<p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><h2>00:46 Mysterious methane emission from a cool brown dwarf</h2><p>The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing the makeup of brown dwarfs — strange space objects that blur the line between a planet and a star. And it appears that methane in the atmosphere of one of these objects, named W1935, is emitting infrared radiation. Where the energy comes from is a mystery however, researchers hypothesise that the glow could be caused by an aurora in the object’s atmosphere, perhaps driven by an as-yet unseen moon.</p><br><p><em>Research Article: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07190-w?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Faherty et al.</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>10:44 Research Highlights</h2><p>The discovery that bitter taste receptors may date back 450 million years, and the first planet outside the Solar System to boast a rainbow-like phenomenon called a ‘glory’.</p><br><p><em>Research Highlight: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01031-6?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Bitter taste receptors are even older than scientists thought</em></a></p><p><em>Research Highlight: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01032-5?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>An exoplanet is wrapped in glory</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>13:07 How working memory works</h2><p>Working memory is a fundamental process that allows us to temporarily store important information, such as the name of a person we’ve just met. However distractions can easily interrupt this process, leading to these memories vanishing. By looking at the brain activity of people doing working-memory tasks, a team have now confirmed that working memory requires two brain regions: one to hold a memory as long as you focus on it; and another to control its maintenance by helping you to not get distracted.</p><br><p><em>Research article: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07309-z?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Daume et al.</em></a></p><p><em>News and Views: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00963-3?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Coupled neural activity controls working memory in humans</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>22:31 Briefing Chat</h2><p>The bleaching event hitting coral around the world, and the first evidence of a nitrogen-fixing eukaryote.</p><br><p><em>New York Times: </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/climate/coral-reefs-bleaching.html?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Widest-Ever Global Coral Crisis Will Hit Within Weeks, Scientists Say</em></a></p><p><em>Nature News: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01046-z?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Scientists discover first algae that can fix nitrogen — thanks to a tiny cell structure</em></a></p><br><p><em>Nature video: </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-guci0Exz8?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>AI and robotics demystify the workings of a fly's wing</em></a></p><br><p><em>Vote for us in the Webbys:</em><a href="https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2024/video/general-video/science-education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em> https://go.nature.com/3TVYHmP</em></a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Nature Podcast

Springer Nature Limited

Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory

APR 17, 202434 MIN
Nature Podcast

Keys, wallet, phone: the neuroscience behind working memory

APR 17, 202434 MIN

Description

<p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><h2>00:46 Mysterious methane emission from a cool brown dwarf</h2><p>The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing the makeup of brown dwarfs — strange space objects that blur the line between a planet and a star. And it appears that methane in the atmosphere of one of these objects, named W1935, is emitting infrared radiation. Where the energy comes from is a mystery however, researchers hypothesise that the glow could be caused by an aurora in the object’s atmosphere, perhaps driven by an as-yet unseen moon.</p><br><p><em>Research Article: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07190-w?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Faherty et al.</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>10:44 Research Highlights</h2><p>The discovery that bitter taste receptors may date back 450 million years, and the first planet outside the Solar System to boast a rainbow-like phenomenon called a ‘glory’.</p><br><p><em>Research Highlight: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01031-6?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Bitter taste receptors are even older than scientists thought</em></a></p><p><em>Research Highlight: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01032-5?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>An exoplanet is wrapped in glory</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>13:07 How working memory works</h2><p>Working memory is a fundamental process that allows us to temporarily store important information, such as the name of a person we’ve just met. However distractions can easily interrupt this process, leading to these memories vanishing. By looking at the brain activity of people doing working-memory tasks, a team have now confirmed that working memory requires two brain regions: one to hold a memory as long as you focus on it; and another to control its maintenance by helping you to not get distracted.</p><br><p><em>Research article: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07309-z?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Daume et al.</em></a></p><p><em>News and Views: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00963-3?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Coupled neural activity controls working memory in humans</em></a></p><p><br></p><h2>22:31 Briefing Chat</h2><p>The bleaching event hitting coral around the world, and the first evidence of a nitrogen-fixing eukaryote.</p><br><p><em>New York Times: </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/climate/coral-reefs-bleaching.html?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Widest-Ever Global Coral Crisis Will Hit Within Weeks, Scientists Say</em></a></p><p><em>Nature News: </em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01046-z?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Scientists discover first algae that can fix nitrogen — thanks to a tiny cell structure</em></a></p><br><p><em>Nature video: </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-guci0Exz8?utm_source=naturepod&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=shownotes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>AI and robotics demystify the workings of a fly's wing</em></a></p><br><p><em>Vote for us in the Webbys:</em><a href="https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2024/video/general-video/science-education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em> https://go.nature.com/3TVYHmP</em></a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>