The pandemic's unequal toll on the research community, and a newly discovered mitochondria-like symbiosis.
In this episode:
00:48 The pandemic's unequal toll on researchers
Although 2020 saw a huge uptick in the numbers of research papers submitted, these increases were not evenly distributed among male and female scientists. We look at how this could widen existing disparities in science, and damage future career prospects.
Editorial: COVID is amplifying the inadequacy of research-evaluation processes
09:18 Research Highlights
How a parasite can make viral infections more deadly, and the first known space hurricane.
Research Highlight: Intestinal worms throw open the door to dangerous viruses
Research Highlight: The first known space hurricane pours electron ‘rain’
11:36 Energy without oxygen
Millions of years ago, a microscopic protist swallowed a bacterium and gained the ability to breathe nitrate. This relationship partially replaced the cell's mitochondria and allowed it to produce abundant energy without oxygen. This week, researchers describe how this newly discovered symbiosis works.
Research Article: Graf et al.
News and Views: A microbial marriage reminiscent of mitochondrial evolution
19:22 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the weakening of the Gulf Stream, and a new satellite to monitor deforestation in the Amazon.
The Guardian: Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists
Science: Brazil’s first homemade satellite will put an extra eye on dwindling Amazon forests
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Video: How to build a Quantum Internet
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The science behind an 'uncrushable' beetle’s exoskeleton
Superconductivity gets heated
Audio long-read: What animals really think
Trump vs. Biden: what's at stake for science?
Greenland's ice will melt faster than any time in the past 12,000 years
After decades of trying, scientists coax plastic particles into a diamond-like structure
Genes chart Vikings' spread across Europe
A new way to cool computer chips — from within
Revealed: A clearer view of how general anaesthetics actually work
The challenge of reproducing results from ten-year-old code
3D-printing some of the world's lightest materials
The chemical that turns locusts from Jekyll into Hyde
Audio long-read: Pluto’s dark side is overflowing with secrets
Why skin grows bigger as you stretch it
When did people arrive in the Americas? New evidence stokes debate
Graphene’s magic angle reveals a new twist
Coronapod: Massive coronavirus outbreak strikes iconic Californian prison after it rejected expert aid
The six-year-old space agency with hopes for Mars
Coronapod: Lessons from pandemic ‘war-game’ simulations
What the atomic structure of enamel tells us about tooth decay
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free