You have full access to this article via your institution.
Download the Nature Podcast 24 September 2025
In this episode:
00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitis
Researchers 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 Highlights
The 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 mummies
Research Highlight: Soft robot steers itself down the human airway
Research Highlight: Smoke-dried mummies pre-date Egypt’s embalmed bodies
11:21 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 out
News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature
20:54 Briefing Chat
What 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 says
Nature: World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life
Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.
