How your brain chemistry rewards hard work

How your brain chemistry rewards hard work

Author: Springer Nature Limited January 28, 2026 Duration: 24:02

00:46 Why completing difficult tasks feels rewarding

Nature: Touponse et al.


11:34 Research Highlights

Nature: Disappearing ‘planet’ reveals a solar system’s turbulent times

Nature: Getting to the (square) root of stock-market swings


13:43 How extreme weather events could threaten malaria elimination efforts

Nature: Symons et al.


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.


Each week, the Nature Podcast opens a door into the latest and most significant developments across the entire scientific landscape. Rather than just summarizing headlines, this production from Springer Nature Limited delves into the substance and the people behind the findings. You’ll hear directly from researchers as they explain their work, from astronomical discoveries to intricate zoological studies, all grounded in the rigorous reporting of Nature's own journalists and editors. The conversations provide context that turns complex papers into compelling narratives, offering a clear sense of why each story matters. It’s a direct line to the forefront of science, technology, and research news, delivered with a focus on depth and understanding. Tuning into this podcast is like having a thoughtful guide through the week's most pivotal science, making even the most specialized topics accessible and engaging for anyone curious about how the world works. The consistent quality and breadth of subject matter make it a reliable source for anyone looking to stay informed on scientific progress.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Nature Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Two ants, two species, one mother [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:06
00:45 The ant queen that can produce two different speciesResearchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, known as the Iberian Harvester Ant can produce offspring of two completely…
Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:44
00:48 How the 18th-Century 'Great Fear’ spread across rural FranceIn the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristocratic plots to suppress revolutionary ideas. But how, and why, these ru…
Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:57
00:46 Electrochemical fusionResearchers have used electrochemistry to increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in a desktop reactor. Fusion energy promises abundant clean energy, but fusion events are rare, hinderi…
Sun-powered flyers could explore the mysterious mesosphere [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:53
00:46 Tiny solar flyerResearchers have used a phenomenon known as thermal transpiration to create a solar-powered flying device that can stay aloft without any moving parts. The diminutive device, just one centimetre acr…
Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:14
00:45 Researchers develop a new glue and test it on a rubber duckAided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that works as an underwater adhesive. Inspired by animals like barnacles, the…
Earth's deepest ecosystem discovered six miles below the sea [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:03
00:45 The deepest ecosystem ever discoveredResearchers have dived down to more than 9,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and discovered surprisingly complex communities of life living in deep ocean trenches. The…
Giant laser heats solid gold to 14 times its melting point [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:38
00:46 How hot can solid gold get?A new study suggests that gold can be superheated far beyond its melting point without it becoming a liquid. Using an intense burst from a laser, a team heated a gold foil to 14 times its…