New Scientist Podcasts

Weekly: Big Nobels for tiny science; how Earth might make water on the Moon; the head-scratching mathematics behind your favourite puzzles

Oct 6, 2023

Rob Eastaway, the man behind New Scientist's puzzles, shares a tricky clock-based puzzle from his new book 'Headscratchers'. The podcast also discusses the carbon footprint of satellite internet services, the creation of water on the Moon, the issue of sex-testing unhatched chicks, and the inefficiency of hippos' chewing. Plus, an introduction to Fat Bear Week where Alaskan brown bears compete to gain the most weight before hibernation.

38:18

Creator website

Episode guests

Rob Eastaway

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The discovery of chemically altering mRNA to create vaccines has been recognized with the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology.

Efforts to generate ultra-short pulses of light have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, contributing to advancements in electronics, diagnostics, and understanding electron behavior.

Deep dives

Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology awarded for mRNA vaccine development

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology was awarded to Catalin Carrico and Drew Weisman for their discovery of how to chemically alter mRNA to allow it to be turned into vaccines. Their breakthrough enabled the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Introduction

2min

mRNA: From Vaccines to Nobel Prize

10min

Leaks, Lunar Water, and Sex Testing Chicks

5min

Giant Tusks and Puzzle Books

2min

Puzzles, Solutions, and Surprising Answers

9min

The Environmental Impact of Satellite Internet Services

4min

Fat Bear Week: Celebrating bears preparing for hibernation

2min

#218

The 2023 Nobel Prize winners have been announced. Winners of the science prizes include two scientists who helped develop mRNA vaccines, physicists who’ve managed to generate ultra-short pulses of light to study electrons and chemists who’ve made unimaginably tiny crystals, called quantum dots. Why all these discoveries have touched our lives – and how one almost didn’t happen.

We’ve got some science-based puzzles that’ll have you scratching your head… Rob Eastaway, the man behind New Scientist’s Headscratcher puzzle column, has helped author a new book of brain teasers, aptly named ‘Headscratchers’. To celebrate its launch, Rob shares a tricky clock-based puzzle to try your hand at – plus a chance to win a free copy of the book.

From SpaceX to Amazon to OneWeb, the race is on to launch thousands of satellites into space, capable of providing internet access to almost anywhere in the world. But at what cost to the environment? The first study comparing the carbon footprint of these satellites is out now.

Plus: How electrons from Earth may be influencing the creation of water on the moon, why chicken hatcheries in Europe are starting to sex-test unhatched chicks and why hippopotamuses are so bad at chewing their food.

And a plug for our favourite feast of the year: Fat Bear Week.

Hosts Timothy Revell and Christie Taylor discuss all of this with guests Clare Wilson, Alex Wilkins, Rob Eastaway, Jeremy Hsu and Corryn Wetzel. To read more about these stories, visit newscientist.com.

Events and Links:

The Royal Institution’s exciting autumn season of public science talks is on. To book, visit www.rigb.org/

Vote for your favourite bear for Fat Bear Week, and learn how brown bears know it’s time to bulk up.

New Scientist Live tickets

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices