The World, the Universe and Us

The World, the Universe and Us

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

Episodes

Mathematics is Undergoing the Biggest Change in its History

March 13, 2026 • 24 mins
Episode 351 Artificial intelligence is starting to solve mathematical theorems better than humans. Mathematicians say AI is now an existential threat to their work. As one professor puts it; “We are running out of places to hide.” From winning gold medals at mathematics competitions, to solving previously unanswered Erdős problems, multiple AI achievements have come together recently to exceed all expectations of its capabilities...
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The Radical Theory That Could Force Us To Rethink Alzheimer’s

March 11, 2026 • 18 mins
Episode 350 What If Alzheimer’s disease starts in the body, not the brain? A radical new theory upends everything we thought we knew about the disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia - the leading cause of death in the UK. And for 100 years we believed it all happened in the brain. Despite all of the major symptoms of Alzheimer’s being brain related, scientists studying gene activity have discovered something sur...
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We Now Have Early Warning Signal Of Ocean Current Collapse

March 8, 2026 • 25 mins
Episode 349 One of the most vital systems of ocean currents - needed to keep life in northern Europe stable - is at risk of collapse. And now we can predict when it’s going to happen. Thanks to the work of climate scientists, we now have a model that tells us when major shifts in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are expected. The AMOC is the Atlantic conveyor belt that keeps northern Europe temperate. If it ...
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Two 'Extinct' Mammals Species Have Been Discovered in New Guinea

March 5, 2026 • 19 mins
Episode 348 Thought extinct for 6,000 years, two marsupial species have been discovered alive in New Guinea. Biologists have found a new genus of marsupial glider and the Pygmy Long-fingered Possum on a small Western part of the island. One biologist said this discovery was “more important than finding a living Thylacine in Tasmania”. Host Rowan Hooper is joined by Tim Flannery of the Australian Museum in Sydney, who led the tea...
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How Ukraine Became a Drone Factory - and Changed Warfare Forever

February 27, 2026 • 19 mins
Episode 347 Drones have taken over the battlefield in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Tens of thousands of drones are being produced every day - operating as kill vehicles for both sides. Multiple types are being deployed, including flying artillery drones and ground drones. Now the deadliest war since World War 2 - and considered the first “drone war” - the conflict is being fought in a way unlike we’ve ever seen before. With more than...
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The world is running out of water - can cloud-seeding save us?; Why some people get stuck in grief; Is our black hole actually a clump of dark matter?

February 20, 2026 • 30 mins
Episode 346 The world is running out of water, with many countries suffering from significant water shortages. We’re now having to rely on groundwater that takes thousands of years to replenish – so what can we do? One group says, to save us from worldwide “water bankruptcy”, we need to artificially change the weather. Although “cloud-seeding” has been around for a long time, a new technique is getting big results in the US. But t...
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How ancient humans crossed the vast ocean; Brain training for dementia; Life of science legend Maggie Aderin

February 13, 2026 • 40 mins
Episode 345 More than 8,500 years ago, ancient people crossed the ocean to the remote island of Malta for the first time. Long before compasses or sails were invented, these prehistoric people navigated the seas on logs, using the stars to travel vast distances. Recent findings show we’ve long underestimated the voyaging capabilities of stone-age hunter-gatherers. We discuss the many examples of ancient travel - and what this all ...
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Why Elon Musk plans to put 1 million satellites in orbit; Should we be giving sleep drugs to kids?; Why global pesticide risk is not improving

February 6, 2026 • 37 mins
Episode 344 Elon Musk has announced he wants to merge SpaceX with another of his companies, xAI, and launch one million satellites into space. One reason - according to Musk - is to eventually harness the entire power of the sun, a sci-fi sounding idea that would make us a Kardashev Type II civilisation. But he also wants the satellites to help power AI and move data centres off Earth. Is his goal realistic… and what would be the ...
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Mini human brain grows blood vessels; The geoengineering risk of termination shock; Trove of ancient fossils discovered

January 30, 2026 • 40 mins
Episode 343 The task of growing human brains in a lab has taken a step forward. Scientists have been creating brain organoids since 2013, but have now grown blood vessels in them for the first time. These mini brains resemble the developing cortex - the area of the brain that thinks, feels and stores memories. These advancements will help us learn more about the brain and conditions like dementia. But what if we go too far and the...
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The 5 worst ideas of the 21st century – and how they went wrong

January 23, 2026 • 41 mins
Episode 342 Social media began with the best intentions - but it soon went sour. Platforms that once fostered connection are now driven by an endless desire to monopolise our time. From the endless scroll to ragebait content, social media is no longer designed to connect us with friends and family - but to profit from our attention. And that’s not to mention the damaging political influence it can have. As countries and government...
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Rutger Bregman on the crisis of moral ambition; Why primates have same-sex relationships; Living longer is easier than you think; Bizarre method to fight climate change

January 16, 2026 • 54 mins
Episode 341 "The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads. That sucks." A compelling quote that sums up the thesis of Rutger Bregman’s new book. In Moral Ambition, the Dutch historian and the best-selling author argues that smart people need to stop wasting their lives in “BS” jobs - and turn their skills to causes that benefit humanity. By reflecting on the history of the abolitionist and women’...
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Why does America want Greenland?; Mystery of dark DNA; Ozempic weight rebound

January 9, 2026 • 31 mins
Episode 340 Acquiring Greenland has been deemed a national security priority by America. President Trump wants to use the country to deter adversaries in the Arctic, have control over its rare minerals and oil - and maybe even build experimental cities. But with the challenges of a changing climate, difficulty actually extracting any natural resources and the fact that Greenland isn’t free to occupy, how realistic are Trump's goal...
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Humans are finally heading back to the moon; Cheaper weight loss drugs are coming; Milestone for LSD trials; Promise of new carbon tax

January 1, 2026 • 32 mins
Episode 339 Humans are finally going back to the moon. NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch in April, taking four astronauts in a loop around the moon. If it goes well, it’ll set the stage for a lunar landing by Artemis III - bringing us closer to creating permanent settlements on the surface. And that’s not all - SpaceX is planning to visit Mars this year as part of its plans to colonise the Red Planet. Plus, in May we migh...
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Best science TV, film and books of 2025 | The New Scientist culture review

December 25, 2025 • 24 mins
Episode 336 Looking for something great to read or watch on TV over the festive period? We’ve got you covered. In a special edition of the podcast, we share our favourite books, TV and films of 2025 - for those moments when you need a break from the festivities. From pure science fiction to books exploring climate change and the history of our early ancestors, we have something for everyone. Below is a list of our top picks. Fil...
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Top Science Stories of 2025 | The New Scientist Features Special

December 18, 2025 • 59 mins
Episode 337 As we reach the end of the year, catch up on some of New Scientist’s most exciting and thought-provoking features of the past twelve months.  For decades we’ve got autism in girls all wrong. Symptoms present quite differently in girls to boys, meaning they often go undiagnosed. So why have we failed to see the differences - and why are girls so often neglected by autism research? We review a feature written by Gina Ri...
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Orcas and dolphins are now hunting together; Genetic root of psychiatric conditions; Black hole stars and cosmic ecology

December 12, 2025 • 33 mins
Episode 336 In an unlikely turn of events, orcas and dolphins have been observed teaming up - to hunt and kill massive chinook salmon in the pacific. Given that orcas sometimes prey on dolphins, what’s going on? Despite the promising signs of cooperation between these two species, there may be something less heartwarming at play. We dig into the findings and discuss other surprising ways animals cooperate with each other. From sc...
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How exercise shrinks tumours and starves cancer; Weird molecules found on comet 3I/ATLAS; Einstein v Bohr on the nature of light

December 5, 2025 • 25 mins
Episode 335 Exercise has been shown to shrink tumours by 60 per cent. A new study shows another link between regular exercise and cancer prevention, this time revealing that muscle cells may outcompete cancer cells for energy - basically starving them. We explore the links between metabolism and glucose - with the caveat that so far this has only been demonstrated in mice, in a small study. The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may be...
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The evolution of sperm and the enduring mystery of the scrotum; How our brain rewires itself 4 times in life; The (real) disaster scenarios of imminent climate breakdown

November 28, 2025 • 39 mins
Episode 334 Which sperm is the oldest sperm - the ancestor sperm that came before all others? Well, you might think it links back to an ancient animal that came before us, but the oldest sperm may actually predate animals altogether. We explore this plus the enduring mystery of the scrotum - and why a male’s most important body part is so delicate and…exposed. The team hears about the variation in scrotum morphology across mammals...
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The origin and evolution of music: Steve Pretty plays the conch

November 21, 2025 • 30 mins
Episode 333 It’s not often you get to see or hear someone playing music on a conch shell. So prepare yourself for a musical treat with musician and podcaster Steve Pretty, who brings into the studio a trumpet and a collection of his favourite conches, rigged up to some modern electronics. Steve is best known as the bandleader of the Hackney Colliery Band, and also hosts the Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces podcast. Perfo...
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New genome of ancient human; 95% of us have a dormant virus that causes disease; Formula E cars faster than F1; Bill Bryson joins the pod!

November 14, 2025 • 45 mins
Episode 332 For only the second time, the genome of an ancient Denisovan has been sequenced - thanks to the discovery of a 200,000-year-old tooth found in a Siberian cave. This ancient member of the human family has long been a mystery, so this genome is being described as a bombshell moment, revealing an early stage of Denisovan history. We explore how this reshapes our understanding about the origins of our species. Some 95 per...
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