Six years ago, wearing his NPR science-correspondent hat, Robert presented listeners with this question: what if we told you that legions of fetal cells hang out inside a mother for decades after she gives birth -- and might even help heal her when she's sick or hurt? Back then he described this as a "too dangerously beautiful idea" for the scientists researching fetal cells. They wanted to believe it, but the evidence wasn't there yet. One of those scientists was Kirby Johnson at Tufts University, who explained that the cells might also hurt the mother. He wasn't sure which. "I think that that's something that we're going to see within the next five years or less," Kirby said. So, Robert thought it was high-time to call Kirby for an update, and to ask once again about Kirby's personal stake in the work he's doing.

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It will become known as the night the moms finally killed off Digital Rights Management. Or how publishers learned to feel the fear but did it anyway.

The first ever broadcast of The Naked Book heard from two big names in the e-book business explaining why that bit of code that prevents readers from sharing their e-books is also preventing moms from downloading e-books. And it is the moms that are important.

Kobo‘s director of merchandising Nathan Maharaj, speaking from the company’s HQ in Canada, explained that a DRM-centric model puts DRM first, and enjoyment of content second. But a switch to a cloud-based platform that syncs across devices will mean moms are reading ebooks unaided.

Anobii chief executive Matteo Berlucchi called for publishers to move towards the “universal” e-book: anytime, anywhere, any device, telling the audience that publishers worries over piracy were “overstated”. How much easier can you make piracy than a Google search and one click, he said, but these were not readers publishers should be fretting about. “You cannot prove that the pirate is a bona fide customer.”

Meanwhile, the author of Angelmaker Nick Harkaway explained that he had given up trying to convince his own publisher to sweeten DRM. At some point, he said, you just have to trust that they will do the job they are supposed to do.

Wise words, Nick. But have they met Nathan’s mom?

Presented by Philip Jones, deputy editor of The Bookseller aided and abetted by Sam Missingham and Catherine Neilan corralling the chat room.

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