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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© 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Science
Episodes
  • ‘Huge advances in cancer and rare diseases’: 25 years of the human genome

    ‘Huge advances in cancer and rare diseases’: 25 years of the human genome
    Jun 26 2025
    It has been 25 years since Bill Clinton announced one of humanity’s most important scientific achievements: the first draft of the human genome. At the time, there was a great deal of excitement about the benefits that this new knowledge would bring, with predictions about curing genetic diseases and even cancer. To find out which of them came to pass, and what could be in store over the next two-and-a-half decades, Madeleine Finlay is joined by science editor Ian Sample, and hears from Prof Matthew Hurles, director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    19 mins
  • Can a revolutionary new telescope solve the mystery of planet nine?

    Can a revolutionary new telescope solve the mystery of planet nine?
    Jun 24 2025
    Ever since Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, astronomers have been wondering whether Neptune really is the most distant planet from the sun. Now, a new telescope could uncover what lies in the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Vera C Rubin Observatory released its first images this week, and soon the world’s most powerful digital camera will be pointing across the whole of the night sky. Scientists are hopeful that if planet nine exists, the telescope will find it within its first year of operation. Ian Sample is joined by Dr Scott Sheppard, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, to find out how Pluto lost its planetary status, why scientists think there could be another super-Earth, and why planet nine has been so hard to find. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    15 mins
  • Do medicinal mushroom products actually work?

    Do medicinal mushroom products actually work?
    Jun 19 2025
    More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market now worth billions of pounds. Promises of benefits to mental and physical health have seen its popularity spill over from wellness influencers to the shelves of Marks & Spencer – but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? Ian Sample chats to Madeleine Finlay about the appeal of mushroom drinks and supplements, and hears from the mycologist Prof Nik Money on what we really know about how fungi can affect our minds and bodies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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    19 mins
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