How 'megastudies' are changing behavioural science
Nature Podcast
podcast@nature.com
4.5 • 893 Ratings
🗓️ 8 December 2021
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Speeding up comparisons of behavioural interventions, and what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope.
In this episode:
00:45 Identifying effective interventions with a 'megastudy'
Comparing single behavioural interventions and identifying which is most effective can be difficult and time consuming, hampering policy-making decisions. This week, a team demonstrate a ‘megastudy’, which allows researchers to compare multiple interventions within the same group of people.
Research article: Milkman et al.
News and Views: Benefits of megastudies for testing behavioural interventions
10:36 Research Highlights
The feeding habits of a giant, extinct eagle, and the relatively undisturbed life of a group of exoplanets.
Research Highlight: This enormous eagle could have killed you, probably
Research Highlight: Famous space family has a surprisingly peaceful history
13:07 What to expect from the Webb Telescope
Decades in the making, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally due to launch later this month. We discuss the telescope’s mission and what it might reveal about the Universe.
Feature: The $11-billion Webb telescope aims to probe the early Universe
News: NASA won’t rename James Webb telescope — and astronomers are angry
20:27 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the supermassive black holes headed for impact (in 250 million years), and a new dinosaur with an unusual tail weapon.
New Scientist: A pair of nearby supermassive black holes are heading for a collision
New York Times: Spike-tailed ankylosaur was built like a tank
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Transcript
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| 1:26.2 | Welcome back to the Nature podcast. |
| 1:28.7 | This week, the emergence of mega studies in behavioural science |
| 1:32.2 | and what the launch of the James Webb Telescope could do for astronomy. |
| 1:36.2 | I'm Charmany Bandell and I'm Benjamin Thompson. There are different methods of encouraging people to do things, |
... |
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