Two ants, two species, one mother
00:45 The ant queen that can produce two different speciesResearchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, known as the Iberian Harvester Ant can produce offspri...
3 Sep 202527min
Audio long read: How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI
The search for signs of consciousness has expanded, thanks to advanced neuroimaging techniques. These tools allow researchers to detect consciousness in unresponsive humans, and now researchers are lo...
29 Aug 202519min
Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France
00:48 How the 18th-Century 'Great Fear’ spread across rural FranceIn the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristocratic plots to suppress revolutionary ideas. But ho...
27 Aug 202524min
Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry
00:46 Electrochemical fusionResearchers have used electrochemistry to increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in a desktop reactor. Fusion energy promises abundant clean energy, but fusion even...
20 Aug 202519min
Controversial climate report from Trump team galvanizes scientists into action
In this Podcast Extra, we discuss a report released by the US Department of Energy, which concluded that global warming is “less damaging economically than commonly believed”. However, many researcher...
15 Aug 202513min
Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious mesosphere
00:46 Tiny solar flyerResearchers have used a phenomenon known as thermal transpiration to create a solar-powered flying device that can stay aloft without any moving parts. The diminutive device, jus...
13 Aug 202531min
Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test
00:45 Researchers develop a new glue and test it on a rubber duckAided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that works as an underwater adhesive. Inspired by animals...
6 Aug 202528min
Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below the sea
00:45 The deepest ecosystem ever discoveredResearchers have dived down to more than 9,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and discovered surprisingly complex communities of life living in deep...
30 Jul 202533min
