Science Weekly

Is it time to try geoengineering?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Geoengineering, the controversial set of techniques that aim to deliberately alter the Earth’s climate system, may be inching a step closer to reali...

Have we got the appendix all wrong?

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time the appendix was considered disposable. After all, millions of people have theirs removed each year and go on to live healthy lives. B...

Surviving 200 snake bites, decoding ancient scrolls and the countries ‘flourishing’

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science correspondent Hannah Devlin joins Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science stories from the week, from a global study that puts the UK t...

How old are we really? What a test can tell us about our biological age

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Direct to consumer tests that claim to tell us our biological – as opposed to chronological – age are getting a lot of attention, but what can the...

Why did Spain and Portugal go dark?

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Authorities are still trying to understand what triggered the massive power outage that left the majority of the Iberian Peninsula without electricity...

Why did Just Stop Oil just stop?

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just Stop Oil, the climate activism group behind motorway blockades, petrol station disruption and tomato soup attacks on major artworks, has disbande...

Evidence of alien life, a clue about the rise of bowel cancer, and a new colour?

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From a hint at alien life on a distant planet to a clue in the...

Is ‘de-extinction’ really possible?

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American biotech company Colossal Biosciences recently made headlines around the world with claims it had resurrected the dire wolf, an animal tha...

RFK Jr’s mixed messages on vaccines

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a measles outbreak expands across the US, comments by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr have come under scrutiny. Kennedy has said that the best...

What 40 years as Observer science editor has taught Robin McKie

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Robin McKie reflects on his 40 years as science editor for the Observer and tells Madeleine Finlay about the game-changing discoveries and scientific ...

Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal...

Streams of medicines: what’s hiding in the UK’s waterways?

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The UK is known for its national parks: areas of outstanding natural beauty with rolling hills and crystal-clear streams and lakes. But research has s...

‘Parasites should get more fame’: the nominees for world’s finest invertebrate

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Invertebrates don’t get the attention lavished on cute pets or apex predators, but these unsung heroes are some of the most impressive and resilient...

Keto: what’s the science behind the diet?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While other diet fads come and go, the ultra low carbohydrate Keto diet seems to endure. But as scientists begin to understand how the diet works, mor...

The rise and fall of DNA testing company 23andMe

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The genetic testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, another twist in the story of a company that promised a pioneering approach to precision he...

Where do our early childhood memories go?

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a mystery that has long puzzled researchers. Why can’t we remember our early childhood experiences? Freud called the phenomenon infantile amn...

What a dark energy discovery means for the fate of the universe

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dark energy, the mysterious force powering the expansion of the universe, appears to be weakening over time, according to a major cosmological survey ...

A mysterious millionaire and the quest to live under the sea

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before billionaires dreamed of setting up communities on Mars, the ocean was seen as the next frontier in human habitation. Reviving this dream is Dee...

Use it or lose it: how to sharpen your brain as you age

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us believe that cognitive decline is an inevitable part of ageing, but a new study looking at how our skills change with age challenges that i...

Mars-a-lago? Did the red planet once have sandy beaches?

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Mars we know now is arid and dusty, with punishing radiation levels. But, as science correspondent Nicola Davis tells Madeleine Finlay, two new st...

Moon missions, Musk v scientists, sperm and longevity

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From two private moon landings to the controversy over Elon Mu...

Why it’s boom time for beavers in England

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Beavers were once abundant in the UK, but hunting them for their fur, meat and scent oil drove them to extinction. Now they’re back, with the news t...

Drinks cans and chicken bones: will ‘technofossils’ be humanity’s lasting legacy?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the palaeontologists of the future search for clues to understand how we lived, what might they find? Two scientists exploring this question have...

How Trump unleashed chaos in science

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In his first month in office the US president has thrown science in the US into chaos, delaying projects and casting the future of research funding an...

Singing mice, constipated kids and nurture beats nature: science stories of the week

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science editor Ian Sample joins co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories of the week. From a concerning rise in...

Should we ban cats?

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Scottish first minister, John Swinney, was recently forced to deny plans to ban cats after a report from independent experts said the species was ...

What is ‘mirror life’ and why are scientists sounding the alarm?

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, a group of world-leading scientists called for a halt on research to create ‘mirror life’ microbes amid concerns that the synthetic orga...

Don’t look up: is an asteroid heading for Earth?

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a case of life imitating art, a 100-metre-wide asteroid has triggered global planetary defence procedures for the first time, after telescope obser...

DeepSeek, weapons and climate? What’s on the table at the Paris AI summit?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the shockwaves caused by DeepSeek’s launch, to fears of a new AI arms race, and the continued questions over the technology’s energy use, AI ...

Can Trump and RFK Jr make America healthy again?

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Senators are scheduled to vote today on whether to advance Robert F Kennedy Jr’s nomination as Secretary of State for Health and Human Services. RFK...

Protein, weights and the best way to keep fit: your exercise questions answered

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the second episode of our listener questions special, Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what he has uncovered about who the exercise guidelines wer...

Sugar, seed oils, and avoiding sickness: your health questions answered

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We asked for your questions on getting healthy in 2025 and you delivered. In the first episode of our listener questions special, Madeleine Finlay tel...

The science of racism, and how to fight it

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book, The Science of Racism, explores what sci...

Telepathy…what’s the evidence?

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A podcast promoting claims that non-verbal autistic children can read minds briefly knocked Joe Rogan off the top of the charts this month, which made...

Our science predictions for 2025

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last year was full of unexpected science news, from a new strain of Mpox emerging in the DRC, to artificial intelligence dominating the Nobel prizes a...

How weather ‘whiplash’ set the stage for the LA fires

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As wildfires continue to cause devastation in Los Angeles, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Albert van Dijk, professor of water science and management at th...

Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back?

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year at the end of 2024: brain rot. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of con...

Are we hardwired to commit ‘deadly sins’?

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists are increasingly finding that behaviours once seen as depraved often have a direct physical cause. To find out more, Ian Sample hears from ...

Revisited: does the evidence on glucose tracking add up?

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might have noticed that everyone has recently become a bit obsessed with blood sugar, or glucose. Wellness firms such as Zoe in the UK – as well...

Revisited: just how bad is alcohol for us?

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the regular drinker, the studies that say a daily tipple is better for a longer life than avoiding alcohol completely are a source of great comfor...

Revisited: the endless sexual diversity of nature

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to Josh Davis, a science writer at the Natural History Museum in London and author of the book A Little Ga...

Revisited: are the world’s oldest people really that old?

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from September, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Saul Newman, an interdisciplinary researcher at University College London and the Univer...

‘Soft and calorie dense’: Chris van Tulleken on how ultra-processed foods keep us hooked

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Chris van Tulleken has been at the forefront of the campaign to change our food system and better regulate the sale of ultra-processed foods (UPF)....

Is our model of the universe wrong?

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the past 10 years cosmologists have been left scratching their heads over why two methods for measuring the universe’s rate of expansion provide...

Does Google’s ‘mindboggling’ new chip bring quantum computers any closer?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday Google unveiled its Willow quantum computing chip. The new chip takes just five minutes to complete tasks that would take 10 septillion year...

The science of laughing

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay speaks to Sophie Scott, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, to dig into the science of laughter. Soph...

Revisited: Secrets of the gut microbiome

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample speaks to colorectal surgeon and researcher James Kinross about the miraculous world of our gut microbiome, how modern life is impacting it...

What really helps with hangovers?

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could take a pill or a shot that could reduce your blood alcohol level and make you feel better in the morning? That’s the promise of a ...

What’s going on with fluoride?

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The conversation about fluoride’s health benefits has exploded recently after a US federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientifi...

‘Travesty of justice’: Cop29’s controversial deal

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, about the controversial climate finance deal that brought Cop29 ne...

The science behind yo-yo diets, bird flu news and which Brits can spot a fake accent

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Science editor Ian Sample joins host Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories of the week. From a study finding that fa...

What does it take to become an astronaut?

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a dream for many children, but what does it actually take to become an astronaut? Science correspondent Hannah Devlin tells Ian Sample about he...

Secrets of happiness: the happiness hacks backed up by science

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy – and how we can ...

Secrets of happiness: what makes a country happy?

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy – and how can we ...

What will Trump 2.0 mean for science?

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay talks to science editor and podcast co-host Ian Sample about how Donald Trump approached science when in office last time, and what h...

Could we really live on Mars?

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Space-settling enthusiasts have long had an eye on Mars, and now they have the backing of the world’s richest man. Elon Musk recently claimed that h...

Love motels and gridlocked talks: all the news from Cop16

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Biodiversity correspondent Phoebe Weston takes Madeleine Finlay through the news from the UN Cop16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia. Countries ar...

The US tech startup promising smarter babies

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A startup company, Heliospect Genomics, is offering to help wealthy couples screen their embryos for IQ using controversial technology that raises que...

What’s at stake for the climate if Trump wins?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With less than two weeks until the US election, Madeleine Finlay speaks to climate activist and author Bill McKibben to find out what a win for Donald...

How the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs made ants into farmers

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay hears from Ted Schultz, curator of ants at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, about his recent study into the origin...

Is sleep perfectionism making us more exhausted?

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the sleep tracking industry booms, some worry that it could be driving orthosomnia, the medical term for an unhealthy obsession with attaining perf...

What Milton and Helene reveal about the future of hurricanes

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample speaks to Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at nonprofit Climate Central, about the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season so far, and w...

All the news and science from the 2024 Nobel prizes

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With awards for the discovery of microRNA and the creation of new proteins, plus recognition for artificial intelligence via the physics and chemistry...

Could AI help fight conspiracy theories?

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re used to hearing about the power of artificial intelligence to spread misinformation – but could it also be a tool for persuading people of t...

Everything you need to know about Covid this autumn

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample, the Guardian’s science editor and Science Weekly co-host, to answer the questions we are all asking about ...

End of an era: Britain finally says goodbye to coal

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just before Britain’s last coal-fired power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, powered down for the final time, Madeleine Finlay travelled to Nottinghamshi...

Is the ocean becoming too acidic to sustain life?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Industrial civilisation is close to breaching a seventh planetary boundary, and may already have crossed it, according to scientists who have compiled...

Are the world’s oldest people really that old?

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Saul Newman, an interdisciplinary researcher at University College London and the University of Oxford, who has just won...

Live episode: will AI make a good companion?

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a special episode recorded live at the British Science Festival, Madeleine Finlay and guests explore the question: will AI make a good companion? A...

The sweeping reorganisation of the brain in pregnancy, and why it matters

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample talks to Dr Laura Pritschet, a postdoctoral fellow of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, about her research using precision scan...

From dementia to heart disease: could weight-loss jabs transform chronic conditions?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They were developed as diabetes drugs, then their potential for promoting significant weight loss became apparent. And now study after study seems to ...

Transparent skin, bird flu, and why girls’ brains aged during Covid: the week in science

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a new technique that u...

Into the abyss beneath Greenland’s glaciers

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Environment editor Damian Carrington tells Madeleine Finlay about his recent trip to Greenland on board a ship with a group of intrepid scientists. Th...

The race to understand mpox

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last month the World Health Organization declared the recent mpox outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergenc...

The arrest of Telegram’s founder, and what it means for social media

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The arrest of Telegram’s founder and CEO in Paris last month has thrown the spotlight on the messaging app and its approach to content moderation. M...

Summer picks: the science of ‘weird shit’

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The psychologist Chris French has spent decades studying paranormal claims and mysterious experiences, from seemingly impossible coincidences to paint...

Summer picks: what can our dogs teach us about obesity?

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Labradors are known for being greedy dogs, and now scientists have come up with a theory about the genetic factors that may be behind their behaviour....

Summer picks: why are so many science papers being retracted?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A record 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023. In this episode from February 2024, Ian Sample speaks to Ivan Oransky, whose organisation Retr...

Summer picks: what does the science say about birth order and personality?

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all know the cliches about older siblings being responsible, younger ones creative, and middle children being peacemakers. But is there any evidenc...

What’s happened to all the butterflies?

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Butterfly numbers in the UK appear to be at the lowest on record after a wet spring and summer dampened their chances of mating. This comes on top of ...

Just how bad is alcohol for us?

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the regular drinker it is a source of great comfort: the fat pile of studies that say a daily tipple is better for a longer life than avoiding alc...

How Team GB’s psychologist gets the athletes mentally ready

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jess Thom, lead psychologist for Team GB, tells Madeleine Finlay how she prepares athletes for failure and success – and the challenges that arise w...

Secrets of ageing: making our last years count

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have always been obsessed with getting old, or rather staying young, but now science is beginning to catch up. Longevity has become a hot topic...

Secrets of ageing: how long could I live?

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have always been obsessed with getting old, or rather staying young, and now science is beginning to catch up. Longevity has become a hot topic...

Secrets of ageing: what makes me age?

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have always been obsessed with getting old, or rather staying young, but now science is beginning to catch up. Longevity has become a hot topic...

Trophy hunting: can killing and conservation go hand in hand?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A series of super tusker elephant killings has sparked a bitter international battle over trophy hunting and its controversial, often-counterintuitive...

George Monbiot on the record jail terms given to Just Stop Oil activists

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, five supporters of the Just Stop Oil climate campaign who conspired to cause gridlock on London’s orbital motorway were sentenced to leng...

Is there any point in taking multivitamins?

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Multivitamins are cheap, convenient, and provide a little bit of reassurance if our diet isn’t quite as healthy as we’d like. But a recent study o...

Can the climate survive AI’s thirst for energy?

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence companies have lofty ambitions for what the technology could achieve, from curing diseases to eliminating poverty. But the ene...

‘Lesbian’ seagulls and ‘gay’ rams: the endless sexual diversity of nature

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Same-sex sexual behaviours have been reported in a wide variety of species, and a new study suggests that, although animal scientists widely observe i...

ZOE and personalised nutrition: does the evidence on glucose tracking add up?

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You might have noticed that everyone has recently become a bit obsessed with blood sugar, or glucose. Wellness firms such as ZOE here in the UK – as...

‘Spermageddon’: is male fertility really in crisis?

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent research has suggested a global reproductive crisis could be in the offing, with researchers in Israel saying average sperm counts may have mor...

Caroline Lucas on climate, culture wars, and 14 years as the only Green MP

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 voi...

The surprising psychology behind extremism, and how politics is driving it

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologists usually expect ambivalence to be a driver of political apathy. But a new study appears to show a link between ambivalence in our views a...

The infection that affects half of women and its link to antibiotic resistance

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone who has had a urinary tract infection knows how agonising they can be. Some infections go away on their own, but many need antibiotics. Beneath...

A black hole awakens and why some people avoid Covid: the week in science

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a glimpse of a black h...

What are the main UK parties promising on climate and is it enough?

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week more than 400 scientists signed an open letter to political parties urging ambitious action on the environment to prevent making Britain and...

Are cold and wet UK summers here to stay?

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, gr...

Slaughter-free sausages: is lab-grown meat the future?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample hears from Linda Geddes about her recent trip to the Netherlands to try cultivated meat sausages, courtesy of the company Meatable. Advocat...

Golden rice: why has it been banned and what happens now?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 def...