Science Weekly

The Guardian

Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news

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41 episodes
Avg 19 min
English

Episodes 41

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Yesterday · 13 min
Today in Focus: Should we be worried about a plague outbreak?
Several hospitals in eastern Russia are under quarantine after a lab worker fell ill at a plague research centre following a reported accident and died. Science Weekly co-host Madeleine Finlay discusses how concerned we should be
Yesterday · 16 min
Narcolepsy: why you’ve been thinking about it all wrong
Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample why the reality of living with condition is no laughing matter, and Julie Flygare explains why a new drug could be a gamechanger
Thursday · 20 min
The incredible science of memory manipulation
Madeleine Finlay hears from Steve Ramirez, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, whose book How to Change a Memory was shortlisted for this year’s Royal Society’s Trivedi science book prize.
September 29 · 17 min
Are household cleaning products damaging our health?
Journalist Rebecca Seal recently wrote for the Guardian about the potential health impacts of the many chemicals we now use in our homes. She tells Madeleine Finlay why this is so hard to study, and what the current evidence is that cleaning products may be causing harm
September 24 · 22 min
Are baby girls more sociable? Super El Niño, meningitis outbreak explained
Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss a study that offers a clue in the age old debate about whether sex differences are present from birth or a product of socialisation. Also on the agenda is the super El Niño, which is predicted to 450,000 deaths in the next six months, and an answer to why the UK’s meningitis outbreak earlier this year was so big
September 22 · 17 min
From paleo to intermittent fasting: are any diets actually good for us?
Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological sciences at Harvard, tried every fad diet going to understand which are actually backed by science. He tells Ian Sample what he discovered, and which diet has remained part of his daily routine
September 17 · 15 min
The week that changed maths for ever
To find out how AI is likely to upend maths, and how mathematicians might respond, Ian Sample speaks to Colva Roney-Dougal, professor of pure mathematics at the University of St Andrews
September 15 · 18 min
Is collagen all hype?
Dr Xand van Tulleken tells Madeleine Finlay what collagen does in the body, how we can get it without splashing out on expensive supplements, and why getting to the truth behind wellness claims can be so hard
September 13 · 1 hr 22 min
Live episode: how AI is reshaping our minds
In this episode of Science Weekly recorded in front of an audience at the London podcast festival, Ian Sample, Michael Safi and the Science Weekly co-host Madeleine Finlay explore the phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’ and ask what it reveals about a technology now used by more than a billion people
September 10 · 16 min
‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter?
Scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting dark matter for the first time. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe
September 8 · 18 min
Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science
Science editor Ian Sample and Madeleine Finlay chat through their favourite winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes for science that makes you laugh and then think
September 6 · 39 min
Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots
Guardian journalist Michael Safi investigates a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots
September 3 · 13 min
There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it?
Turkmenistan, who in 2023 the Guardian revealed as the worst country for methane mega-leaks, has begun to plug them. Environment editor Damian Carrington tells Madeleine Finlay why some experts call stopping leaks the climate ‘emergency brake’ and reveals which countries are still failing to act
September 1 · 17 min
Could humans ever communicate with whales?
Madeleine Finlay hears from Emma Bryce, a journalist who has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song.
August 27 · 16 min
Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them?
As the government accelerates the growth of unpopular datacentres for AI, can local communities do anything to push back? Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global technology reporter Aisha Down
August 25 · 15 min
Creatine: is there truth behind the hype?
Can creatine really help boost your workout routine, and how does the popular fitness supplement work? Madeleine Finlay hears from science editor Ian Sample and Dr Justin Roberts, professor of nutritional physiology at Anglia Ruskin University
August 20 · 15 min
It’s finally raining. Will it be enough to end the drought?
Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Anna Murgatroyd, a lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University about how much rain we need to see us through next summer, why we’re now at increased risk of floods, and what we can all be doing to take better care of our water supplies
August 18 · 14 min
The ultra rich are collecting fossils, and that’s bad for science
As dinosaur fossils sell to private collectors for increasingly awesome sums, scientists are worried that domestic museums are being priced out of the market. To find out how fossils became big business and what it could mean for research, Madeleine Finlay hears from science correspondent Nicola Davis
August 13 · 15 min
The immortal jellyfish and other mindblowing invertebrates
Each year the Guardian runs a competition to find the invertebrate of the year. To find out more about the 2026 nominees science editor Ian Sample hears from climate reporter Petra Stock, environment reporter Oliver Milman and Science Weekly co-host Madeleine Finlay. They each nominate an incredible invertebrate that you might never have heard of, and argue why their choice should be crowned the winner. Vote for your favourite now and the winner will be crowned on 17 August
August 11 · 19 min
We’re reading less. And it’s making us stupid
Madeleine Finlay speaks to Guardian science editor Ian Sample and Prof Falk Huettig, psychologist and author of book on the science of reading’s benefits

Showing 1–20 of 41 episodes