Science Weekly
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Science Weekly
Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news
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The Birth Keepers: I choose this, episode one
The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message: they could exit the medical system and take back their power by free birthing. But...
Social media and ADHD diagnosis, new mpox strain in England and early firestarters
The Guardian’s science editor, Ian Sample, sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week, including a st...
Rage room or yoga class? How to beat anger
At this time of year when stress levels are high, we can find ourselves being sent over the edge by frustrating post office queues, infuriating traffi...
The brain’s 5 eras, the vaccine that protects against dementia, altruistic ants
Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay and science correspondent Hannah Devlin to hear about three eye-catching stories fro...
Is AI making us stupid?
Artificial intelligence can execute tasks in seconds that once took humans hours, if not days to complete. While this may be great for productivity, s...
Is it the beginning of the end for animal testing?
Patrick Vallance, the minister for science, research and innovation, recently unveiled a plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI and othe...
Bitter rows and overnight talks: how a fragile Cop30 deal was agreed
After bitter arguments, threatened walkouts and heated all-night negotiations, delegates eventually reached a deal this weekend at the Cop30 climate s...
‘Chunks of earth just disappear’: life on a collapsing island
As the Cop30 climate talks continue in Brazil, Madeleine Finlay hears about a landscape at the opposite end of the planet facing the direct impacts of...
Should the UK brace for a brutal flu season?
This year’s flu season has begun more than a month earlier than usual, with a mutated strain spreading widely among younger people and expected to dri...
Kim Kardashian and the comet, a lupus breakthrough, James Watson’s legacy
Ian Sample joins Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories from the week. They discuss the complicated legacy of James W...
Never forget a face? You could be a super recogniser
Do you have an uncanny recall for faces? Have you ever recognised the same extra in TV shows that are decades apart? If so you could be part of the sm...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode three: ask the people that know
Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode two: the magic and mystery
Jon Watts, the Guardian’s global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he w...
Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode one: the stakes
Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how...
‘We must change course’: a stark climate warning from the UN chief
As global leaders and environmental activists descend on Brazil for next week’s Cop30 climate summit, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global...
A Scottish tea mystery: a bag for life – episode three
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three, all of Ta...
A Scottish tea mystery: the list – episode two
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two, Nicola hear...
A Scottish tea mystery: green shoots – episode one
Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one, Nicola look...
The ‘remarkable’ implant that can restore sight
An electronic eye implant half the thickness of a human hair has helped people with incurable sight loss to see again, opening up a potential ‘new era...
The seed bank storing the planet’s future
As biodiversity declines, locating and conserving the planet’s plant life is becoming more important. The Millennium seed bank in Wakehurst, West Suss...
Why is ‘chronic’ lyme disease so controversial?
Celebrities including Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber and Miranda Hart have talked about their years-long struggles with the effects of Lyme disease, but d...
Traitor or faithful: how to spot a liar
The Traitors has returned to UK screens with its biggest viewing figures ever as 19 celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. The game depends on...
All the news and science from the 2025 Nobel prizes
This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that paves the way for the next generation of quantum t...
The real science of weight loss with the US’s leading nutritional scientist
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...
Remembering primatologist Jane Goodall
The renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has died aged 91. She will be remembered for her observations that revolutionised our understanding of chimpan...
Fraud, AI slop and huge profits: is science publishing broken?
Scientists are warning that academic publishing needs urgent reform in order to retain trust in the research system. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay...
Does a bit of booze really make us better at languages?
The Ig Nobel prizes were awarded recently – for science that makes you laugh and then think – and the peace prize was given to a cheeky study testing...
Fact-checking Trump’s autism announcement
In a televised press conference on Monday, Donald Trump and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr made a series of unproven claims about autism and its...
Is there hope on the horizon for patients with Alzheimer’s?
A trial is under way to find out if a £100 blood test could transform the way that the NHS diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the leading c...
Is the US on the brink of a new era of political violence?
The murder of political activist Charlie Kirk has prompted fears about rising levels of political violence in the US after a number of high-profile as...
Putin’s quest for longevity
At a recent ceremony for world leaders in Beijing, a hot mic picked up a surprising exchange between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping about the possibili...
Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people?
The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row – a trend mirrored across the world, with two-thirds of the global popu...
Shrinking states: are we on a path to depopulation?
The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row. It is a story that is being repeated all over the world, with two thir...
Is curiosity the key to ageing well?
Psychologists have traditionally believed we become less curious as we age, but recent research has shown that curiosity actually becomes more targete...
RFK Jr and the chaos at the CDC
It’s been a dramatic week at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the space of seven days, the agency’s head was sacked and rep...
‘AI psychosis’: could chatbots fuel delusional thinking?
There are increasing reports of people experiencing delusions after intensive use of AI chatbots. The phenomenon, dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, has raised co...
A decade long mystery - why were billions of starfish turned to goo?
For more than a decade, scientists have been puzzling over what was causing billions of starfish to dissolve into piles of white goo. Sea star wasting...
Can science crack the mystery of ME?
Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people’s genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue sy...
Why can’t the world get its act together on plastics?
After three years of negotiating, talks over a global plastics treaty came to an end in Geneva last week with no agreement in place. So why has it bee...
Staying cool in Europe’s record-breaking heat
Europe is suffering from another heatwave as deadly temperatures of up to 44C hit the continent and wildfires blazed across the Mediterranean. To find...