Science Weekly
Kanal Detayları
Science Weekly
Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news
Son Bölümler
351 bölüm
Is your body really full of microplastics?
Studies detecting microplastics throughout human bodies have made for alarming reading in recent years. But last week, the Guardian’s environment edit...
The surprising science of dreams and nightmares
Ian Sample puts listeners’ questions on dreams and nightmares to Dr Michelle Carr, director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory in Montreal’s Centre f...
How to sleep well in 2026
Ian Sample puts listeners’ questions on sleep to Dr Allie Hare, consultant physician in respiratory and sleep medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospita...
Our science predictions for 2026
Last year was full of unexpected science news, from the discovery of a new colour, to the interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas passing by our solar system, a...
Crude appeal: why Trump wants Venezuela’s oil
The US capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday left many people wondering why? Donald Trump hinted at an answer when he clai...
Revisited: the real science of weight loss
Kevin Hall spent 21 years at the US National Institutes of Health and became known globally for his pioneering work on ultra-processed foods. In April...
Revisited: do medicinal mushroom products actually work?
More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market worth billions of pounds. Promises of mental and phys...
Revisited: is curiosity the key to ageing well?
Psychologists have typically believed that we become less curious as we age, but recent research has shown curiosity actually becomes more targeted an...
Revisited: why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it?
Scientists are beginning to understand that ageing is not simply a linear process and we age, according to recent research, in three accelerated burst...
Life beyond Earth? Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the mysteries of space
Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator who has worked on a number of instruments that are revolutionising our view of the...
What’s worse for us, sugar or sweeteners?
We all know eating too much sugar is bad for our health – but would we be better off replacing it with artificial sweetener? It’s a question Science W...
The Birth Keepers: I choose this, episode one
The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message: they could exit the medical system and take back their power by free birthing. But...
Social media and ADHD diagnosis, new mpox strain in England and early firestarters
The Guardian’s science editor, Ian Sample, sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week, including a st...
Rage room or yoga class? How to beat anger
At this time of year when stress levels are high, we can find ourselves being sent over the edge by frustrating post office queues, infuriating traffi...
The brain’s 5 eras, the vaccine that protects against dementia, altruistic ants
Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay and science correspondent Hannah Devlin to hear about three eye-catching stories fro...
Is AI making us stupid?
Artificial intelligence can execute tasks in seconds that once took humans hours, if not days to complete. While this may be great for productivity, s...
Is it the beginning of the end for animal testing?
Patrick Vallance, the minister for science, research and innovation, recently unveiled a plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI and othe...
Bitter rows and overnight talks: how a fragile Cop30 deal was agreed
After bitter arguments, threatened walkouts and heated all-night negotiations, delegates eventually reached a deal this weekend at the Cop30 climate s...
‘Chunks of earth just disappear’: life on a collapsing island
As the Cop30 climate talks continue in Brazil, Madeleine Finlay hears about a landscape at the opposite end of the planet facing the direct impacts of...
Should the UK brace for a brutal flu season?
This year’s flu season has begun more than a month earlier than usual, with a mutated strain spreading widely among younger people and expected to dri...
Kim Kardashian and the comet, a lupus breakthrough, James Watson’s legacy
Ian Sample joins Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories from the week. They discuss the complicated legacy of James W...
Never forget a face? You could be a super recogniser
Do you have an uncanny recall for faces? Have you ever recognised the same extra in TV shows that are decades apart? If so you could be part of the sm...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode three: ask the people that know
Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode two: the magic and mystery
Jon Watts, the Guardian’s global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he w...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode one: the stakes
Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how...
‘We must change course’: a stark climate warning from the UN chief
As global leaders and environmental activists descend on Brazil for next week’s Cop30 climate summit, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global...
A Scottish tea mystery: a bag for life – episode three
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three, all of Ta...
A Scottish tea mystery: the list – episode two
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two, Nicola hear...
A Scottish tea mystery: green shoots – episode one
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one, Nicola look...
The ‘remarkable’ implant that can restore sight
An electronic eye implant half the thickness of a human hair has helped people with incurable sight loss to see again, opening up a potential ‘new era...
The seed bank storing the planet’s future
As biodiversity declines, locating and conserving the planet’s plant life is becoming more important. The Millennium seed bank in Wakehurst, West Suss...
Why is ‘chronic’ lyme disease so controversial?
Celebrities including Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber and Miranda Hart have talked about their years-long struggles with the effects of Lyme disease, but d...
Traitor or faithful: how to spot a liar
The Traitors has returned to UK screens with its biggest viewing figures ever as 19 celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. The game depends on...
All the news and science from the 2025 Nobel prizes
This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that paves the way for the next generation of quantum t...
The real science of weight loss with the US’s leading nutritional scientist
Kevin Hall spent 21 years at the US National Institutes of Health and became known globally for his pioneering work on ultra-processed foods. In April...
Remembering primatologist Jane Goodall
The renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has died aged 91. She will be remembered for her observations that revolutionised our understanding of chimpan...
Fraud, AI slop and huge profits: is science publishing broken?
Scientists are warning that academic publishing needs urgent reform in order to retain trust in the research system. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay...
Does a bit of booze really make us better at languages?
The Ig Nobel prizes were awarded recently – for science that makes you laugh and then think – and the peace prize was given to a cheeky study testing...
Fact-checking Trump’s autism announcement
In a televised press conference on Monday, Donald Trump and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr made a series of unproven claims about autism and its...
Is there hope on the horizon for patients with Alzheimer’s?
A trial is under way to find out if a £100 blood test could transform the way that the NHS diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the leading c...