Exploring the science minister's baseless accusations against academics for alleged extremist views on social media, leading to a costly legal battle and settlement at the taxpayers' expense.
Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a new theory challenging the existence of dark matter to an alarming study about the possible impact of microplastics on our health and a glimpse of a ‘waterworld with a boiling ocean’ deep in space. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod