Nature Podcast5 Feb 2025

Kids' real-world arithmetic skills don't transfer to the classroom

In this episode:

00:45 How arithmetic skills don’t transfer between applied and academic environments

Mathematics skills learnt in real-world situations may not translate to the classroom and vice versa, according to a new study. A team surveyed children in India who work in markets, to see whether the skills they learnt there transferred to the classroom. While proficient at solving market-based arithmetic problems, they struggled to solve problems typically used in schools. The reverse was seen for children enrolled in schools with no market-selling experience. The authors hope this finding could help adjust teaching curricula and bridge the gap between intuitive and formal maths.

Research Article: Banerjee et al.

12:38 Research Highlights

Wolverine populations rebound in Sweden and Norway, and why wobbly arrows launch faster than rigid ones.

Research Highlight: Who’s the new furry neighbour? It might be a wolverine

Research Highlight: How a wobbly arrow can achieve superpropulsion

14:59 The unexpected movements seen in super-dense crowds

A study has revealed that when packed crowds reach a certain density, large groups of people suddenly start to move in circular patterns — a finding that could be used to identify dangerous overcrowding. By assessing footage of the densely-packed San Fermín festival, a team observed this spontaneous phenomenon, and modelled the physics underlying it. Studying the movements of giant crowds has been difficult, and the team hope this work could help event organisers to identify and respond to situations where people could get hurt.

Research Article: Gu et al.

News and Views: Crowds start to spin when their densities hit a threshold

Sound effects:

Crowd Cheering - Ambience by GregorQuendel via CC BY 4.0

Cupinzano sounds by Europa Press - Footage News via Getty Images

24:00 Briefing Chat

An update on the US National Science Foundation’s scrutinizing of grants to comply with President Trump’s directives, and why scratching an itch may have unexpected antibacterial properties.

Nature: Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders

Nature: Why it feels good to scratch that itch: the immune benefits of scratching

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