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Download the Nature Podcast 07 January 2026
In this episode:
00:54 Turning an undersea cable into a seismic detector
Researchers have shown that they can piggyback a signal on a 4,400-kilometer-long telecom cable that runs from California to Hawaii, allowing it to act like 44,000 separate seismic-activity detectors. Their method takes advantage of impurities found in glass fibre-optic cables, which reflect light differently when they are stretched and distorted by the pressure of seismic waves.
Science: Seafloor telecom cable transformed into giant earthquake detector
04:17 The origin of an ancient boat
Chemical analysis of the caulking found on the wood an ancient boat has helped researchers identify the origins of the vessel, that sank off the coast of Denmark 2,400 years ago. The team’s analysis suggests it voyaged from much farther away that had been thought — perhaps coming from the Baltic Sea region. The team also found a fingerprint left in the caulk, although who it belonged to is unknown.
LiveScience: Fingerprint of ancient seaborne raider found on Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat
08:29 How heating up helps some plants pollinate
Some plants called cycads (Zamia spp.) heat up to attract the beetles that pollinate them. These beetles have heat-seeking sensors in their antennae, which they use locate the plants. Male cycads warm up around 3 hours before females, meaning that beetles head to them before first carrying pollen over to the females.
Science: Heat-seeking beetles drawn to plants that glow in infrared
13:08 The exoplanet shaped like a lemon
The discovery of exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b reveals how unusual other worlds can be. This exoplanet takes just 7.8 hours to orbit an ultra-dense pulsar whose intense gravity pulls PSR J2322-2650b into a lemon shape.
New Scientist: Strange lemon-shaped exoplanet defies the rules of planet formation
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