In this episode:
Oxygen 28 is an isotope of oxygen with 20 neutrons and eight protons. This strange isotope has long been sought after by physicists, as its proposed unusual properties would allow them to put their theories of how atomic nuclei work to the test. Now, after decades of experiments physicists believe they have observed oxygen 28. The observations are at odds with theory predictions, so they imply that there’s a lot more physicists don’t know about the forces that hold atomic nuclei together.
Research article: Kondo et al.
News and Views: Heaviest oxygen isotope is found to be unbound
How venus fly traps can protect themselves from wildfires, and a ball-point pen that can ‘write’ LEDs.
Research Highlight: Venus flytraps shut their traps when flames approach
Research Highlight: A rainbow of LEDs adorns objects at the stroke of a pen
AIs have been beating humans at games for years, but in these cases the AI has always trained in exactly the same conditions in which it competes. In chess for example, the board can be simulated exactly. Now though, researchers have demonstrated an AI that can beat humans in a place where simulation can only take you so far, the real world. The Swift AI system is able to race drones against champion-level humans, and beat them most of the time. The researchers hope this research can help improve the efficiency of drones in general.
Research article: Kaufmann et al.
News and Views: Drone-racing champions outpaced by AI
Video: AI finally beats humans at a real-life sport - drone racing
This time, the Indian Space Research Organization’s successful moon landing, and the low level of support offered to researchers whose first language isn’t English by journals.
Nature News: India lands on the Moon! Scientists celebrate as Chandrayaan-3 touches down
Nature News: Scientists who don’t speak fluent English get little help from journals, study finds
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The 'zombie' fires that keep burning under snow-covered forests
Coronapod: The variant blamed for India's catastrophic second wave
The brain implant that turns thoughts into text
Coronapod: Waiving vaccine patents and coronavirus genome data disputes
Oldest African burial site uncovers Stone Age relationship with death
Coronapod special: The inequality at the heart of the pandemic
What fruit flies could teach scientists about brain imaging
Audio long-read: How drugmakers can be better prepared for the next pandemic
Coronapod: Kids and COVID vaccines
Meet the inflatable, origami-inspired structures
Coronapod: could COVID vaccines cause blood clots? Here's what the science says
The sanitation crisis making rural America ill
Coronapod: A whistle-blower’s quest to take politics out of coronavirus surveillance
Audio long-read: Rise of the robo-writers
Coronapod: How to define rare COVID vaccine side effects
Antimatter cooled with lasers for the first time
Coronapod: the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine - what you need to know
Network of world's most accurate clocks paves way to redefine time
Coronapod: Why COVID antibody treatments may not be the answer
The AI that argues back
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