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PODCAST

Science Weekly

Alok Jha and the Guardian"s science team bring you the best analysis and interviews from the worlds of science and technology.

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All Episodes

18:34

Caroline Lucas on politics, science and 14 years as...

Science Weekly ·

2024/07/02

As she steps down as the Green party’s first, and so far only, MP, Caroline Lucas tells Madeleine Finlay what it’s been like as the sole Green voice in parliament for the past 14 years, her hopes for her party in Thursday’s UK general election, and what she plans to do in her life beyond politics. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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21:38

What are the main UK parties promising on climate and...

Science Weekly ·

2024/06/18

Last week more than 400 scientists signed an open letter to political parties urging ambitious action on the environment to prevent making Britain and the world ‘more dangerous and insecure’. Now that the main parties’ manifestos have all been released, Ian Sample is joined by the global environment editor, Jon Watts, and the biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, to find out what the manifestos have to say about nature and climate, and whether anyone is promising the level of

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15:08

Science Weekly: Are cold and wet UK summers here to...

Science Weekly ·

2024/06/13

Here in the UK talking about the weather is already a national pastime, but this month the water-cooler weather chat has ramped up a notch as rain, grey skies and biting temperatures have put summer firmly on hold. Ian Sample talks to Matt Patterson, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, to find out what’s causing the chilly weather, whether it’s really as unusual as it seems, and whether any sun is on the horizon for the UK

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18:09

Golden rice: why has it been banned and what happens...

Science Weekly ·

2024/06/06

A court in the Philippines has banned the commercial growth of golden rice, a genetically modified rice which was created to help tackle vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. It’s just the latest twist in a long and controversial journey for this rice. Ian Sample hears from the Observer science and environment editor, Robin McKie, and from Glenn Stone, a research professor of environmental science at Sweet Briar College in Virginia who is also an anthropologist who has studied golden

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13:56

The extraordinary promise of personalised cancer...

Science Weekly ·

2024/05/02

Glioblastomas are an extremely aggressive type of brain tumour, which is why the news this week of a vaccine that has shown promise in fighting them is so exciting. And this comes right off the back of the announcement of another trial of the world’s first personalised mRNA vaccine for melanoma, a kind of skin cancer. Ian Sample talks to Prof Alan Melcher of the Institute of Cancer Research about how these vaccines work and whether they could one day be used to target cancer before it is even

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16:37

The never-ending stream of plastic pollution: could a...

Science Weekly ·

2024/04/30

Guardian Seascapes reporter Karen McVeigh tells Madeleine Finlay about a recent trip to the Galápagos Islands, where mounds of plastic waste are washing up and causing problems for endemic species. Tackling this kind of waste and the overproduction of plastic were the topics on the table in Ottawa this week, as countries met to negotiate a global plastics treaty. But is progress too slow to address this pervasive problem?. Help support our independent journalism at

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16:48

From birds, to cattle, to … us? Could bird flu be the...

Science Weekly ·

2024/04/25

As bird flu is confirmed in 33 cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why this development has taken scientists by surprise, and how prepared we are for the possibility it might start spreading among humans. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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20:05

Hardwired to eat: what can our dogs teach us about...

Science Weekly ·

2024/04/23

Labradors are known for being greedy dogs, but now scientists have come up with a theory about the genetic factors that might be behind their behaviour. Science correspondent, and labrador owner, Nicola Davis, visits Cambridge University to meet Dr Eleanor Raffan, and prof Giles Yeo, to find out how understanding this pathway could help us better understand, and treat, the obesity crisis in humans.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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17:35

The virus that infects almost everyone, and its link...

Science Weekly ·

2024/03/28

On 28 March it is the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, to hear the story of this virus, and how understanding it might help us

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14:38

What could a severe solar storm do to Earth, and are...

Science Weekly ·

2024/03/26

The sun is currently ramping up to hit the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. In the past few days, powerful solar eruptions have sent a stream of particles towards Earth which are set to produce spectacular auroras in both hemispheres. But these kinds of geomagnetic storms can also have less appealing consequences. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Lisa Upton, a solar scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, about how the mysterious inner workings of the sun create space weather, how solar

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16:52

Havana syndrome: will we ever understand what happened?

Science Weekly ·

2024/03/21

In late 2016, US officials in Cuba’s capital began experiencing a mysterious and often debilitating set of symptoms that came to be known as Havana syndrome. As two new studies into the condition are published, Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, who has been following the story, and to the consultant neurologist Prof Jon Stone, about what could be behind the condition. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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17:35

Should forests have rights?

Science Weekly ·

2024/03/19

A growing movement of ecologists, lawyers and artists is arguing that nature should have legal rights. By recognising the rights of ecosystems and other species, advocates hope that they can gain better protection. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, about where this movement has come from and why the UK government has dismissed the concept, and hears from Cesar Rodriguez-Garavito of NYU School of Law about how he is finding creative ways to

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19:29

A waterworld with a boiling ocean and the end of dark...

Science Weekly ·

2024/03/14

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a new theory challenging the existence of dark matter to an alarming study about the possible impact of microplastics on our health and a glimpse of a ‘waterworld with a boiling ocean’ deep in space. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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16:24

How green are electric cars?

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/27

Electric cars might seem like a no-brainer on a warming planet, but there are plenty of people who remain sceptical about everything from their battery life to their carbon impact and the environmental and human rights costs of their parts. Madeleine Finlay consults Auke Hoekstra, known as the internet’s ‘EV debunker in chief’, to unpick the myths, realities and grey areas surrounding electric cars. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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19:26

Mistakes, fakes, and a giant rat penis: why are so...

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/22

A record 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023. To find out what’s driving this trend, Ian Sample speaks to Ivan Oransky, whose organisation Retraction Watch has been monitoring the growing numbers of retractions for more than a decade, and hears from blogger Sholto David, who recently made headlines when he spotted mistakes in research from a leading US cancer institute.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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16:32

Nitazenes and xylazine: what’s behind the rise of...

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/20

Social affairs correspondent Robert Booth tells Madeleine Finlay why a class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes, first developed in the 1950s, is leading to a worrying number of fatal overdoses in the UK. And she hears from toxicology and addiction specialist Dr Joseph D’Orazio about a tranquilliser called xylazine that has been showing up in alarming volumes in the US illegal drug supply and is now starting to appear in toxicology reports in the UK. Help support our independent journalism

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15:11

What apes can tell us about the origins of teasing

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/15

We all know people who find it hilarious to prod and poke, pinch and tickle, all in the name of fun. But are humans the only ones who like to tease each other? Or are other animals in on the act? Ian Sample talks to Prof Erica Cartmill about her work on apes and teasing and asks, given how annoying teasing is, why do apes, and humans, do it?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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15:12

Retinol, acids and serums: why are children obsessed...

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/13

Last month the British Association of Dermatologists warned that children as young as eight years old were using potentially damaging anti-ageing skin care products. Madeleine Finlay speaks to consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth about where this trend has come from, what damage these products might be causing to young skin and how we can all look after our skin without spending too much time and money. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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17:48

Why are we still waiting for a male contraceptive pill?

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/08

Despite research into a male contraceptive pill starting around the same time as its female counterpart, no product has ever made it to market. But that could soon change, with a new non-hormonal male pill entering human trials in the UK late last year. Ian Sample speaks to bioethicist Prof Lisa Campo-Engelstein of the University of Texas and Prof Chris Barratt from the University of Dundee about why male contraceptives have been so difficult to develop, and what kind of options are in the pipeline

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13:39

What happens now bird flu has reached the Antarctic?

Science Weekly ·

2024/02/06

The moment scientists had been dreading arrived late last year, when H5N1, or bird flu, was found for the first time in the Antarctic. Last week a king penguin on the island of South Georgia became the first in the region to be suspected to have died from the disease. The Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, tells Ian Sample why researchers have said the spread of bird flu through the Antarctic’s penguin colonies could signal ‘one of the largest ecological disasters of

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223 results

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