The World, the Universe and Us

In 2022, for the first time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included mental health as part of its assessment of the impacts of climate change. Conditions such as anxiety, stress and post traumatic stress disorder are all predicted to increase as temperatures rise and people experience extreme weather events. To mark World Mental Health Day (Monday 10th October), Rowan spoke to ‘Losing Eden’ author Lucy Jones, and energy and climate scientist Gesche Huebner, to find out how the climate and nature crises are impacting our mental health - and what to do about it. This episode is an extended version of the edited interview on last week’s podcast - we hope you enjoy it. Events and discount codes: Dow: newscientist.com/dow New Scientist Autumn campaign: www.newscientist.com/pod13 Big Thinker: newscientist.com/spaceandmotion Mental health resources: UK Samaritans; US National Institute for Mental Health; help with climate anxiety Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The climate crisis is as great a threat to energy security as Russia’s war on Ukraine, warns the World Meteorological Organization. The team finds out what sort of threats we’re talking about, and discusses potential solutions. Imagine looking up at the skyline, ready to take in a beautiful sunset, and there it is - a massive, Moon-sized advert, stretched out across the skyline. The team explains how it might be possible (and practical) to do it soon. The erect-crested penguin is the least studied penguin in the world - largely because it lives on remote islands off the coast of New Zealand. But Rowan and Alice find out more - as well as discovering about the surprising sex lives of penguins. DeepMind’s newest artificial intelligence has discovered a new way to multiply numbers - the first improvement in over 50 years. It’s an algorithm for something called matrix multiplication, and the team finds out how it could speed up computers by as much as 20 per cent. To mark World Mental Health Day (Monday 10th October), Rowan speaks to ‘Losing Eden’ author Lucy Jones, and energy and climate scientist Gesche Huebner, to find out how the climate and nature crises are impacting our mental health - and what to do about it. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Madeleine Cuff and Matt Sparkes. To read about these subjects and much more, you can subscribe to New Scientist magazine at newscientist.com. Events and discount codes: Dow: newscientist.com/dow New Scientist Autumn campaign: www.newscientist.com/pod13 Big Thinker: newscientist.com/spaceandmotion Mental health resources: UK Samaritans; US National Institute for Mental Health; help with climate anxiety Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At New Scientist Live we invited you to ask our journalists anything - and at two packed out sessions, you absolutely delivered. Recorded live from the smoke-filled Space Shed at the Engage stage, this is a highlights reel of some of the best questions we received. Everything from dark matter to plant consciousness, 3D printed food, elephant emotional intelligence and black holes. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Emily Wilson, Sam Wong, Abby Beall, Tim Revell, Cat de Lange and Karmela Padavic-Callaghan. To read about these subjects and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. If you didn't make it to the event, you can catch up at newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploding gas pipelines have signalled a new environmental disaster. Nord Stream 1 and 2 have both sprung leaks, with many assuming sabotage. With huge amounts of methane released into the atmosphere, the team examines the climate impact of the damage - and puts the leak into context. During the height of the covid-19 pandemic, male birth rates dipped, temporarily altering the normal gender ratio of babies. The team finds out why and how this happened. Feeling itchy? Researchers have been looking at mice to figure out why itching is contagious - and the mere mention of the word has our panel scratching like mad! The molar teeth of primates, including humans, can clue us into how quickly their fetuses grow during pregnancy. The team finds out about a new mathematical model which is helping us to better understand the evolution of our species. Ahead of New Scientist Live this weekend (8th - 9th October), Rowan chats with star speaker Nick Lane of University College London. Nick explains how much of the chemistry of life seems to happen spontaneously - and how this understanding allows us to unpack the deepest mysteries of biology, from how life got going to what makes us conscious. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Alexandra Thompson, Carissa Wong and Matt Sparkes. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK government is being accused of mounting an attack against nature. Environmental charities claim a raft of newly announced or rumoured plans are likely to cause harm to the environment for the sake of economic growth. The team unpacks these concerning decisions. When you catch yourself in a fit of giggles, have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to get your words out? Well, the team discusses new research into the phenomenon, which shows the battle that goes on in our brains during a bout of uncontrollable laughter. The team brings you a cosmic interlude, starting with a discussion about NASA’s planet-saving DART mission, which successfully smashed into an asteroid. They then dig into the exciting news that astronomers have found remnants of the explosion of one of the first stars in the universe. Deforestation in the second biggest tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Maya forest, is being reversed. The team celebrates the success of a community-led conservation programme in Guatemala. Coronavirus vaccines may stave off the effects of long-covid. As covid infections pick up again in the northern hemisphere, the team looks at new research from the Office of National Statistics. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Alexandra Thompson, Michael Le Page and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Autumn Special: www.newscientist.com/autumnspecial2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Get it Done’ is the theme for this year’s Climate Week in New York, with hundreds of events taking place across the city. Reporter James Dinneen is there, and brings us news about how to reduce the massive impact of the shipping industry on greenhouse gas emissions. NASA’s DART mission is the first real-world planetary defence mission. And on Monday a 500-kilogram satellite will smash into a small asteroid called Dimorphous to try and change its orbit. The team explains what the mission hopes to achieve. Ants are everywhere. In fact, it’s estimated that Earth is home to 20 quadrillion of the things. Think of all the legs! In light of this news, the team discusses their favourite ants (yes they have favourites) - including the weaver ant which Rowan has been reading about in his favourite bedtime book, The Guests of Ants. Phosphorus has been discovered on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, meaning it now has all six of the essential elements for life. The team explains how the element was found in icy rock grains collected by the Cassini spacecraft. Covid may be triggering early puberty in some girls. While the condition was known about pre-pandemic, the surprising finding shows that since covid it’s happening in higher numbers and even sooner, in girls younger than seven. The team discusses whether it’s the stress of the pandemic or the disease itself that’s causing these effects. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Chelsea Whyte, James Dinneen, Alexandra Thompson and Alex Wilkins. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Autumn Special: www.newscientist.com/autumnspecial Dow: newscientist.com/dow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ribosomes are tiny protein-making factories found inside cells, and a crucial component of life. And now a team of scientists has figured out how to make them self-replicate outside of cells. Without getting all Mary Shelley, the team says this is a step towards creating artificial life. On a trip to the Isles of Scilly, Rowan found a spectacular lifeform of the week. On the shores of Porthcressa beach on St Mary’s island, he found a solar-powered sea slug, with the help of Scott and Samaya of Scilly Rockpool Safaris. America’s West Coast is still being ravaged by wildfires, and not only are they set to become more frequent as the climate warms, but they’re going to become even more intense. Chelsea, who can see the orange skies of the fires from her home, discusses the rising risk of so-called ‘extreme wildfires’. Rowan makes the point that new research shows that transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy could lead to savings of $5 to $15 trillion dollars. Centenarians - people who live to be older than 100 - who have all the markers of Alzheimer’s, don’t appear to be affected by the disease. The team finds out about an intriguing new finding that upends our understanding of amyloid plaques, the proteins we think are closely associated with dementia. Climate change artist and Australian playwright David Finnigan discusses his latest play ‘You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History’, which he performed at this year’s Edinburgh fringe festival and which is coming to London. It looks at the 75,000 year history of our impact on the environment from the lens of the 2019 Australian bushfires. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Chelsea Whyte, Abby Beall and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amazon rainforest may have passed the tipping point that will flip it into savannah. A new report suggests that large portions of the rainforest have been either degraded or destroyed, which could have disastrous consequences. The team hears from the Science Panel for the Amazon, who say we must step in now to support regeneration efforts. If you’re looking for a drummer for your new band, you might want to hire a chimp. The team hears recordings of chimps drumming on the buttresses of tree roots in Uganda’s Budongo Forest, and explains why they do it. Meta wants to read your mind - eventually. The panel discusses a new AI developed by Facebook’s parent company, that can detect certain words by reading brainwaves. New Scientist’s chief gourmand, Sam Wong, gets the team to taste-test a west-African fruit called the miracle berry, and explains how it could help curb our sugar addiction. He also discusses the fermenting process and its possible health benefits, while sharing a little of his delicious fermented hot chilli sauce. 100 light years away, we’ve spotted new exoplanets that may be good places to search for life. They exist in the habitable zone, near a red dwarf star with the delicious name SPECULOOS-2. But the planets are different to Earth, and the team discuss the chances they will support life (as we know it). On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Matt Sparkes, Alex Wilkins, Sam Wong and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events, podcasts and discount codes: 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live How The Light Gets In: howthelightgetsin.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The launch of NASA’s Artemis moon rocket didn’t go to plan this week. The team looks at the problems that stopped this long-awaited launch. And with the launch rescheduled for Saturday, they find out what the mission hopes to achieve. Deep below the surface of the Earth live nearly half of all microbes on the planet. While studying life in the deep biosphere is tough, the team shares an exciting development. Researchers have managed to find and analyse a type of heat-loving bacteria, called thermophiles, that eat petroleum. As the global climate warms, some areas of the world will become unlivable, forcing people to leave their homes and countries. In her new book ‘Nomad Century’ Gaia Vince explains how the tragedy of mass climate migration can also be seen as an opportunity. She explains her thinking, and the action we urgently need to take to survive in a warming world. Why do our eyes dart around when we dream? It’s long been a mystery, but the team learns how mice are helping us understand what really happens during REM sleep. Mucus is incredibly important for mammals, keeping everything running like a well oiled machine. Now surprising new research looking at species as diverse as rhinos, pangolins and ferrets has revealed its unusual evolutionary history, and the team discusses these findings. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Chelsea Whyte, James Dinnean, Clare Wilson and Corryn Wetzel. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events, podcasts and discount codes: 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There may be a way of treating, or even preventing, food allergies. A promising new trial has used a fat molecule called butyrate to treat peanut allergies in mice. The problem is, butyrate smells like dog poo, so the team finds out how researchers are getting around that issue. We’ve long thought earthquakes happen randomly, but that may not be the case. A new modelling technique using old records and machine learning shows we may be able to predict earthquakes, which could save millions of lives. The team finds out how this method works, and why it’s not fool-proof yet. Philosopher Will MacAskill tells us about the concept of long-termism, which is about prioritising the long-term future of both people and planet. He explores some of the messages in his new book What We Owe the Future. Yields of soya have been boosted by a fifth, without adding any fertiliser at all. Genetic modification has been used to improve photosynthesis in the crop. The team says this is great news for farmers, wildlife, consumers and the climate. By studying Antarctica’s ice shelves, researchers have predicted that a special kind of ice falls upwards in the ocean on one of Jupiter’s moons. The team explains how this could be promising for hopes that Europa harbours life. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Chelsea Whyte, Michael Le Page, Leah Crane, Alex Wilkins and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events, podcasts and discount codes: 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Droughts in many parts of Europe are the worst in 500 years. Even as temperatures begin to cool and some rain begins to fall, it may be a long time till we’re out of the woods. The team explores the impact the droughts are having on things like food production, energy and transport, and wildlife. Monkeys use sex toys too - who knew? Long-tailed macaques in a Balinese sanctuary have figured out how to use stone tools to masturbate. The team finds out what’s going on… Radiation exposure is one of the biggest issues we’re going to face if we want to get people to Mars. The team looks at new research that shows just how extreme the dangers are, and they look at the possible consequences. Quantum computer experts want to build a brain-like computer out of giant atoms. The team finds out how physicists plan to use laser beams to build an artificial neural network, and hear what Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation has to do with it. This week Rowan is delighted to chat with BAFTA-winning sound artist Chris Watson. Chris shares gorgeous soundscapes recorded in three threatened ecosystems, the Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland, the Namib desert in Africa, and the Long Shore Drift off the coast of East Anglia. The sounds are being used in a collaboration with the Manchester Collective, to bring to life Michael Gordon’s cult work ‘Weather’. Chris was a founder member of legendary Sheffield band Caberet Voltaire, who happen to be the first band Rowan ever saw live. BONUS: Stay till the end to hear the sound of saiga antelopes on the steppe grasslands of Kazakhstan, where they have rebounded after being on the brink of extinction. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and Alice Klein. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events, podcasts and discount codes: Trees A Crowd: treesacrowd.fm 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US is about to pass an historic piece of climate legislation. The Inflation Reduction Act allocates $370 billion to climate mitigation, and the team explores how that money will be spent - plus why some people think the bill holds us hostage to fossil fuel. Do you ever get embarrassed talking to Siri when you’re out in public? Well, the team learns about an experimental new piece of tech called EarCommand, which may make communicating with your virtual assistant less awkward. Thinking hard is tiring - and a new study may have figured out why. As the team explains, it’s surprisingly more complex than just running out of energy. Say it with us - pobblebonk! The acid-defying scarlet-sided pobblebonk frog is our lifeform of the week. Find out how this splendidly named creature survives in some incredibly hostile environments. Antonio Padilla, cosmologist and author of Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them, explains how weird and wonderful numbers - like Graham’s Number - can give us a glimpse into the biggest secrets of the universe. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson, James Dinneen and Jeremy Hsu. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new type of artificial blood has been created which, in the future, could bring people back from the dead - or what we think of now as dead, at least. This special fluid has been shown to preserve the organs of dead pigs, long after what was previously thought possible - which the team says could be a game-changer for organ transplants. Rowan talks to legendary writer Neil Gaiman about the new Netflix series, out this week, based on his smash-hit Sandman comics. They also discuss the function of dreams, and the inspiration Neil draws from them. This week we also chew over the recent massive news that DeepMind’s artificial intelligence AlphaFold has predicted the structure of nearly all proteins known to science. It is, says the team, as monumental as the discovery of the structure of DNA. The team explains how transformative this could be in areas like disease prevention. Leaving Earth, we talk with cosmologist Laura Mersini-Houghton about her theory that we live in just one of a vast multiverse of universes, a subject she tackles in her new book ‘Before the Big Bang’. And there’s yet more amazing findings to discuss from the James Webb Space Telescope, including the possible discovery of a galaxy formed not long after the universe itself. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson, Michael Le Page and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist How We’re Wired from The Bertarelli Foundation 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a special edition of the show recorded live at the bluedot music festival. On the panel are New Scientist journalists Rowan Hooper and Abby Beall, along with Emmy-nominated composer Hannah Peel and geoscientist and broadcaster Chris Jackson. With the awesome Lovell radio telescope dominating the sky above the festival, this episode begins with astronomy news, and in particular stories from the James Webb Space Telescope - including its mission to look at the atmosphere of rocky planets in the search for extraterrestrial life. There’s also a nod to the late great James Lovelock, who has died at the age of 103. The panel brings their stories of joy and hope. Abby brings news of the saving of a research centre for intelligent birds. Chris marvels at an impressive global geological event which highlights the power of collaboration. Hannah dreams up a story about “nanoskin” which happens to be very similar to a real story we reported. And Rowan comes with the news that chimps have been found to treat each other using medicinal insects. The panel discusses the ethics and possibilities of brain organoid research. These are tiny human brains grown in a lab, which have recently been shown to give off brain waves equivalent to those seen in fetuses. The whole team is gifted with an imaginary $100 million, and asked how they’d use it to save the world. Rowan wants to refreeze the Arctic. Then there’s a vibrant Q&A session with the audience. And for the boy who asked about brain organoids playing Pong, here’s the story. InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist How We’re Wired from The Bertarelli Foundation New Scientist Live event: newscientist.com/nslbd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following scolding 40 degree record temperatures, it’s clear the UK is not set up to deal with such heat. But as extreme weather events become more common, how can we prepare for a hotter future? The team finds out, and looks to the US and Europe where hot temperatures are also wreaking havoc. China’s space plans are rocketing forward, as the country prepares to launch the second part of its space station into orbit on 24 July. With the third and final module due to launch in October, the team finds out what China is planning to do aboard the new station. What does a black hole sound like? Although we can’t answer that literally, a process called data sonification offers up a solution - by converting astronomical data into sounds and music. The team shares two beautiful pieces composed for an immersive new production called ‘Black Hole Symphony’. Covid-19 has been found to increase the risk of premature birth if caught during the final trimester of pregnancy. The team explores the findings and what they mean for pregnant people. Plant communities could be fundamentally changed by declining pollinator populations, suggests a surprising experiment. The team examines the risk this poses to biodiversity. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Emily Bates, Michael Le Page, Jason Murugesu, and Alex Wilkins. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist How We’re Wired from The Bertarelli Foundation 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 Blue Dot festival: https://www.discoverthebluedot.com/ Escape Pod episode on sonification. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the first pig-human transplant patient died just 2 months after receiving his new heart, researchers are now testing modified pig hearts by transplanting them into recently deceased people on life support. The team discusses a new experiment which has shown very promising results. NASA has revealed stunning images of deep-space captured by the James Webb Space Telescope - and there’s so much more to come. The team explains how the telescope is like a time machine, helping us to peer back into the early history of the universe. Much of the information our eyes take in is discarded by the brain. The team discusses a new technique called ‘ghost imaging’ which is using AI to reconstruct those lost images by interacting directly with our brain. Wheat hasn’t yet reached its genetic potential. The team finds out how genetically tweaking this vital crop could improve yields globally, and help it to withstand the impacts of climate change. Covid-19 is impacting fertility through its impacts on sperm - yet another thing we’re finding out about the disease. The team finds out what’s going on, and how long-lasting these effects are. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Jacob Aron, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Grace Wade and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist How We’re Wired from The Bertarelli Foundation Online event: newscientist.com/beinghuman 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ten years since the discovery of the fabled Higgs boson, can the Large Hadron Collider ever make us that excited again? Physicists are now kind of bored by the Higgs - the hype has well and truly died down. So as the LHC kicks off its third period of operation, the team asks whether there will be anything new to get them fired up again. How do large hawks land without crashing? That’s what a team of researchers has been trying to find out. The team explains how their findings could help with future innovations in drone technology. ClientEarth is an environmental legal organisation, or “lawyers for the planet”, with the aim of holding companies and governments to account over net zero plans. The organisation has recently brought cases against the Dutch airline KLM and French oil giant Total Energies for alleged greenwashing. Rowan speaks with Chief Impact Officer and “head of greenwashing” Maria Krystyna Duval. A strange kind of time paradox called causal loops is being researched. As well as explaining what a causal loop is, the team explains how a large set of theoretical universes were studied to see whether this time-travel paradox could actually work. The UK is being hit by a fifth wave of coronavirus cases, with many people becoming reinfected multiple times. The team examines the possible risks of reinfection, and asks if there’s an end in sight. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Jacob Aron, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and Corryn Wetzel. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist Online event: www.newscientist.com/universeorigin 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world’s first CRISPR babies are now toddlers. Now, nearly four years since the super-controversial experiment was announced, scientists in China want to set up a healthcare institute specifically to look after the three children. The team examines the ethics of it all. Humans thrive at particular temperatures, and that’s why we live where we live. But these areas of optimal climate are shrinking because of climate change. As we’re on course to hit 2.7 degrees of warming by the end of the century, the team finds out what will happen to future populations. And with the UN Ocean Conference taking place, we hear a clip of Sounds of the Ocean by composer Joshua Sam Miller, a piece where the lead singer is a whale! Poo transplants are being used to cure irritable bowel syndrome. The team discusses the success of a new trial which used the poop of a single, healthy athletic man - a super-pooer, basically - to introduce a healthy mix of gut microbes into those with the condition. Rogue planets, roaming through space without a star of their own, may still be able to host life. Even without the heat of their own Sun, the team explains how there is still a way that life could thrive. We’re in the middle of the biggest outbreak of monkeypox ever. With cases spreading fast, the team asks why the disease isn’t killing anyone yet, and they find out how big this outbreak could become. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page, Alice Klein, Leah Crane and James Dinneen. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist New Scientist Live Events: newscientist.com/childhood newscientist.com/whisky 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you like things orderly, we have bad news for you - our universe is lopsided. Based on everything we know about gravity and the early universe, we’d expect galaxies to be distributed symmetrically - but they’re not. Something spooky’s going on, and the team searches for answers. The activity of the Sun may be affecting our heart health. Sometimes the weather on the Sun gets a little chaotic, and the team discusses new research that suggests these solar storms are messing with our heart rhythms, raising the risk of heart attacks. African pouched rats are being trained as heroes. Donning special little backpacks, they will use their keen sense of smell to go on search and rescue missions. The team explains why they’ve been chosen for the task. Last September El Salvador became the first country to make cryptocurrency legal tender. But with the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies plummeting, the team examines what the future holds. Covid-19 is proving resilient, and as new variants of omicron emerge, infection rates still remain high. As omicron is milder than its predecessors, the team asks whether we should still be worried about the disease, and they find out how it may continue to evolve. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page, Corryn Wetzel, Leah Crane, Jacob Aron and Alice Klein. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist New Scientist Live Event: newscientist.com/childhood 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How will we know when we’ve made a truly sentient artificial intelligence? Well, one Google engineer believes we’re already there. The team discusses the story of Google’s very clever AI called LaMDA, and ask another chatbot, GPT3, what it would think if LaMDA was destroyed. Did you know stars have ‘earthquakes’ too? These starquakes have been spotted by the Gaia space observatory, which aims to build a 3D map of all the stars in our galaxy. It’s been collecting a phenomenal amount of data, and the team explores its findings. Net Zero pledges are becoming more popular - which is great - but a lot of them aren’t being acted on. According to a new consortium Net Zero Tracker, a worrying number of these pledges aren’t credible. The team finds out how the group aims to hold companies to account. Our brains are hotter than we realised - 2.5 degrees celsius hotter in fact. The team asks why we’re only just finding this out in 2022, and how the discovery may improve care for people undergoing brain surgery. Steve Brusatte is best known as a dinosaur palaeontologist, but he has turned his attention now to our own class, the mammals. Rowan chats with him, and amongst other things finds out how enslaved Africans in South Carolina were instrumental in the development of palaeontology. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson,Matt Sparkes and James Dinneen. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/NewScientist Free giveaway: newscientist.com/4weeksfree 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While it may be technically possible to keep global heating to 1.5°C it’s really not very likely - at all. So why are we clinging to it? The team asks, when do we admit that 1.5°C is dead, and what will it mean when we do? NASA is about to launch its CAPSTONE spacecraft into lunar orbit, paving the way for its lunar space station. As a precursor to the Artemis mission to put people back on the moon, CAPSTONE is basically a test run, and the team explains its goals. Rowan’s been to see Top Gun: Maverick, and he’s found a way of making it about science - or technology, at least. In the film we see many new applications of technology and artificial intelligence in warfare, so we chat with AI and drone expert Arthur Holland Michel to discuss the future of combat and what Top Gun 3 might look like in another thirty years. The team brings you an incredibly exotic life form of the week… chickens! It turns out that chickens were domesticated a lot more recently than we thought. Hear some of the humorous archaeological blunders that have led to this confusion. In recent months doctors around the world have been reporting mysterious cases of children suddenly developing liver failure. While we don’t know what’s happening, the team explores some possible explanations. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page and Adam Vaughan. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: Free giveaway: newscientist.com/4weeksfree 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Blue Dot Festival: discoverthebluedot.com Understanding the AI revolution: newscientist.com/aievent Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Synthetic cell membranes have been fused with protein machinery from living cells to create an artificial membrane. Could this be a precursor to the creation of artificial life? The team discusses its potential and limitations. Babies with severe genetic conditions are being cured by new gene replacement therapies, allowing them to overcome fatal diseases. There are a number of different treatments which have seen success, and the team finds out how they work. The DNA of two people who were killed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii has been sequenced. The team finds out how the DNA from 79 AD managed to survive the heat of the volcano, and what the findings tell us about the lives of these two people. Solar sails - a method of harnessing the sun’s light for space travel - are usually quite clumsy, so a NASA-funded team is developing a new more agile type of solar sail. The team finds out how they’re overcoming the problem. Haider Warraich, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, discusses his new book ‘The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain’, which addresses “modern medicine’s failure to understand pain”. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Chelsea Whyte, Leah Crane, Alice Klein, Anna Demming and Alex Wilkins. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: Free giveaway: newscientist.com/4weeksfree 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Blue Dot Festival: discoverthebluedot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DeepMind’s new artificial intelligence, Gato, is a step beyond anything we’ve seen before. But how close has it brought us to the coveted goal of creating ‘artificial general intelligence’? The team unpacks just how powerful this technology really is, and what it means for the future of machine consciousness. You can learn a lot from poop. In an archaeological detective story, 4500-year-old fossil excrement belonging to the people who built Stonehenge has been examined, and the team explains what it tells us about their eating habits. CRISPR gene editing has been used to make supercharged tomatoes, rich in vitamin D. The team finds out how they managed to do it, and explains why this breakthrough is particularly good news for vegans. Ever wondered what it’s like to explore another planet? We hear from Sanjeev Gupta from Imperial College London, one of the scientists with the breathtaking job of helping Nasa's Perseverance rover navigate Mars, as it starts sampling an ancient river delta to look for ancient life. We’re in the midst of the largest known outbreak of monkeypox. The virus is endemic to Central and West Africa, but has begun to spread to the rest of the world, with 170 cases now confirmed. The team examines the likelihood of this virus becoming the next global pandemic. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Jacob Aron and Corryn Wetzel. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: Free giveaway: newscientist.com/4weeksfree 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re in the middle of a global food crisis, brought on by a combination of the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine. As food prices rise and the world faces “hunger on an unprecedented scale”, the team looks for solutions. The health of an ecosystem can be measured through sound alone. The team discusses a new field of study called ecoacoustics which is being used to assess biodiversity, sharing sounds of an ‘animal orchestra’ recorded in the Brazilian rainforest. Rosie the Rocketeer (a dummy, not a real human!) is heading to the International Space Station in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The test flight is part of NASA’s commercial spacecraft programme, and the team examines its goals. Farming is the most destructive human activity ever to have blighted the Earth according to the writer and environmental activist George Monbiot. His new book Regenesis explores his thinking, and explains why we should all be eating microbes instead of animals. Read these out loud… “Funk fungus”, “gnome bone”, “spam scrotum”. If you have a smirk across your face, you’re not alone. The team finds out why some word pairings are more funny than others. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Jacob Aron and Michael Le Page. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: Calm History: www.silkpodcasts.com US Offer: newscientist.com/unlimited 20% Discount: newscientist.com/pod20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It feels like temperature records are being broken almost daily. We’ve seen heatwaves already this year in Texas and Mexico, with forecast highs of 50oC set to hit Pakistan and India. As we edge closer to breaking 1.5 degrees of global warming in the next 5 years, Rowan speaks to climate scientist Vikki Thompson from the University of Bristol, to find out how heatwaves are pushing at the limits of what humans can cope with. Chemical computers have taken a step up. Lee Cronin and his colleagues at the University of Glasgow have upgraded their 2019 machine, and it’s now fully programmable. The team discusses the project’s ultimate goal, to make a chemical brain and even explain consciousness. Ants have the power to heal. The team explains how Matabele ants, large ants found in sub-Saharan Africa, have evolved the ability to diagnose infected wounds in their nestmates using an antimicrobial medicine that they produce themselves. It’s estimated that covid-19 has now killed close to 15 million people. And with reports of rapid reinfections and new omicron sublineages emerging, the team finds out how worried we should be about getting covid multiple times, and what we can expect from future mutations of the virus. The composer Jon Hopkins has been working with a team involving neuroscientist Anil Seth to create a hallucinogenic immersive experience called Dream Machine. New Scientist’s Carissa Wong has been in it, and shares her wild experience. We also treat you to the music from Dream Machine throughout this episode. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Alice Klein, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/unlimited newscientist.com/nslive newscientist.com/tours Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women’s abortion rights are under threat in the US. Leaked documents suggest the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning the landmark Roe v Wade decision that protects the right to abortion. The team discusses the dramatic impact this move could have on women’s health. Eating microbes could save the world. The team examines a new study which found that substituting just a fifth of the meat in our diets with microbial proteins would more than halve global deforestation rates and related carbon emissions. While we fight to protect the environment on Earth, a lot less is done to safeguard space. Professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, Andy Lawrence, hopes that is about to change. He tells Rowan why space needs to be a protected ecosystem, subject to the same sort of regulations as the oceans and the atmosphere. The earthworm invasion is upon us. Large parts of North America have been without earthworms for 12,000 years, but in the last 200 years they’ve begun their slow and undramatic takeover. The team discusses a new study which looks at the effect this is having on plant and aboveground arthropod communities. And primatologist Frans de Waal joins the pod to discuss the under-studied topic of sexuality, gender and biological sex differences in our closest relatives, chimps and bonobos. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet and Tiffany O’Callaghan. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/nslivewin newscientist.com/azores Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could life on Earth have an extraterrestrial origin? The team revisits this ancient theory as we’ve now found all four of the key building blocks of DNA on meteorites that are older than our planet. There may be a warning signal in our brains that helps us keep out unwanted thoughts. The team hears about the fascinating word-pairing method researchers used to identify this mechanism, and how the findings could help people with PTSD, OCD, and anxiety disorders. When we talk about climate change, we often think of its dramatic global consequences. But it’s having effects everywhere and to make that point, this week Rowan visits Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire. Speaking to Oxford University biologist Ella Cole, he hears how spring has jumped forward nearly a month since research began at Wytham 75 years ago. Just a few weeks after the shock discovery of the W boson anomaly, physicists have written more than 65 new papers trying to explain what’s going on. The team says this has led to an exciting surge of new ideas about the standard model of particle physics, and the revival of some old theories too. Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, has become well known over the last couple of years for her analysis and advice about the pandemic. Rowan speaks to her about her new book, Preventable: How a Pandemic Changed the World & How to Stop the Next One. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Chelsea Whyte and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/love Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is consciousness? We’ve discussed many theories on the podcast, but in this episode the team explores a particularly bonkers one. Experiments with anaesthetics have hinted that something might be going on at the quantum level with microtubules in the brain. But is this finding enough? Ever wondered what a rainbow sounds like? Or perhaps what sounds a rat’s whiskers would make if played like a harp? Then wonder no longer! You can hear these sounds and more as the team speaks to musician and TV presenter Richard Mainwaring about his new book ‘Everybody Hertz’. The next ten years of priorities for United States space exploration have been mapped out in the latest decadal survey. The team discusses some of the most exciting missions we can look forward to, including trips to Uranus and Enceladus, as well as a sample return mission from Mars. Taylor Swift is our Lifeform of the Week - but not the musician and global sensation. No, this is a newly discovered millipede named after her. The team uses this opportunity to explore the fascinating world of undiscovered species. Wording in the most recent IPCC report on the ‘Mitigation of Climate Change’ has come under scrutiny. The document says greenhouse gas emissions need to peak "at the latest before 2025". The team explains why that statement has been met with backlash. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Chelsea Whyte, Sam Wong, Leah Crane and Adam Vaughan. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two teams are developing messages to send into space, in the hope that some advanced alien civilization will be able to pick them up. While METI is sending music, Beacon in the Galaxy is sending more complex information, like Earth’s location - which as the team explains is rather controversial… Acne is usually treated using antibiotics, but as the issue of antibiotic resistance grows, researchers have been looking at alternative methods. The team discusses the promising early successes of phage therapy. Most of us overestimate just how diverse our environment is. A new study examining this ‘diversity illusion’ has shown that we tend to believe minority groups are larger in number than they actually are. The team finds out how the research was carried out, and whether we can combat this bias. Known by some as the world’s first computer, the Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek device that acts sort of like a clock. Now a group of researchers thinks they’ve found out the exact date and time it was calibrated to, and the team explains how they worked it out. Rhesus macaque monkeys may be as aware of their own heartbeats as human babies. The team examines a new study which looked at a kind of self awareness called interoception, the ability to detect your own internal state.. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Chelsea Whyte, Leah Crane, Jason Murugesu and Matthew Sparkes. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/love newscientist.com/courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest major report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is out, and the message is clear. Time is running out to keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees. The report outlines the many ways we can make emissions cuts, one of which is through litigation. Hear from one of the report’s authors, Joana Setzer, who explores the growing use of legal action to challenge governments and corporations. Physicists are excited this week about a new finding that might challenge the standard model of particle physics. The team examines a bizarre result from an experiment looking at the W boson, a particle involved in radioactive decay and nuclear processes. Weta crickets aren’t your average cricket. Found in New Zealand, female wetas have evolved an extra set of genitalia - and the team finds out why. What are dreams for? Most of the current theories assume dreams are doing something to benefit the dreamer - but a new proposal looks at how dreams might benefit other people. Dream researcher Mark Blagrove explains that telling people about your dreams could help social bonding. As multiple omicron sublineages and recombinants are emerging, covid infections in England are soaring. The team examines how these new variants have come about, and what this all means for healthcare in hospitals. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet and Alex Wilkins. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/cosmos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A world-first gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a rare genetic skin disease. Referred to as “the worst disease you’ve never heard of”, the condition makes everyday living an ordeal. The team finds out how this new treatment works. Astronomers have detected a star more than 27 billion light years away - the most distant individual star we’ve ever seen. The team explains how this finding could shed light on what was going on in the early universe, ‘shortly’ after the Big Bang. In a bid to tackle the biodiversity crisis, 195 countries have been working on a draft deal called the Global Biodiversity Framework. But despite the alarming real-world consequences of the crisis that we’ve been seeing in recent weeks, the team explains how the discussions have been a flop. Vampire bats are the only mammal to feed exclusively on blood - which is weird because it’s not very nutritious or filling. So how do they do it? The team explores new findings about the genetic changes that have occurred in the bats to allow them to survive and thrive on the stuff. And finally, the team takes you on a trip to Monterey Bay off central California, sharing sounds of the bay’s aquatic life in an escapist audio-quiz. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Leah Crane and Alice Klein. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: newscientist.com/pod20 newscientist.com/courses (code: PODCAST40) newscientist.com/eatingwell Thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute for the sound clips. These clips are licensed under the following Attribution licences: Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Extreme weather events have been recorded at both of Earth’s polar regions, as the Arctic and Antarctic are hit by major heat waves. To put this into context, Rowan speaks with climate scientist and Hot Air author Peter Stott. How did octopuses get to be so clever? Their intelligence is unusual for an invertebrate, so researchers have been trying to track down what’s going on in their brains. The team examines new findings which suggest it has something to do with microRNAs. Black holes have always been mysterious, but a problem known as the ‘black hole paradox’ has been bothering physicists because it undermines what we know about quantum mechanics. Now, as the team explains, there could be a (vaguely confusing) solution. They also mark a major milestone in the search for new exoplanets. The team reviews a compelling new sci-fi opera that’s showing in New York. Upload is about a daughter who is trying to come to terms with the decision of her father to physically die in order to have his consciousness uploaded to a computer. And we hear the *delightful* sound of an orangutan ‘kiss squeak’, as the team finds out what this vocal call tells us about the evolution of speech in primates. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Leah Crane and Timothy Revell. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. For a 20 per cent discount subscription to New Scientist magazine, go to newscientist.com/pod20. For a 50 per cent discount on New Scientist Academy courses, use the code POD50 at checkout at newscientist.com/courses. Offer ends on March 31st. The second in the Big Thinkers online series goes live on Thursday 31st March, 6-7pm BST. Claudia de Rham, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London, explores ‘what we don't know about gravity’. For more information visit newscientist.com/gravity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 10 percent of the world’s wheat comes from Ukraine, Russia’s attack on the country could spark global food shortages. But the team discuss a simple solution to the problem that could have knock-on benefits for climate and biodiversity. In vampire news, the team explains how we may have found the secret ingredient in young blood that causes it to have rejuvenating powers. This comes off the back of a 2012 study which saw old mice rejuvenated fur after being transfused with the blood of the young. Cases of covid are on the rise globally, with China and Hong Kong hit particularly badly. Despite promising weekly declines since January, this new surge in cases is linked to various countries adopting ‘living with covid’ plans. As Iceland attempts ‘herd immunity’, the team examines the effectiveness of this strategy. A new candidate has emerged for ‘coldest place in the solar system’ - where do you think it is? The team explains why this information could be useful for the future of space exploration. Australia has been hit by massive floods, as the country faces yet another assault from climate change. This comes just 2 years after the Black Summer wildfires which caused unprecedented destruction, and even damaged the ozone layer - as the team discovers. And finally composer Hannah Peel, whose work is influenced by science and nature, helps us escape from the mayhem, sharing clips from her new album ‘The Unfolding’. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Alice Klein and Michael Le Page. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. For a 20% discount subscription to New Scientist magazine, go to newscientist.com/pod20. For a 50% discount on New Scientist Academy courses, use the code POD50 at checkout at newscientist.com/courses. Offer ends on March 31st. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war in Ukraine has sparked an energy crisis, as European countries attempt to cut ties with Russia. The team discusses what this means for the future of energy production and how it may speed up our pivot to renewable energy. They also explore the growing concerns at various nuclear sites in Ukraine, as some have been seized by the Russians, while others have been damaged during the conflict. For the first time a virgin birth has taken place in a mammal - a female mouse has given birth without any input from a male. The team explains how CRISPR gene editing has been used to create embryos from unfertilised eggs. As the Amazon rainforest becomes less resilient to drought, there are fears it may be passing a tipping point that could turn the whole system from forest into savannah. Earth system scientist Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter explains the devastating global impact this would have. Taking a much-needed trip off the planet, the team discusses two stories from Mars, one from NASA’s Perseverance rover and another from China’s Zhurong rover. We also present an audio space-quiz you can take part in! Thanks to NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS/ISAE-Supaéro for the audio clips. And legendary cosmologist Martin Rees shares his thoughts on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence in the universe and the fascinating concept of ‘secular’ intelligent design. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Matt Sparkes, Adam Vaughan and Richard Webb. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. For a 20% discount subscription to New Scientist magazine, go to newscientist.com/pod20. For a 50% discount on New Scientist Academy courses, use the code POD50 at checkout at newscientist.com/courses. Offer ends on March 31st. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the war in Ukraine intensifies, Vladimir Putin raised Russia’s nuclear readiness level. The team discusses what this means about the likelihood of nuclear war. They also explore the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is out, and it focuses on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. We hear from Swenja Surminski, head of adaptation research at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. New studies into the start of the coronavirus pandemic are confirming what we’ve long suspected - that the virus originated at the Huanan food market in Wuhan. The team discusses the latest findings. Moles - the animals that make holes in your lawn - are non-binary. Just one of a number of amazing facts to come out of the new book ‘BITCH: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution & the Female Animal’. Hear from the author Lucy Cooke, who is challenging the sexist basis of much of the thinking about female animals. Stonehenge may have been built as a giant calendar. Though the claim itself isn’t new, the team explores a new theory from the archaeologist Tim Darvill which explains how it would’ve worked. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Jacob Aron, Clare Wilson and Alison George. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia has begun its invasion of Ukraine, a move which will have far reaching consequences. The team discusses two of those - the first being western Europe’s reliance on oil and gas from Russia, and the knock-on effect on climate targets. The second is the threat of Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine, which could cause huge disruption to internet and IT services globally. The last remaining covid restrictions have been scrapped in England, as the Prime Minister announces the country’s ‘living with covid’ plan. But is this the right decision, and what does the science say? The team speaks to Christina Pagel from Independent SAGE, a group which offers independent scientific advice to the government. An Australian billionaire is fighting back against the country’s government, and its lack of action on climate change. The team explains how Mike Cannon-Brookes plans to buy up Australia’s largest electricity company so he can shut down all its coal-fired plants and replace them with renewable energy. Researchers are beginning to better understand how humans experience different types of pain, which could lead to more effective drugs for people living with chronic pain. The team explores the new findings, which also suggest men and women experience pain differently. And the team discusses the intelligence of orangutans, based on their ability to use and make tools. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Alice Klein, Jacob Aron, Adam Vaughan and Jason Murugesu. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Children with some of the most aggressive forms of cancer are being saved by a personalised medicine treatment programme in Australia. The Zero Childhood Cancer Program has saved more than 150 children who would’ve otherwise died. The team shares a moving interview with one of the parents. Lichens evolve even more slowly than you might think. The team examines new research into the abundant Trebouxia genus of lichen which appears to take around a million years to adapt to changing climate conditions. Enhanced weathering - using ground-up rocks to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere - is one of a number of technological carbon capture solutions being tested to try and mitigate against global warming. The team speaks to Professor David Beerling of the University of Sheffield, one of the scientists in the UK leading the development of this technique. SpaceX has a suite of three missions planned to launch in its Polaris programme. The first aims to take its Dragon crew capsule higher into orbit than anyone has flown since the Apollo moon missions. The team shares what we know so far. And they find out whether adult human brains can actually grow new neurons. Spoiler: it doesn’t look good. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Leah Crane and Alice Klein. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Check out our sister show Escape Pod to hear more about lichens and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three men paralysed from the waist down have regained their ability to walk. They’re the subjects of a breakthrough operation which involves implanting electrodes in the spine. The team explains how the method works. Astronomers have detected an isolated black hole for the first time ever. Despite being 5000 light years away and incredibly difficult to spot, the team explains how the Hubble Space Telescope was able to do it. A cave in France is providing us with an intriguing snapshot of human activity in France 54,000 years ago. The team says Neanderthals and modern humans appear to have crossed over, moving in and out of a site called Grotte Mandrin as if it were a prime piece of real estate. With so many major developments in using pig organs for transplants, the team finds out how gene editing has catapulted xenotransplantation forward and look ahead to how else this technology could be used. And they also look at a study that suggests dog poo may be having a harmful impact on wildlife and biodiversity. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Timothy Revell, Clare Wilson, Michael Le Page and Chen Ly. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant. The first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Join New Scientist in Manchester, UK, and online at New Scientist Live from 12 to 14 March. Hear experts discuss their transformative research and enjoy interactive exhibits, workshops and feature areas on the festival floor. Visit www.newscientist.com/manchester for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The quest for a longer life continues - raising the question of whether we can escape death. The team discusses a rare gene variant that may explain why centenarians live so long - and how we might be able to use it to create age-defying drugs. The team explores a theory that suggests gravitational waves may be the thing that finally helps us detect dark matter - we just need to look for the ‘gravitational glint’. Spring is rolling around earlier and earlier. The team examines a new study which shows that since the 1980s, the warming climate has brought the season forward by a month - which could have major ecological implications. They also discuss a study which looks at the impact of marine heatwaves on things like coral and fish populations. Professor Chris Jackson, one of the star speakers at the upcoming New Scientist Live event in Manchester, joins the conversation to explain the importance of geology in the climate fight. And the team throws a spanner in the works for the nature/nurture debate. A new study on fruit flies suggests there may be another element at play. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant. The first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid-19 can have profound consequences for the brain, and now we’re beginning to understand why. The team explains how the virus causes issues from strokes to muscle-weakness and brain-fog. We have names for all of Earth’s geological phases, and right now we’re in the Anthropocene… or are we? The epoch hasn’t actually been officially named, but the team says researchers are working on it. Rowan returns home from Norway with a story about melting glaciers in the Arctic circle. He speaks to Norwegian Polar Institute scientist Jack Kohler about the impact of climate change in Svalbard. Samples from the deep sea Nankai Trough off Japan have shown for the first time that some microbes are able to withstand heats we previously thought were too extreme for life, which the team says could change the way we look for life elsewhere in the universe. Finally we hear about the mysteries of consciousness from the philosopher David Chalmers, famous for his work on the so-called ‘hard problem of consciousness’. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Tiffany O’Callaghan, Michael Le Page, Adam Vaughan and Richard Webb. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re being told we have to “learn to live with covid”, but what exactly does that mean? In this episode the team discusses how we live with flu and the measures we’ll need to take to prevent wave upon wave of covid-19 infections and deaths. There’s been a massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that’s caused widespread damage, and the team examines the impact it's having on the island nation. There’s more news in the race to build the world’s best quantum computer - the team finds out about a unique way of building these machines using neutral atoms. As antibiotic resistance continues to cause deaths worldwide, an alternate therapy using phages is growing in popularity - the team finds out about the pros and cons of this type of treatment. And the anthropologist Beth Singler joins the conversation - she looks specifically at human interactions with artificial intelligence, in an attempt to understand our fear of and reverence for the technology. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Sam Wong, Michael Le Page, Alice Klein, Emily Bates and Alex Wilkins. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. To book a ticket for our New Scientist live event ‘Understanding The AI Revolution’, click here. And for tickets to see professor of psychiatry Ted Dinan live as part of our health and wellbeing online events series, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Bennett has become the first person in history to have a pig to human heart transplant. Scientists have edited several genes to make this possible. On the pod, the team say that if it proves successful longer term, it could be a game-changer for medicine. In cetacean news, have you ever wondered why dolphins have so much sex? Patricia Brennan from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts has been studying dolphin clitorises, and shares her findings with the team. We now know much more about the omicron variant of coronavirus, and with more than half of people in Europe set to catch it in the next 6 to 8 weeks, the team explains why the variant is more infectious. There’s a double dose of moon news this week - first there’s the discovery that Saturn’s moon Mimas may have an ocean beneath its surface, and then we have the first water ever detected by a robot on our Moon. And novelist and New Scientist columnist Annalee Newitz joins the discussion to share their experiences with a robot therapist called Woebot. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode the team looks ahead to the next 12 months, sharing the science and cultural events they’re most looking forward to in 2022. Highlights include the launch into orbit of SpaceX’s Starship, the opening of a new Stonehenge exhibition at The British Museum, the TV adaptation of Kate Atkinson’s novel ‘Life After Life’, and an innovative new breast cancer trial. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Tiffany O’Callaghan, Adam Vaughan, Graham Lawton and Richard Webb. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. From the team at New Scientist, Happy New Year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a year 2021 has been. For our final podcast of the year, we’re signing off with a party and quiz. And as this is a Christmas special, this quiz delivers a sleigh-full of optimism, starting with a look at the ‘funniest science story of the year’. Other categories include ‘the story that made you feel small’, ‘life form of the year’, ‘hero of the year’ and ‘most surprising story’. Contestants also field questions from the audience and they share the story they’re most hoping for in 2022. Rowan Hooper is judging proceedings, with panelists Penny Sarchet, Richard Webb, Sam Wong and Bethan Ackerley. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. From the team at New Scientist, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a step towards creating intelligent cyborg brains, Cortical Labs in Melbourne have trained lab-grown brain organoids to play a classic 1970s video game. The team explains how the brain cells live in a Matrix-like, simulated world, where all they know is Pong. And there’s more AI news, as the team digs into DeepMind’s invention of a ‘search engine’ style supercomputer, one much smaller than its competitors. The team discusses sleep, and how manipulating the hypnagogic phase of sleep can lead to bursts of creativity. As the holiday season approaches, Omicron shows no signs of letting up, so the team brings you up to speed on what we know so far. And they bring two bird related stories, one about the superpowers of zebra finches and the other about the link between personality types and feather colours in turkeys. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson and Matt Sparkes. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Omicron is spreading quickly and once again we’re facing another wave of infections and restrictions over the holiday period. The team says although it’s early days, we’re beginning to get a handle on why this covid-19 variant is so good at dodging immunity, and they unpack ‘misleading’ reports that it causes milder infections. Climate journalist Emily Atkin joins the team to discuss Netflix’s new satire Don’t Look Up, which follows the story of two astronomers and their attempts to warn humanity of an approaching comet that will destroy the planet. As well as that, renowned cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker joins the pod to discuss his new book ‘Rationality’, which outlines the major forces underlying our irrational tendencies. The team also brings you the bubbling sounds of melting glaciers, and they share news of a new kind of GPS that uses cosmic rays. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Michael Le Page and Chelsea Whyte. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Omicron, a new covid-19 variant of concern, has become the most common variant in South Africa and is spreading fast. The team examines fears that it may be more transmissible than the delta variant, and better at evading vaccines and immunity. Following research of 5000-year-old beer jars, the team finds out that Ancient Egyptians used to eat (or drink?) alcoholic beer porridge - seriously! Then they go back even further in time to discover the origins of water, and how new evidence suggests water first arrived on Earth like rain from space. They also find out how living robots - xenobots - are able to reproduce, and bring news of a black hole doomsday double whammy. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet and Carissa Wong. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where did covid-19 really come from? Well, the team explains why the wet market in Wuhan is back on top as the most likely place of origin. They also look ahead to the future of the pandemic, as the delta variant continues to run rampant across the globe. In eyesight news, forget carrots - if you want to improve your vision all you need (maybe) is some red light. The team digs into new research which shows that red light can boost mitochondrial activity in cells - but will it prove useful? The team get a little self conscious when the topic of body odour comes up. But this story is actually about an odourless chemical that we emit, that seems to influence human behaviour - affecting men and women differently. They also touch on an innovative new climate-saving method of making plastic, and they find out why NASA is sending a rocket to smash into an asteroid. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson and Michael Le Page. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race for quantum supremacy continues, with IBM setting a new benchmark for processing power. But the new supercomputer hasn’t actually demonstrated its capabilities just yet - so will it really beat its competitors? The team shares the latest. They also report on Russia’s ‘dangerous’ anti-satellite weapon test, which sent fragments of satellite hurtling towards the International Space Station. They hear from founder of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, Philipp Dettmer, about his new book Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive. As the dust starts to settle following COP26 in Glasgow, the team reflects on the progress that has been made - providing countries stick to their pledges. And there’s a story about an AI drug detective, which has been trained to help keep “legal highs” off the market. On the pod are Penny Sarchet, Timothy Revell, Matthew Sparkes, Leah Crane, Chelsea Whyte and Conrad Quility-Harper. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Young climate activists from nations bearing the brunt of climate change speak out. In this COP26 special, hear the moving and impassioned words of the young voices representing the plight of the Global South, as they demand action and reparations. As the climate summit comes to an end, the team in Glasgow reflect on their experiences of the event, and unpack the pledges and commitments that have been made. Ahead of the release of the official cover decision - the document that will outline the main outcome of the event - the team explains what we know so far. This includes a joint declaration put out by the US and China - an unexpected but welcome message of hope. They also discuss the developed world’s attempts to make up for breaking the promise made in Paris - the payment of $100 billion that was meant to help developing countries tackle climate change. The team ends by looking to the positives, and discussing the post-Glasgow path ahead. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Richard Webb, Adam Vaughan and special guest, climate scientist Emily Shuckburgh of the University of Cambridge. Finally, Paris 2015 legend Christiana Figueres pops up to give a message of optimism. And to read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices