The self-supporting structures that snap into place, and how a ban on fossil-fuel funding could entrench poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
In this episode:
00:45 Self-supporting, foldable structures
Drawing inspiration from the art of origami, a team of researchers have demonstrated a way to design self-supporting structures that lock into place after being inflated. The team hope that this technique could be used to create arches and emergency shelters that can be quickly unfolded from flat with minimal input.
Research Article: Melancon et al.
News and Views: Large-scale origami locks into place under pressure
Video: Origami-inspired structures could be deployed in disaster zones
07:32 Research Highlights
Nocturnal fluctuations cause scientists to underestimate rivers’ carbon emissions, and the ‘island rule’ of animal size-change is seen around the world.
Research Highlight: Rivers give off stealth carbon at night
Research Highlight: Animals around the world follow the ‘island rule’ to a curious fate
09:55 Banning fossil-fuel funding will not alleviate poverty
A ban by wealthy nations on the funding of overseas fossil-fuel projects would do little to reduce the world’s climate emissions and much to entrench poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, argues economist Vijaya Ramachandran.
World View: Blanket bans on fossil-fuel funds will entrench poverty
17:17 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the first powered flight on another world, and estimating how many Tyrannosaurus rex ever lived.
News: Lift off! First flight on Mars launches new way to explore worlds
Video: Flying a helicopter on Mars: NASA’s Ingenuity
News: How many T. rex ever existed? Calculation of dinosaur’s abundance offers an answer
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A brain circuit for infanticide, in mice
AI identifies gene interactions to speed up search for treatment targets
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‘Tree islands’ give oil-palm plantation a biodiversity boost
JWST shows an ancient galaxy in stunning spectroscopic detail
Nature's Take: Can Registered Reports help tackle publication bias?
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Audio long read: Conquering Alzheimer’s — a look at the therapies of the future
How Rosalind Franklin’s story was rewritten
A smarter way to melt down plastics?
How to battle misinformation with Sander van der Linden
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Giant black-hole pair from the early Universe gives clues to how galaxies form
Audio long read: What Turkey’s earthquake tells us about the science of seismic forecasting
Bacterial ‘syringes’ could inject drugs directly into human cells
How to make driverless cars safer — expose them to lots of dangerous drivers
How to build a virus-proof cell
How the Australian wildfires devastated the ozone layer
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