Laser-cooled antimatter opens up new physics experiments, and the staggering economic cost of invasive species.
In this episode:
00:44 Cooling antimatter with a laser focus
Antimatter is annihilated whenever it interacts with regular matter, which makes it tough for physicists to investigate. Now though, a team at CERN have developed a way to trap and cool antihydrogen atoms using lasers, allowing them to better study its properties.
Research Article: Baker et al.
News and Views: Antimatter cooled by laser light
09:27 Research Highlights
A dramatic increase in Arctic lightning strikes, and an acrobatic bunny helps researchers understand hopping.
Research Highlight: Rising temperatures spark boom in Arctic lightning
Research Highlight: Rabbits that do ‘handstands’ help to find a gene for hopping
11:53 Cost of invasion
Invasive alien species are organisms that end up in places where they don’t really belong, usually as a result of human activity. These species can cause loss of biodiversity and a host of damage to their new environments. This week, researchers estimate that the economic impact of invasive species to be over US $1 trillion.
Research Article: Diagne et al.
19:04 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the physics that might explain how a ship blocked the Suez Canal, and a new insight into octopuses’ sleep patterns.
The Financial Times: The bank effect and the big boat blocking the Suez
Science: Octopuses, like humans, sleep in two stages
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Coronapod: the open-science plan to unseat big Pharma and tackle vaccine inequity
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Ancient mud reveals the longest record of climate from the tropics
Higgs boson at 10: a deep dive into the mysterious, mass-giving particle
Coronapod: detecting COVID variants in sewage
Higgs boson turns ten: the mysteries physicists are still trying to solve
Ed Yong on the wondrous world of animal senses
Norovirus could spread through saliva: a new route for infection?
Audio long read: These six countries are about to go to the Moon
Coronapod: USA authorises vaccines for youngest of kids
How science can tackle inequality
How the Black Death got its start
Coronapod: COVID and smell loss, what the science says
Ancient 'giraffes' sported thick helmets for headbutting
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