Épisodes

  • Protein, weights and the best way to keep fit: your exercise questions answered

    Protein, weights and the best way to keep fit: your exercise questions answered
    Jan 30 2025
    In the second episode of our listener questions special, Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what he has uncovered about who the exercise guidelines were created for and whether they apply to all of us, which exercises are best for keeping us strong, whether we should be eating particular foods when we exercise, and how much protein we need to consume if we’re packing in the hours at the gym. With contributions from Jason Gill, professor of cardiometabolic health at the University of Glasgow; Benjamin Wall, professor of nutritional physiology at the University of Exeter; Clyde Williams, emeritus professor of sports science at Loughborough University; Victoria Taylor, head of clinical support at the British Heart Foundation and I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    23 min
  • Sugar, seed oils, and avoiding sickness: your health questions answered

    Sugar, seed oils, and avoiding sickness: your health questions answered
    Jan 28 2025
    We asked for your questions on getting healthy in 2025 and you delivered. In the first episode of our listener questions special, Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample what she has uncovered about the scientifically proven ways to cut down on sugar, the truth behind the panic over seed oils, and why it is that some of us seem to have bullet proof immune systems, while others succumb to every bug they encounter. With contributions from Wendy Wood, provost professor emerita of psychology and business at USC Dornsife, John Trowsdale, emeritus professor of immunology at the University of Cambridge and Katherine Appleton, professor of psychology at Bournemouth University. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    24 min
  • The science of racism, and how to fight it

    The science of racism, and how to fight it
    Jan 23 2025
    Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book, The Science of Racism, explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and discrimination. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    19 min
  • Telepathy…what’s the evidence?

    Telepathy…what’s the evidence?
    Jan 21 2025
    A podcast promoting claims that non-verbal autistic children can read minds briefly knocked Joe Rogan off the top of the charts this month, which made the Science Weekly team wonder, how has science attempted to prove or disprove the existence of mind reading? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Chris French, emeritus professor of psychology at Goldsmiths University. They discuss how scientists have tested this phenomenon, what else could be behind the apparent ability of some people to read minds, and why the idea is still so popular. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    17 min
  • Our science predictions for 2025

    Our science predictions for 2025
    Jan 16 2025
    Last year was full of unexpected science news, from a new strain of Mpox emerging in the DRC, to artificial intelligence dominating the Nobel prizes and two astronauts getting ‘stuck’ in space. So what will this year bring? Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big stories likely to hit the headlines and share their predictions for 2025. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    19 min
  • How weather ‘whiplash’ set the stage for the LA fires

    How weather ‘whiplash’ set the stage for the LA fires
    Jan 14 2025
    As wildfires continue to cause devastation in Los Angeles, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Albert van Dijk, professor of water science and management at the Australian National University, about how rising temperatures are causing rapid swings in extreme weather. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    14 min
  • Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back?

    Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back?
    Jan 9 2025
    The Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year at the end of 2024: brain rot. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many of us who feel we just don’t have the mental capacity we once did. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, has been studying our waning attention spans for 20 years. She tells Madeleine Finlay why she believes our powers of concentration are not beyond rescue, and reveals her top tips for finding focus. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    17 min
  • Are we hardwired to commit ‘deadly sins’?

    Are we hardwired to commit ‘deadly sins’?
    Jan 7 2025
    Scientists are increasingly finding that behaviours once seen as depraved often have a direct physical cause. To find out more, Ian Sample hears from Guy Leschziner, a consultant neurologist and sleep physician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London. His new book, Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human, looks at the neurological basis of behaviours often dismissed as evidence of bad character or lack of willpower. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    21 min