16 January 2020: Strange objects at the centre of the galaxy, and improving measurements of online activity
Nature Podcast
podcast@nature.com
4.5 • 893 Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2020
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode:
00:45 Observing the centre of the galaxy
Researchers have uncovered a population of dust-enshrouded objects orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.
Research Article: Ciurlo et al.
06:34 Research Highlights
A London landmark’s height lends itself to a physics experiment, and generous behaviour in parrots. Research Highlight: An iconic structure in London moonlights as a scientific tool; Research Highlight: Parrots give each other gifts without promise of reward
09:00 The human ‘screenome’ project
To understand the effects of online media consumption, researchers argue that the way it’s measured needs to change. Comment: Time for the Human Screenome Project
17:26 News Chat
A decline in human body temperature, and a new report on research culture. News: Not so hot: US data suggests human bodies are cooling down; News: Stressful, aggressive, damaging: huge survey reveals toils of scientists’ working lives
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Transcript
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| 1:14.4 | But now the data's... I find this not only refreshing, but at some level astounding. |
| 1:22.2 | Nature. |
| 1:26.1 | Welcome back to the Nature podcast. |
| 1:28.8 | This week, strange objects at the centre of the galaxy |
| 1:31.7 | and rethinking how researchers measure screen time. |
| 1:35.6 | I'm Nick Howe and I'm Benjamin Thompson. Picture our galaxy, the Milky Way, |
| 1:52.1 | Bastarm spiraling away from a glowing core. |
| 1:55.5 | And right in the middle of that core, in the galactic centre, |
| 2:00.2 | there lies a black hole called Sagittarius A-star. |
... |
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