An explanation for giant ice structures on Pluto, and dismantling the mestizo myth in Latin American genetics.
In this episode:
00:46 The frozen root of Pluto’s polygonal patterns
In 2015, NASA’s New Horizons probe sent back some intriguing images of Pluto. Huge polygonal patterns could be seen on the surface of a nitrogen-ice ice filled basin known as Sputnik Planitia. This week, a team put forward a new theory to explain these perplexing patterns.
Research article: Morison et al.
06:15 Research Highlights
How Pamplona’s bull-running defies the dynamics of crowd motion, and self-healing microbial bio-bricks.
Research Highlight: Running of the bulls tramples the laws of crowd dynamics
Research Highlight: It’s alive! Bio-bricks can signal to others of their kind
09:06 How the mixed-race ‘mestizo’ myth has fostered discrimination
The term 'mestizo' emerged during the colonial period in Latin America to describe a blend of ethnicities – especially between Indigenous peoples and the Spanish colonizers. But this label is a social construct not a well-defined scientific category. Now researchers are challenging the mestizo myth, which they say is harmful and has a troubling influence on science.
Feature: How the mixed-race mestizo myth warped science in Latin America
17:22 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how interrupted sleep could be a route to creativity, and the development of vaccines to target respiratory syncytial virus.
New Scientist: Interrupting sleep after a few minutes can boost creativity
Nature News: The race to make vaccines for a dangerous respiratory virus
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Why COP28 probably won't keep the 1.5 degree dream alive
Audio long read: Apple revival — how science is bringing historic varieties back to life
Polio could be eradicated within 3 years — what happens then?
Dust: the tiny substance with enormous power
How to 3D print fully-formed robots
How to tame a toxic yet life-saving antifungal
Nature's Take: How will ChatGPT and generative AI transform research?
A new hydrogel can be directly injected into muscle to help it regenerate
Audio long read: Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity
Martian sounds reveal the secrets of the red planet's core
Sounds of recovery: AI helps monitor wildlife during forest restoration
An anti-CRISPR system that helps save viruses from destruction
Gene edits move pig organs closer to human transplantation
'This doesn't just fall on women': computer scientists reflect on gender biases in STEM
Astronomers are worried by a satellite brighter than most stars
Audio long read: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
This isn't the Nature Podcast — how deepfakes are distorting reality
Why does cancer spread to the spine? Newly discovered stem cells might be the key
A mussel-inspired glue for more sustainable sticking
Our ancestors lost nearly 99% of their population, 900,000 years ago
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free