Nick Petrić Howe
@nickpetrichowe.bsky.social
Multimedia journalist of sorts at Nature. Host of the Nature Podcast. Former bee scientist.
It's not quite "gobsmackingly bananas" but monster forecasts for the record El Nino brewing the Pacific Ocean get pretty close. Here's what to make of it in my first for @nature.com: 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This El Niño is set to be the largest on record by a ‘mind-blowing margin’
Forecasters predict that the monster climate pattern will combine with global warming to push global temperatures in 2027 to new heights.
nature.com
Nature interviewed five artists from a variety of backgrounds about how to create engaging images that accurately convey scientific/medical concepts, & how they see the future, in light of AI developments. Insightful nuanced piece, with beautiful visuals from talented real-life human illustrators. 🧪
‘Good design takes mastery’: scientific illustrators sketch out AI’s future
Nature talks to five artists about their approaches to communicating science visually.
nature.com
"That's no moon" astronomers told me this week in reference to a distant Jupiter-mass object. That doesn't mean it isn't interesting though! The not-moon may show a complex history of its star system and has sparked debate of what a moon is anyway. Listen for more: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Obi-Wan Kenobi: That's No Moon
Alt: A gift from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, where Obi-Wan Kenobi says "That's No Moon" after spotting the Death Star for the first time.
static.klipy.com
@shamini.bsky.social made an excellent video, with a tiny little bit of my help and it's now AWARD WINNING, so you know, that means you HAVE to go watch it now.
Shamini Bundell@shamini.bsky.social · last mo.I won an award! Woohoo! 🏆 And I'm so glad it was for the video involving me in a fake mustache. 〰️ Big thanks to @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social for animating this beauty and @danjfox.bsky.social for top editing it!
New film about antibiotic resistance! I have been working for months on this, including a trip to a rainy graveyard in Northern Ireland, to find out where researchers might find the next antibiotics. Something we sorely need. youtu.be/B5zByTCKP7c
The scientists fighting to stop the antibiotic apocalypse
YouTube video by nature video
youtu.be
Supernovae are bright. This one is EXTRA bright. Why?! It's hard to study what's behind these super-bright cosmic explosions, but a wobble in the signal from this one gave it away🧪🔭 Here's the story from me with funky 90s graphics from the fab @danjfox.bsky.social With🙏to @drjrfarah.bsky.social
Dan Fox@danjfox.bsky.social · 5mo agoNEW FILM UP youtu.be/mSoIMgFTyPc why is this supernova so bright? why do the animations look like they're from 1998?
A five-year-old child is playing with a small, fluffy AI-powered toy. “I love you”, says the child. The AI toy replies: “As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided." www.newscientist.com/article/2518...
We don’t know if AI-powered toys are safe, but they’re here anyway
Toys powered by AI show a worrying lack of emotional understanding. But we need to understand the risks and benefits of the technology so the industry can be regulated, not outright banned
newscientist.com
If you like PS1 style graphics, weird physics and @lizziegibney.bsky.social (and let's face it who doesn't) then this film is probably for you.
Dan Fox@danjfox.bsky.social · 5mo agoNEW FILM UP youtu.be/mSoIMgFTyPc why is this supernova so bright? why do the animations look like they're from 1998?
If you're a science reporter in the US who likes to write about tech, the environment and physical sciences then Nature might have the job for you! Deadline 27th March!
Nature@nature.com · 5mo agoWe're hiring at Nature! Our US News team is looking for a reporter based in New York or Washington DC. You'll need reporting and writing experience, along with knowledge of the US science landscape. Apply by March 27 via the link below go.nature.com/3N8UkFA
Block up part of the heart to prevent strokes? Yep, turns out the heart has an appendage you've probably never heard of, and if your heart beats too fast it can raise stroke risk. So, these researchers made a magnetic fluid to solve that. New vid for @nature.com
Magnetic gel injected into the heart could stop strokes
YouTube video by nature video
youtu.be
This is fascinating listen and one that I struggle to get my head around — how do people not have mental images?! But I guess that is rather the point.
Nature@nature.com · 5mo agoAudio long read 🔊 Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains? go.nature.com/3ONrV8q
If you want to hear some pokemon jokes then do give this a listen. There's some stuff about science too, but I'm mostly here for the jokes.
Miryam Naddaf@miryamnaddaf.bsky.social · 5mo agoTune in to hear Ben, @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social & I talk about how the world of Pokémon & the world of science come in together, featuring Charizard bees & Turtwig fossils + what a phylogenetic tree of 646 Pokémon monsters looks like. My fav is Jigglypuff & Pikachu exposing predatory journals
In contrast to the video I made on exercise, I also spoke to a researcher about how our brain makes it rewarding to put in a lot of effort! When you work hard, you get a reward. But how does your brain now you've been working hard? They looked at the mechanism which you can hear about here:
How your brain chemistry rewards hard work
Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 28 January 2026
nature.com
Why do lot thing, when few do trick? I've got a new film on the surprising benefits of little exercise presented once again by @lizziegibney.bsky.social. Based on a Feature by @marilenharo.bsky.social, it looks at emerging data from smart devices. Also I dress as an 80s man. youtu.be/jskktKzWfys
How much exercise do you really need?
YouTube video by nature video
youtu.be
I stopped putting protein powder in my breakfast after making this video (with producer & extra extraordinaire @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social) It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41... Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!
Nick Petrić Howe@nickpetrichowe.bsky.social · 7mo agoWatch this video if you want to: A) Find out how much protein you actually need 🍗 B) You want to see me dress up as a German Chemist from the 1840s 🧪 C) You're a fan of @lizziegibney.bsky.social's amazing presentation style 💃 D) All of the above
Watch this video if you want to: A) Find out how much protein you actually need 🍗 B) You want to see me dress up as a German Chemist from the 1840s 🧪 C) You're a fan of @lizziegibney.bsky.social's amazing presentation style 💃 D) All of the above
Nature@nature.com · 7mo agoConfused about how much protein you should be eating? Here’s what the science says.
Funky shape changing molecules can change colour too! A cool advance inspired by octopuses.
Nature@nature.com · 7mo agoThis octopus-camouflage inspired polymer can change colour and texture
Given the responses to the science songs we made, I'm casually adding 'musical director' to my CV.
Time for another science carol! 🎄 Some researchers stuck a duck to a rock, so we sang a song about it. As you do!
'Tis the season for some festive science songs. If you've ever wanted to hear someone sing about a dimunitive tyranosaur then now is your chance
In a gear change from my last few stories...by acting as a "mechanical fuse" this simple little slipknot, added to surgical thread, can radically improve how surgeons perform sutures & lead to better outcomes A lovely intersection of mechanics, geometry and medicine 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Did you know there's lightning on Mars? There is! At least very small versions of it. AND YOU CAN HEAR IT. For more, check out my latest podcast for @nature.com
This is what lightning on Mars sounds like
Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 26 November 2025
nature.com
A very cool story by my colleague @lizziegibney.bsky.social about how some quirky physics of knots could help make surgery better!
Nature@nature.com · 8mo agoInserting easy-to-release slipknots into surgical thread could help surgeons to tie the perfect sutures go.nature.com/49GlfS7
About that exclusive, "closed-to-press" MAHA summit last week with RFK and JD Vance: I got in. Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do you wanna see a robot pick up a weird squishy bug? I may have just the video for you... youtu.be/FHW6eKvtcBw
Anyway, we need some joy, so here's the Egyptian foreign minister being given a Lego Pyramid by the Danish foreign minister.
