Audio long read: How to stay smart in the age of AI — the science of critical thinking
Critical thinking is a skill that is under threat from the AI revolution in large language models. But all is not lost. Specialists in education and cognition have long been studying critical thinking...
19 Okt 16min
Briefing Chat: An invisible tattoo that appears under UV light – and then disappears
In this episode:00:15 An appearing, disappearing tattoo inkNature: Watch this invisible tattoo appear under UV light04:13 How the epigenome could help explain why big dogs age fasterNature: Big dogs a...
16 Okt 9min
The world is closer to a major conservation target than scientists thought
Analysis suggests number of protected areas is hugely underestimated but biodiversity is still in peril — plus, a huge study looking at the health effects of brown fat.00:45 The world may have more co...
14 Okt 21min
Briefing Chat: Top researchers are being misled by sham academic societies
In this episode we discuss a recent Nature exclusive investigating an international constellation of sham academies and societies that have successfully misled some of the world’s leading scientists a...
9 Okt 12min
Nobel Prizes 2026: ‘ghost’ particles, mirror molecules and light switches in the brain
In this episode:00:45 The Nobel Prizes 2026Nature: Medicine Nobel awarded for brain ‘switch’ that controls neurons with lightNature: ‘What took them so long?’ This year’s medicine Nobel winner is over...
7 Okt 23min
‘Learning about physics changed my life’: author Hernan Diaz on his new novel Ply
In this episode, we speak with Hernan Diaz whose most recent novel Ply blends a vision of a dystopian future with questions about selfhood and asks whether advanced physics could be used to unravel th...
2 Okt 32min
These optical illusions are why butterflies are so hard to catch
High-speed footage of takeoffs reveal that the butterfly markings mislead the eye, making them harder to catch.00:45 Butterflies in flight create confusing motion cues that baffle birdsResearch Articl...
30 Sep 18min
Briefing Chat: Why scientists made papyrus scrolls, then burnt them
In this episode00:23 How detecting lead could help researchers read damaged Roman scrollsNature: Watch scientists decipher burned scrolls without unrolling them06:42 A biodegradeable, paper-inspired b...
25 Sep 11min
