Episode 281 In this special episode recorded live at the Science Museum in London, we celebrate some of the best, most awe-inspiring science stories of 2024. Round one kicks off with the panelist’s stories of the year, including the discovery that thousand-year-old preserved brains are much easier to find than we realised, that metallic nodules found on the sea floor could be acting as “geobatteries”, creating oxygen in the deep sea, plus a surprising finding involving Dyson Spheres that may hint at the existence of advanced alien life. In round two the panelists discuss their cultural highlights of the year. On the line up is an installation in London called ‘Breathing with the Forest’, a time-travel novel called ‘The Other Valley’, the stage show reimagining of ‘Dr Stangelove’ and an absurdist comedy about climate diplomacy called ‘Rumours’. Round three is a quiz for the audience asking questions like, do warm drinks taste more alcoholic than cold ones? What animal can be added to milk to initiate the yoghurt-making fermentation process? And which animal can survive with almost no sleep? And round four celebrates stories that will make you say “Wow!”, plus a moment of good cheer. These include flowers that can sequester nickel and be turned into metal, how brains and other body parts can be brought back from the dead, the discovery of the world’s largest coral reef and the invention of a hospital for fungal-infected frogs. On the panel are Rowan Hooper, Catherine de Lange, Sam Wong and Madeleine Cuff. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.