-term models of human brain development.

This Nature Podcast episode reports on a high-speed star whose orbit could enable measurement of the spin of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The programme also examines how exoskeletons influence human movement and covers other current science stories.

Nature staff examine what an invisible watermark for AI-generated text could mean for research integrity and the detection of synthetic content, then discuss cross-cultural research showing that ticklishness is a distinct and specialized body sensation with common anatomical patterns.