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Science Weekly

Science Weekly

By: The Guardian
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Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news© 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Science
Episodes
  • Are baby girls more sociable? Super El Niño, meningitis outbreak explained

    Are baby girls more sociable? Super El Niño, meningitis outbreak explained
    Sep 24 2026
    Madeleine Finlay sits down with her co-host and Guardian science editor, Ian Sample, to discuss three science stories from the week, including a study that offers a clue in the age-old debate about whether sex differences are present from birth or a product of socialisation. Also on the agenda is the super El Niño, which is predicted to lead to 450,000 deaths in the next six months, and an answer to why the UK’s meningitis outbreak earlier this year was so big.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    22 mins
  • ‘Beautiful blobs’: can scientists build life from scratch?

    ‘Beautiful blobs’: can scientists build life from scratch?
    Jul 2 2026
    Researchers claim they are closer to creating life from nothing after building tiny, quivering blobs that use lab-made DNA to feed, grow and multiply in a dish. To find out how significant this step is, and where scientists hope it will lead, Madeleine Finlay hears from co-host Ian Sample and from Kate Adamala, professor of genetics at the University of Minnesota. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    17 mins
  • ‘A break from scrolling’: how Gen Z fell in love with birding

    ‘A break from scrolling’: how Gen Z fell in love with birding
    Jul 7 2026
    In the last 50 years, Britain has lost an astonishing 73 million wild birds from its landscape, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Habitat loss, pesticides, disease, cats and the climate crisis mean there are fewer birds than ever before. For children and young people it can be difficult to appreciate the scale of the loss due to a psychological phenomenon called ‘shifting baseline syndrome’, where each generation inherits a degraded version of the environment, and therefore doesn’t notice the overall decline. But Gen Z are bucking the trend. Thanks to social media and the Merlin Bird ID app, birding has become cool. To find out what we’re missing from the dawn chorus, and why young people are embracing birdwatching, Madeleine Finlay hears from the writer Robert Macfarlane and from Jess Painter, a member of the RSPB’s youth council. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    17 mins
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