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Podcasts

Podcasts for the insatiably curious by the world’s most popular weekly science magazine. Everything from the latest science and technology news to the big-picture questions about life, the universe and what it means to be human.

New Scientist Weekly is our flagship show where we discuss the week’s biggest breakthroughs with our internationally recognised team of journalists. Hosted from our New York bureau by Timothy Revell and Christie Taylor. New episodes every Friday.

Dead Planets Society Join Leah Crane, Chelsea Whyte, and some of the world's foremost experts as they discuss outlandish and mind-blowing what-ifs about the universe. What if Earth was actually cube shaped? Can we destroy the sun? Is it possible to make Pluto a planet again? Currently between seasons. New episodes in 2024.

CultureLab is an array of delights from pop culture. Sometimes we interview the world’s most exciting authors about their fascinating books, other times we delve into the science behind a movie or TV show or just why we love it so much. New episodes every other Tuesday.

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There are signs that aliens might be harnessing the power of stars in our galaxy to fuel their civilisations. Dyson spheres are structures that surround entire stars to absorb their energy. Although these are just hypothetical, researchers have detected hints of their existence. But aliens aren’t the only possible explanation.

Being able to freeze human brain tissue could be a game-changer for medical research. While freezing brains is easy, thawing them out without damaging the tissue is much harder. But now a method involving a cocktail of chemical ingredients seems to have solved the problem.. 

The largest ever ‘ecoacoustic’ survey is being conducted throughout the forests of Costa Rica. Sound recordings of various habitats, from degraded pastures to regenerating forests, are being gathered to assess the biodiversity and health of the country’s ecosystems. Hear some of the amazing soundscapes that have been captured for the survey.

Orchids may share food with their offspring. Lab experiments have shown for the first time that parent orchids may be using fungal pathways – the mycorrhizal network – to send vital sugars to seedlings that cluster around them.

Ancient Egyptians were reliant on the Nile river to transport materials used to build the world famous pyramids. But many of those pyramids are built on inhospitable, arid land, far from the Nile. So how did they get the materials there? Geoscientists may have uncovered an ancient clue.

Hosts Christie Taylor and Rowan Hooper discuss with guests Jacob Aron, Alexandra Thomspon, James Dinneen and Chen Ly. To read more about these stories, visit newscientist.com.

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