How stereotypes shape AI – and what that means for the future of hiring
00:48 The stereotypes hidden in Internet imagesStereotyped assumptions about women’s ages and their perceived job suitability are enhanced by Internet imagery, according to new research. A study of hundreds of thousands of online images shows that women appear younger than men. This stereotype extends to the jobs that people perceive women do, with men being associated with roles such as CEO or head of research, while women were linked to occupations like cook or nurse. The research shows that these biases have been embedded into the training data for AI models and could affect future hiring. The researchers caution that society is at risk of creating a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ where these stereotypes shape the real world.Research Article: Guilbeault et al.News and Views: Distorted representations of age and gender are reflected in AI models13:24 Research HighlightsA very hungry planet — plus, how climate change is leading to larger trees in the Amazon.Research Highlight: ‘Rogue’ planet is fastest-growing ever observedResearch Highlight: Trees of the Amazon are becoming even mightier15:49 Astronomers name their favourite exoplanetThirty years ago, astronomers announced the discovery of the first exoplanet around a Sun-like star, sparking a renewed passion into spotting these planets that lie beyond our Solar System. In celebration, Nature asked researchers to tell us about their favourites.News: These alien planets are astronomers’ favourites: here’s whyHear the music of a distant planetary system25:51 Nobel newsFlora Graham from the Nature Briefing joins us to talk about the winners of this year’s science Nobel prizes.Nature: Medicine Nobel goes to scientists who revealed secrets of immune system ‘regulation’Nature: Groundbreaking quantum-tunnelling experiments win physics NobelNature: Chemistry Nobel for scientists who developed massively porous ‘super sponge’ materialsNature: Will AI ever win its own Nobel? Some predict a prize-worthy science discovery soonSubscribe 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.
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Ancient viral DNA helps human embryos develop
00:50 How ancient viruses drive modern human developmentResearch suggests that ancient viral-DNA embedded in the human genome is playing a key role in early embryo development. Around 8% of our genome consists of endogenous retrovirus DNA — the remnants of ancient infections, but knowledge of their activity is limited. Now, a team show that these sequences are required for the correct development of lab-derived embryo analogues, and for the switching on of human-specific genes.Research Article: Fueyo et al.News and Views: Ancient viral DNA in the human genome shapes early development10:39 Research HighlightsLonger whale mothers are more likely to give birth to daughters — plus, how the stink of the corpse flower waxes and wanes to attract pollinators.Research Highlight: Big mother whales have more daughters than sonsResearch Highlight: Corpse flowers waft out stinky compounds as fast as landfills do13:05 How heat can fuel DNA computersResearchers have developed a way to use heat to recharge DNA-based computer circuits, which could help overcome one of the stumbling blocks preventing this technology from being scaled up. Although DNA strands have been used to perform computational tasks for some time, current methods can run out of energy or build up waste products, preventing their continued use. Now, using just heat a team have demonstrated a reuseable neural network based on DNA. They hope that ultimately this could be a step in the development of bigger and more powerful DNA computers that could be used to power targeted clinical therapies.Research Article: Song & Qian22:20 Briefing ChatA one-time gene therapy for Huntington’s disease show promise at slowing the brain disorder’s progression — plus, how mitochondria throw out ‘tainted’ DNA.Nature: Huntington’s disease treated for first time using gene therapyNature: Mitochondria expel tainted DNA — spurring age-related inflammationSubscribe 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.
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Audio long read: Autism is on the rise — what’s really behind the increase?
In April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr held a press conference about rising diagnoses of autism, and said he would soon be announcing a study to find the responsible agent. Although Kennedy said that environmental factors are the main cause of autism, research has shown that genetics plays a bigger part. Also, the rise in prevalence, many researchers say, is predominantly caused by an increase in diagnoses rather than a true rise in the underlying symptoms and traits.Although the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a US$50 million to fund studies on the causes of autism, many researchers were dismayed that these developments seemed to ignore decades of work on the well-documented rise in diagnoses and on causes of the developmental condition.This is an audio version of our Feature: Autism is on the rise — what’s really behind the increase? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain
00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitisResearchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In rare cases an infection can lead to serious neurological symptoms, but little was known about how the virus interacts with human cells. Now, a team show that a protein found on the outside of cells plays an important role in infection. In mouse experiments, they show that blocking the ability of the virus to bind to this protein protected the mice from disease. Currently no treatments exist, but the team hopes that this research will ultimately lead to a viable drug for this disease.Research Article: Mittler et al.08:47 Research HighlightsThe squirming robot that speeds up the insertion of an emergency breathing tube — plus, the 10,000-year-old remains that could be the oldest intentionally preserved mummiesResearch Highlight: Soft robot steers itself down the human airwayResearch Highlight: Smoke-dried mummies pre-date Egypt’s embalmed bodies11:21 How might cancelled NIH grants affect the future of US science?To assess the potential impact of cuts to funding by the Trump administration, Nature trained a machine-learning bot to try and reproduce the NIH’s method of cancelling grants and applied it to science that was successfully funded around ten years ago. This thought experiment shows that highly impactful science and medical research might have been at risk had a similar process been followed a decade ago, revealing the potentially broad-reaching consequences of these actions today.Nature Index: What research might be lost after the NIH’s cuts? Nature trained a bot to find outNews: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature20:54 Briefing ChatWhat researchers understand about chatbot-induced psychosis, and the AI designed viruses capable of killing E. coli bacteria.Nature: Can AI chatbots trigger psychosis? What the science saysNature: World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated lifeSubscribe 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.
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Apocalypse then: how cataclysms shaped human societies
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. Lizzie joined us to discuss what modern archaeology has revealed about these events, and the role these they’ve have played in shaping societies around the world.Apocalypse: A Transformative Exploration of Humanity's Resilience Through Cataclysmic Events Lizzie Wade Harper (2025)Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Nature Podcast brings you the best stories from the world of science each week. We cover everything from astronomy to zoology, highlighting the most exciting research from each issue of the Nature journal. We meet the scientists behind the results and provide in-depth analysis from Nature's journalists and editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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