Nature Middle East Podcast

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Nature Middle East is a one-stop ganglion for those interested in research and science news in the region. It’s published by Nature Research, part of Springer Nature, one of the world’s leading global research publishers.

Nature Middle East


    • Jul 25, 2018 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 10m AVG DURATION
    • 32 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Nature Middle East Podcast

    Episode # 33 - Strike

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2018 8:59


    Sedeer El-Showk unpacks workplace skills and discusses with MIT researcher Ahmad Alabdulkareem a skill ecosystem that could help individuals plan better career paths. Sarah Hiddleston looks at a Syrian artist's thought-provoking exhibition at the confluence of science and art. Correction: An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly said that research led by Ahmad Alabdulkareem was funded by KAUST. It was funded by KACST. This version has been corrected.

    Episode # 32 - First spark

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2018 3:35


    Who sparked the first flame? In this episode, we look at the latest study linking Neanderthals to starting fires, and separately, at Africa’s two million record of changing climate and water.

    Episode # 31 - Science Highlights

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2018 5:07


    A roundup of some of Nature Middle East's most exciting stories and the latest research in the region.

    Episode #30 - The history inside our genomes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2018 13:40


    We chat with a top Arab scientist about how she scrutinizes ancient human genomes to reconstruct history and sift the evidence for a catalogue of diseases.

    Episode # 29 - The stories bones tell

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2018 7:12


    A single human finger bone fossil and some animal remains give insights ancient into Arabia and puts the peninsula on the human evolution map.

    Episode # 28 - Hybrid Creatures

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2018 12:36


    Straddling fantasy and reality, art and science, the Arab films at this year's Imagine Science film festival of Abu Dhabi continue to meditate on the issues at the intersection of science, technology, art and life.

    Episode # 27 - Best of the month

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2018 4:51


    We look back at some of this month's most exciting stories.

    Special edition: Space and beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2018 16:07


    In this episode, we talk astronauts, observatories and nationalism in the Arab Middle East.

    Special Edition: Mangrove warriors

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2017 8:55


    In this episode, we look at coastal mangroves – trees and shrubs that trap carbon and are highly adapted to salt water – and the people protecting them.

    Episode # 26 - Loss of night

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2017 4:10


    In this episode, we talk about how artificial city lights and rapidly increasing sky glow are robbing us of night time and disturbing the Earth's natural cycles.

    Episode # 25 - Ancient African DNA

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2017 10:30


    This new study gives us a glimpse into how sub-Saharan Africans lived and moved across the continent some 8,000 years ago.

    Episode # 24 - Willing to die

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2017 6:23


    The militant group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and those who fight against it have something in common: they're both willing to die in battle. In this episode, a new study that looks into what motivates both groups to fight.

    Episode # 23 - Remote Reefs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2017 6:09


    How scientists are using satellites to track connections and communication between Red Sea reefs -- some of the most complex marine ecosystems on the planet.

    Episode # 22 - Space Archaeology Special

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2017 12:24


    Nature Middle East interviews renowned space archaeologist Sarah Parcak.

    Episode # 21 - Underwater fairy circles

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2017 7:22


    Nature Middle East talks to one of the scientists behind a new research into underwater "fairy circles" found in meadows of sea grass; these can provide a doorway to understanding clonal plants anywhere, including those on land.

    Episode # 20 - House of Wisdom

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2017 6:00


    Two stories from our blog: the origins of domestic cats and the peculiar mudding behavior of Egyptian vultures.

    Episode #19 - Pumping drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2017 3:38


    Nature Middle East talks to the scientists behind a new 'hybrid' drug system that can, one day, control epilepsy, among other brain disorders.

    Episode # 18 - The oldest humans on Earth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2017 4:20


    A discovery, a hundred kilometres west of Marakkech, holds the secrets of how our oldest ancestors lived.

    Episode # 16 - Ancient Secrets

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2017 10:06


    Nature Middle East takes a look at the many secrets of ancient Egypt that archaeology has unlocked recently, from insights into pharaonic funerary and mummification rituals in Luxor to 'shamanic' rock art in Aswan.

    Episode # 15 - Underwater cancer therapy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2017 4:12


    Inspired by the chemical dynamic resulting from volcanic eruptions in deep oceans, scientists get creative clustering nano particles - with great potential for cancer therapy.

    Episode # 14 - Iron Age Arabia

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2017 8:55


    Ancient Arabia is under-excavated, and archaeologists know little about the peninsula's iron era. Nature Middle East talks to two scientists who're trying to change this.

    Episode # 13 - Keeping up with droughts

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2017 8:45


    In Jordan, engineers are mapping droughts for better management and to predict future episodes in a country that is famously water scarce. Listen to know more about the new technology they're using to make it happen.

    Episode # 12 - The dust menace

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2017 7:58


    Besides dust, storms can transport microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes. But how dangerous are they really?

    Episode # 11 - The Egyptian Slicer

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2017 24:03


    A full picture of a new species of an ancient animal that was near the top of the African food chain is revealed. Nature Middle East talks to the paleontologist behind the research.

    Episode # 10 - Without Water

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2017 15:29


    Nature Middle East sits with KAUST alumni and environmental scientist Luisa Javier to chat about her water-saving start-up, whose idea was born in Saudi Arabia and saw the light in Mexico.

    Episode # 9 - Gene Expression and Destiny

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2017 14:09


    The dialogue between your genome and the environment, which epigeneticists study, affects which genes are switched on and off, and influences many aspects of your health and life. But is gene expression heritable?

    Episode # 8 - Exporting Pollution

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2017 25:07


    In this new episode, how international trade transports not just goods, but pollution, and sometimes even death. We also talk about science communication through art and film, and about the unveiling of a 37 million year old catfish in Egypt’s Whale Valley protectorate.

    Special Edition: Imagine Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2017 13:40


    During Imagine Science Film festival in Abu Dhabi, a showcase of films at the intersection of art and science, Nature Middle East sits down with New-York-based scientist, artist, and filmmaker Eliza McNitt to talk about her latest creation 'A Fistful of Stars', a multidimensional view into space in virtual reality using simulations of iconic imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope.

    Episode # 6 - The starry night

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2017 10:49


    In this new episode: seven potentially habitable planets in a nearby star system. Plus, a look inside the DNA of a super food.

    Episode # 5 - Wind, sand and smoke

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2017 22:49


    In this episode, the shamal sand storm of 2015 was down to climate change, not war. And the hidden dangers in e-cigarettes tobacco flavours.

    Episode # 4 - Bird's eye view

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2016 11:21


    Armchair archaeology, introducing the first Nature Middle East masterclass, plus an interview with Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint al Hassan of Jordan, the president of the country's Royal Scientific Society.

    Episode # 3 - Into the depths of science

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2016 19:27


    In this new episode, we discuss the points of confluence between arts and science, and a new non-invasive way to track and study whale sharks in the Arabian Gulf.

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