For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly through observations of the gravitational effects it has on other things. But now scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting it. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe. And Dr Samuel Erikson, senior research associate at the University of Bristol, and first author of the research paper, explains how the finding has been received in the physics community
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2026/sep/10/have-scientists-finally-detected-dark-matter-video", "image": "", "published": "Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:54:18 GMT" } }, { "id": "5168681f61eb49ff9ff2b0fe1f3d18393b07df96", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter? – podcast", "summary": "For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly through observations of the gravitational effects it has on other things. But now scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting it. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe. And Dr Samuel Eriksen, senior research associate at the University of Bristol, and first author of the research paper, explains how the finding has been received in the physics communitySupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/10/dark-matter-science-biggest-discovery-podcast", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-10T04:00:16+00:00", "score": 75, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter? – podcast", "summary": "For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly through observations of the gravitational effects it has on other things. But now scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting it. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe. And Dr Samuel Eriksen, senior research associate at the University of Bristol, and first author of the research paper, explains how the finding has been received in the physics community
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/10/dark-matter-science-biggest-discovery-podcast", "image": "", "published": "Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:00:16 GMT" } }, { "id": "7560ba8608baa2bcead44a5bf07c1fe608c92249", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds", "summary": "Analysis of two skeletons reveals tooth wear and traces of psychoactive substance in what may be earliest known evidence for human drug takingWhat may be the earliest known evidence for human drug taking has been traced to ancient Indonesian foragers who sucked on mind-altering nuts as long as 25,000 years ago.Analysis of two exceptionally rare skeletons from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi revealed dramatic tooth wear and traces of a psychoactive substance in the individuals’ remaining teeth, suggesting they routinely sucked on hard, abrasive betel nuts. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/09/indonesian-foragers-mind-altering-nuts-research-finds", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-09T18:00:02+00:00", "score": 70.14, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds", "summary": "Analysis of two skeletons reveals tooth wear and traces of psychoactive substance in what may be earliest known evidence for human drug taking
What may be the earliest known evidence for human drug taking has been traced to ancient Indonesian foragers who sucked on mind-altering nuts as long as 25,000 years ago.
Analysis of two exceptionally rare skeletons from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi revealed dramatic tooth wear and traces of a psychoactive substance in the individuals’ remaining teeth, suggesting they routinely sucked on hard, abrasive betel nuts.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/09/indonesian-foragers-mind-altering-nuts-research-finds", "image": "", "published": "Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:00:02 GMT" } }, { "id": "bdbb47a2c88a245e0707a1375331ec62d8ae8bf7", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Hurrah, lie-ins may be good for us – if only I can convince my five-year-old daughter | Arwa Mahdawi", "summary": "CEOs may like to get up at the crack of dawn and go for a run, but I prefer optimising my life with lie-ins, trashy films, swearing and coffeeThis evening I’m going to tuck my five-year-old into bed and read her a chapter from one of her princess books, followed by a summary of research recently presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Once upon a time, I’ll tell her, there was a scientist called Dr Nawon Lee who authored a study that found having a weekend lie-in may be very good for you and can protect against high blood pressure. Our accomplished protagonist Dr Lee said: “People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend.” And the moral of this story, dear child, is that you should try not to wake your mothers up at 6am every day.Unfortunately, I’m not sure that all the peer-reviewed science in the world will convince my …", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/09/want-to-start-lazymaxxing-here-are-some-low-effort-ways-to-improve-your-life", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-09T10:00:06+00:00", "score": 66.25, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Hurrah, lie-ins may be good for us – if only I can convince my five-year-old daughter | Arwa Mahdawi", "summary": "CEOs may like to get up at the crack of dawn and go for a run, but I prefer optimising my life with lie-ins, trashy films, swearing and coffee
This evening I’m going to tuck my five-year-old into bed and read her a chapter from one of her princess books, followed by a summary of research recently presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Once upon a time, I’ll tell her, there was a scientist called Dr Nawon Lee who authored a study that found having a weekend lie-in may be very good for you and can protect against high blood pressure. Our accomplished protagonist Dr Lee said: “People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend.” And the moral of this story, dear child, is that you should try not to wake your mothers up at 6am every day.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that all the peer-reviewed science in the world will convince my early riser to have a weekend lie-in. Still, as a big fan of sleep and someone who has never once felt guilty for hitting the snooze button, I have to say I feel vindicated by this new study. CEOs can get up at 4am and run 10 miles before eating five foraged mushrooms if they want to, but I’m going to protect my heart health by sleeping in, any opportunity I can get, thank you very much.
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Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/09/want-to-start-lazymaxxing-here-are-some-low-effort-ways-to-improve-your-life", "image": "", "published": "Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:00:06 GMT" } }, { "id": "5dabaf8bd5fafb93e61c33746a52fb6e0c2eac60", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Drinking very hot drinks could triple risk of oesophageal cancer, study finds", "summary": "Research finds temperature and amount of hot drinks consumed heightens possibility of developing diseaseDrinking very hot tea and coffee triples the risk of developing cancer of the gullet, the world’s largest study of the link between them has found.The findings show that people should let very hot cups of tea and coffee cool down until they are comfortable to drink, in order to reduce their risk of the disease, cancer experts said. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/09/hot-drinks-triples-risk-oesophageal-cancer-study", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-09T06:25:27+00:00", "score": 64.51, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Drinking very hot drinks could triple risk of oesophageal cancer, study finds", "summary": "Research finds temperature and amount of hot drinks consumed heightens possibility of developing disease
Drinking very hot tea and coffee triples the risk of developing cancer of the gullet, the world’s largest study of the link between them has found.
The findings show that people should let very hot cups of tea and coffee cool down until they are comfortable to drink, in order to reduce their risk of the disease, cancer experts said.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/09/hot-drinks-triples-risk-oesophageal-cancer-study", "image": "", "published": "Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:25:27 GMT" } }, { "id": "d268803b3b606b3811bcb84da862a5fc7c7ee38b", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Babies born to anaemic mothers have smaller brains, study finds", "summary": "Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, particularly in key regions linked to movement, learning and the regulation of emotion, according to a study.Researchers said the differences, first detected at the age of one, could lead to cognitive problems when children started school. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/sep/09/babies-born-to-anaemic-mothers-have-smaller-brains-study-finds", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-09T04:00:58+00:00", "score": 63.34, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Babies born to anaemic mothers have smaller brains, study finds", "summary": "Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems
Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, particularly in key regions linked to movement, learning and the regulation of emotion, according to a study.
Researchers said the differences, first detected at the age of one, could lead to cognitive problems when children started school.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/sep/09/babies-born-to-anaemic-mothers-have-smaller-brains-study-finds", "image": "", "published": "Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:00:58 GMT" } }, { "id": "5ce0c405ec1abf485011086fa69d541eea1c5860", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades", "summary": "Company behind ChatGPT says 10,000 of its AI systems cracked the Navier-Stokes problem in 88 hoursOpenAI claims to have solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century after spending millions of dollars on the artificial intelligence-led endeavour.The company behind ChatGPT said it had cracked the Navier-Stokes problem, one of seven Millennium Prize Problems published by the Clay Mathematics Institute to highlight some of the biggest unsolved puzzles in the field. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/openai-claims-to-have-solved-maths-problem-that-stumped-humans-for-decades", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-08T21:29:10+00:00", "score": 60.17, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades", "summary": "Company behind ChatGPT says 10,000 of its AI systems cracked the Navier-Stokes problem in 88 hours
OpenAI claims to have solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century after spending millions of dollars on the artificial intelligence-led endeavour.
The company behind ChatGPT said it had cracked the Navier-Stokes problem, one of seven Millennium Prize Problems published by the Clay Mathematics Institute to highlight some of the biggest unsolved puzzles in the field.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/openai-claims-to-have-solved-maths-problem-that-stumped-humans-for-decades", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:29:10 GMT" } }, { "id": "206d0c18831993e6369b4539cc0e7c234f5163f3", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – video", "summary": "Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, which honour research that makes you laugh and then think. Science editor Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what the researchers think could be behind the phenomenon, and they explore some of the other awards, including one for a surprising quality we look for in our friends and another for a biomechanical definition of kissing Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2026/sep/08/are-rich-people-really-worse-behaved-heres-the-science-video", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-08T16:26:32+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – video", "summary": "Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, which honour research that makes you laugh and then think. Science editor Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what the researchers think could be behind the phenomenon, and they explore some of the other awards, including one for a surprising quality we look for in our friends and another for a biomechanical definition of kissing
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2026/sep/08/are-rich-people-really-worse-behaved-heres-the-science-video", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:26:32 GMT" } }, { "id": "ec7194396a84d370cf5629fffd819cb41876a716", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "How meteorologists recreated weather that helped decide second world war", "summary": "Experts helped guide weather scenes in Pressure – a film depicting dramatic buildup to 1944’s D-day landingsDressed in a Royal Air Force uniform and sporting a trim moustache, Andrew Scott looks slightly queasy – as well he might. Behind him is a huge map of the Channel, and in front of him is Brendan Fraser, looming with a request: “I need a forecast,” he says.Starring in the film Pressure, based on a true story, Scott plays the meteorologist Gp Capt James Stagg – the man who must tell Gen Eisenhower – played by Fraser – whether conditions will be suitable for the D-day landings scheduled to take place on 5 June 1944. But a large storm is approaching the Normandy coast. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/how-meteorologists-helped-recreate-one-of-historys-most-important-weather-forecasts", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-08T11:59:58+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "How meteorologists recreated weather that helped decide second world war", "summary": "Experts helped guide weather scenes in Pressure – a film depicting dramatic buildup to 1944’s D-day landings
Dressed in a Royal Air Force uniform and sporting a trim moustache, Andrew Scott looks slightly queasy – as well he might. Behind him is a huge map of the Channel, and in front of him is Brendan Fraser, looming with a request: “I need a forecast,” he says.
Starring in the film Pressure, based on a true story, Scott plays the meteorologist Gp Capt James Stagg – the man who must tell Gen Eisenhower – played by Fraser – whether conditions will be suitable for the D-day landings scheduled to take place on 5 June 1944. But a large storm is approaching the Normandy coast.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/how-meteorologists-helped-recreate-one-of-historys-most-important-weather-forecasts", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:59:58 GMT" } }, { "id": "d9eb22d98fd6ca69a3d0df1d3b66a4f7cb7d4ae2", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – podcast", "summary": "Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, which honour research that makes you laugh and then think. Science editor Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what the researchers think could be behind the phenomenon, and they explore some of the other awards, including one for a surprising quality we look for in our friends and another for a biomechanical definition of kissingRich people more likely to steal children’s sweets, finds Ig Nobel prize-winning studySupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/08/ig-noble-prizes-rich-people-worse-behaved-science-podcast", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-08T04:00:28+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – podcast", "summary": "Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, which honour research that makes you laugh and then think. Science editor Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what the researchers think could be behind the phenomenon, and they explore some of the other awards, including one for a surprising quality we look for in our friends and another for a biomechanical definition of kissing
Rich people more likely to steal children’s sweets, finds Ig Nobel prize-winning study
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/08/ig-noble-prizes-rich-people-worse-behaved-science-podcast", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:00:28 GMT" } }, { "id": "91b4ea9a7fe39629e76a4654b3a8cee80ed7c9d9", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence", "summary": "Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within itForty years ago, as an undergraduate in Hokkaido, Toshiyuki Nakagaki came upon a lemon-yellow stain in a petri dish. That encounter turned him into a doyen of slime mould research – and fed a storm of biological and philosophical debate about the meanings of life and intelligence that persists to this day. Before, no one would have called a slime mould “intelligent”; the popular adjective, in fact, was “simple”. “A simple mass of protoplasm,” one 1895 description ran; “among the most simple of organisms”, said another. And it was hard to argue otherwise. A slime mould can appear to be just a small cell, capable only of feeding and reproducing. Simple is as simple does.Of that first meeting, Naka…", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/08/this-is-dangerous-slime-moulds-and-the-bitter-debate-over-the-nature-of-intelligence", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-08T04:00:27+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence", "summary": "Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within it
Forty years ago, as an undergraduate in Hokkaido, Toshiyuki Nakagaki came upon a lemon-yellow stain in a petri dish. That encounter turned him into a doyen of slime mould research – and fed a storm of biological and philosophical debate about the meanings of life and intelligence that persists to this day. Before, no one would have called a slime mould “intelligent”; the popular adjective, in fact, was “simple”. “A simple mass of protoplasm,” one 1895 description ran; “among the most simple of organisms”, said another. And it was hard to argue otherwise. A slime mould can appear to be just a small cell, capable only of feeding and reproducing. Simple is as simple does.
Of that first meeting, Nakagaki said: “I was just impressed with how fast it moved.” Physarum polycephalum, the slime mould species in that petri dish, has a top speed of 1cm an hour. For amoebic organisms, that’s gold-medal standard. At first glance, Physarum seems to spread as irregularly as ink on blotting paper, but in fact it senses its meals of bacteria or other microbes and reaches for them with a long, thin finger of protoplasm – which not only digests its food but then forages further or pulls back into the rest of the mould. It’s impossible to watch a slime mould over many days without sensing some deliberation at play.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/08/this-is-dangerous-slime-moulds-and-the-bitter-debate-over-the-nature-of-intelligence", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:00:27 GMT" } }, { "id": "f24218677f1b031a4c764e182cde370f5f598357", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots – podcast", "summary": "From the Guardian Investigates team: Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’ or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/06/introducing-black-box-the-chatbots-podcast-episode-one", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-06T04:00:55+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots – podcast", "summary": "From the Guardian Investigates team: Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’ or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/06/introducing-black-box-the-chatbots-podcast-episode-one", "image": "", "published": "Sun, 06 Sep 2026 04:00:55 GMT" } }, { "id": "1f22f6a3bb4751123901f3eae78bbeb0babfffe0", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Alcohol-related cancer deaths in US have more than doubled over three decades", "summary": "Study finds just one drink per day could raise risk of disease with impacts extending far beyond liver cancerAlcohol-related cancer deaths in the US have more than doubled over three decades, with new research showing that just one drink per day could raise cancer risk and that the impacts extend far beyond liver cancer.Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, analyzed more than three decades of Global Burden of Disease data. Their study, published in August in the Lancet Regional Health, found that annual cancer deaths attributed to alcohol climbed from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/04/alcohol-related-cancer-deaths", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-04T17:03:59+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Alcohol-related cancer deaths in US have more than doubled over three decades", "summary": "Study finds just one drink per day could raise risk of disease with impacts extending far beyond liver cancer
Alcohol-related cancer deaths in the US have more than doubled over three decades, with new research showing that just one drink per day could raise cancer risk and that the impacts extend far beyond liver cancer.
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, analyzed more than three decades of Global Burden of Disease data. Their study, published in August in the Lancet Regional Health, found that annual cancer deaths attributed to alcohol climbed from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/04/alcohol-related-cancer-deaths", "image": "", "published": "Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:03:59 GMT" } }, { "id": "0baaf0c2d1750e28cb16466a2abcc913348ef86a", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "New Zealand drugs regulator approves use of MDMA to treat severe PTSD", "summary": "New Zealand decision follows Australian approval in 2023 of psychedelics to treat PTSD and treatment-resistant depressionTwo psychiatrists in New Zealand won approval on Friday to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to people with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).The move by New Zealand’s pharmaceutical regulatory body Medsafe makes the country only the second worldwide to approve the party drug for use in treating PTSD, following Australia in 2023. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/04/new-zealand-approves-mdma-to-treat-severe-ptsd", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-04T04:27:13+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "New Zealand drugs regulator approves use of MDMA to treat severe PTSD", "summary": "New Zealand decision follows Australian approval in 2023 of psychedelics to treat PTSD and treatment-resistant depression
Two psychiatrists in New Zealand won approval on Friday to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to people with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The move by New Zealand’s pharmaceutical regulatory body Medsafe makes the country only the second worldwide to approve the party drug for use in treating PTSD, following Australia in 2023.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/04/new-zealand-approves-mdma-to-treat-severe-ptsd", "image": "", "published": "Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:27:13 GMT" } }, { "id": "50f48e194c6312f46cc8607b3afdae2f86ea069a", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months", "summary": "Organ kept Tim Andrews off dialysis and acted as a ‘bridge’ while he waited for a human transplant in the USA genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes and had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, against a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list. Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/03/genetically-modified-pig-kidney-keeps-man-alive-record-nine-months", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-03T22:30:50+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months", "summary": "Organ kept Tim Andrews off dialysis and acted as a ‘bridge’ while he waited for a human transplant in the US
A genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.
Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes and had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, against a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/03/genetically-modified-pig-kidney-keeps-man-alive-record-nine-months", "image": "", "published": "Thu, 03 Sep 2026 22:30:50 GMT" } }, { "id": "e02992f0a6265f671e429fe3c908c33e2eca5150", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it? – podcast", "summary": "Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t want this gas spewing needlessly into the atmosphere, but in 2023 that’s exactly what environment editor Damian Carrington found was happening when he reported on 1,000 super-emitting methane leaks across the globe. Now Turkmenistan, the worst country for mega-leaks, has begun to plug them. Damian tells Madeleine Finlay why some experts call stopping leaks the climate ‘emergency brake’ and reveals which countries are still failing to act‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaksSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/audio/2026/sep/03/theres-a-quick-way-to-slow-climate-change-why-isnt-everyone-doing-it-podcast", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-03T04:00:44+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it? – podcast", "summary": "Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t want this gas spewing needlessly into the atmosphere, but in 2023 that’s exactly what environment editor Damian Carrington found was happening when he reported on 1,000 super-emitting methane leaks across the globe. Now Turkmenistan, the worst country for mega-leaks, has begun to plug them. Damian tells Madeleine Finlay why some experts call stopping leaks the climate ‘emergency brake’ and reveals which countries are still failing to act
‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/audio/2026/sep/03/theres-a-quick-way-to-slow-climate-change-why-isnt-everyone-doing-it-podcast", "image": "", "published": "Thu, 03 Sep 2026 04:00:44 GMT" } }, { "id": "e75bd2c2ed1adaaf96db6ca96b12dad5ce2b2c4b", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Could humans ever communicate with whales? - podcast", "summary": "Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949, researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’ vocalisations distinctive. Madeleine Finlay hears from Emma Bryce, a journalist who has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song. She explains how this knowledge could help us better protect whales from human-made harms.Credits:1. Copyright 1978 National Geographic Society and 1977 Capitol Records, Inc. Commentary by Dr Roger Payne2. Valeria Vergara/Raincoast Conservation Foundation3. Footage courtesy of Raincoast Conservation Foundation - Obtained for research under SARA permit XMMS 4 20264. Video by Amanda Cotton/Project CETI5. Footage courtesy of Valeria Vergara and GREMM. Obtained for…", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/01/clicks-grunts-and-squeals-the-wonders-of-whale-communication-podcast", "image": "", "published": "2026-09-01T13:57:26+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Could humans ever communicate with whales? - podcast", "summary": "Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949, researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’ vocalisations distinctive. Madeleine Finlay hears from Emma Bryce, a journalist who has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song. She explains how this knowledge could help us better protect whales from human-made harms.
Credits:
1. Copyright 1978 National Geographic Society and 1977 Capitol Records, Inc. Commentary by Dr Roger Payne
2. Valeria Vergara/Raincoast Conservation Foundation
3. Footage courtesy of Raincoast Conservation Foundation - Obtained for research under SARA permit XMMS 4 2026
4. Video by Amanda Cotton/Project CETI
5. Footage courtesy of Valeria Vergara and GREMM. Obtained for research under SARA permits QUE-MM02-2016 and QUE-LEP-001-2018
6. Project CETI
7. Project CETI
How decoding beluga whales’ chitchat may save them – and teach us more about ourselves
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/sep/01/clicks-grunts-and-squeals-the-wonders-of-whale-communication-podcast", "image": "", "published": "Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:57:26 GMT" } }, { "id": "9e6da4bf2277887718be4fb4ac6aa01a153b9186", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah", "summary": "The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountabilityOn 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveling at 5,400 miles an hour met with the moon and punched a fresh hole into it near Einstein Crater. Astronomers were thrilled. The European Southern Observatory caught sodium and lithium flaring in the debris plume and called it a bonus. The media called it a light show. Nobody was physically hurt, so nobody is responsible, and within a week the story was gone.I have spent 20 years tracking the junk humanity leaves behind in space for a living, and I want to tell you plainly what that crater actually is: a receipt. It’s what you get when an entire industry treats the sky, and now the moon, as a place to dump what it no longer wants, and calls the dumping “normal operations” or “space exploration”. Continue readi…", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/31/space-junk-moon-hole", "image": "", "published": "2026-08-31T10:00:24+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah", "summary": "The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountability
On 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveling at 5,400 miles an hour met with the moon and punched a fresh hole into it near Einstein Crater. Astronomers were thrilled. The European Southern Observatory caught sodium and lithium flaring in the debris plume and called it a bonus. The media called it a light show. Nobody was physically hurt, so nobody is responsible, and within a week the story was gone.
I have spent 20 years tracking the junk humanity leaves behind in space for a living, and I want to tell you plainly what that crater actually is: a receipt. It’s what you get when an entire industry treats the sky, and now the moon, as a place to dump what it no longer wants, and calls the dumping “normal operations” or “space exploration”.
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/31/space-junk-moon-hole", "image": "", "published": "Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:00:24 GMT" } }, { "id": "597e5adee2946c189c17e24ed7ab5d5ebfafc897", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "There is nothing scientific about The Great ADHD Myth? ‘documentary’ | Gina Rippon", "summary": "Channel 4’s programme wastes a chance to ask important questions about how ADHD is diagnosed and treated, instead indulging in unscientific methods and conspiracy theoriesProf Gina Rippon is emeritus professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston UniversityWhen Channel 4 announced that it would air a documentary titled The Great ADHD Myth?, an outpouring of fury followed. Despite this, I set out to approach it as a scientist – not just as a scientist whose own work has dealt with developmental disorders, but as someone who has enormous respect for the scientific process and for the importance of evidence-led debate.Channel 4’s press release claimed the documentary sought to determine whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was a “genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct”. At one level this is a brave enterprise. ADHD is recognised worldwi…", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/20/there-is-nothing-scientific-about-the-great-adhd-myth-documentary", "image": "", "published": "2026-08-20T12:18:28+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "There is nothing scientific about The Great ADHD Myth? ‘documentary’ | Gina Rippon", "summary": "Channel 4’s programme wastes a chance to ask important questions about how ADHD is diagnosed and treated, instead indulging in unscientific methods and conspiracy theories
Prof Gina Rippon is emeritus professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University
When Channel 4 announced that it would air a documentary titled The Great ADHD Myth?, an outpouring of fury followed. Despite this, I set out to approach it as a scientist – not just as a scientist whose own work has dealt with developmental disorders, but as someone who has enormous respect for the scientific process and for the importance of evidence-led debate.
Channel 4’s press release claimed the documentary sought to determine whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was a “genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct”. At one level this is a brave enterprise. ADHD is recognised worldwide as a disorder, by the World Health Organization and our own NHS among others. Estimates suggest ADHD affects roughly 8% of children and adolescents and about 3% of adults worldwide. To overturn this consensus would require robust, reproducible findings capable of explaining away decades of genetic, developmental and clinical research. The press release described the documentary as “science-led”, which hinted at just such an enterprise. Was it really science-led?
Prof Gina Rippon is emeritus professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University, and the author of the books The Gendered Brain and The Lost Girls of Autism
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Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/20/there-is-nothing-scientific-about-the-great-adhd-myth-documentary", "image": "", "published": "Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:18:28 GMT" } }, { "id": "dd67207d4a207447f28359b5bdc8d74d93cf5423", "source_id": "guardian_science", "source": "The Guardian — Science", "category": "science", "engine": "rss", "title": "The Fauci hearing was painful to watch. But we need answers on Covid-19’s origin| David Relman", "summary": "Despite the recent hearings in Congress, we seem to be even further from the goal of understanding Covid-19’s origin’s than we have ever beenAs a microbiologist and infectious disease clinician, it has been tough to watch the recent devolution of public discourse on Covid-19 origins. It has been especially difficult for me to read the comments of Anthony Fauci about the origins debate in his now-public diary. And it has been painful to watch the televised spectacle hosted by the US senator Rand Paul on 29 July involving a hostile interrogation of Fauci.Despite many early pleas, including my own, for a dispassionate, objective assessment of what we know, don’t know and need to know about Covid-19 origins, we seem to be even further from this goal now than we have ever been – plagued by politicization, polarization and illogical thinking.David Relman is a professor of medicine and microbi…", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/15/covid-19-origins", "image": "", "published": "2026-08-15T10:00:53+00:00", "score": 58.55, "color": "#7cff9e", "raw": { "title": "The Fauci hearing was painful to watch. But we need answers on Covid-19’s origin| David Relman", "summary": "Despite the recent hearings in Congress, we seem to be even further from the goal of understanding Covid-19’s origin’s than we have ever been
As a microbiologist and infectious disease clinician, it has been tough to watch the recent devolution of public discourse on Covid-19 origins. It has been especially difficult for me to read the comments of Anthony Fauci about the origins debate in his now-public diary. And it has been painful to watch the televised spectacle hosted by the US senator Rand Paul on 29 July involving a hostile interrogation of Fauci.
Despite many early pleas, including my own, for a dispassionate, objective assessment of what we know, don’t know and need to know about Covid-19 origins, we seem to be even further from this goal now than we have ever been – plagued by politicization, polarization and illogical thinking.
David Relman is a professor of medicine and microbiology at Stanford University. He was an inaugural member of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
Continue reading...", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/15/covid-19-origins", "image": "", "published": "Sat, 15 Aug 2026 10:00:53 GMT" } } ], "stored": 0, "ai": { "enriched": false, "stored": 0 }, "health": [ { "id": "guardian_science", "name": "The Guardian — Science", "engine": "rss", "category": "science", "ok": true, "error": "", "ms": 45, "count": 20, "cached_at": "2026-09-11T07:21:42+00:00" } ] }