Nature Podcast

In this episode, we speak with Hernan Diaz whose most recent novel Ply blends a vision of a dystopian future with questions about selfhood and asks whether advanced physics could be used to unravel the fabric of spacetime itself.

Ply Hernan Diaz Picador (2026)

Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images

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High-speed footage of takeoffs reveal that the butterfly markings mislead the eye, making them harder to catch.

Research Article: Hancock et al.

Research Article: Menezes and Podos

Research Highlight: Huge hoard of metal bars hints at vast Iron Age trade

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In this episode

Nature: Watch scientists decipher burned scrolls without unrolling them

Nature: Edible batteries power medical devices in the body

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nature: Trendl et al.

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Nature: Mercury is shrinking with age — faster than thought

Nature: Cognitive resilience helps to predict Alzheimer’s dementia

Nature: Gravitational tug-of-war inside Earth is changing the length of our days

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:

Nature: Exclusive: New evidence for hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun’s tomb

Nature: ‘Multifunctional’ brain implant translates speech and gestures in real time

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:

Nature: Human brain cells transplanted into mice in ‘most extensive’ integration ever

Nature: Ruins of ancient Asian city show engineering prowess and organization

Nature: Distant sensors announced a fearsome tsunami’s birth

Nature: AI tool turns any paper into an ‘agent’ that can collaborate and answer complex queries

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

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Nature staff discuss an AI tool that can assess the impact of nine billion mutations — plus, how the Bunsen burner’s reputation for sterilization may be based on tradition alone.

Nature: DeepMind’s new genome ‘atlas’ charts effects of all nine billion human gene mutations

Nature: Bunsen burners’ reputation for sterilizing workplaces flames out

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:

Nature: Pick up the phone! Phone calls with tutors keep kids learning when schools shut down

Nature: Super-precise optical clocks in four nations tick in harmony

Nature: These greenhouse-gas sources have trotters and snouts

Nature: Hello Equal Earth: what the UN’s new world map will change

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:

Nature: Buried underpants and a new definition of kissing win 2026 Ig Nobel prizes

Nature: Is this the first glimpse of dark matter? Data point excites physicists

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

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Scientists are amassing evidence that unrepaired or poorly repaired DNA damage underlies many of the hallmarks of ageing. This has led to research into whether boosting DNA repair can keep people healthy for longer.

This is an audio version of our Feature: Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?

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