Podcast Episodes

The 40 scientists who decide which flu shot you'll get

Twice a year, 40 scientists gather together for five days to decide what strains of influenza to vaccinate against for the next flu season. It takes …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

How China cleaned up its air pollution

As Pakistanis and Indians struggle with hazardous air quality, in Beijing – a city once notorious for its smog – the air quality is currently rated a…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

How early climate models got global warming right

Since the 1960s, scientists have been developing and honing models to understand how the earth’s climate is changing. One such pioneer of early clima…

4 months ago

How organised crime infiltrated Brazil

At dawn on October 28, residents of Rio de Janeiro woke to the sound of gunfire. Battles continued throughout the day in the favelas of Alemão and Pe…

4 months, 1 week ago

Ghosts vs demons: a 16th century Halloween showdown

In the 16th century, witches and demons weren’t just for Halloween. People were terrified and preoccupied with them – even kings.

In 1590, James VI of…

4 months, 2 weeks ago

Bitcoin buys: the risks and rewards of companies buying crypto

One American company called Strategy owns more than 3% of all bitcoin in existence. In August 2020, its executive chairman, Michael Saylor, pioneered…

4 months, 3 weeks ago

The hidden sources of forever chemicals

As one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution, the River Mersey in northern England is no stranger to pollution flowing into its waters. Now…

5 months ago

Nobel laureate Shimon Sakaguchi on his immune system breakthrough

Back in the 1980s, when Shimon Sakaguchi was a young researcher in immunology, he found it difficult to get his research funded. Now, his pioneering …

5 months, 1 week ago

The diagnosis dimension to the rise in autism

As Donald Trump gives oxygen to unproven theories about what might be behind a recent rise in autism cases, experts repeatedly point to the changing …

5 months, 2 weeks ago

Pressuring the Fed doesn't end well

Donald Trump is not letting up pressure on the US Federal Reserve. He's taken efforts to fire one of its governors, all the way up to the US Supreme …

5 months, 3 weeks ago