Science Weekly

Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer: ‘The clock is ticking but the world will teach us what we need to do’

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, western science and Indigenous knowledge have been seen as distinct ways of learning about the world. But as we plunge the planet dee...

Election risks, safety summits and Scarlett Johansson: the week in AI

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a busy week in the world of artificial intelligence. OpenAI found itself in hot water with Scarlett Johansson after launching its new chat...

Concrete without CO2: can our biggest building material go green?

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Concrete is strong and durable – which is why it’s the basis for so much of our infrastructure. It’s also terrible for the planet, due to one ke...

Why is air turbulence getting worse?

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday a British man died and several others were injured when their plane encountered severe turbulence between London and Singapore. And it look...

In their prime: how trillions of cicadas pop up right on time

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Right now, across much of the midwestern and eastern US, trillions of cicadas are crawling out from the soil. And this year is extra special, because ...

AI, algorithms and apps: can dating be boiled down to a science?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week the founder of the dating app Bumble forecasted a near future dating landscape where AI ‘dating concierges’ filter out prospective partn...

Backstabbing, bluffing and playing dead: has AI learned to deceive?

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As AI systems have grown in sophistication, so has their capacity for deception, according to a new analysis from researchers at Massachusetts Institu...

How much protein is too much?

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sales of cottage cheese are booming thanks to a boost from protein-hungry social media influencers. But do we really need all this extra protein? Made...

Why are the world’s cities sinking?

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A study has found that more than two dozen US coastal cities are sinking by more than 2mm a year. It’s a similar picture across the world. Nearly ha...

The extraordinary promise of personalised cancer vaccines

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Glioblastomas are an extremely aggressive type of brain tumour, which is why the news this week of a vaccine that has shown promise in fighting them i...

The stream of plastic pollution: could a global treaty help us turn off the tap?

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Guardian Seascapes reporter Karen McVeigh tells Madeleine Finlay about a recent trip to the Galápagos Islands, where mounds of plastic waste are wash...

From birds, to cattle, to … us? Could bird flu be the next pandemic?

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As bird flu is confirmed in 33 cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why th...

Hardwired to eat: what can our dogs teach us about obesity?

23 Apr 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 might be behind their behaviou...

Who really wins if the Enhanced Games go ahead?

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Billed as a rival to the Olympic Games, the Enhanced Games, set to take place in 2025, is a sporting event with a difference; athletes will be allowed...

Soundscape ecology: a window into a disappearing world

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What can sound tell us about nature loss? Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about her visit to Monks Wood in Cambrid...

The senior Swiss women who went to court over climate change, and won

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, in a landmark case, the European court of human rights ruled that Switzerland’s weak climate policy had violated the rights of a group of...

Remembering physicist Peter Higgs

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Nobel prize-winning British physicist Peter Higgs has died aged 94. The confirmation in 2012 of the existence of the Higgs boson particle, five de...

Horny tortoises and solar mysteries: what scientists can learn from a total eclipse

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For most people seeing a total solar eclipse is a once in a lifetime experience. But for scientists it can be a fleeting chance to understand somethin...

The science of ‘weird shit’: why we believe in fate, ghosts and conspiracy theories

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist Chris French has spent decades studying paranormal claims and mysterious experiences, from seemingly-impossible coincidences to paintings...

Hypermobility: a blessing or a curse?

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being more flexible than the average person can have its advantages, from being great at games such as Limbo to feeling smug in yoga class. But resear...

The virus that infects almost everyone, and its link to cancer and MS

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On 28 March it’s the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discove...

What could a severe solar storm do to Earth, and are we prepared?

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The sun is currently ramping up to hit the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. In the past few days, powerful solar eruptions have sent a stream of pa...

Havana syndrome: will we ever understand what happened?

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In late 2016, US officials in Cuba’s capital began experiencing a mysterious and often debilitating set of symptoms that came to be known as Havana ...

Should forests have rights?

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A growing movement of ecologists, lawyers and artists is arguing that nature should have legal rights. By recognising the rights of ecosystems and oth...

A waterworld with a boiling ocean and the end of dark matter? The week in science

14 Mar 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 theory challengi...

Why do we lose our hair as we age, and what can we do about it? – podcast

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For some people, going bald or experiencing thinning hair can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing and self confidence. Madeleine Finlay spea...

What’s behind the rapid rise of cancer in the under-50s?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian’s health editor, Andrew Gregory, about the worrying global rise in cancers in under-50s, and hears from Yin Cao, a...

Classic older child? What the science says about birth order and personality

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Guardian’s new podcast series about AI: Black Box – prologue

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We wanted to bring you this episode from our new series, Black Box. In it, Michael Safi explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together:...

The debilitating impact of tinnitus, and how a new app could help

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s thought that about 15% of us are affected by tinnitus, and despite its potentially debilitating impact on mental health and quality of life, th...

How green are electric cars?

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Electric cars might seem like a no-brainer on a warming planet, but there are plenty of people who remain sceptical about everything from their batter...

Mistakes, fakes, and a giant rat penis: why are so many science papers being retracted?

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A record 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023. To find out what’s driving this trend, Ian Sample speaks to Ivan Oransky, whose organisation...

Nitazenes and xylazine: what’s behind the rise of dangerous synthetic drugs?

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Social affairs correspondent Robert Booth tells Madeleine Finlay why a class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes, first developed in the 1950s, is l...

What apes can tell us about the origins of teasing

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all know people who find it hilarious to prod and poke, pinch and tickle, all in the name of fun. But are humans the only ones who like to tease ea...

Retinol, acids and serums for kids? A dermatologist’s guide to age appropriate skincare

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last month the British Association of Dermatologists warned that children as young as eight years old were using potentially damaging anti-ageing skin...

Why are we still waiting for a male contraceptive pill?

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Despite research into a male contraceptive pill starting around the same time as its female counterpart, no product has ever made it to market. But th...

What happens now bird flu has reached the Antarctic?

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The moment scientists had been dreading arrived late last year, when H5N1, or bird flu, was found for the first time in the Antarctic. Last week a kin...

A fasting prime minister and a mind-reading billionaire: the week in science

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big science stories of the week – from news that Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implante...

Secrets of the microbiome: the skin

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all of our interactions with the env...

Secrets of the microbiome: the vagina

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all our interactions with the enviro...

Secrets of the microbiome: the gut

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all of our interactions with the env...

How to stop doomscrolling and reclaim your brain

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve made a resolution to spend less time on your phone this year, help is at hand. The Guardian has launched a new newsletter, Reclaim your br...

Is guilt-free flying on the horizon?

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In November, a plane powered by 100% ‘sustainable’ jet fuel took off from London to New York. It was hailed by some as a milestone in reducing the...

Our science predictions for 2024

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last year was a bumper year for science news, with the rise of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, record-high global temperatures, not to mention an at...

What the science says about how to get active (and make it stick)

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As parks and gyms fill with people hoping to make 2024 their year of fitness, Ian Sample speaks to Martin Gibala, professor of kinesiology at McMaster...

Revisited: Weight of the world, the climate scientists who hold out hope

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Science Weekly revisits episode three of this 2023 mini-series from Full Story. In the final part of this three-part series, the Australian climate sc...

Weight of the world revisited: the climate scientists who copped it

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Science Weekly revisits episode two of this 2023 mini-series from Full Story. In part two of Weight of the world, three Australian climate scientists ...

Revisited: Weight of the world – the climate scientists who saw the crisis coming

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Science Weekly revisits episode one of this 2023 mini-series from Full Story. Pioneering Australian scientists Graeme Pearman, Lesley Hughes and Ove H...

Best of 2023, Killing the Skydancer: episode three, An Open Secret

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, which first aired in 2023, the Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, e...

Best of 2023, Killing the Skydancer: episode two, The Perfect Crime

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, which first aired in August 2023, the Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe We...

Best of 2023: Killing the Skydancer episode one, Susie’s chicks

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, which first aired in August 2023, the Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe We...

All the buzz and no hangover? The next generation of alcohol-free drinks

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What with Christmas parties and work drinks, this time of year can feel like one long hangover. But a new generation of alcohol-free alternatives is e...

Can machines ever be like us? Prof Michael Wooldridge on the future of AI

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Michael Wooldridge has been an AI researcher for more than 30 years, and in the year that AI was supercharged by ChatGPT, he is giving the Royal ...

Cop28: what just happened?

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A deal has been announced at Cop28 in Dubai, and depending who you talk to, it’s either a historic achievement or a weak and ineffectual agreement f...

The incredible world of animal perception, and what it can teach us

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample meets Ed Yong, who recently won 2023’s Royal Society book prize for An Immense World, which delves into the incredible world of animal se...

All the drama from the first week of Cop28

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay hears from the biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield, who is reporting for the Guardian from Cop28 in Dubai. He de...

Why are we still struggling to get contraception right?

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the pill becomes available over the counter and free of charge in England, Madeleine Finlay talks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about the p...

Everything you need to know about Cop28 as the summit begins

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every year the world’s leaders gather for the UN climate change conference, and after a year of record temperatures, this year’s summit has been c...

Weight of the world – the climate scientists who saw the crisis coming

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Science Weekly brings you episode one of a new mini-series from Full Story. Pioneering Australian scientists Graeme Pearman, Lesley Hughes and Ove Hoe...

What have we learned from the James Webb space telescope so far?

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay sits down with science correspondent Hannah Devlin to discuss the amazing discoveries the James Webb space telescope has made in the ...

Superyachts and private jets: the carbon impact of the ‘polluter elite’

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A new report from Oxfam has found that the extravagant carbon footprint of the 0.1% – from superyachts, private jets and mansions to space flights a...

The mysteries of volcanoes: what’s going on beneath the ground in Iceland?

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Iceland braces for a volcanic eruption, Madeleine Finlay hears from volcanologist Helga Torfadottir about how the country is preparing, and why thi...

CBD: what’s the science behind the wellness trend?

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last month the UK’s Food Standards Authority slashed the recommended safe daily intake of cannabidiol (CBD) from 70mg to 10mg. An estimated one in 1...

Why is the Amazon rainforest drying up?

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample talks to Guardian global environment editor Jon Watts about the withering drought currently devastating the Amazon rainforest. Jon explains...

Understanding the science of addiction

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After Matthew Perry’s death was announced, a clip of the actor debating the science of addiction on the BBC’s Newsnight programme went viral. To f...

Nuclear fusion, new drugs, better batteries: how AI will transform science

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the UK hosts the first global AI safety summit, Guardian science editor Ian Sample joins Madeleine Finlay to look on the bright side and consider s...

What could near-death experiences teach us about life, death and consciousness?

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Seeing a bright light, floating above your body, being guided by an angel. All of these are common elements of reported near-death experiences, but wh...

Black holes, but backwards: unlocking the mysteries of white holes

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample meets the Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli to find out about his cutting-edge research into white holes. A white hole is essentially a time-...

‘We’ve lost control’: what happens when the west Antarctic ice sheet melts?

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay hears from environment editor Damian Carrington about a new study by the British Antarctic Survey, which shows Antarctic ice may be m...

Could AI help diagnose schizophrenia?

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay meets neuroscientist and psychiatrist Matthew Nour, whose research looks at how artificial intelligence could help doctors and scient...

Scarier than lions: how fear of ‘super predator’ humans is shaping the animal kingdom

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample meets the conservation biologist Liana Zanette, whose recently published research demonstrates that humans are now the super predator, inci...

Inside the UK’s first gaming disorder clinic

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018 the World Health Organization formally included gaming disorder in its diagnostic manual for the first time. Nearly four years into running th...

What’s really going on with Paris’s bedbug crisis?

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Guardian’s Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, tells Madeleine Finlay about the explosion in bedbug sightings in the city, and how residen...

All the news and science from the Nobel Prizes

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Guardian science correspondents Linda Geddes, Nicola Davis and Hannah Devlin give Madeleine Finlay the lowdown on the Nobel Prizes for medicine, physi...

Everything you need to know about the menopause

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay meets menopause expert Dr Louise Newson to find out about some of the myths surrounding the menopause, how women can prepare for this...

Could we end migraines for good?

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

British minister Dehenna Davison recently resigned from government, explaining that chronic migraines were making it impossible for her to do her job....

Deja vu’s lesser-known opposite: why do we experience jamais vu?

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a sensation many of us might have experienced: when something routine or recognisable suddenly feels strange and unfamiliar. It’s known as...

The mystery of Europe’s heat death hotspot

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample hears from the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, about the reporting he has been doing for the launch of our ne...

Will our bees survive the Asian hornet invasion?

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Asian hornets have been spotted in the UK in record numbers this year, sparking concern about what their presence could mean for our native insects, a...

Should American bully XLs be banned?

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, is pushing for a ban on American bully XL dogs after an attack on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham. Madelein...

Teen mental health and social media: what does the evidence tell us?

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Sample talks to Dr Amy Orben, who leads the digital mental health programme at the Medical Research Council’s cognition and brain sciences unit,...

First African climate summit: can development and climate action coexist?

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s east Africa global development correspondent, Caroline Kimeu, about the challenges and tensions at play a...

Everything you need to know about the new Covid variant

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The UK Health Security Agency has announced plans to bring forward its autumn Covid-19 vaccination programme, and scale up testing and surveillance, a...

Why are scientists so excited about the vagus nerve? – podcast

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Serving as a two-way ‘electrical superhighway’, the vagus nerve – which is actually a pair of nerves – allows for communication between the br...

Iris scans: proof of our humanity in an AI future, or marketing gimmick?

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s technology reporter Hibaq Farah about Worldcoin, a new cryptocurrency offering users tokens in exchange fo...

The Y chromosome has finally been sequenced: here’s why it matters

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty years after the first pass at sequencing the entire human genome, the Y chromosome has finally been fully decoded. Madeleine Finlay speaks to M...

Apple cider vinegar gummies: what’s the science behind the weight loss trend?

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Apple cider vinegar is touted as a cure-all for everything from excess weight to digestion issues and blood sugar spikes. Supplement ‘gummies’ are...

Killing the Skydancer: episode three, An Open Secret

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston explores the illegal killing of birds ...

Killing the Skydancer: episode two, The Perfect Crime

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston explores the murky world of the illega...

Killing the Skydancer: episode one, Susie’s Chicks

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston explores the murky world of the illega...

Summer picks: are we any closer to understanding long Covid?

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from March 2023, Ian Sample hears from Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, Prof Catherine Heymans, about her experience of long Covid and h...

Summer picks: should we ban artificial grass?

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Installing artificial grass is becoming an increasingly popular way to achieve a neat, green lawn without much effort. But with environmental and pote...

Summer picks: could the multiverse be real?

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The film Everything Everywhere All at Once won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Picture. In this episode from March 2023, just before the Oscars, Ian S...

Summer picks: what’s the reality behind the ‘Love Island smile’?

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the 10th series of the ITV show finishes, viewers may have noticed the perfectly straight, white teeth of the contestants. But are there risks asso...

Canadian lake could mark the start of new geological epoch

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plutonium from nuclear weapons, industrial waste, and human activity more broadly have left such a mark on the Earth that a new epoch called the Anthr...

What can doppelgangers tell us about nature v nurture?

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The thing about doppelgangers is that despite looking almost identical, they aren’t biologically related. So, what makes them appear so similar? How...

Extreme heat: what does it do to us and how can we adapt?

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As record temperatures spread across the world, Ian Sample sets out to understand what heat does to our bodies and what we can do to mitigate it witho...

What’s at stake if we mine the deep sea?

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the International Seabed Authority gathers in Jamaica to thrash out regulations for mining the deep sea, Chris Michael of the Guardian’s Seascape...

Has a 25-year-old bet taken us a step closer to understanding consciousness?

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-five years ago in a German bar, neuroscientist Christof Koch bet philosopher David Chalmers that we’d understand the neural basis for conscio...

The awe-inspiring intelligence of octopuses

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about why octopuses are more similar to us humans than we might believe. She also hears ...