Download the Nature Podcast 19 February 2025
In this episode:
01:14 A simple switch to reduce racist ratings
A study of almost 70,000 ratings showed that racial discrimination could be eliminated from an online platform by switching from a five-star rating system to a thumbs up or down. The platform connected customers to workers who performed home repair jobs, and prior to the shift people categorized by the study authors as ‘non-white’ had lower ratings and got paid less than their white counterparts. Through follow up studies the authors also showed that the five-star system allowed people to impart their personal opinions, whereas a thumbs up or down just focused them on whether a job was good or bad. The team hopes this could be an easy-to-implement shift to tackle racial discrimination.
Research Article: Botelho et al.
News and Views: Racial bias eliminated when ratings switch from five stars to thumbs up or down
11:24 Research Highlights
Experimental evidence that cockatoos like flavouring their food, and the harsh climate of sixteenth-century Transylvania.
Research Highlight: Gourmet cockatoos like to fancy up their food
Research Highlight: Transylvanian diaries reveal centuries-old climate extremes
14:05 An analysis of retraction hotspots
A Nature investigation has revealed where the most retractions come from, with hospitals in China and institutions in India and Pakistan topping the list. Retractions are a normal part of science and may be a sign of necessary scrutiny, but they can also signal misconduct and use of paper mills. Features Editor Richard Van Noorden joins us to discuss what this means for science and tackling sloppy research.
Nature: Exclusive: These universities have the most retracted scientific articles
22:43 Briefing Chat
Layoffs in the US Environmental Protection Agency, reactions to the DEI purge at NASA, and what RFK Jr’s role as secretary of Health and Human Services could mean for health research.
Nature: ‘Targeted and belittled’: scientists at US environmental agency speak out as layoffs begin
Nature: NASA embraced diversity. Trump’s DEI purge is hitting space scientists hard
Nature: Vaccine sceptic RFK Jr is now a powerful force in US science: what will he do?
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