Episodios

  • Our science predictions for 2026

    Our science predictions for 2026
    Jan 8 2026
    Last year was full of unexpected science news, from the discovery of a new colour, to the interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas passing by our solar system, and a world-first treatment with a personalised gene editing therapy. So what will this year bring? Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big stories likely to hit the headlines and share their predictions for 2026. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    21 m
  • Crude appeal: why Trump wants Venezuela’s oil

    Crude appeal: why Trump wants Venezuela’s oil
    Jan 5 2026
    The US capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday left many people wondering why? Donald Trump hinted at an answer when he claimed the Venezuelan regime had stolen US oil rights and that American oil companies would help to run Venezuela going forward. Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian energy correspondent, explains to Ian Sample the appeal of Venezuelan oil to the US, how easy it is to extract and what the latest action tells us about Trump’s energy strategy. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    14 m
  • Revisited: the real science of weight loss

    Revisited: the real science of weight loss
    Jan 1 2026
    Kevin Hall spent 21 years at the US National Institutes of Health and became known globally for his pioneering work on ultra-processed foods. In April he unexpectedly took early retirement, citing censorship under the Trump administration. Now he has co-authored a book with the journalist Julia Belluz that aims to bust myths and challenge wellness orthodoxy on everything from weight loss and metabolism to supplements and wearables. In this episode from October, Hall tells Ian Sample what he wants us all to understand about diet, exercise and weight loss, and what led to his departure from the job he loved. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    22 m
  • Revisited: do medicinal mushroom products actually work?

    Revisited: do medicinal mushroom products actually work?
    Dec 30 2025
    More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market worth billions of pounds. Promises of mental and physical health benefits have seen its popularity spill over from wellness influencers to the shelves of Marks & Spencer – but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? In this episode from June, Ian Sample chats to Madeleine Finlay about the appeal of mushroom drinks and supplements, and hears from the mycologist Prof Nik Money on what we really know about how fungi can affect our minds and bodies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    19 m
  • Revisited: is curiosity the key to ageing well?

    Revisited: is curiosity the key to ageing well?
    Dec 25 2025
    Psychologists have typically believed that we become less curious as we age, but recent research has shown curiosity actually becomes more targeted and specific in our later years. In this episode from September, Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Mary Whatley, an assistant professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, and Dr Matthias Gruber of Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre to find out why we change in this way, and how maintaining broad curiosity into older age can help keep our brains young. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    17 m
  • Revisited: why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it?

    Revisited: why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it?
    Dec 23 2025
    Scientists are beginning to understand that ageing is not simply a linear process and we age, according to recent research, in three accelerated bursts: at about 40, 60 and 80 years old. In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to Stanford University’s Prof Michael Snyder, who explains what the drivers of these bursts of ageing could be, and how they might be counteracted. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    14 m
  • Life beyond Earth? Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the mysteries of space

    Life beyond Earth? Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the mysteries of space
    Dec 18 2025
    Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator who has worked on a number of instruments that are revolutionising our view of the cosmos, including the James Webb Space Telescope. This year she will be giving the Royal Institution Christmas lectures, Britain’s most prestigious public science lectures, in which she will be exploring some of the big questions space science still has to answer. Nicola Davis sat down with Dame Maggie to discuss the lectures, why she is convinced there is life beyond our planet, and her dream of journeying to a distant exoplanet. Madeleine Finlay hears from them both in this Christmas special edition of Science Weekly.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    15 m
  • What’s worse for us, sugar or sweeteners?

    What’s worse for us, sugar or sweeteners?
    Dec 16 2025
    We all know eating too much sugar is bad for our health – but would we be better off replacing it with artificial sweetener? It’s a question Science Weekly listener Marion posed recently and, as Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample, the answer is complicated. She explains what the science says about sugar v sweeteners with the help of Prof Havovi Chichger, from Anglia Ruskin University, and Prof Jim Krieger, from the University of Washington’s school of public health. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
    Más Menos
    20 m
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_DT_webcro_1694_expandible_banner_T1