44 episodes
Science Weekly, page 2
by The Guardian · English
Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news
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Could humans ever communicate with whales?
Whether humans can decode whale vocalizations and potentially “communicate” with whales, and what that could mean for conservation.
1 Sep 2026 · 17m · 10 chapters
Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them?
Backlash against hyperscale data centres (especially in Scotland) and what it could mean for AI’s hardware buildout.
27 Aug 2026 · 17m · 9 chapters
Creatine: is there truth behind the hype?
Whether creatine “lives up to the hype” as a mainstream supplement, what it does in the body, how strong the evidence is, who benefits, and risks.
25 Aug 2026 · 16m · 7 chapters
It’s finally raining. Will it be enough to end the drought?
Europe/UK drought after an exceptionally hot, dry summer; whether incoming rain will replenish reservoirs; risks of “weather whiplash” (drought and floods); and what to do at water-company,…
20 Aug 2026 · 16m · 9 chapters
The ultra rich are collecting fossils, and that’s bad for science
The boom in private fossil collecting and celebrity purchases, focusing on how major Jurassic specimens are leaving the UK and harming scientific access.
18 Aug 2026 · 15m · 7 chapters
The immortal jellyfish and other mindblowing invertebrates
The Guardian Science Weekly discusses its “Invertebrate of the Year” competition and spotlights three nominees: the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dorni), the horseshoe crab, and the “leaf sheep”…
13 Aug 2026 · 15m · 8 chapters
We’re reading less. And it’s making us stupid
The episode argues that people are reading less and that this may harm brain function, literacy, and critical thinking, potentially contributing to a “post-literate” future.
11 Aug 2026 · 20m · 11 chapters
Four types of thinker, the cyclosporiasis outbreak, and the UK’s biggest telescope threatened
Science Weekly episode covers three Guardian science stories. First: a Claremont Graduate University pre-print (Joshua Tassoff) uses an app that beeped 8 times/day for 2 weeks (258 Americans; 23,000+…
6 Aug 2026 · 22m · 8 chapters
The fight to save a historic English landscape
The Wildlife Trusts’ urgent effort to buy the Rothbury estate (3,800 hectares) from the Duke of Northumberland’s family, to protect a 700-year-old English landscape and restore nature before a…
4 Aug 2026 · 17m · 8 chapters
Revisited: Saunas and cold plunges, where does the evidence stand?
Whether hot saunas, cold-water immersion (10–15°C), and alternating “contrast therapy” have health benefits, and what the evidence actually shows.
30 Jul 2026 · 16m · 9 chapters
Revisited: The surprising science of dreams and nightmares
The science of dreams and nightmares—how dreams arise across sleep stages, why they’re bizarre, what they might do for memory and threat rehearsal, how dream themes change with age, why some people…
28 Jul 2026 · 22m · 11 chapters
Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode three – a bag for life
Final episode of The Guardian’s “A Scottish Tea Mystery” series. It explains how Tam O’Brien/Thomas Robinson allegedly sold fake “Scottish” tea plants and products, how investigators traced supply…
23 Jul 2026 · 20m · 15 chapters
Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode two – the list
Scotland’s Balmoral Hotel sells an “all-Scottish” tea list, allegedly tied to tea entrepreneur Tam O’Brien.
22 Jul 2026 · 23m · 8 chapters
Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode one – green shoots
Episode 1 of Science Weekly’s Scottish tea mystery (“Green Shoots”) investigates Tam O’Brien’s claim that he can grow and sell tea in Scotland, and why early evidence from a buyer doesn’t add up.
21 Jul 2026 · 22m · 12 chapters
Can a world-first gene therapy reverse ageing?
Science Weekly discusses whether gene therapy could “reverse” biological ageing by rejuvenating cells, focusing on a world-first human trial targeting age-related eye disease.
16 Jul 2026 · 18m · 10 chapters
Fungi: the invisible force protecting our planet
Science Weekly episode on Palmyra Atoll’s underground mycorrhizal fungi networks and how they support plant survival, nutrient cycling, and restoration; includes a new global map of mycorrhizal fungi…
14 Jul 2026 · 16m · 8 chapters
Is male testosterone in freefall?
Science Weekly discusses whether male testosterone is declining over decades, what might be driving it, and implications for fertility and low-T treatment.
9 Jul 2026 · 14m · 7 chapters
‘A break from scrolling’: how Gen Z fell in love with birding
Gen Z birding boom and how “shifting baseline syndrome” makes bird loss feel normal; the episode links declining bird numbers to quieter dawn choruses and argues birdwatching (plus apps and social…
7 Jul 2026 · 17m · 6 chapters
‘Beautiful blobs’: can scientists build life from scratch?
Science Weekly discusses whether researchers can build life from scratch, focusing on University of Minnesota geneticist Kate Adamala’s “spud cell” (a synthetic cell/“blob”) that can grow, divide,…
2 Jul 2026 · 17m · 8 chapters
Reflecting pool algae: the science Trump needs to know
The science behind the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s algae bloom after Donald Trump’s $14 million “American flag blue” coating for the 250th US birthday, and what could prevent it from returning.
30 Jun 2026 · 16m · 9 chapters