Nature Podcast

Antimatter cooled with lasers for the first time

03.31.2021 - By Springer Nature LimitedPlay

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Laser-cooled antimatter opens up new physics experiments, and the staggering economic cost of invasive species.

In this episode: 00:44 Cooling antimatter with a laser focus Antimatter is annihilated whenever it interacts with regular matter, which makes it tough for physicists to investigate. Now though, a team at CERN have developed a way to trap and cool antihydrogen atoms using lasers, allowing them to better study its properties.

Research Article: Baker et al. News and Views: Antimatter cooled by laser light

09:27 Research Highlights A dramatic increase in Arctic lightning strikes, and an acrobatic bunny helps researchers understand hopping.

Research Highlight: Rising temperatures spark boom in Arctic lightning Research Highlight: Rabbits that do ‘handstands’ help to find a gene for hopping

11:53 Cost of invasion Invasive alien species are organisms that end up in places where they don’t really belong, usually as a result of human activity. These species can cause loss of biodiversity and a host of damage to their new environments. This week, researchers estimate that the economic impact of invasive species to be over US $1 trillion.

Research Article: Diagne et al.

19:04 Briefing Chat We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the physics that might explain how a ship blocked the Suez Canal, and a new insight into octopuses’ sleep patterns.

The Financial Times: The bank effect and the big boat blocking the Suez Science: Octopuses, like humans, sleep in two stages

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