New Scientist Podcasts

Weekly: Life-saving mice perform first aid; tiny lab-grown human brains; making skyscrapers and hair condition from wood


Listen Later

Episode 290

Mice have been found saving the lives of their cagemates by performing a resuscitation technique similar to CPR. After opening the mouth of an unconscious mouse, the “attending mouse” yanks up its tongue to clear the airways and dislodges anything that’s stuck. This remarkable discovery shows that empathy and consolation behaviour is more widespread in mammals than we thought, and hints at a mouse theory of mind.

Tiny, lab-grown bits of human brain are being combined to create something that resembles a more complete organ. This “multi-region brain organoid” contains 80 per cent of the cell types found in a 40-day-old fetal brain. The team behind it aims to study conditions like autism and schizophrenia - with some suggesting they could one day be used in artificial intelligence. But this all throws up major ethical issues…at what point do these brains start feeling pain, or gain consciousness?

From wooden skyscrapers to wooden batteries, wood is being used in many innovative and surprising ways. Cross-laminated timber and densified wood are proving to be durable, sustainable alternatives to a range of other materials. And now a team has gone one step further, by creating a wood-based hair conditioner. But will this pitch black, funny smelling alternative catch on?

Chapters:

(00:29) Mice performing CPR

(10:58) Lab-grown human brains

(17:10) Making skyscrapers, cars and hair conditioner from wood

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Michael Le Page and Madeleine Cuff.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Scientist PodcastsBy New Scientist

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

80 ratings


More shows like New Scientist Podcasts

View all
The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

604 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

408 Listeners

5 Live Science Podcast by BBC Radio 5 Live

5 Live Science Podcast

108 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

343 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

904 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

957 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

75 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,023 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

711 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

243 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

360 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

401 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

784 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

New Scientist Escape Pod by New Scientist

New Scientist Escape Pod

1 Listeners

New Scientist Weekly by New Scientist

New Scientist Weekly

6 Listeners

New Scientist CultureLab by New Scientist

New Scientist CultureLab

6 Listeners

Uncharted with Hannah Fry by BBC Radio 4

Uncharted with Hannah Fry

112 Listeners