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From the evolution of intelligent life, to the mysteries of consciousness; from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Hosted by journalists Dr Rowan Hooper and Dr Penny Sarchet and joined each week by expert scientists in the field, the show draws on New Scientist’s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context. Feed your curiosity with the podcast that will restore your sense of optimism and nourish your brain.
For more visit newscientist.com/podcasts
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Climate Overshoot Is Here - And Antarctica Is in Trouble
Episode 407 The latest UN climate report is out and we’ve blown past 1.5 degrees of warming. We’re now in “overshoot” - an acknowledgement that global temperatures will rise beyond 1.5 degrees, but can theoretically be brought back down aga
How Your Brain Cleans Itself - And What Happens When It Goes Wrong
Episode 406 The glymphatic system is the brain’s waste disposal system - responsible for clearing out harmful toxins that build up during the day. Now a new mouse study has connected reduced glyphatic flow to Alzheimer’s disease. And becaus
If the AMOC Collapses - Could We Reverse the Damage?
Episode 405 The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a major system of ocean currents that plays a vital role in Earth’s climate. If it collapses, the consequences could be catastrophic. We could see ice-age level winters i
Secrets of the World’s Longest-Lived Animals
Episode 404 Jonathan the tortoise was born in the year 1832, on a beach in the Seychelles. 194 years later and Jonathan is still alive, celebrating his birthday. How exactly has he managed to survive for so long? Jonathan is a giant tortois
New Fossil Shows Birds Weren’t the Only Dinosaurs to Evolve Flight
Episode 403 A new species of feathered dinosaur has been discovered - and it looks like a supercharged magpie with teeth. Fossil evidence and an artist’s reconstruction show the dinosaur looks remarkably like a bird - yet it’s not actually
This El Niño Is About To Cause a Global Catastrophe
Episode 402 The current El Niño is shaping up to cause catastrophe on a global scale. Global temperatures are being pushed up, unleashing extreme weather which could devastate ecosystems. The heat alone is expected to kill half a million pe
How to Be Hopeful: Caitlin Moran and New Scientist Look to the Future
Episode 401 Anxiety is everywhere. Climate change, political turmoil and a constant stream of alarming headlines can make optimism feel impossible. But to be hopeful you don’t need to ignore reality. What if it’s about paying attention to t
THIS Is What You Need To Worry About With The Rise Of AI
Episode 400 Should we really be afraid of AI? Many headline statements from the likes of Anthrophic, OpenAI and even the King are raising alarm bells over the threat of AI to humanity. AI companies are even calling to be more highly regulat
The Mystery of Childbirth Is Finally Being Unravelled
Episode 399 Some aspects of childbirth have remained surprisingly mysterious - and scientists haven’t been able to agree on what actually kicks off the labour process. But they’ve finally worked out what’s going on - and the discovery could
AI Just Solved One of the Hardest Problems in Mathematics
Episode 398 OpenAI says it has just solved one of the hardest problems in mathematics. The Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem has been unsolved for more than 200 years. Now AI has cracked it, some claim we’ve finally reached “AG
New Discovery Reveals the Secret Lives of Denisovans
Episode 397 The first evidence has been discovered that Denisovans lived in south-west China. This ancient species of human spent over 100,000 years in the region and left behind incredible artefacts that tell us how they lived. 64,000 frag
The Nepal Disaster: How Climate Change is Reshaping the World
Episode 396 A devastating climate disaster has killed at least 1,200 people in Nepal. A mass of ice and rock came crashing down off the Langtang mountain into the valley below. The climate crisis has made events like this much more likely.
Scientists Find Best Evidence Yet For Dark Matter
Episode 395 Dark matter particles may have finally been spotted for the first time. LUX-ZEPLIN is the most sensitive dark matter detector on Earth - and what it’s discovered has the potential, if confirmed, to shake up all of physics. Despi
Why Humans Like Bigger Breasts - And a New Way to Augment Them
Episode 394 A new technique using a woman’s own fat cells has been used to reconstruct her breast without silicone implants. By injecting her own tissue into a dissolving scaffold, it’s hoped this technique will make breast augmentation saf
ADHD Is Not a Myth - What the Science Really Says
Episode 393 A controversial TV show has suggested ADHD is a myth - a largely made up condition that is really just a “social construct”. But the science just doesn’t back this up. Decades of research prove ADHD is a real condition that impa
Wildfires Changed Human Evolution - Is It Happening Again?
Episode 392 Ancient wildfires may have shaped the course of human evolution. A reconstruction of the environment in East Africa 1.75 million years ago suggests a particularly volatile period of climate change made our species adapt rapidly.
New Treatment Saves Children With Terminal Brain Cancer
Episode 391 Brain tumours are the most common and most deadly form of solid tumours in children. But a brand new kind of immunotherapy has shown incredible promise, saving four terminally ill children. By using a child’s own immune cells, t
Latitude Special: Why Festivals Make You Live Longer; Clearing Alzheimer’s Proteins from the Brain;Clouds Made of Rocks and Rubies; Orcas Blow Up Giant Fish
Episode 390 In a special episode recorded live at Latitude Festival in England, we open with the finding that orcas in the Gulf of California have been making fish explode like piñatas. Sunfish are too large for orcas to get their teeth aro
Climate 2026: Record Heat, Tens of Thousands Dead, Mass Evacuations
Episode 389 Europe is burning through another summer of extreme heat. Temperatures are soaring across the continent, wildfires are forcing mass evacuations in France and Spain, and scientists warn that heatwaves are becoming more frequent,
Scientists Pioneer Surgical Methods for Human Head and Eye Transplants
Episode 388 Two extraordinary breakthroughs have been made in transplant surgery. First, scientists have found a way of keeping human eyes alive for up to 10 hours after death, opening up the possibility of eye transplants in the future. An
The Most Promising Alien Planet We've Ever Found?
Episode 387 Two big interstellar discoveries have hit the headlines. One is the discovery of the first atmosphere ever found on a small, rocky exoplanet that could host alien life. The planet LHS 1140b is about 50 light years from Earth and
Climate Crisis Is Triggering Global Food Shortages - New Predictions Are Devastating
Episode 386 The climate crisis is having a significant impact on yields of crucial food crops. Losses of maize, wheat and soybeans alone are costing $20 billion a year due to heat and drought. New estimates expect this to rise to $160 billi
7 Essential Lessons We Can Learn From Homer’s Odyssey
Episode 385 What can Homer’s Odyssey teach us about psychology and human nature? Locked up in this 2,500-year-old text are a host of profound lessons and ancient wisdom. In her new book The Odyssey Mindset, Oxford classicist and clinical ps
Chris Packham on the Untold Story of Evolution
Episode 384 The story of evolution is being brought to life in a new way. BBC series Evolution tells the story of 5 iconic animals, from elephants to ostriches, using CGI to reimagine ancient fossils. And this isn’t just about the animals t
Heatwaves Are Getting Deadlier - And It’s Going To Get Worse
Episode 383 As another heatwave takes hold, figures are now showing just how deadly the last one was. With one early estimate suggesting as many as 25,000 people may have died in Europe as a result of June’s extreme heat. Heatwaves across E
Breakthrough Synthetic Cell Has Just Reproduced - But Is It Alive?
Episode 382 Scientists have created a synthetic cell with just 36 genes that can copy DNA and replicate. In an attempt to create a “minimal cell”, a team led by professor Kate Adamala have built “SpudCell” from the ground up, using non-livi
The Science of Football: Inside the 2026 World Cup
Episode 381 Advances in sports science, data analysis and AI are having a huge impact on the way football is played. With England rated highly in this year’s World Cup, and teams such as Paraguay causing upsets - how will science help give
Ancient Human DNA Found in Stone Age Cave Art For First Time
Episode 380 The DNA of ancient humans has been found preserved in cave art that’s more than 40,000 years old. This discovery could open an entirely new avenue for finding out about the lives of our ancient ancestors. Researchers from the Fi
A “Super” El Niño May Be Coming - Here’s What It Means
Episode 379 El Niño has officially arrived – a natural climate event that raises global temperatures. The difference this time is it looks very likely to become a “Super” El Niño. This is a more extreme warming phase which could lead to rec
The Lost Solstice Monument That Predates Stonehenge By 500 Years
Episode 378 A prototype Stonehenge has been discovered - an even older structure that may have been a first attempt at building the famous megalithic calendar. A team led by archaeologist Phil Harding, best-known for the TV series ‘Time Tea