Critical thinking is a skill that is under threat from the AI revolution in large language models. But all is not lost. Specialists in education and cognition have long been studying critical thinking, and some have useful tips on how to stay cognitively sharp in the age of AI.

This is an audio version of our Feature: How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking

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In this episode:

00:15 An appearing, disappearing tattoo ink

Nature: Watch this invisible tattoo appear under UV light

04:13 How the epigenome could help explain why big dogs age faster

Nature: Big dogs age faster than little ones — rogue ‘jumping genes’ might be to blame

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Analysis suggests number of protected areas is hugely underestimated but biodiversity is still in peril — plus, a huge study looking at the health effects of brown fat.

00:45 The world may have more conservation areas than previously thought

Research Article: O’Neill et al.

08:38 Research Highlights

Nature: The Solar System could die one billion times earlier than thought

Nature: Chimp and gorilla brains resist weight loss with age — unlike human brains

11:19 Giant study expands list of brown fat’s health benefits

Research Article: Gómez-Banoy et al.

Nature: Overlooked 'brown' body fat linked to wide range of health benefits

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In this episode we discuss a recent Nature exclusive investigating an international constellation of sham academies and societies that have successfully misled some of the world’s leading scientists and universities.

Nature: Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers

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In this episode:

00:45 The Nobel Prizes 2026

Nature: Medicine Nobel awarded for brain ‘switch’ that controls neurons with light

Nature: ‘What took them so long?’ This year’s medicine Nobel winner is overdue

Nature: Nobel physics prize awarded for detection of cosmic neutrinos

Nature: Astronomy’s ‘adrenaline junkies’: Nobel prize captures the thrill of neutrino physics

Nature: Chemistry Nobel for solving mystery of how ‘handed’ organic molecules can emerge

11:53 Research Highlights

Nature: Youthful fans of YouTube sports videos stick to the sofa

Nature: A black hole’s jets have a halo effect

14:11 The ancient human gut microbiome

Research Article: Carter et al.

News and Views: Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeys

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In this episode, we speak with Hernan Diaz whose most recent novel Ply blends a vision of a dystopian future with questions about selfhood and asks whether advanced physics could be used to unravel the fabric of spacetime itself.

Ply Hernan Diaz Picador (2026)

Music supplied by SPD/Triple Scoop Music/Getty Images

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High-speed footage of takeoffs reveal that the butterfly markings mislead the eye, making them harder to catch.

00:45 Butterflies in flight create confusing motion cues that baffle birds

Research Article: Hancock et al.

14:09 Research Highlights

Research Article: Menezes and Podos

Research Highlight: Huge hoard of metal bars hints at vast Iron Age trade

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In this episode

00:23 How detecting lead could help researchers read damaged Roman scrolls

Nature: Watch scientists decipher burned scrolls without unrolling them

06:42 A biodegradeable, paper-inspired battery

Nature: Edible batteries power medical devices in the body

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

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00:45 Investigating the day-to-day impacts of Financial Abuse

Nature: Trendl et al.

Support organizations

UK: Surviving Economic Abuse

US: National Domestic Violence Helpline

12:14 Research Highlights

Nature: Mercury is shrinking with age — faster than thought

Nature: Cognitive resilience helps to predict Alzheimer’s dementia

14:55 How opposing forces in the Earth's core alter how the planet spins

Nature: Gravitational tug-of-war inside Earth is changing the length of our days

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In this episode:

00:22 Could secret rooms lie beyond Tutankhamun's tomb?

Nature: Exclusive: New evidence for hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun’s tomb

05:55 A multifunctional brain–computer interface

Nature: ‘Multifunctional’ brain implant translates speech and gestures in real time

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In this episode:

00:46 Human brain-organoids transplanted into mice missing their cortex

Nature: Human brain cells transplanted into mice in ‘most extensive’ integration ever

13:51 Research Highlights

Nature: Ruins of ancient Asian city show engineering prowess and organization

Nature: Distant sensors announced a fearsome tsunami’s birth

16:16 Paper2Agent: the AI tool that lets researchers talk to papers

Nature: AI tool turns any paper into an ‘agent’ that can collaborate and answer complex queries

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