In this episode:
00:45 A bright satellite is concerning researchersSatellites reflect sunlight down to Earth, and some do so with such intensity it risks obscuring astronomers' observations from ground-based telescopes. A paper in Nature suggests that the telecommunications satellite called BlueWalker 3 at times outshines most stars visible from Earth. Astronomers worry about the increasing number of such bright satellites making astronomy more difficult, and so the team suggest that future launches should undergo impact assessments.
Research article: Nandakumar et al.
Nature News: Huge new satellite outshines nearly every star in the sky
Analysis of carrot genomes reveals how the vegetable got its orange hue, and the self-healing diamond that can fix microscopic fractures.
Research article: Coe et al.
Research Highlight: Crack this kind of diamond, and it heals itself
Trilobites are a group of extinct marine arthropods distantly related to animals like crabs and spiders. Although found throughout the fossil record, little is known about the lives of this diverse group of animals. Now, a team has used powerful x-rays to peer inside a trilobite fossil and uncovered the contents of its last meal, over 400-million-years ago. This animal appears to have been an unfussy scavenger, gorging itself on a variety of small, shelled animals.
Research article: Kraft et al.
Flora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel Prizes.
Nature News: Pioneers of mRNA COVID vaccines win medicine Nobel
Nature News: Physicists who built ultrafast ‘attosecond’ lasers win Nobel Prize
Nature News: Tiny ‘quantum dot’ particles win chemistry Nobel
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RNA test detects deadly pregnancy disorder early
Coronapod: what people get wrong about endemic COVID
Weirdly flowing water finally has an explanation: 'quantum friction'
Coronapod: Why T cells have been overlooked
How can battery-powered aircraft get off the ground?
Audio long read: Is precision public health the future — or a contradiction?
Coronapod: COVID death toll is likely millions more than official counts
Why mutation is not as random as we thought
Podcast Extra: Recreating the lost sounds of spring
Webb Space Telescope makes history after tense launch
Science in 2022: what to expect this year
Audio long-read: The secret lives of cells — as never seen before
Our podcast highlights of 2021
The Nature Podcast annual holiday spectacular
Coronapod: Omicron - your questions answered
Pluto's strange ice patterns explained by new theory
Coronapod: vaccines and long COVID, how protected are you?
How 'megastudies' are changing behavioural science
Coronapod: How has COVID impacted mental health?
What’s the best diet for people and the planet?
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