AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs
This podcast has been corrected: in a previous version at 5:55 we stated that that the team's 200mm devices currently contain only a couple of magnetic tunnelling junctions, in fact they studied 500-1...
20 Mar 202429min
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
In this episode:00:45 Making a map of the human heartThe human heart consists of multiple, specialised structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which c...
13 Mar 202427min
These tiny fish combine electric pulses to probe the environment
In this episode:00:48 Bumblebees can learn new tricks from each otherOne behaviour thought unique to humans is the ability to learn something from your predecessors that you couldn’t figure out on you...
6 Mar 202436min
Could this one-time ‘epigenetic’ treatment control cholesterol?
In this episode:00:49 What caused the Universe to become fully transparent?Around 13 billion years ago, the Universe was filled with a dense ‘fog’ of neutral hydrogen that blocked certain wavelengths ...
28 Feb 202426min
Audio long read: Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them
The phenomenon of animals catching diseases from humans, called reverse zoonoses, has had a severe impact on great ape populations, often representing a bigger threat than habitat loss or poaching.How...
26 Feb 202424min
How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved
The deep haunting tones of the world's largest animals, baleen whales, are iconic - but how the songs are produced has long been a mystery. Whales evolved from land dwelling mammals which vocalize by ...
23 Feb 202414min
Why are we nice? Altruism's origins are put to the test
In this episode:00:45 Why are humans so helpful?Humans are notable for their cooperation and display far more altruistic behaviour than other animals, but exactly why this behaviour evolved has been a...
21 Feb 202430min
Smoking changes your immune system, even years after quitting
00:45 Smoking's long-term effects on immunityIt's well-known that smoking is bad for health and it has been linked to several autoimmune disorders, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Now, re...
14 Feb 202421min
