Nature's News & Views roundup of 2025

Nature's News & Views roundup of 2025

Author: Springer Nature Limited December 19, 2025 Duration: 20:20

Nature: Asteroids, antibiotics and ants: a year of remarkable science


In this episode:



1:58 Evidence of ancient brine on an asteroid

Samples taken from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft suggest the parent body it originated from is likely to have contained salty, subsurface water. This finding provides insights into the chemistry of the early Solar System, and suggests that brines might have been an important place where pre-biotic molecules were formed.

News & Views: Asteroid Bennu contains salts from ancient brine

Nature Podcast: Asteroid Bennu contains building blocks of life



08:01 How gene expression doesn't always reflect a cell's function

Cells are often grouped into categories according to the RNA molecules they produce. However a study of zebrafish (Danio rerio) brains revealed that cells can be functionally diverse even if they appear molecularly similar. This finding adds more nuance to how a cell's ‘type’ is ultimately defined.

News & Views: Does a cell’s gene expression always reflect its function?



12:01 The disproportionate mortality risks of extreme rainfall

An assessment of death rates in India’s coastal megacity of Mumbai revealed that the impact of extreme rainfall events will be highest for women, young children and residents of informal settlements. This situation is likely to become more pronounced as a result of climate change.

News & Views: Extreme rainfall poses the biggest risk to Mumbai’s most vulnerable people



14:46 An AI-designed underwater glue

Inspired by animals like barnacles and aided by machine learning, researchers have developed a super-sticky compound that works as an underwater adhesive. To demonstrate its properties, researchers applied it to a rubber duck, which stuck firmly to a rock on a beach despite being battered by the sea.

News & Views: AI learns from nature to design super-adhesive gels that work underwater

Nature Podcast: Underwater glue shows its sticking power in rubber duck test


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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
Apocalypse then: how cataclysms shaped human societies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:39
Science journalist Lizzie Wade’s first book, Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic Events explores some of the cataclysmic events that humans have faced through history. Li…
Detecting gravitational waves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:21
In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) facilities in the US directly detected ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves. These waves were produced by the final spiral of two orb…
Feeling the heat: fossil-fuel producers linked to dozens of heatwaves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:39
00:45 Attributing extreme heat events to major energy producersMajor energy producers increased the likelihood and intensity of heatwaves, according to research published in Nature. Using data from an international disas…
Research misconduct: how the scientific community is fighting back [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:13
In 2016, Brian Wansink wrote a blog post that prompted scientific sleuths to investigate his work. They found evidence of data manipulation, and, after several news articles and two investigations by his institution, he…
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…