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 cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the developing human heart at an individual cell level. Their atlas provides insights into how cell communities communicate and form different structures. They hope that this knowledge will ultimately help in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, often caused by irregular development of the heart.
Research article: Farah et al.
Nature video: Building a heart atlas
Residue in ceramic vases suggests that ancient Mesoamerican peoples consumed tobacco as a liquid, and a wireless way to charge quantum batteries.
Research Highlight: Buried vases hint that ancient Americans might have drunk tobacco
Research Highlight: A better way to charge a quantum battery
Menopause is a rare phenomenon, only known to occur in a few mammalian species. Several of these species are toothed whales, such as killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals. But why menopause evolved multiple times in toothed whales has been a long-standing research question. To answer it, a team examined the life history of whales with and without menopause and how this affected the number of offspring and ‘grandoffpsring’. Their results suggest that menopause allows older females to help younger generations in their families and improve their chances of survival.
Research Article: Ellis et al.
News and Views: Whales make waves in the quest to discover why menopause evolved
How the new generation of anti-obesity drugs could help people with HIV, and the study linking microplastics lodged in a key blood vessel with serious health issues.
Nature News: Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV
Nature News: Landmark study links microplastics to serious health problems
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Podcast Extra: Detecting gravitational waves
24 October 2019: Quantum supremacy and ancient mammals
17 October 2019: Mapping childhood mortality, and evolving ‘de novo’ genes
10 October 2019: Estimating earthquake risk, and difficulties for deep-learning
Podcast Extra: Q&A with Nobel Prize winner John B Goodenough
Podcast Extra: Q&A with Nobel Prize winner Didier Queloz
03 October 2019: Leapfrogging speciation, and migrating mosquitoes
Nature PastCast, September 1963: Plate tectonics – the unifying theory of Earth sciences
26 September 2019: Mysteries of the ancient mantle, and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Podcast Extra: Absurd scientific advice
Backchat: Covering Climate Now
19 September 2019: XKCD, and Extinction Rebellion
12 September 2019: Modelling early embryos, and male-dominated conferences
05 September 2019: Persistent antibiotic resistance, and modelling hot cities
Nature PastCast, August 1975: Antibodies’ ascendency to blockbuster drug status
29 August 2019: Carbon-based computing, and depleting ancient-human genomes
22 August 2019: Combating online hate speech, and identifying early fossils
15 August 2019: Atomic espionage in the Second World War, and exploring the early Universe
08 August 2019: A mindset for success, and mercury in fish
01 August 2019: The placental microbiome, and advances in artificial intelligence
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