PODCAST

Science Weekly

The Guardian

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

science

All Episodes

00:17:10

Summer picks: Where did our attention spans go, and...

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/29

In 2024, the Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year was ‘brain rot’. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many who feel they don’t have the mental capacity they once had. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, has been studying our waning attention spans for 20 years. In this episode from January 2025, she tells Madeleine Finlay why she believes our

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00:14:14

Why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do...

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/24

Scientists are beginning to understand that ageing is not a simply linear process. Instead, recent research appears to show that we age in three accelerated bursts; at about 40, 60 and 80 years old. To find out what might be going on, Ian Sample hears from Prof Michael Snyder, the director of the Center for Genomics and Personalised Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, who explains what the drivers of these bursts of ageing could be, and how they might be counteracted. Help support

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00:17:10

The babies born with DNA from three parents

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/22

Doctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about the life-threatening genetic disorders that the technique appears to prevent, and Prof Sir Doug Turnbull describes the 25-year journey to achieving the breakthrough. Help support our independent journalism at <a

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00:21:44

Two black holes collide, lab-grown organs, world’s...

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/17

Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science and environment stories. From a breakthrough in the quest to create organs in the lab to a world-first climate visa that will see citizens relocate from the island of Tuvalu to Australia, plus what happens when two massive black holes collide. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sciencepod">theguardian.com/sciencepod</a>

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00:17:32

Why are parents using melatonin to help their kids...

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/15

Guardian feature writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett recently wrote about the growing cohort of parents whose children are on the waiting list for an autism or ADHD diagnosis, and are turning to the internet to buy melatonin to help them sleep. She tells Madeleine Finlay about their experiences and what is driving them to the hidden market. Paul Gringras, a consultant in paediatric sleep medicine and neurodisability, and lead of sleep medicine at King’s College London, also explains why melatonin can be

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00:16:49

Texas floods and forecasting cuts: a sign of things...

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/09

In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this narrative stacks up and what the consequences could be for extreme weather prediction in the future. Help support our independent journalism at <a

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00:15:58

Microplastics, blood cleaning and Orlando Bloom

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/08

The actor recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Stephanie Wright, associate professor of environmental toxicology at Imperial College London’s school of public health. She explains what we know so far about the effects of microplastics in the body, why the

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00:18:26

Why British women are freezing their eggs abroad

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/03

The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian journalist Lucy Hough, who recently travelled to Brussels to freeze her eggs. She explains what prompted her decision and how she feels now that the procedure is over. Madeleine also hears from Joyce Harper, a professor of

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00:15:54

What does it take to make a nuclear weapon?

Science Weekly ·

2025/07/01

In an interview last weekend, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’ because it is permitted for ‘peaceful energy’ purposes. It is the latest development in an escalation of tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which erupted when Israel targeted the country’s nuclear facilities in June. To understand why enrichment is so important, Madeleine Finlay talks to Robin Grimes, professor of materials physics at Imperial College London. He explains what goes

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00:18:33

‘Huge advances in cancer and rare diseases’: 25 years...

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/26

It has been 25 years since Bill Clinton announced one of humanity’s most important scientific achievements: the first draft of the human genome. At the time, there was a great deal of excitement about the benefits that this new knowledge would bring, with predictions about curing genetic diseases and even cancer. To find out which of them came to pass, and what could be in store over the next two-and-a-half decades, Madeleine Finlay is joined by science editor Ian Sample, and hears from Prof Matthew

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00:15:10

Can a revolutionary new telescope solve the mystery...

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/24

Ever since Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, astronomers have been wondering whether Neptune really is the most distant planet from the sun. Now, a new telescope could uncover what lies in the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Vera C Rubin Observatory released its first images this week, and soon the world’s most powerful digital camera will be pointing across the whole of the night sky. Scientists are hopeful that if planet nine exists, the telescope will find it within

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00:18:41

Do medicinal mushroom products actually work?

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/19

More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market now worth billions of pounds. Promises of benefits to mental and physical health have seen its popularity spill over from wellness influencers to the shelves of Marks & Spencer – but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? Ian Sample chats to Madeleine Finlay about the appeal of mushroom drinks and supplements, and hears from the mycologist Prof Nik Money on what we really know about

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00:15:14

Does the UK need nuclear to reach net zero?

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/17

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has promised £14bn of investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, kicking off what the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, says will be a ‘golden age for clean energy abundance’. But for critics, the technology’s high costs and lengthy construction times have always eclipsed the benefits of abundant low-carbon electricity. Ian Sample is joined by the Guardian energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose to find out why the UK government is backing nuclear and whether it

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00:25:00

How to Save the Amazon part 3: ask the people that...

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/12

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon podcast, global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In the final episode of a three-part series, Jon encounters a radical new view of the Amazon’s history being uncovered by archaeologists. Far from an uninhabited wilderness, the rainforest has been shaped by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Jon finds out how their expert

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00:24:28

How to save the Amazon part two: the magic and mystery

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/11

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon, Jon Watts, global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In episode two, Jon meets the people trying to make sure the rainforest is worth more standing than cut down – from a government minister attempting to establish Brazil’s ‘bioeconomy’ to a startup founder creating superfood supplements and a scientist organising night-time tours hunting

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00:28:03

How to save the Amazon part one: the stakes

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/10

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon, the global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In episode one of a three-part series, Watts explores what’s at stake if we fail to act in time. He hears about the crucial role of the rainforest for South America and the global climate, and looks back at how cattle ranching came to dominate and destroy huge swathes of the forest –

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00:26:50

Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/06

The British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished three years ago while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened to them in a six-part podcast series. Find episode 2 and all future episodes by searching for Missing in the Amazon. Help support our independent journalism at <a

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00:14:32

Into the photic zone: does a darkening ocean threaten...

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/05

Vast areas of the ocean are getting darker, according to research based on satellite imaging. Marine ecosystems are governed by faint light changes – from mass nightly migrations to coral spawning cycles – so what happens when that light begins to fade? Ian Sample talks to Prof Tim Smyth from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory about why this darkening is happening and how life in the ‘photic zone’ – the sunlit upper layer that is home to 90% of marine organisms – could be profoundly affected Planet’s

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00:16:24

The incredible world of animal medicine

Science Weekly ·

2025/06/03

Ian Sample meets Jaap de Roode, professor of biology at Emory University in Atlanta, and author of the book Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes and Other Animals Heal Themselves. De Roode explains how a chance discovery got him interested in animal medicine, the amazing ways that creatures use toxins to fight parasites and pathogens, and what humans have learnt about medicine from the animal world. Help support our independent journalism at <a

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00:18:08

Your microbiome questions answered: part two

Science Weekly ·

2025/05/29

Ian Sample is joined by Dr James Kinross, colorectal surgeon and author of the book Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome, to answer all your questions about gut health. In episode two, Kinross explains what else, beyond antibiotics, can damage our microbiome, how we can start to repair it, and gives his top tips for keeping our gut microbes happy. Help support our independent journalism at <a

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