In this episode:
Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic disease that affects millions of people, who become infected when they come into contact with contaminated water. To prevent the spread and reinfection of this disease, researchers trialled an environmental intervention that removed plants from lakes in Senegal. These plants act as food for freshwater snails – intermediate hosts for the disease. Results showed that this reduced disease levels, and that the plants could be composted to increase agricultural yields, suggesting this approach could be used to improve health and the economy.
Research article: Rohr et al.
News and Views: A sustainable way to control the parasitic disease schistosomiasis
How artificial intelligence can predict the art that people will find memorable, and the protein-based, shock-absorbing gel that can stop projectiles in their tracks.
Research Highlight: Memorable artworks are easy to predict
Research Highlight: Supersonic ‘bullets’ are softly captured by a protein gel
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, an update on Chandrayaan-3, India’s latest attempt to land a craft on the Moon - and birds that use anti-bird spikes to build nests.
Nature News: India's Moon lander successfully launches — but biggest challenge lies ahead
The Guardian: Crows and magpies using anti-bird spikes to build nests, researchers find
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
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This AI powered 'tongue' can tell Coke and Pepsi apart
Strange gamma-ray flickers seen in thunderstorms for the first time
Audio long read: A day in the life of the world’s fastest supercomputer
Children with Down's syndrome are more likely to get leukaemia: stem-cells hint at why
Colossal 'jets' shooting from a black hole defy physicists' theories
Ancient DNA debunks Rapa Nui ‘ecological suicide’ theory
The baseless stat that could be harming Indigenous conservation efforts
Long-sought 'nuclear clocks' are one tick closer
Audio long read: So you got a null result. Will anyone publish it?
Covert racism in AI chatbots, precise Stone Age engineering, and the science of paper cuts
Can ageing be stopped? A biologist explains
AI can't learn new things forever — an algorithm can fix that
The mystery of Stonehenge's central stone unearthed
ChatGPT has a language problem — but science can fix it
Where weird plants thrive: aridity spurs diversity of traits
How light-based computers could cut AI’s energy needs
Audio long read: Hope, despair and CRISPR — the race to save one woman’s life
Rapid sepsis test identifies bacteria that spark life-threatening infection
The plastic that biodegrades in your home compost
Breastfeeding should break down mothers' bones — here's why it doesn't
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