In this episode:
00:48 Bumblebees can teach each other new tricksOne behaviour thought unique to humans is the ability to learn something from your predecessors that you couldn’t figure out on your own. However, researchers believe they have shown bumblebees are also capable of this ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ approach to learning. Bees that were taught how to complete a puzzle too difficult to solve on their own, were able to share this knowledge with other bees, raising the possibility that this thought-to-be human trait could be widespread amongst animals.
Research article: Bridges et al.
News and Views: Bees and chimpanzees learn from others what they cannot learn alone
Why the Krakatau eruption made the skies green, and the dining habits of white dwarf stars.
Research Highlight: Why sunsets were a weird colour after Krakatau blew its top
Research Highlight: This dying star bears a jagged metal scar
Many ocean-dwelling animals sense their environment using electric pulses, which can help them hunt and avoid predators. Now research shows that the tiny elephantnose fish can increase the range of this sense by combining its pulses with those of other elephantnose fish. This allows them to discriminate and determine the location of different objects at a much greater distance than a single fish is able to. This is the first time a collective electric sense has been seen in animals, which could provide an ‘early-warning system', allowing a group to avoid predators from a greater distance.
Research Article: Pedraja and Sawtell
The organoids made from cells derived from amniotic fluid, and the debate over the heaviest animal.
Nature News: Organoids grown from amniotic fluid could shed light on rare diseases
The New York Times: Researchers Dispute Claim That Ancient Whale Was Heaviest Animal Ever
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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
Physicists finally observe strange isotope Oxygen 28 – raising fundamental questions
Audio long read: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?
Brain-reading implants turn thoughts into speech
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