Episode 101: December 2025

Chapters

1. 0:39

   Why animals are born with their eyes closed

   Opening the eyes too early affects the development of visual pathways in the brain in newborn ferrets.
   
2. 8:11

   Nocebo effects are stronger than placebo effects

   Nocebo effects, where people expect a negative outcome from treatment, are more powerful and persistent than placebo effects.
   
3. 15:56

   Cross-species insemination

   Mouse sperm can locate and enter the passages leading to eggs in fish, despite being millions of years apart in evolutionary terms.
   
4. 23:50

   Keeping telomeres at the right length

   A protein called TRF2 helps to regulate telomere length in cells by interacting with the gene for an enzyme called TERT.
   
5. 32:14

   Recreating Darwin’s warm little pond

   An isothermal gas flow can enable the replication of nucleic acids.