In this episode:
00:46 A virtual chemical library discovers potential antidepressants
Some psychedelic drugs are of interest to researchers because of their promising antidepressant effects. To help speed the discovery of molecules with useful properties, researchers have built a virtual library of 75 million compounds related to these drugs. This approach produced two molecules that showed antidepressant properties in mice, but without the hallucinogenic activity of psychedelic drugs.
Research article: Kaplan et al.
Research briefing: Tailored library docking for 5-HT2A receptor agonists with antidepressant activity
08:25 Outstanding research
Research suggests ancient man-made island settlements were hubs of activity for society’s elite, and astronomers spot possibly the brightest star ever observed.
Research Highlights: Ancient DNA suggests man-made islands were party spots for the elite
Research Highlights: Scientists face down ‘Godzilla’, the brightest star known
10:42 Nobel News
Flora Graham of the Briefing on nature joins us to discuss this year’s Nobel Prize winners.
Nature News: The geneticist who unmasked the life of ancient humans wins the Nobel Prize in medicine
Nature News: ‘Creepy’ quantum entanglement experiments win Nobel in physics
Nature News: Chemists who invented revolutionary ‘click’ reactions win Nobel
Enter Nature’s ‘Scientist at Work’ photo competition, full details here
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