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Science Weekly

The Guardian

Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news

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All Episodes

00:13:46

100 days until Cop15: what next to save nature?

Science Weekly ·

2022/09/01

It is now less than 100 days until Cop15, the UN convention on biological diversity. At these talks, which are taking place in Montreal, Canada in December, governments from around the world will come together to agree targets aimed at halting the destruction of the natural world and protecting biodiversity. With the Earth experiencing the largest loss of life since the extinction of the dinosaurs, what is decided at this meeting could shape the future of the planet and humanity. Madeleine Finlay

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00:12:11

What is raw sewage doing to the UK’s rivers and seas?

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/30

Holidaymakers heading to British beaches and rivers were faced with a very unpleasant problem this summer – raw sewage. The sewage system usually carries rainwater and dirty wastewater from bathrooms and kitchens to treatment works but during ‘exceptional events’ such as heavy rainfall, when it is likely to be overwhelmed, raw sewage can be diverted and discharged into rivers and seas. Available data shows that in 2021, water companies released untreated sewage into waterways for 2.7m hours – with

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00:16:03

What’s going on with UK teenagers’ mental health?

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/25

Many teenagers will receive their GCSE results today. These exams can have a significant impact on what they do next, so it can be a stressful time for students, their teachers and parents. Over the past decade, reported mental health problems among teenagers have been on the rise. A recent survey by the NHS statistics agency found rates of probable mental disorders in six- to 16-year-olds reached one in six in 2021. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the academic psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes about what

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00:14:41

How did mammals come to rule the world?

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/23

About 325 million years ago, when Britain sat near the equator as part of the supercontinent Pangaea, two populations of a small, scaly, swamp-dwelling creature separated from each other. One of these lineages, over millions and millions of years, evolved into mammals. Our ancestors shared the planet with dinosaurs, survived an asteroid and made it through an ice age. This fascinating history is documented in The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, a new book by the palaeontologist Prof Steve Brusatte

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00:12:13

From the archive: Will Silicon Valley help us live to...

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/18

‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’ While Benjamin Franklin’s quote remains true for most, the same might not be said for some of the world’s billionaires. And their efforts to extend life are under way too. Most recently, a Silicon Valley startup called Altos Labs signed up a dream team of scientists, including numerous Nobel laureates, with an aim to rejuvenate human cells. In this episode from February 2022, Ian Sample speaks to Prof Janet Lord about the

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00:16:30

From the archive: What are the hidden costs of our...

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/16

They may be one of the world’s favourite supplements but, according to a study from earlier this year, more than one in 10 fish oil capsules are rancid. Most of the oil comes from Peruvian anchovetas, a type of anchovy that is also used to feed pigs, poultry and farmed fish. And despite catching more than 4m tonnes a year of anchovetas to cater to the global demand, large industry players want to scale this up even further. In this episode from January 2022, Madeleine Finlay speaks to environment

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00:11:53

From the archive: Are western lifestyles causing a...

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/11

Could the food we eat and the air we breathe be damaging our immune systems? The number of people with autoimmune diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to type 1 diabetes, began to increase around 40 years ago in the west. Now, some are also emerging in countries that had never seen the diseases before. In this episode from January 2022, Ian Sample speaks to the genetic scientist and consultant gastroenterologist James Lee about how this points to what western lifestyles might be doing to our health,

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00:15:48

From the archive: Why are climate and conservation...

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/09

In early April this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new report giving the world just 30 months to get greenhouse gas emissions falling. Beyond that, we’ll have missed our chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C. As this summer of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods prove, going much above 1.5C will have truly devastating consequences for us and the planet. With the window of opportunity rapidly closing, some scientists feel like writing reports and publishing

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00:16:26

James Lovelock and the legacy of his Gaia hypothesis

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/04

James Lovelock, the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, died last Tuesday on his 103rd birthday. Known as something of a maverick, the scientist and inventor was one of the most influential thinkers of the past century. Our global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, tells Madeleine Finlay about spending time with Lovelock for his forthcoming biography, the impact of the scientist’s ideas and inventions on the modern world, and how his immense influence will continue to be felt in the critical decades

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00:11:24

Is it time for a complete overhaul of car wreck...

Science Weekly ·

2022/08/02

For decades, the absolute priority when rescuing victims after traffic accidents has been to minimise movement of the spine. Emergency services go to great lengths to keep the patient still while they are cut free from the wreckage, because a shift of just a millimetre could potentially lead to the person needing to use a wheelchair. Or at least, that’s what firefighters used to think. Now, thanks to new research using simulated accident rescues, that wisdom is starting to change. Anand Jagatia

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00:12:36

Which Tory leadership candidate is the ‘greenest’?

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/28

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have clashed on a number of issues as they battle to become the next prime minister. However, as heated debates hit our television screens, the climate emergency has been alarmingly absent from discussions. Ian Sample chats to Guardian environment correspondent Fiona Harvey about which candidate is ‘least bad’ when it comes to green policies, and why one of the world’s most urgent issues has taken a back seat in the leadership contest. Help support our independent

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00:14:42

Learning how to cope with ‘climate doom’

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/26

The impacts of the climate crisis are undeniably here. Heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding are causing devastation around the world. And yet, we still aren’t seeing the drastic action that’s required to avert climate disaster. As things get worse, it’s easy to give up hope – but ‘climate doomism’ is just as dangerous as climate denial. Anand Jagatia speaks to psychotherapist Caroline Hickman about her research on climate anxiety, and how we can turn feelings of doom into positive action

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00:12:42

Have Biden’s climate pledges just been killed off?

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/21

US president Joe Biden campaigned on climate issues, but recent events may have sounded a death knell for his promises. Last week, his attempts to pass sweeping climate legislation were thwarted – by a senator in his own party. And in June, a landmark US Supreme Court ruling has greatly limited the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions from the fossil fuel industry. So where does that leave the Democrats’ climate plans? Ian Sample speaks to Prof Elizabeth Bomberg about what these

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00:14:27

‘Falling from the sky in distress’: the deadly bird...

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/19

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza is sweeping across the world, killing millions of birds. In the UK, it’s causing disastrous losses of seabirds – populations that were already being hit by a number of threats, including habitat loss, overfishing and global heating. Biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about how the virus made it into wild birds, why it’s having such a devastating impact, and the long-term impact bird flu could have on some of our most vulnerable species. Help

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00:14:34

James Webb space telescope: thousands of galaxies in...

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/14

This week, Nasa unveiled the first images from the James Webb space telescope – much awaited pictures that show our universe in glorious technicolour. The $10bn telescope, now 1 million miles from Earth, will allow scientists to look back to the dawn of time. Prof Ray Jayawardhana, who is working with one of the instruments onboard the JWST, speaks to Ian Sample about what these images show us, and what they mean for the very human quest of discovering our place in the cosmos.. Help support our

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00:13:00

Why have Australian honeybees been put into lockdown?...

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/12

The varroa mite, a deadly honeybee parasite, has finally found its way into Australia. Varroa destructor affects every other major beekeeping area in the world, damaging honeybees and transmitting viruses across hives. Now, in a fight to contain the mite, the state of New South Wales has destroyed 1,533 infected hives and implemented a statewide standstill on bee movement. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Cooper Schouten, a beekeper and researcher, about why the mite poses such a threat to honeybees,

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00:16:19

Roe v Wade: why vasectomies are no answer to abortion...

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/07

The US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade will have a significant impact on the reproductive health and the safety of women who become pregnant in the US. Researchers have estimated it could increase maternal mortality in the country by 20%. The ruling also sparked debates around men’s reproductive options, including the role of vasectomies in pregnancy and abortion prevention. Madeleine Finlay speaks to historian Georgia Granger about the history of vasectomies, why they’ve ended up as

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00:13:50

New Covid wave: Is this what ‘living with covid’...

Science Weekly ·

2022/07/05

The UK is yet again facing a wave of Covid infections, with cases soaring by more than half a million in a week at the end of June. This time, the wave is driven by even more transmissible variants of Omicron known as BA.4 and BA.5. But with all Covid precautions gone, and many of us heading to bars, pubs, festivals and sporting events as the summer rolls on, is it much of a surprise? Ian Sample asks Prof Graham Medley if infections will translate into hospitalisations and deaths, and whether we can

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00:11:42

Is polio in our sewage as worrying as it sounds?

Science Weekly ·

2022/06/30

Last week, public health officials declared a ‘national incident’ after they found vaccine-derived poliovirus in London sewage samples. No cases of polio symptoms have been reported but there is evidence the virus is spreading. So what does it mean to have found the virus almost 20 years after the UK was declared polio-free? Ian Sample speaks to epidemiologist Nicholas Grassly to find out how worried we should be and what it means for the global effort to eradicate polio.. Help support our

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00:16:41

Shitcoins: are pointless cryptocurrencies a scam or a...

Science Weekly ·

2022/06/28

When the Guardian’s UK technology editor Alex Hern was contacted on Twitter to ask if he was involved in a new cryptocurrency called Tsuka, he assumed they just wanted him to buy it. He ignored the messages. But soon after Alex realised that, without knowing it, he was already involved. What happened next reveals a lot about the strange world of ‘shitcoins’ – cryptocurrencies with no reason for existence beyond buying low and selling high. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Alex Hern about his shitcoin

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