meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Nature Podcast

Food shocks and how to avoid them

Nature Podcast

podcast@nature.com

News, Science, Technology

4.5893 Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2021

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Addressing the problem of sudden food scarcity in US cities, and the up-and-coming field of computational social science.


In this episode:


00:45 Food shocks

Climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical crises can cause food shortages. To tackle this issue, Alfonso Mejia and colleagues have modelled how to best mitigate these food shocks in US cities. Alfonso tells us about the new analyses and what steps cities could take in the future.


Research Article: Gomez et al.

News and Views: How to buffer against an urban food shortage


06:07 Research Highlights

A tiny lattice can withstand the impacts of projectiles at twice the speed of sound, and the neurons that allow humans to perceive time.


Research Highlight: Supersonic strikes leave just a dent in this super-light material

Research Highlight: The ‘time neurons’ that help the brain keep track


08:25 Computational Social Science

Big data is transforming research, and social science is no exception. This week, Nature is running a special issue on ‘computational social science’. We catch up with some of the editors involved to find out more about this up-and-coming field.


Collections: Computational Social Science


19:27 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, discovering the dazzling diversity of viruses, and how China eradicated malaria.


Nature News Feature: Beyond coronavirus: the virus discoveries transforming biology

Science: It’s official: China has eliminated malaria


Nature Videos

Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa

Why leaky pipes can be better for moving water

The artificial pancreas: a bridge to a cure


Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Here's the truth about AI. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into.

0:05.8

ServiceNow puts AI to work for people across your business, removing friction and frustration

0:11.2

for your employees, supercharging productivity for your developers, providing intelligent

0:16.5

tools for your service agents to make customers happier, all built into a single platform you can

0:21.9

use right now. That's why the world works with ServiceNow. Visit ServiceNow.com

0:27.9

slash UK slash AI for people. This message comes from BetterHelp. Can you think of a time when you

0:34.3

didn't feel like you could be yourself? Like you are hiding behind a mask? BetterHelp online therapy is convenient, flexible and can help you learn to be your

0:42.8

authentic self so you can stop hiding, because masks should be for Halloween fun, not for your emotions.

0:49.5

Take off the mask with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com today to get 10% off your first month.

0:56.8

That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com.

1:04.4

Nature.

1:07.1

I'm a good, no yet.

1:08.8

Why is Blight so far?

1:10.6

Like, it sounds so simple.

1:11.9

They had no idea.

1:13.4

But now the data's...

1:14.6

I find this not only refreshing, but at some level, astounding.

1:22.3

Nature.

1:26.3

Welcome back to the nature podcast. This week, how diversity helps prevent food supply shocks.

1:32.4

And the rise and risks of computational social science. I'm Nick Petrich Howe. And I'm Charmne Bundell. In an era of increasing instability, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, food insecurity is a growing problem.

1:56.8

This week, a new paper out in nature models how cities can adapt their supply chains

2:00.9

to better keep food on their citizens' plates.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from podcast@nature.com, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of podcast@nature.com and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.