Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about why octopuses are more similar to us humans than we might believe. She also hears from Prof David Scheel about our increasing understanding of the sophistication of these cephalopods, and how that should influence our treatment of them. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Ian Sample talks to Dr David Furman, an expert on inflammation and ageing at Stanford University. He explains how chronic inflammation is affecting our health and how lifestyle choices can help us fight it. This episode has been updated from an earlier version which stated that dairy is a cause of inflammation. Current scientific evidence suggests dairy has a negligible to marginally positive impact on inflammation in humans.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent, Jillian Ambrose, about how offshore windfarms are generating record profits for the crown estate, and why King Charles has asked for the money to be used for the wider public good. She also hears from economist Guy Standing about how the seabed became a source of income for the crown and what it means for our view of the oceans as ‘commons’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Ian Sample speaks to the cosmologist Dr Andrew Pontzen about the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission, which hopes to uncover more about two of the universe’s most baffling components: dark energy and dark matter. Pontzen explains what the probe will be looking for and how its findings will contribute to our understanding of the structure and evolution of the cosmos. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Since 2020, orcas off the coast of Spain and Portugal have been ramming boats, biting rudders and, in a few cases, sinking entire vessels. Now it has been reported that a similar encounter has happened off Shetland. Madeleine Finlay speaks to marine biologist and orca expert Hanne Strager about what might be behind these incidents and where our fascination with orcas comes from This podcast was amended on 27 June 2023. An earlier version contained audio of the calls of a humpback whale, not an orca. This audio has now been removed.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells in a groundbreaking advance that sidesteps the need for eggs or sperm. Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Hannah Devlin about her world exclusive story on this development, what it could mean for medical research, and whether the ethical and regulatory classifications of these embryos are keeping pace with the science. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

At the start of 2023, the UK postal service Royal Mail was hit with an ultimatum: pay $80m (£67m) or continue to have international shipments blocked. The demand came from Russian-linked hackers the LockBit group, who had infiltrated Royal Mail’s software. Royal Mail refused to pay and eventually reinstated its overseas deliveries, but the cyber-attack came at a huge cost to the company and others that depend on its service. Ransomware attacks like this one are on the rise. So too are phishing attempts, emails and texts that try to fool recipients into clicking on links that contain malware or ask for personal information. Ian Sample speaks to the Yale law professor and author Scott Shapiro about cybercrime, how attacks hack into our psychology and what individuals and governments could do to stop it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian’s health editor, Andrew Gregory, and Dr Roy Herbst about the world’s biggest annual gathering of oncology professionals. Each year’s event features a mass of new research, and 2023 was no exception. What were the standout advances, and could they lead to permanent changes in the way we treat, think about and live with cancer?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Madeleine Finlay speaks to Doug Weir from the Conflict and Environment Observatory about why the collapse of the Kakhovka dam is likely to be so damaging for biodiversity, access to clean water and levels of pollution. He explains why the environment has become such a central part of the narrative and considers what this increased focus could mean for Ukraine’s eventual recovery. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Last week, Nasa held the first public meeting of a panel established to investigate sightings of UFOs. It came just before a whistleblower former intelligence official told the Debrief that the US government had ‘intact and partially intact’ craft of non-human origin. Ian Sample talks to Prof David Spergel, the independent chair of Nasa’s panel, about why this is happening now, what they hope to find and why there is so much stigma attached to this field. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod