New Scientist Weekly
New Scientist
A news podcast for the instatiably curious by the world's most popular weekly science magazine. Everything from the latest science and technology news to the big-picture questions about life, the universe and what it means to be human.For more visit newscientist.com/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chimps, bonobos and humans have more in common than you might think
Episode 292Chimps are often seen as our hyper-aggressive ancestral cousins, while bonobos are famously more peaceful and caring. But studies of their sexual habits and practices show they are much more alike than we realised. Both apes appear to use sex and genital contact not just to reproduce, but also to smooth tensions in the group, deal with stressful situations and handle conflict at feeding time. Sophie Bergudo has recently finished a PhD on chimp behaviour and shares insights from her ti
Mar 7, • 27:56
How to finally get a good night’s sleep - with science
Episode 291Who got better sleep - hunter-gatherers or modern-day humans? We’re constantly being told we’re in the midst of an epidemic of poor sleep, but were our ancestors spending any longer in bed than we are? The answer may well surprise you. We weigh up the pros and cons of sleeping in industrialised societies and explore the real reasons why we’re always complaining about being tired.We often hear you can’t make up for a bad night’s sleep - once you’ve missed those precious hours in bed, n
Feb 28, • 36:59
Life-saving mice perform first aid; tiny lab-grown human brains; making skyscrapers and hair condition from wood
Episode 290Mice have been found saving the lives of their cagemates by performing a resuscitation technique similar to CPR. After opening the mouth of an unconscious mouse, the “attending mouse” yanks up its tongue to clear the airways and dislodges anything that’s stuck. This remarkable discovery shows that empathy and consolation behaviour is more widespread in mammals than we thought, and hints at a mouse theory of mind.Tiny, lab-grown bits of human brain are being combined to create somethin
Feb 21, • 25:48
Resurrecting frozen brains; giant asteroid heads to Earth; you really do have a ‘dessert stomach’
Episode 289Slices of mouse brains have been revived after being in deep freeze, hinting at the future possibility of reanimating humans who have been cryogenically preserved. While this is just a first step, researchers say the technique could one day be adapted to bring frozen human brains out of stasis. This may be good news for the more than 200 bodies currently in deep freeze in the US. But what kind of world will they wake up to if we do find a way?An asteroid named 2024 YR4 is threatening
Feb 14, • 31:53
Trump’s war on science; How whale song resembles human language; How to boil the perfect egg with science
Episode 288President Trump has launched what’s being described as an all-out assault on science and medicine. Given America’s impact on global science, this affects the entire world. Web pages referencing climate change and global warming are being deleted, words like “transgender” are being banned from medical publications and USAID has been labelled evil. As access to fundamental scientific information is put at risk, we find out how anxiety is rising among US scientists - and what it means fo
Feb 7, • 23:46
Is DeepSeek really the ChatGPT killer?; alarming scale of ocean warming; dolphin peeing contests
Episode 287Chinese AI company DeepSeek unexpectedly stormed onto the scene just a few days ago - a move that has shaken the big US AI companies. The new large language model is similar to ChatGPT, but was developed for a fraction of the cost. How have they achieved this? We dig into the key technological innovations behind DeepSeek. We also discuss the potential climate gains of a more efficient AI model, whether this is the beginning of an AI-fuelled arms race between China and the US and perha
Jan 31, • 29:15
The Trump impact on climate and global health; the placebo effect’s evil twin; the mystery of dark oxygen
Episode 286President Trump has signed executive orders pulling the US out of the Paris climate agreement, and out of the World Health Organization. Although he claims that withdrawing from Paris will save the US $1trillion a year, the reality is much less clear. As the world’s second largest emitter and amid bans on renewable energy permits, just how catastrophic is this for global climate action? Leaving the WHO raises concerns too over the future of global health action.You probably k
Jan 24, • 28:14
The truth about Iron Age women; Climate whiplash and the LA wildfires; Rebooting the world’s first chatbot
Episode 285New archaeological evidence from Iron Age Britain has shaken up long-held beliefs about the role of women in ancient civilisations. By studying the genes of the Durotriges tribe, who lived in Dorset 2000 years ago, researchers have discovered women were the centrepiece of Celtic society - supporting evidence that they had high status across Europe. Rachel Pope, Reader in European Prehistory at the University of Liverpool, explores the “jaw-dropping” findings. We also hear fro
Jan 17, • 30:20
Gene-editing to make superhumans; first bird flu death in the US; perfect pasta with physics
Episode 284Creating disease-resistant humans may before too long be a reality thanks to advancements in CRISPR gene editing. It’s now possible to make dozens - if not hundreds - of edits to different genes at once. As the field progresses rapidly, a controversial paper published in Nature explores just how powerful this technology could be in protecting against diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes. But how safe is gene-editing? The paper has been criticised amid safety and ethical con
Jan 10, • 28:07
All You Need To Know For Science in 2025
Episode 283On this special episode of the podcast, we set you up for the year ahead. 2025 has been declared the year of humanoid robots. Futuristic robots that look like us are already being rolled out by companies like BMW and Tesla - and production is set to ramp up. One company is even planning to create an army of 10,000 warehouse robots called Digit.We’re going to see big changes in the food industry too, as the US is set to approve CRISPR gene editing for pigs. The idea is to crea
Jan 3, • 23:53
The Best of New Scientist in 2024: From Volcanic Diamonds to Immortal Brains
Episode 282Looking back at some of the best stories New Scientist has published in 2024, this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge that will serve you well over the holiday season. Rowan Hooper hosts a panel of New Scientist journalists, as they take it in turn to highlight their favourite moments from the year.Head of features Josh Howgego kicks off by looking at the race to find an amazing and strange form of hydrogen, known as ‘gold hydrogen’ - a game-changer for sustainability w
Dec 27, 2024 • 34:41
Most Amazing Science Stories of 2024 | Live at the Science Museum
Episode 281In 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
Dec 20, 2024 • 45:12
Does Google’s new quantum computer prove the multiverse exists?; 8 ways to keep your brain young
Episode 280Google claims it has pulled ahead in the race for quantum supremacy. Its new Willow chip has completed a task in 5 minutes that a classical computer would take 10 septillion years to complete. But the biggest breakthrough is how it excels in error correction. Find out what this means and why some scientists believe this new quantum computer proves the existence of the multiverse.Data from one of the world’s largest collections of brain scans is shedding new light on how to ke
Dec 13, 2024 • 25:30
Antarctica special, brain implant made from living cells, best TV and film of 2024
Episode 279Antarctic sea ice is melting at an unprecedented rate. A collapse like the one we’re seeing was given just a 1 in 700 billion year chance of happening, based on climate models - we basically thought it was impossible. Melting ice in Antarctica will have global scale, knock-on ecological and climate consequences. To address the crisis, five hundred researchers met in Australia for an emergency summit for the future of the Antarctic. Sarah Thompson, one of the scientists at the
Dec 6, 2024 • 32:22
Is bird flu spreading between people? Plus 2024’s best science books
Episode 278Concerns about bird flu are rising as two cases in North America suggest the virus is adapting to humans. Evidence of human-to-human transmission is not yet conclusive but public health experts are worried. This year outbreaks have been found in both poultry and dairy cows in the US. Although it only causes mild symptoms in people at the moment, is there a chance it could evolve to become deadly?A last-minute deal has been struck at the UN climate summit COP29 – and people ar
Nov 29, 2024 • 23:04
Why chimps are still in the Stone Age and humans are in the Space Age
Episode 277Chimps are an intelligent species, capable of using tools and developing culture - so why have humans surpassed them to such a huge extent? How is it that we are busy exploring space while chimps remain stuck in the Stone Age? It’s long been thought it’s because their culture doesn’t evolve cumulatively, but that assumption has just been challenged. Hear from Cassandra Gunasekaram, the lead author of a paper that shows chimp culture develops in a more complex way than we real
Nov 22, 2024 • 36:02
COP29: Are UN climate summits failing us and our planet?
Episode 276Are the COP climate summits doing enough to help us avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change, or are they not fit for purpose, and designed to fail? COP29 is underway in petrostate Azerbaijan, headed by a CEO who was secretly filmed making oil and gas deals. Despite this, the team finds reason for optimism. They also hear from climate philosopher and activist Rupert Read, who runs the Climate Majority Project. He argues the COP process was designed to fail, that 1
Nov 15, 2024 • 30:35
The origins of writing revealed; world’s largest (and oldest?) tree
Episode 275The origins of the world’s oldest known writing system are being uncovered. Cuneiform was invented around 3200 BC in ancient Mesopotamia, but before it came a much simpler form of writing called proto-cuneiform. Researchers are now shedding light on how writing began along with the cultural factors that spurred on its invention.Just as the rather disappointing COP16 biodiversity conference comes to a close, another COP is nearly upon us. The famous climate conference is in it
Nov 8, 2024 • 34:02
Microbiome special: how to boost your vital gut bacteria
Episode 274World leaders are in Colombia for the COP16 biodiversity summit. As delegates hash out a path forward, have we actually made any progress to protect global biodiversity since they last gathered? What would a Trump presidency mean for the climate? With the US election taking place on 5th November, two climate experts weigh in with their concerns. Leah Stokes works on climate policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Naomi Oreskes is a professor of earth and pla
Nov 1, 2024 • 32:08
The gruesome story of the Viking skeleton found in a well
Episode 273The mystery of “Well Man”, an ancient cold case, has just been solved. A Norse saga tells that in 1197, in the midst of a Viking raid, warriors dumped a body in a well inside a castle. Over 800 years later, archeologists recovered a body from that very well – but didn’t have the technology to show it was the man from the saga… until now.Some welcome good news about the climate. Energy imbalance, a key measure of global warming, has been rising fast, sparking fears that warmin
Oct 25, 2024 • 22:17
SpaceX makes history with Starship rocket; bringing thylacines back from extinction
Episode 272SpaceX has made history with its Starship rocket, the largest rocket ever built and one that’s hoped to eventually take us to Mars. In its fifth test, SpaceX successfully returned the rocket’s booster back to the launchpad and caught hold of it – an engineering feat of great finesse. But how close are we to putting crew on the rocket–- and when will it take humanity to the Red Planet? Leah-Nani Alconcel, spacecraft engineer at the University of Birmingham, joins the conversat
Oct 18, 2024 • 22:11
Climate overshoot - when we go past 1.5 degrees there is no going back
Episode 271If we overshoot 1.5 degrees of global warming, there is no going back. The hope has long been that if - and when - we blow past our climate goals, we can later reverse the damage. But there’s no guarantee we can bring temperatures back down, according to a paper published in Nature this week. The report suggests it would take decades to get back to normal - and some of the more devastating consequences will be irreversible. Hear from a variety of experts on the problem of cli
Oct 11, 2024 • 21:01
Hope for the world’s coral; the first drone vs drone war
Episode 270There may be hope for the survival of coral reefs, a vital part of the global underwater ecosystem that is under massive threat from climate change. At 1.5 C degrees of warming we’re at risk of losing 70-90 per cent of coral - and more than 99 per cent is estimated to die off at 2 degrees. But new research suggests corals may be more adaptable and resilient than we thought. Hear from two experts on the matter, Chris Jury of the University of Hawaii and Terry Hughes, director
Oct 4, 2024 • 23:32
The case for Arctic geoengineering; world’s oldest cheese
Episode 269Could we re-freeze the Arctic… and should we? The Arctic is losing ice at an alarming rate and it’s too late to save it by cutting emissions alone. Geoengineering may be our only hope. A company called Real Ice has successfully tested a plan to artificially keep the region cold - but what are the consequences and will it work on the scale we need?Octopuses and fish have been found hunting together in packs in an unexpected display of cooperation. Not only do the fish scout ou
Sep 27, 2024 • 25:05
Does loneliness really cause ill health?; A time-travelling photon; The supermassive mystery of early black holes
Episode 268Research has long linked loneliness to surprising health conditions, including diabetes and some cancers. The assumption has been that loneliness in some way causes these issues, perhaps through increased stress or inflammation. But in a study of tens of thousands of people’s biomedical data, that link has gotten more complicated. Where does this leave the relationship between loneliness and health, and the public health programs that are trying to tackle both?Supermassive bl
Sep 20, 2024 • 26:49
Thorin and the lost Neanderthals; Fish that use mirrors; SpaceX’s spacewalk
Episode 267The remains of an ancient Neanderthal man discovered in France may be one of the last members of a lost line. Researchers analysing the DNA of the fossil nicknamed “Thorin” (named after the dwarven king in the Hobbit) made the surprising discovery that he’s possibly one of the last of his line. He may have been part of a group that lived in isolation for 50,000 years.How can we tell climate change is to blame for specific heat waves, hurricanes, or other extreme weather event
Sep 13, 2024 • 30:53
First living transparent mouse; lab-grown stem cells; Spy balloons
🎧 Episode 266⚡️ The first human blood stem cells have been created in a lab and successfully turned into functioning bone marrow. This research could revolutionise the treatment of blood cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma. So far it’s only been tested on mice, but researchers are hopeful it could work in humans too.⚡️ In other mouse news, we are now able to turn mice see-through. Using a surprisingly common food dye, researchers have turned the skin of living mice transparent. The tec
Sep 6, 2024 • 26:17
Could mpox be the next covid-19?; Science of beat drops; Clothes made from potatoes
🎧 Episode 265⚡️ The latest mpox variant has infected a record number of people in central Africa, has been found in travellers in Sweden and Thailand, and the World Health Organization has now declared it a public health emergency of international concern – just 15 months after the previous such declaration for mpox expired in 2023. But is this virus likely to become another covid? And as health authorities in the most affected countries struggle to keep it under control, will we be ab
Aug 30, 2024 • 30:45
1 in 5 coma patients have awareness; How to end the opioid crisis; ‘Wow’ space signal…is lasers?
#264Some people in comas can understand what’s happening around them. Previously estimated to be 1 in 10, that figure has now shot up to 1 in 5 – meaning this hidden awareness is much more common than we realised. Another new drug has been approved to reverse opioid overdoses. Zurnai is more powerful than previous medications, which may be useful as the supply of illicit drugs becomes increasingly toxic. But with the opioid epidemic having killed more than 80,000 people in the US last y
Aug 23, 2024 • 24:56
Anxiety Special: The science of anxiety and how to make it work for you
#263Anxiety. We’ve all felt it – some worse than others. But what exactly causes anxiety and why are some of us more likely to be hit by it? Science is finally unpacking the ins and outs of this evolutionary response.Whether you experience anxiety getting on a plane or when doing something out of your comfort zone, understanding why it happens is the best way to take control of it.In this special episode, New Scientist journalists and expert guests look at the phenomenon of anxiety. Wha
Aug 15, 2024 • 28:47
Deepest hole ever drilled in Earth’s mantle; Glitter on Mars; Quantum telepathy
#262Geologists have just drilled deeper into Earth’s mantle than ever before. The hole is in an area of the ocean called Atlantis Massif, where the upper mantle is exposed. Reaching 1268 metres deep, this incredible sample core could help uncover secrets to the very origins of life.Ancient human ancestors called Homo floresiensis and known as the “hobbits” may have evolved their short stature much faster than expected. Remains found on the Indonesian island of Flores suggest a much olde
Aug 9, 2024 • 30:30
The first life on Earth; Banana-shaped galaxies; When is smartphone use ‘problematic’?
#261What was the first life on Earth like? Ancient fossils hint it could be a primitive kind of bacteria – but these 3.5 billion-year-old fossilised cells are controversial since they’re vastly bigger than any modern bacteria. But there’s now reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, they really are what they seem.Three game-changing drugs approved by the US for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease may be less impressive than we first hoped. These are the first drugs to actually slow th
Aug 2, 2024 • 34:38
Shocking source of deep sea oxygen; Alcohol really is unhealthy; ‘Green’ plastic downsides
#260Most of us imagine plants when we think about the production of oxygen. But turns out, in the deep sea, metal-rich rocks also seem to generate oxygen. This surprising discovery suggests they may have a much more important role in their ecosystem than we originally thought – and is fueling more calls to ban deep sea mining, which would target these same rocks. Drinking a glass of wine once in a while can’t be that bad, right? Over the decades we heard that drinking a little alcohol m
Jul 26, 2024 • 35:24
New human cases of bird flu; Sail away to Alpha Centauri; Sea slugs hunt in packs
#259More people in the US are getting bird flu. Though numbers are small – just five new cases, all mild – every new case is a reason for concern. How and why is it being transmitted – and how is it being monitored?What if you could make a sailboat that’s pushed not by wind, but lasers? Breakthrough Starshot is a mission attempting to send a spacecraft to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, using such a lightsail. While lightsail designs have been too expensive and unworkable so fa
Jul 19, 2024 • 29:41
Woolly mammoth jerky; Google simulates the origin of life; food without farming
#258Fancy a bite of woolly mammoth jerky? A beef-jerky-like fossil of this prehistoric creature has been discovered – a metre-long piece of skin still covered in hair. And the most amazing thing is that the entire genome has remained intact, giving more insight into these creatures than ever before. Could this help bring woolly mammoths back to life?There is a way to make butter not from cows, not from vegetable oils or even microbes, but from pure carbon. And if you want a climate frie
Jul 12, 2024 • 35:16
World’s Oldest Ritual; Quantum Wi-Fi; Report from the Arctic
#257Two extraordinary findings have been unearthed about our ancient ancestors. The first is a discovery from a cave in Australia – evidence of what could be the world’s oldest ritual, practised continuously for 12,000 years. And the second is the discovery that the world’s oldest evidence of storytelling may be even older than we thought.We may be able to mine for nickel using flowers. The method is much more sustainable than traditional mining and is actually being used by some compan
Jul 5, 2024 • 37:13
Even more powerful gene editing than CRISPR; first moon samples from the far side; dangerous new mpox
#256A new gene editing technique may be more powerful than CRISPR. Bridge editing is still in its infancy, but could be revolutionary for its ability to more specifically target gene substitutions. This method of altering DNA may let us create single treatments for gene mutations across large groups of people – something even CRISPR can’t do.China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft has returned to Earth with samples from the far side of the moon – the first ever. Hear what the samples may tell us a
Jun 28, 2024 • 26:47
Why some people never get covid-19; Chimps using herbal medicines; Largest ever Maxwell’s demon
#255Why do some people seem to be naturally immune to covid-19? We may finally have the answer and it’s to do with differences in the way immune cells function. Will the finding help us predict who’s immune and who isn’t – and more?Artificial intelligence is being used to tackle the problem of clearing mines from enormous swaths of Ukraine. Russia has scattered vast amounts of ordinance across Ukraine, tearing up agricultural land and leaving behind chemical contamination. The clean-up
Jun 21, 2024 • 27:41
Elephants have names for each other; conspiracies and doppelgangers with Naomi Klein; an ancient galactic weather report
We know elephants are smart, but it seems we’ve only scratched the surface in understanding their intelligence. It turns out African elephants seem to have unique names for each other – maybe even nicknames. If it’s true, humans would no longer be alone in this practice. A team has been analysing their rumbly greeting calls using AI. Is this a hint that we’ve been wrong about other animals, too?It’s a weather report like no other: two to three million years ago, the protective bubble ca
Jun 14, 2024 • 40:22
Why we should drill a massive hole in the moon; banning fossil fuel advertising; how to stop being lonely
#253The moon may hold the answer to a decades-long physics conundrum – all we need to do is drill several kilometres into its surface. For years, physicists have been searching for protons that fall apart or decay into other particles, but they’ve always come up empty handed. So why do they think they might find them on the moon? A new update on the state of the world’s climate has not brought cheery news. A report looking at 2023 has revealed the world is warming at a record rate – wit
Jun 7, 2024 • 31:59
Google’s AI search problem; time is a quantum illusion; can we stop ageing?
#252It is not wise to stick cheese on your pizza with glue, even if Google tells you to do it. This is just one recommendation in a string of blunders made by Google’s new AI search engine. It uses a large language model to summarise your searches, but clearly it’s not always working as planned. Can (and will) the company fix it? No matter what language you speak, when you hear the word “bouba”, you probably imagine a round shape. And “kiki’ will likely make you think of a sharp shape.
May 31, 2024 • 36:39
Record hurricane season approaches; uncovering the mysteries of a rare earth metal; how to fight in Bronze Age armour
#251Hurricane season in the Atlantic ocean is set to be extremely active, according to forecasts. Expect to see as many as 25 named tropical storms, with many likely to become hurricanes. Find out how high sea surface temperatures and shifting El Niño conditions are creating the perfect conditions for a potentially record breaking season. The sun’s magnetic field may function quite differently to Earth’s. We’ve long assumed it originates from deep within but it seems the sun has a diffe
May 24, 2024 • 30:37
Hints of alien life in our galaxy; freezing human brains; solving a mystery of Egypt’s pyramids
#250There are signs that aliens might be harnessing the power of stars in our galaxy to fuel their civilisations. Dyson spheres are structures that surround entire stars to absorb their energy. Although these are just hypothetical, researchers have detected hints of their existence. But aliens aren’t the only possible explanation.Being able to freeze human brain tissue could be a game-changer for medical research. While freezing brains is easy, thawing them out without damaging the tiss
May 17, 2024 • 31:50
Do sperm whales have an alphabet?; Why dark energy is so weird; US bird flu outbreak
#249Do whales have their own alphabet? We’ve long thought the clicking sounds that sperm whales make is their way of chatting to each other, but those clicks may be even more sophisticated than we realised. After analysing whale recordings, researchers suggest the different click patterns are complex enough to form an alphabet – the closest thing to human communication we’ve yet seen in animals. We know very little about dark energy – and it turns out we may know even less than we thoug
May 10, 2024 • 28:47
Is climate change accelerating?; Anger vs heart health; New sensory organ
#248Last year marked the hottest on record, shattering previous temperature benchmarks across both land and sea. The rapid escalation – seemingly at odds with the expected cooling after coming out of a La Niña cycle – has prompted scientists to question if climate change is accelerating beyond our models' predictions Just eight minutes of anger can significantly impair blood vessel function and potentially increase the risk of a heart attack. A study has looked into the physiological me
May 3, 2024 • 33:18
What India elections mean for climate change; why animals talk; “tree of life” for plants
#247What does India’s election season mean for climate change? Last year India overtook the European Union as the third largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases. And as voters head to the polls in the middle of an intense heat wave, it’s critical whichever party wins continues to push towards the goal of net zero emissions by 2070. But as the country continues to invest in expanding coal power, is that target achievable?Animals of all kinds communicate in so many different ways, but w
Apr 26, 2024 • 36:40
Carbon storage targets ‘wildly unrealistic’; world’s biggest brain-inspired computer; do birds dream?
#246Our best climate models for helping limit global warming to 1.5oC may have wildly overestimated our chances. To reach this goal, models are relying heavily on geological carbon storage, a technology that removes carbon from the atmosphere and places it underground. But it may not be nearly as effective as models have suggested, making the task of decarbonising much more difficult. Do we need to rethink our approach?Intel has announced it has constructed the world’s biggest computer
Apr 19, 2024 • 36:31
The multiverse just got bigger; saving the white rhino; musical mushrooms
#245The multiverse may be bigger than we thought. The idea that we exist in just one of a massive collection of alternate universes has really captured the public imagination in the last decade. But now Hugh Everett’s 60-year-old “many worlds interpretation”, based on quantum mechanics, has been upgraded.The northern white rhino is on the brink of extinction but we may be able to save it. Scientists plan to use frozen genes from 12 now dead rhinos to rebuild the entire subspecies. But h
Apr 12, 2024 • 32:59
Miniature livers made from lymph nodes in groundbreaking medical procedure
#244Researchers have successfully turned lymph nodes into miniature livers that help filter the blood of mice, pigs and other animals – and now, trials are beginning in humans. If successful, the groundbreaking medical procedure could prove life-saving for thousands of people waiting for liver transplants around the world. So far, no complications have been seen from the procedure, but it will be several months before we know if the treatment is working as hoped in the first of 12 trial
Apr 5, 2024 • 34:28
Immune system treatment makes old mice seem young again; new black hole image; unexploded bombs are becoming more dangerous
#243As we age our immune systems do too, making us less able to fight infections and more prone to chronic inflammation. But a team of scientists has been able to reverse these effects in mice, rejuvenating their immune systems by targeting their stem cells. But there’s a long road to trying the same thing in humans.Have you seen the incredible new black hole image? Just a couple of years since the Event Horizon Telescope’s first, fuzzy image of Sagittarius A* – the black hole at the ce
Mar 29, 2024 • 29:40
How declining birth rates could shake up society; Humanoid robots; Top prize in mathematics
#242Human population growth is coming to an end. The global population is expected to peak between 2060 and 2080, then start falling. Many countries will have much lower birth rates than would be needed to support ageing populations. These demographic projections have major implications for the way our societies function, including immigration and transportation, and what kinds of policies and systems we need. Remember Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons? Humanoid robots capable of many di
Mar 22, 2024 • 30:47
Gaza’s impending long-term health crisis
#241More than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza face widespread hunger, disease and injury as the war quickly becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in modern memory. Even once the war ends, the devastating physical and emotional health consequences will be felt for many years to come, especially by children. And aid groups like UNICEF and the World Health Organization have no long-term plans to meet the post-war health needs of the population.Gravity on Mars may occasionally be strong enou
Mar 15, 2024 • 29:46
Woolly mammoth breakthrough?; The Anthropocene rejected; Bumblebee culture
#240A major step has been made toward bringing woolly mammoths back from extinction – sort of. The company Colossal has the ambitious goal of bringing its first baby mammoth into the world by 2028. And its newest advance, announced this week, is in turning adult Asian elephant cells into stem cells. But it’s still a long way from here to the company’s vision of cold-adapted elephants fighting climate change in the Arctic – or even that 2028 baby mammoth. When did humans begin to affect
Mar 8, 2024 • 31:09
Is personalised medicine overhyped?; Pythagoras was wrong about music; How your brain sees nothing
#239Two decades ago, following the Human Genome Project’s release of a first draft in 2001, genetic testing was set to revolutionise healthcare. “Personalised medicine” would give us better treatments for serious conditions, clear pictures of our risks and individualised healthcare recommendations. But despite all the genetic tests available, that healthcare revolution has not exactly come to fruition. Amid news that genetic testing poster child firm 23andMe has hit financial troubles,
Mar 1, 2024 • 29:47
Reversing blindness; power beamed from space; animal love languages
#237Glaucoma, which can cause blindness by damaging the optic nerve, may be reversible. Researchers have managed to coax new optic nerve cells to grow in mice, partly restoring sight in some. How the treatment works through an eyeball injection and why, for humans, prevention and early detection are still the best options.Black holes, just like planets and stars, spin. But they may be spinning a lot slower than we thought. When black holes gobble up matter around them, they start spinni
Feb 16, 2024 • 27:25
#11 George Monbiot: The "blight" of farming
In our extended interview with George Monbiot, the writer and environmental activist talks about his book Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet. In the book he argues that farming is the most destructive human activity ever to have blighted the Earth. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
May 20, 2022 • 15:04
#10 Mark Carney: Building a better world for all
In our extended interview with Mark Carney, the economist and former Governor of the Bank of England talks about his book Value(s): Building a Better World for All. In the book he argues that we’ve misplaced value in financial markets, and focuses on four major crises - once of which is climate change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 33:22
#9 Andrea Ghez: Supermassive blackholes
In our extended interview with Andrea Ghez, the astrophysicist and University of California professor speaks about her work studying supermassive black holes - in particular the discovery that earnt her a Nobel Prize. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 25:50
#8 Jeanette Winterson: The past, present and future of AI
In our extended interview with Jeanette Winterson, the author speaks about her new book ’12 Bytes’, which explores the history of artificial intelligence – and where it’ll take humanity in the future.The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 82. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 32:19
#7 David King: How to save the planet (no pressure)
In our extended interview with David King, the former UK chief scientist talks about the small matter of how to save the planet – and how he plans to do so as founder of the newly formed Climate Crisis Advisory Group.The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 75. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 21:45
#6 Nichola Raihani: The evolution of human cooperation
In our extended interview with Nichola Raihani, author of ‘The Social Instinct’, she explains why species collaborate, an act which seems to contradict the competitive nature of life in Darwin’s theory of natural selection. The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 73. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 25:38
#5 Gwen Adshead: Humanity's intrinsic capacity for evil
In our extended interview with Gwen Adshead, the forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist speaks about the capacity we all have for evil - the subject of her book ‘The Devil You Know’. The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 72. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 26:21
#4 Elinor Cleghorn: The gender pain gap
In our extended interview with Elinor Cleghorn, the author speaks about her book ‘Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World’, which examines the origins of the gender pain gap. The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 70. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 25:54
#3 Alice Roberts: How archaeology and genetics are increasingly intertwined
In our extended interview with Alice Roberts, the anatomist discusses her book Ancestors: The Pre-History of Britain in Seven Burials, and the revolution taking place in archaeology as the discipline absorbs modern techniques from genetics.The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 69. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 27:57
#2 Suzanne Simard: The roots of the wood wide web
In our extended interview with Suzanne Simard, the legendary biologist tells us how she discovered the wood wide web - revealing that trees live in a connected society, trading, collaborating and communicating in sophisticated ways through a shared underground network.The edited version of this interview was first broadcast on New Scientist Weekly episode 65. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nov 12, 2021 • 38:15