The 3 Best Science Weekly Podcast Episodes
1) Why do humans struggle to think of ourselves as animals?
The pandemic has demonstrated why humans are ultimately an impressive species. From monitoring the genetic evolution of Sars-CoV-2 to devising vaccines in record time, we have put our minds together t...Show More
2) Jaws made us scared of sharks but is a lack of sharks scarier?
Last week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) world conservation congress took place in Marseille. Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston was there and heard about the...Show More
3) Nasa’s new space telescope and its search for extraterrestrial life
On 22 December, if all goes to plan, the £7.5bn James Webb space telescope (JWST) will be blasted into space on top of a giant European Ariane 5 rocket. As it travels to its final destination – a poin...Show More
4) Can degrowth save the climate?
Since the 1960s, global GDP has been rapidly rising and living standards have reached record highs. But something else has been rocketing up too – carbon emissions. For years, scientists and economist...Show More
5) The truth about fat, and its complex role in our health
For a long time fat was seen simply as an inert yellow substance wrapping around our bodies, but now that’s changing. Scientists are beginning to understand that our fat is actually intricate and dyna...Show More
6) Psychedelics for depression, dart frog poison and why do we have chins?
Madeleine Finlay sits down with science editor Ian Sample and science correspondent Nicola Davis to discuss three eye-catching stories, including the impact of a powerful psychedelic on depression, an...Show More
7) Should we really all be taking magnesium supplements?
Testimonials about the beneficial health effects of magnesium supplements abound online, with influencers claiming that a daily pill can help with everything from anxiety to sleep and brain fog. But d...Show More
8) What bots talk about when they think humans aren’t listening
In late January a new social media site took a certain corner of the internet by storm. Moltbook was conceived as a space where AI assistants could let off steam, chat and compare notes on their bosse...Show More
9) Jeffrey Epstein and the scientists
The release of the latest batch of documents relating to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has shed further light on his close relationship with the world of science. To find out why he cult...Show More
10) ‘Everything is quagga mussel now’: can invasive species be stopped?
On a recent trip to Lake Geneva in Switzerland, biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston witnessed the impact of one of the planet’s most potent invasive species, the quagga mussel. In just a decade the mo...Show More