Podcasts · Science

Science Weekly

The Guardian

296 episodes

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

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Perimenopause is everywhere. How do you know if you’re in it?

    · 15 min

    Perimenopause has become a hot topic, with celebrities sharing their experiences and doctors offering tips and advice online. But despite the benefits of growing awareness, a rising number of women are now encountering…

  2. Elizabeth Holmes is back in the spotlight: why can’t we look away?

    · 17 min

    You Can See Everything, a documentary about the disgraced health tech company founder Elizabeth Holmes, has enjoyed a record-breaking opening in the US. It is a testament to how fascinated we remain by the convicted…

  3. ‘These risks are real’: the threat of AI bioweapons

    · 16 min

    In his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK’s intelligence service, MI5, warned that AI had the potential to ‘change the stakes’ on existing and even new bioweapons. To find out…

  4. Is your boss watching you? The rise of AI surveillance at work

    · 18 min

    Workers have always been monitored by their bosses, first through output targets, and then via computer software labelled ‘bossware’. But AI is transforming the capabilities of these systems, processing huge volumes of…

  5. The surprising psychology of morbid curiosity

    · 17 min

    US defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan has incurred condemnation from human rights groups and politicians on all sides. But according to Coltan Scrivner, an author and…

  6. All the news and science from the 2026 Nobel prizes

    · 23 min

    This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that has been used to develop countless drugs and transform modern medicine, allowed physicists to observe one of the most…

  7. Today in Focus: Should we be worried about a plague outbreak?

    · 14 min

    Several hospitals in eastern Russia are under quarantine after a lab worker fell ill at a plague research centre following a reported accident and died. Russia’s health watchdog has said Darya Shipilova, 28, died of…

  8. Narcolepsy: why you’ve been thinking about it all wrong

    · 17 min

    The sleep disorder has been the butt of jokes and a comedic plot point, but the reality of living with narcolepsy is anything but funny. Things could be about to change for people with the condition though, after the…

  9. The incredible science of memory manipulation

    · 21 min

    Madeleine Finlay hears from Steve Ramirez, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, whose book How to Change a Memory was shortlisted for this year’s Royal Society Trivedi…

  10. Are household cleaning products damaging our health?

    · 18 min

    Our use of cleaning products has increased since the pandemic, but do we understand what they could be doing to our health? The journalist Rebecca Seal recently wrote for the Guardian about the potential impacts of the…

  11. Are baby girls more sociable? Super El Niño, meningitis outbreak explained

    · 22 min

    Madeleine Finlay sits down with her co-host and Guardian science editor, Ian Sample, to discuss three science stories from the week, including a study that offers a clue in the age-old debate about whether sex…

  12. From paleo to intermittent fasting: are any diets actually good for us?

    · 17 min · Explicit

    As diet trends proliferate on social media, it can be hard to work out which are backed by science and which should be ignored. From paleo to keto, raw food to intermittent fasting, each attracts a tribe of ardent…

  13. The week that changed maths for ever

    · 16 min

    In early September, OpenAI announced it had solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century. The news left mathematicians reeling, and many expressed concern over what will be left for…

  14. Is collagen all hype?

    · 19 min

    Collagen powders, gummies and pills have boomed in popularity in recent years boosted by claims that they smooth wrinkles, promote glossy hair and help with joint pain. Amid the noise it can be hard to figure out…

  15. Live episode: how AI is reshaping our minds

    · 1 h 23 min

    In this episode of Science Weekly, recorded in front of an audience at the London podcast festival on 3 September, Ian Sample hears from Michael Safi, the host of the Guardian’s chart-topping podcast about artificial…

  16. ‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter?

    · 17 min

    For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly…

  17. Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science

    · 18 min

    Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel…

  18. Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots

    · 40 min · Explicit

    From the Guardian Investigates team: Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their…

  19. There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it?

    · 14 min

    Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t want this gas spewing needlessly into…

  20. Could humans ever communicate with whales?

    · 17 min

    Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949, researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are…

  21. Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them?

    · 17 min

    AI companies have promised us world-shifting technology. But there’s a cost: loud, unsightly datacentres that drain environmental resources. As the government pushes their rapid growth, can local communities do…

  22. Creatine: is there truth behind the hype?

    · 16 min

    Creatine has become the go-to supplement for anyone wanting to give their fitness a boost and build muscle. It’s even made it out of the gym, with influencers touting its cognitive benefits. But what’s the science…

  23. It’s finally raining. Will it be enough to end the drought?

    · 16 min

    After a summer that has seen England and Wales experience the driest July since records began, rain is finally on the horizon. But with reservoirs at ‘exceptionally low’ levels, will there be enough rain to replenish…

  24. The ultra rich are collecting fossils, and that’s bad for science

    · 15 min

    One of the UK’s best fossil collections has been sold overseas in what experts have called a loss to the nation. The collection, which is now on display at the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, was gathered on…

  25. The immortal jellyfish and other mindblowing invertebrates

    · 15 min

    Each year the Guardian runs a competition to find the invertebrate of the year. To find out more about the 2026 nominees science editor Ian Sample hears from climate reporter Petra Stock, environment reporter Oliver…

  26. We’re reading less. And it’s making us stupid

    · 20 min

    Books have never been trendier, but studies show that as more and more things compete for our frazzled attention spans, we’re reading less and less. This is a problem because reading has a wealth of cognitive benefits…

  27. Four types of thinker, the cyclosporiasis outbreak, and the UK’s biggest telescope threatened

    · 22 min

    Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample, Guardian science editor, to discuss three eye-catching science stories including an investigation that has identified four distinct types of thinker. Also on the agenda is the…

  28. The fight to save a historic English landscape

    · 17 min

    Madeleine Finlay travels to the Rothbury estate in Northumberland, in north-east England. It’s a piece of land that has been in the same family for 700 years, but now it has been put up for sale and the UK’s Wildlife…

  29. Revisited: Saunas and cold plunges, where does the evidence stand?

    · 16 min

    Saunas and cold plunge pools are popping up everywhere in the UK, bringing fiery heat and icy cold to a beach, city farm or park near you. Their users will be ready with all the reasons why it’s good for both the mind…

  30. Revisited: The surprising science of dreams and nightmares

    · 22 min

    In this episode from January 2026, Ian Sample puts listeners’ questions about dreams and nightmares to Dr Michelle Carr, the director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory in Montreal’s Centre for Advanced Research in…

  31. Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode three – a bag for life

    · 20 min

    Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, all of O’Braan’s lies…

  32. Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode two – the list

    · 23 min

    Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola hears how O’Braan’s…

  33. Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode one – green shoots

    · 22 min

    Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola looks back on her…

  34. Can a world-first gene therapy reverse ageing?

    · 18 min

    The first person has been treated with a highly anticipated new gene therapy that aims to turn back the clock on ageing cells. The trial is aimed at retinal cells, with the hope that encouraging them to behave as if…

  35. Fungi: the invisible force protecting our planet

    · 16 min

    Scientists often talk about the importance of flora and fauna to the health of our planet, but Dr Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist and founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, wants us to…

  36. Is male testosterone in freefall?

    · 14 min

    Men’s average testosterone levels have halved over the past 50 years, according to scientists who say society is facing a male fertility crisis. Rising levels of obesity and diabetes are expected to play a part, but…

  37. ‘A break from scrolling’: how Gen Z fell in love with birding

    · 17 min

    In the last 50 years, Britain has lost an astonishing 73 million wild birds from its landscape, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Habitat loss, pesticides, disease, cats and the climate crisis mean there…

  38. ‘Beautiful blobs’: can scientists build life from scratch?

    · 17 min

    Researchers claim they are closer to creating life from nothing after building tiny, quivering blobs that use lab-made DNA to feed, grow and multiply in a dish. To find out how significant this step is, and where…

  39. Reflecting pool algae: the science Trump needs to know

    · 16 min

    The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington DC has hardly been out of the news since April when President Trump vowed to have it renovated, and painted ‘American flag blue’ by 4 July. Despite the pool being…

  40. Nature or nurture: can genes make us behave ‘badly’?

    · 20 min

    How much do our genes determine about our lives, and could they influence traits like risk-taking, antisocial behaviour or even violence? Ian Sample talks to Kathryn Paige Harden, a behavioural geneticist and professor…

  41. Extreme heat: is the UK becoming a 40C country?

    · 15 min

    Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for England, with temperatures potentially reaching 40C (104F) in some places. Europe is also dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed,…

  42. The audacious plan to refreeze the Arctic

    · 16 min

    Sea ice is melting fast and worsening the climate crisis. But what if there were a way to thicken it again? Madeleine Finlay is joined by environment editor Damian Carrington to discuss a bold attempt to refreeze the…

  43. Should we ban social media for under-16s?

    · 20 min

    The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has announced a social media ban for under-16s, as part of an online safety drive that aims to go even further than the world’s first ban, introduced by Australia last year. Many…

  44. ‘The undruggable became druggable’: a gamechanging treatment for the world’s deadliest cancer

    · 15 min

    A daily pill can double survival time in patients with the world’s deadliest cancer, according to the results of a clinical trial that experts are saying is a gamechanger and one of the biggest breakthroughs in…

  45. The dinosaurs who survived the asteroid

    · 17 min

    While many dinosaurs were wiped out when a colossal asteroid struck Earth 66m years ago, one group survived: birds. Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, has written a new book, The…

  46. Heatstroke, sports washing and VAR psychology: the science of the World Cup

    · 21 min

    It’s just a week until the first whistle of the 2026 World Cup. To mark the occasion, Madeleine Finlay talks to Ian Sample about the science behind the tournament. It’s likely to be one of the hottest ever World Cups,…

  47. The incredible science of the sleeping brain

    · 15 min

    Humans have been wondering why we sleep for thousands of years. Is sleep’s purpose rest and relaxation, memory consolidation or maybe cognitive processing? In the last 15 years, scientists have discovered another…

  48. Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment?

    · 17 min

    Last month at Beijing’s half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human world record by nearly seven minutes. It’s the latest in a string of AI-powered milestones that have got people wondering whether robots are…

  49. Red-light masks: can they really slow ageing?

    · 14 min

    Home red-light therapy devices have exploded in popularity as masks, body wraps and mittens promise to reduce wrinkles, redness and even acne. But do the claims stack up, and what other benefits are scientists…

  50. Stateside with Kai and Carter: why the fight over abortion pills is only just beginning

    · 43 min

    The US supreme court has preserved nationwide access to mail-order abortion pills – for now. As Carter Sherman explains, the fight to protect this medication is far from over, as a nationwide, near-total abortion ban…

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