Physicists examine the gravitational pull between two tiny masses, and how fossil lampreys could shake-up the field of vertebrate evolution.
In this episode:
00:47 Gravity, on the small scale
This week, researchers have captured the smallest measurement of gravity on record, by measuring the pull between two tiny gold spheres. This experiment opens the door for future experiments to investigate the fundamental forces of nature and the quantum nature of gravity.
Research Article: Westphal et al.
News and Views: Ultra-weak gravitational field detected
07:37 Research Highlights
Research shows that people often don’t know when a conversation should end, and the cuttlefish that show remarkable self control.
Research Highlight: How long should a conversation last? The people involved haven’t a clue
Research Highlight: Arms control: cuttlefish can pass the ‘marshmallow test’
10:18 Lamprey evolution
The larval stage of lamprey growth has long been thought to resemble the kind of early animal that all vertebrates evolved from. However, new research looking at the fossils of lamprey species suggests that this popular hypothesis may be incorrect.
Research Article: Miyashita et al.
17:38 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, glow-in-the-dark sharks, and scientists’ reflections on the nuclear industry 10 years on from Fukushima.
The Guardian: 'Giant luminous shark': researchers discover three deep-sea sharks glow in the dark
Nature Comment: Nuclear energy, ten years after Fukushima
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Video: Deep-sea soft robots
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Audio long read: How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models
Fentanyl addiction: the brain pathways behind the opioid crisis
Lizard-inspired building design could save lives
Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade
Talking about sex and gender doesn't need to be toxic
Dad's microbiome can affect offsprings' health — in mice
Audio long read: Why loneliness is bad for your health
How gliding marsupials got their 'wings'
Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why
Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory
The 'ghost roads' driving tropical deforestation
Audio long read: Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say
Pregnancy's effect on 'biological' age, polite birds, and the carbon cost of home-grown veg
How climate change is affecting global timekeeping
AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
These tiny fish combine electric pulses to probe the environment
Could this one-time ‘epigenetic’ treatment control cholesterol?
Audio long read: Chimpanzees are dying from our colds — these scientists are trying to save them
How whales sing without drowning, an anatomical mystery solved
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