In this episode:
Researchers at Google Deepmind have developed an AI that can solve International Mathematical Olympiad-level geometry problems, something previous AIs have struggled with. They provided the system with a huge number of random mathematical theorems and proofs, which it used to approximate general rules of geometry. The AI then applied these rules to solve the Olympiad problems and show its workings for humans to check. The researchers hope their system shows that it is possible for AIs to ‘learn’ basic principles from large amounts of data and use them to tackle complex logical challenges, which could prove useful in fields outside mathematics.
Research article: Trinh et al.
A stiff and squishy ‘hydrospongel’ — part sponge, part hydrogel — that could find use in soft robotics, and how the spread of rice paddies in sub-Saharan Africa helps to drive up atmospheric methane levels.
Research Highlight: Stiff gel as squishable as a sponge takes its cue from cartilage
Research Highlight: A bounty of rice comes at a price: soaring methane emissions
Mass Mortality Events, sometimes called mass die-offs, can result in huge numbers of a single species perishing in a short period of time. But there’s not a huge amount known about the effects that events like these might be having on wider ecosystems. Now, a team of researchers have built a model ecosystem to observe the impact of mass die-offs on the delicate balance of populations within it.
Research article: Tye et al.
An update on efforts to remove the stuck screws on OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, the ancient, fossilized skin that was preserved in petroleum, and a radical suggestion to save the Caribbean’s coral reefs.
OSIRIS-REx Mission Blog: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample
Nature News: This is the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found — it pre-dates the dinosaurs
Nature News: Can foreign coral save a dying reef? Radical idea sparks debate
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27 February 2020: Mapping fruit flies’ neural circuitry, and perfecting the properties of metallic glass
Podcast Extra: ‘There is lots of anxiety’: a scientist’s view from South Korea
20 February 2020: Improving battery charging, and harnessing energy from the air
13 February 2020: The puzzling structures of muddled materials, and paving the way for the quantum internet
06 February 2020: Out-of-office emails and work-life-balance, and an update on the novel coronavirus outbreak
30 January 2020: Linking Australian bushfires to climate change, and Asimov's robot ethics
23 January: How stress can cause grey hair, and the attitude needed to tackle climate change
16 January 2020: Strange objects at the centre of the galaxy, and improving measurements of online activity
09 January 2020: A look ahead at science in 2020
01 January 2020: Our reporters’ top picks of 2019
Nature PastCast, December 1920: The Quantum Theory
Podcast Extra: From climate lawyer to climate activist
Podcast Extra: Epigenetics
19 December 2019: The three-body problem, and festive fun
Long Read Podcast: How to save coral reefs as the world warms
12 December 2019: Social priming, and acoustic science
05 December 2019: Genomic sequencing and the source of solar winds
Nature Pastcast, November 1869: The first issue of Nature
28 November 2019: Nature’s 2019 PhD survey, and older women in sci-fi novels
21 November 2019: A new antibiotic from nematode guts, grant funding ‘lotteries’, and butterfly genomes
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