# AI ‘scientists’ promise to accelerate research — how do they work?

> Source: <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01627-0>
> Published: 2026-05-20 00:00:00+00:00

Download the Nature Podcast 20 May 2026
In this episode:
00:46 Meet the AI scientists designed to accelerate research
Research article: Ghareeb et al.
Research article: Gottweis et al.
Nature: Teams of AI agents boost speed of research
Editorial: Why AI cannot do good science without humans
Nature: Do you hate or love AI? Take Nature’s poll
13:25 Research Highlights
Nature: Dried to survive: desiccated tardigrades tolerate high heat
Nature: Pristine Antarctic ice records the Solar System’s travels
15:35 Using LiDAR to look around corners
Research article: Somasundaram et al.
Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favourite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is available too.