Nature Podcast9 Apr 2025

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

00:46 Complete sequencing of ape genomes

Researchers have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, helping uncover the evolutionary history of our closest relatives and offering insights into what makes humans human. The genomes of chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan and siamang have been sequenced end-to-end, filling in gaps that have long eluded researchers.

Research Article: Yoo et al.

News and Views: Complete ape genomes offer a close-up view of human evolution

News: What makes us human? Milestone ape genomes promise clues

08:47 Research Highlights

How sunflower stars are evading a mysterious epidemic, and how solar panels made of moon dust could power lunar bases.

Research Highlight: Revealed: where rare and giant starfish hide from an enigmatic killer

Research Highlight: Solar cells made of Moon dust could power up a lunar base

11:36 How to make a competitive laser-plasma accelerator

After decades of research, physicists have demonstrated that, in principle, an alternative kind of particle accelerator can work just as well as more conventional designs. Many particle accelerators that power huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are radio-frequency accelerators, but they are large and limited in how strong their magnetic fields can be. The new work shows that accelerators that instead use plasma to accelerate particles could be a viable alternative and could be built at much smaller scales.

Research article: Winkler et al.

19:55 Briefing Chat

A drug that makes blood poisonous to mosquitoes, and how an AI worked out how to solve key challenges in Minecraft by ‘imagining’ solutions.

Science Alert: Drug For Rare Disease Turns Human Blood Into Mosquito Poison

Nature: AI masters Minecraft: DeepMind program finds diamonds without being taught

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Episoder(924)

Briefing Chat: How 1,000 pairs of buried underpants helped measure soil health

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4 Sep 12min

Audio long read: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?

Scientists are amassing evidence that unrepaired or poorly repaired DNA damage underlies many of the hallmarks of ageing. This has led to research into whether boosting DNA repair can keep people heal...

2 Sep 18min

Briefing Chat: How Dolly Parton left her mark on science

In this episode:00:18 Researchers celebrate Dolly Parton's contributions to scienceNature: Dolly Parton dies aged 80 — researchers celebrate her contributions to science08:40 Phase III trial of melano...

28 Aug 14min

Highest-ever ocean temperatures recorded as El Niño intensifies

Why extreme temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks — plus, how mitochondrial injections could treat vision loss.00:46 The world’s oceans reach a record temperatureNature: Ocean tempera...

26 Aug 19min

Briefing Chat: New narcolepsy drug could unlock host of novel brain therapies

Nature staff discuss how an FDA-approved drug for narcolepsy could have promise beyond the condition, and the longest-lived human brain organoids yet.00:28 The promise of a new narcolepsy drugNature: ...

21 Aug 12min

A black hole's spin could finally be measured by a high-speed star

Star orbiting close to Sagittarius A* could reveal its spin — plus, how exoskeletons might change the way humans move.00:46 The star that could reveal a black hole’s spinResearch article: Dayem et al....

19 Aug 29min

Briefing Chat: Anthropic rolls out new AI watermark — will it make a difference?

In this episode:00:29 What does Anthropic’s new watermark mean for research?Nature: Can Anthropic’s invisible watermarks curb ‘AI slop’? Researchers remain sceptical10:57 Ticklishness is a distinct, s...

14 Aug 16min

The probiotic bacteria engineered to treat diabetes

Genetically modified bacteria lower high blood-sugar in animal trials — plus, how to safely watch a solar eclipse.00:45 A living diabetes treatmentResearch article: Guan et al.08:03 Research Highlight...

12 Aug 19min