Ask in Claude
Ask in ChatGPT
44 episodes
Science Weekly
by The Guardian · English
Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news
Latest episodes
All episodes
Is BMI working? Cop31 latest, the science of great conversation
Three science stories: (1) whether BMI works for diagnosing obesity; (2) COP31 climate talks in Turkey and what’s being agreed; (3) “pink noise” as the physics-like pattern behind enjoyable…
12 Nov 2026 · 23m · 12 chaptersWinter depression is real. Here’s what can help
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and what helps, focusing on circadian rhythm science and light therapy.
10 Nov 2026 · 17m · 8 chapters‘Ferritin face’: what you need to know about low iron
Whether “ferritin face” (pale, washed skin, dark circles, dry skin, brittle hair) can be diagnosed from a selfie, and what iron deficiency actually does in the body.
5 Nov 2026 · 20m · 11 chaptersHow a scientist went from hero to traitor in a US water crisis
Flint, Michigan’s 2014 switch to Flint River water caused lead contamination because of corrosive water and lack of required corrosion control, leading to a public health crisis and a scientific…
3 Nov 2026 · 19m · 7 chapters
‘Assad had one of my books by his bed’: life as a forensic scientist
What it takes to be an expert witness in court, especially forensic anthropology—how experts explain evidence, handle uncertainty and statistics, and how adversarial cross-examination can distort…
29 Oct 2026 · 18m · 10 chapters
Perimenopause is everywhere. How do you know if you’re in it?
How to tell if you’re in perimenopause, why the topic is trending, and how misinformation affects decisions about diagnosis, HRT, fertility, and “wellness” products.
27 Oct 2026 · 15m · 7 chapters
Elizabeth Holmes is back in the spotlight: why can’t we look away?
Science Weekly revisits Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, asking why people were captivated by her claims and why Silicon Valley startup culture enabled the fraud.
22 Oct 2026 · 17m · 10 chapters
‘These risks are real’: the threat of AI bioweapons
The episode discusses AI’s potential to enable bioweapons, including a cited “more than 10%” chance (from an Anthropic safety researcher) that AI could cause catastrophic harm within a decade.
20 Oct 2026 · 16m · 11 chapters
Is your boss watching you? The rise of AI surveillance at work
The episode discusses the rise of “bossware” and AI-assisted employee monitoring in the UK and beyond, arguing it enables constant surveillance by recording work activity and using AI to analyze…
15 Oct 2026 · 18m · 9 chapters
The surprising psychology of morbid curiosity
The episode examines the proposed US live-streaming of the scheduled Dec 3 execution of former Army psychiatrist Nadal Malik Hassan, and uses it to explore “morbid curiosity” psychology—why people…
13 Oct 2026 · 17m · 9 chapters
All the news and science from the 2026 Nobel prizes
The episode is Science Weekly’s Nobel Prize Week roundup, focusing on 2026 Physiology/Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry.
7 Oct 2026 · 23m · 13 chapters
Today in Focus: Should we be worried about a plague outbreak?
A bonus Today in Focus episode on a suspected pneumonic plague death of a Russian lab worker in Siberia, whether it signals an outbreak, and how authorities are responding.
6 Oct 2026 · 14m · 7 chapters
Narcolepsy: why you’ve been thinking about it all wrong
Narcolepsy misconceptions, symptoms (excessive daytime sleepiness, rapid REM entry, sleep paralysis/hallucinations, and cataplexy), and a new US-approved orexin agonist drug that targets the…
6 Oct 2026 · 17m · 8 chapters
The incredible science of memory manipulation
How memory works and how scientists can manipulate it—by activating, erasing, or suppressing specific memories in rodents—and what ethical, therapeutic uses might look like in humans.
1 Oct 2026 · 21m · 8 chapters
Are household cleaning products damaging our health?
Indoor air pollution from household cleaning products, fragrances, and “deep clean” influencer habits; whether volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particles (PM2.5/PM10) harm health.
29 Sep 2026 · 18m · 13 chapters
Are baby girls more sociable? Super El Niño, meningitis outbreak explained
Science Weekly (Guardian) covers three science stories. Topic 1: Are baby girls more sociable?
24 Sep 2026 · 22m · 10 chapters
From paleo to intermittent fasting: are any diets actually good for us?
Whether any diet is a “magic bullet” for health, weight loss, and longevity, using evolutionary anthropology to debunk paleo, saturated-fat myths, and overblown longevity claims; compares…
22 Sep 2026 · 17m · 9 chapters
The week that changed maths for ever
The episode reacts to OpenAI’s claimed solution of the Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize problem, arguing it’s a “deep blue moment” for maths but also a threat to how mathematicians work.
17 Sep 2026 · 16m · 9 chapters
Is collagen all hype?
Whether collagen supplements are worth it, and why wellness claims are hard to evaluate.
15 Sep 2026 · 19m · 11 chapters
Live episode: how AI is reshaping our minds
A live Science Weekly/Black Box discussion on how chatbot relationships can reshape users’ thinking, including “AI psychosis” (AI-induced delusional thinking), attachment, and cognitive offloading in…
13 Sep 2026 · 1h 23m · 28 chapters
‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter?
Whether the LZ (LUX-ZEPLIN) experiment has seen evidence of dark matter, based on an unexplained single event that could be a WIMP-like particle.
10 Sep 2026 · 17m · 7 chapters
Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science
The episode is a Science Weekly roundup of 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes. Topic 1: “Are rich people really worse behaved?” Researchers led by Dr Paul Piff (UC Irvine) ran seven experiments comparing “upper”…
8 Sep 2026 · 18m · 6 chapters
Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots
The Guardian Investigates’ Black Box: The Chatbots explores “AI psychosis”—cases where people develop delusions after intensive chatbot conversations, sometimes believing the AI is conscious or…
6 Sep 2026 · 40m · 18 chapters
There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it?
Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, and satellites helped The Guardian identify over 1,000 “mega-leaks” in 2023.
3 Sep 2026 · 14m · 8 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy