Episodes

  • What will Trump 2.0 mean for science?

    What will Trump 2.0 mean for science?
    Nov 6 2024
    Madeleine Finlay talks to science editor and podcast co-host Ian Sample about how Donald Trump approached science when in office last time, and what his second term is likely to mean for the environment, health and scientific research. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    18 mins
  • Could we really live on Mars?

    Could we really live on Mars?
    Nov 5 2024
    Space-settling enthusiasts have long had an eye on Mars, and now they have the backing of the world’s richest man. Elon Musk recently claimed that humans could be on the planet by 2030 and be living there in a self-sustaining city within 20 years. But is it really that simple? Madeleine Finlay heads to Imperial College London where Prof Sanjeev Gupta gives her a tour of the red planet, and meets Kelly Weinersmith who, along with her husband, Zach, recently won the Royal Society Trivedi science book prize for their book A City on Mars. She explains why life on Mars may not be the idyll some would have us believe. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    21 mins
  • Love motels and gridlocked talks: all the news from Cop16

    Love motels and gridlocked talks: all the news from Cop16
    Oct 31 2024
    Biodiversity correspondent Phoebe Weston takes Madeleine Finlay through the news from the UN Cop16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia. Countries are wrangling over funding to protect nature and who should profit from the natural resources of the world’s least developed nations. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    16 mins
  • The US tech startup promising smarter babies

    The US tech startup promising smarter babies
    Oct 29 2024
    A startup company, Heliospect Genomics, is offering to help wealthy couples screen their embryos for IQ using controversial technology that raises questions about the ethics of genetic enhancement. Science correspondent Hannah Devlin tells Madeleine Finlay about the joint investigation into the company by the Guardian and the campaign group Hope Not Hate. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    20 mins
  • What’s at stake for the climate if Trump wins?

    What’s at stake for the climate if Trump wins?
    Oct 24 2024
    With less than two weeks until the US election, Madeleine Finlay speaks to climate activist and author Bill McKibben to find out what a win for Donald Trump could mean for the environment and the world’s climate goals. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    16 mins
  • How the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs made ants into farmers

    How the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs made ants into farmers
    Oct 22 2024
    Madeleine Finlay hears from Ted Schultz, curator of ants at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, about his recent study into the origins of fungi farming in ants. He tells Madeleine about the incredibly complex way that ants cultivate and protect their fungi gardens, and how the asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago could have kickstarted it all. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    16 mins
  • Is sleep perfectionism making us more exhausted?

    Is sleep perfectionism making us more exhausted?
    Oct 17 2024
    As the sleep tracking industry booms, some worry that it could be driving orthosomnia, the medical term for an unhealthy obsession with attaining perfect sleep, usually driven by a wearable device. Madeleine Finlay speaks to consultant neurologist and sleep physician Dr Guy Leschziner to find out whether this tech is helping or hindering our chances of maximising sleep’s health benefits. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    17 mins
  • What Milton and Helene reveal about the future of hurricanes

    What Milton and Helene reveal about the future of hurricanes
    Oct 15 2024
    Ian Sample speaks to Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at nonprofit Climate Central, about the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season so far, and what it tells us about how hurricanes will behave in future. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    15 mins