Can Microbes Encourage Altruism?

FromQuanta Science Podcast

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Can Microbes Encourage Altruism?

FromQuanta Science Podcast

ratings:

Length:

16 minutes

Released:

Jun 29, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

If gut bacteria can sway their hosts to be selfless, it could answer a riddle that goes back to Darwin.

Released:

Jun 29, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

In-depth news about mathematics, physics, biology and computer science.

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How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease: A new understanding of viral swarms is helping researchers predict how viruses will evolve and where disease is likely to spread. by Quanta Science Podcast
28 min listen
Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life: Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target. by Quanta Science Podcast
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Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse: Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field. by Quanta Science Podcast
30 min listen
To Live Your Best Life, Do Mathematics: The ancient Greeks argued that the best life was filled with beauty, truth, justice, play and love. The mathematician Francis Su knows just where to find them. by Quanta Science Podcast
6 min listen
At Tiny Scales, a Giant Burst on Tree of Life: At tiny scales, a giant burst on tree of life. by Quanta Science Podcast
20 min listen
A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction: Complex natural systems defy standard mathematical analysis, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations. by Quanta Science Podcast
32 min listen
New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet: Scientists hope that new genetic letters, created in the lab, will endow DNA with new powers. by Quanta Science Podcast
24 min listen
A Surprise Source of Life’s Code: A surprise source of life’s code. by Quanta Science Podcast
34 min listen
Math Quartet Joins Forces on Unified Theory: A new breakthrough that bridges number theory and geometry is just the latest triumph for a close-knit group of mathematicians. by Quanta Science Podcast
31 min listen
A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box: A two-year-old cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand. by Quanta Science Podcast
25 min listen
Theorists Draw Closer to Perfect Coloring: A theorem for coloring a large class of “perfect” mathematical networks could ease the way for a long-sought general coloring proof. by Quanta Science Podcast
20 min listen
Giant Genetic Map Shows Life’s Hidden Links: In a monumental set of experiments, spread out over nearly two decades, biologists removed genes two at a time to uncover the secret workings of the cell. by Quanta Science Podcast
9 min listen
How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals: How life and luck changed Earth's minerals. by Quanta Science Podcast
34 min listen
The New Laws of Explosive Networks: How explosive networks form. by Quanta Science Podcast
22 min listen
How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains: Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain. by Quanta Science Podcast
37 min listen
How to Build Life in a Pre-Darwinian World: Perhaps chemistry played a more instrumental role in the origin of life than scientists thought. by Quanta Science Podcast
29 min listen
A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation: A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can — and can’t — possibly do. by Quanta Science Podcast
27 min listen
How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time: Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places that they’re not. by Quanta Science Podcast
31 min listen
New Clues to How the Brain Maps Time: The same brain cells that track location in space appear to also count beats in time. The research suggests that our thoughts may take place on a mental space-time canvas. by Quanta Science Podcast
26 min listen
New Evidence for the Necessity of Loneliness: A specific set of neurons deep in the brain may motivate us to seek company, holding social species together. by Quanta Science Podcast
13 min listen
Nature’s Critical Warning System: Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth’s climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes? by Quanta Science Podcast
34 min listen
Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity: Einstein refused to believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. Is the subatomic world insane, or just subtle? by Quanta Science Podcast
24 min listen
Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines: A project to decipher the brain’s learning rules could revolutionize machine learning. by Quanta Science Podcast
25 min listen
Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life: A newly discovered class of microbe could help to resolve one of the biggest and most controversial mysteries in evolution — how simple microbes transformed into the complex cells that produced animals, plants and fungi. by Quanta Science Podcast
30 min listen
Visions of Future Physics: Nima Arkani-Hamed is championing a campaign to build the world’s largest particle collider, even as he pursues a new vision of the laws of nature. by Quanta Science Podcast
33 min listen
Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time: Bizarre quantum bonds connect distinct moments in time, suggesting that quantum links — not space-time — constitute the fundamental structure of the universe. by Quanta Science Podcast
34 min listen
The Mutant Genes Behind the Black Death: Only a few genetic changes were enough to turn an ordinary stomach bug into the bacteria responsible for the plague. by Quanta Science Podcast
27 min listen
After Black Holes Collide, a Puzzling Flash: A satellite spotted a burst of light just as gravitational waves rolled in from the collision of two black holes. Was the flash a cosmic coincidence, or do astrophysicists need to rethink what black holes can do? by Quanta Science Podcast
22 min listen
Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last: This week: Long sought-after gravitational waves are found and a proposed fuzzball fix for a black hole paradox. by Quanta Science Podcast
35 min listen
Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions: The Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24. by Quanta Science Podcast
22 min listen

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Can Microbes Encourage Altruism?

Can Microbes Encourage Altruism?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Quanta Science Podcast