Science Weekly

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What happens now bird flu has reached the Antarctic? Feb 06, 2024

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The moment scientists had been dreading arrived late last year, when H5N1, or bird flu, was found for the first time in the Antarctic. Last week a king penguin on the island of South Georgia became the first in the region to be suspected to have died from the disease. The Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, tells Ian Sample why researchers have said the spread of bird flu through the Antarctic’s penguin colonies could signal ‘one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

A fasting prime minister and a mind-reading billionaire: the week in science Feb 01, 2024

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Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big science stories of the week – from news that Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its first chip into a human, to research suggesting Alzheimer’s can pass between humans in rare medical accidents, and the revelation that Rishi Sunak begins each week with a 36-hour fast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Secrets of the microbiome: the skin Jan 30, 2024

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The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all of our interactions with the environment to determining our cancer risk and influencing who we fall for. And scientists are only just beginning to decipher the species of bugs we share our lives with, and how they shape us. In the final part of this Science Weekly mini-series, Ian Sample meets Julie Thornton, academic director of the Centre for Skin Sciences and professor in cutaneous biology at the university of Bradford. Julie tells Ian how the skin microbiome varies across our bodies, how it helps with everything from wound healing to immunity, and how we can protect it from the disruptive impact of modern life.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Secrets of the microbiome: the vagina Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all our interactions with the environment to determining our cancer risk and influencing who we fall for. And scientists are only just beginning to decipher the species of bug we share our lives with, and how they shape us. In the second of a three-part Science Weekly mini-series, Madeleine Finlay meets Ina Schuppe Koistinen, associate professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and author of the book Vulva: Facts, Myths and Life-Changing Insights. Ina explains what makes the vaginal microbiome special, why it could hold the key to understanding pregnancy complications, and how we can better care for and protect it.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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