The Guardian
220 episodes listed below
Guardian science editor Ian Sample and host Madeleine Finlay unpack the week's research news.
Science Weekly follows the science behind current events without rushing past uncertainty. Recent episodes move from Artemis moon missions and antimatter transport to guinea worm eradication, meningitis, consciousness and wellness claims.
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Science Weekly is a Guardian-produced podcast that covers science and environment news roughly twice a week, running about 15 to 25 minutes per episode. The core format is a conversation between host Madeleine Finlay and Guardian science editor Ian Sample, who together summarize and discuss two or three recent research stories per episode, drawing on findings from universities such as UCL, Oxford, and Cornell. A second recurring format is the longer single-guest interview, where Finlay or Sample talks with an author or researcher in depth, such as Michael Pollan on his book about consciousness or Heather Massey on the physiology of saunas and cold plunges. Topics skew toward health and neuroscience, space exploration, animal biology, and the social effects of AI, generally framed through a specific new study, paper, or book rather than abstract theorizing. The tone is journalistic and explanatory rather than academic, aimed at translating peer-reviewed or newly published research into accessible conversation. Episodes are produced with a small named production team (sound design and production credits appear in the notes), giving the show a polished, magazine-style feel typical of Guardian audio. Listeners who want deep technical detail on any one paper will need to look elsewhere, since each story gets roughly 5 to 10 minutes of discussion in the roundup episodes. The show occasionally cross-promotes other Guardian podcast strands within its own feed, including narrative true-crime series like Off Duty and Guardian Investigates, and long-form journalism from the Guardian Long Read. This makes the feed slightly broader than a pure science show, though the regular Science Weekly episodes remain focused on research news and expert interviews. It suits listeners who follow Guardian science journalism and want a recurring, digestible check-in on what's new in research rather than a narrative or debate-driven show.
Made for: Guardian readers and general listeners who want journalist-led, accessible summaries of current science and health research rather than specialist depth.
What sets it apart: Unlike scientist-hosted science podcasts, this show is run by Guardian journalists themselves, pairing a dedicated host with the paper's own science editor for a twice-weekly news-roundup format alongside occasional long-form author interviews.
Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Careful questioning connects scientific evidence to health choices, emerging technology, climate policy, and space exploration without disguising uncertainty.
Science Weekly (Guardian) turns large scientific questions into focused conversations without sanding away the uncertainty. Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample move between human consciousness in the age of AI, the evidence around sauna and cold-water immersion, climate economics,…
Hedgehog ultrasound meets climate economics, while sauna hype waits outside the lab.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A steady look at a popular ritual, with the evidence kept in clear focus.
It takes a measured line on saunas and cold water immersion, keeping the claims tied to the evidence rather than the hype. The discussion distinguishes what looks well supported from the bigger promises people often attach to heart health, mood, immunity, and adaptation, and it…
A steady look at what Artemis 2 is meant to prove.
Science Weekly uses Artemis 2 to ask a larger, harder question: why go back to the Moon now, and what would progress even mean after Apollo. It stays close to the mission itself, moving through launch delays and programme changes, while keeping the bigger purpose in view.
A careful tour of consciousness that keeps the mystery intact.
Science Weekly treats consciousness as something clear enough to follow and slippery enough to stay with the listener. Michael Pollan and Ian Sample move from the brain's automatic background systems to the experience of awareness, then widen the frame to thought, feeling, and…
A murder in Chicago that becomes a close look at a 12-year fight for innocence.
A Chicago police officer is shot dead on the West Side, and the story opens outward from that killing into a 12-year fight to prove innocence.
Three science threads, handled with calm curiosity and a light touch.
This episode keeps three ideas in play: exercise, hedgehog hearing, and AI autocomplete. The order is a little odd, but it never feels random. Each segment stays close to evidence, which helps the show avoid the usual puffed-up science tone.
A careful climate debate about whether growth can outrun emissions fast enough.
This episode takes on a clean but stubborn question: can economies keep growing while emissions fall fast enough to matter. It moves from the rise in global GDP since the 1960s to the harder test of whether decoupling can happen quickly enough to fit the Paris Agreement goals.
Amy Martin's documentary series on Indigenous listening practices and the nonhuman world.
Masha Gessen narrates her own cousin's murder-for-hire arrest and custody battle.
Rich Roll interviews recovery and endurance guests, plus 'Roll On' segments with Adam Skolnick.
Peter Attia evaluates longevity science, from CETP inhibitors to protein debates, through evidence.
Rhonda Patrick translates NAD, vitamin D, and coffee research into daily health protocols.
Shawn Stevenson interviews researchers and coaches on nutrition, sleep, hormones, and fitness.
This episode discusses the Artemis II mission, its crew, progress, and implications for returning humans to the moon.
This episode explores the challenges of eradicating guinea worm, a painful parasitic disease, after a successful public health campaign reduced infections from millions to near zero.
Host Madeline Finlay and Guardian science editor Ian Sample ask whether saunas and cold plunges actually deliver the health benefits their fans claim.
Guardian Science Weekly frames NASA's Artemis 2 as a test of whether the Moon still matters, with the launch expected from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
This episode discusses CERN's groundbreaking transport of antimatter, specifically 92 anti-protons, in a historic road trip to study this exotic and volatile substance.
Author Michael Pollan joins Ian Sample to discuss his new book A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness.
Chicago police officer Clifton Lewis was shot dead at the M&M Mini Mart on December 29, 2011, four days after getting engaged.
This episode discusses a recent meningitis outbreak in Canterbury affecting students, including deaths and public health responses like antibiotics and vaccination programs.
This episode explores the rise of unregulated peptide use among wellness influencers for self-optimization, questioning their safety and efficacy.
Host Madeleine Finlay and Guardian science editor Ian Sample cover three stories: a UCL study on exercise, BDNF, and brain function; Oxford research showing hedgehogs hear up to 40 kilohertz; and Cornell work on biased AI autocomplete shifting people's views.
This episode examines Iran's nuclear ambitions, the status of its uranium stockpile, and the implications of recent military operations.
An interview with an energy correspondent about China's massive investment in renewable energy and its implications for global climate goals.
The episode discusses the US and Israel's strikes on Iran, the killing of Iran's supreme leader, and the controversy over using Anthropic's AI model in military operations.
This episode explores whether degrowth or green growth is the better approach to addressing climate change, featuring economists Nick Stern and Jason Hickel.
This episode explores the scientific understanding of body fat, challenging misconceptions and revealing its complex role as an active organ.
This episode covers the week's top science stories, including a psychedelic drug trial for depression and the evolutionary reason for human chins, along with a political news item about Alexei Navalny's death.
Ian Sample and Madeline Finlay debunk social media claims about magnesium supplements, examining the scientific evidence behind purported benefits.
A report on the invasion of quagga mussels in Lake Geneva and their ecological impact.
A weekly science news roundup covering stories about animal tool use, scabies outbreaks, and the effect of positive thinking on vaccine immune response.
A dream scientist discusses her research on dreams, including methods and insights from her new book.
This episode features an interview with sleep expert Dr.
The episode covers the Trump administration's cuts to science agencies and funding, alongside other science news.
A nutrition scientist discusses diet myths, ultra-processed foods, and his experience with the new health secretary.
This episode investigates the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute, prompted by a listener question.
An investigative podcast series exploring the free birth movement and its influencer-led organization, The Free Birth Society.
This episode explores whether reliance on AI could make humans less intelligent, featuring a discussion between the host and co-host about cognitive impacts.
This episode covers an interstellar comet, the legacy of James Watson, and a potential cause of lupus.
A journalist reflects on moving to Brazil and discusses the historical exploration of the Amazon River by Spanish conquistadors.
A journalist describes a magical nighttime walk in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest with scientist Celia and students, culminating in a sensory experience under a Brazil nut tree.
This episode revisits a miniseries exploring how to save the Amazon, inspired by the murders of journalist Dom Phillips and guide Bruno Pereira, and sets the stage for discussing the rainforest's critical role in global climate balance ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
A science correspondent investigates a case of tea fraud in Scotland, tracing the origins of supposedly Scottish tea plants and products.
A science correspondent investigates a tea mystery at Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel.
A science journalist investigates the mystery of tea growing in Scotland, exploring agricultural science and local innovation.
The episode covers the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, featuring interviews with laureates and analysis from science correspondents.
This episode explores the real science of weight loss through the work of leading nutritional scientist Kevin Hall, who faced censorship from the RFK Jr.