How AI could improve robotics, the cockroach’s origins, and promethium spills its secrets
In this episode:00:25 What the rise of AI language models means for robotsCompanies are melding artificial intelligence with robotics, in an effort to catapult both to new heights. They hope that by i...
29 Maj 202423min
How mathematician Freeman Hrabowski opened doors for Black scientists
Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s, mathematician Freeman Hrabowski was moved to join the civil rights moment after hearing Martin Luther King Jr speak. Even as a child, he saw the desperate need to m...
28 Maj 202436min
Audio long read: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models
AIs are often described as 'black boxes' with researchers unable to to figure out how they 'think'. To better understand these often inscrutable systems, some scientists are borrowing from psychology ...
24 Maj 202417min
Fentanyl addiction: the brain pathways behind the opioid crisis
00:45 The neuroscience of fentanyl addictionResearch in mice has shown that fentanyl addiction is the result of two brain circuits working in tandem, rather than a single neural pathway as had been pr...
22 Maj 202420min
Lizard-inspired building design could save lives
In this episode:00:45 A recyclable 3D printing resin from an unusual sourceMany 3D printers create objects using liquid resins that turn into robust solids when exposed to light. But many of these are...
15 Maj 202431min
Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade
In this episode:00:45 A nuclear timekeeper that could transform fundamental-physics research.Nuclear clocks — based on tiny shifts in energy in an atomic nucleus — could be even more accurate and stab...
8 Maj 202421min
Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic
Ever since scientific enquiry began, people have focused mainly on men, or if studies involve animals, on male mice, male rats or whatever it may be. And this has led to gaps in scientists’ understand...
2 Maj 202458min
Dad's microbiome can affect offsprings' health — in mice
In this episode:00:46 Using genomics to explain geographic differences in cancer riskThe risk of developing cancer can vary hugely depending on geographic region, but it’s not exactly clear why. To ge...
1 Maj 202425min
