The World, the Universe and Us
New Scientist
From the evolution of intelligent life, to the mysteries of consciousness; from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Hosted by journalists Dr Rowan Hooper and Dr Penny Sarchet and joined each week by expert scientists in the field, the show draws on New Scientist’s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context. Feed your curiosity with the podcast that will restore your sense of optimism and nourish your brain.For more visit newscientist.com/podcasts
Episodes
Mentioned books
11 snips
Nov 5, 2026 • 30min
COP31: Are the World's Climate Summits Actually Working Anymore?
Environment reporter Madeleine Cuff and Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, examine whether COP31 can still drive climate action. They discuss unfinished agreements, the surge in renewables, China’s energy pivot, electrification, climate finance and debt reform. They also explore fossil-fuel lobbying, data centers’ environmental footprint, and how COP could focus more on implementation.
19 snips
Oct 29, 2026 • 22min
Climate Overshoot Is Here - And Antarctica Is in Trouble
Madeleine Cuff, a climate policy reporter, and Alison George, a science journalist specializing in Antarctica, explore life beyond the 1.5°C threshold. They examine climate overshoot, future cooling, and the political challenge of cutting emissions. They also investigate Thwaites Glacier’s accelerating threat, sea-level uncertainty, and whether geoengineering could slow its retreat.
9 snips
Oct 22, 2026 • 24min
How Your Brain Cleans Itself - And What Happens When It Goes Wrong
Michael Marshall, a science writer covering neuroscience and biology, explores the brain’s hidden waste-disposal network. He explains how sleep powers glymphatic clearance, why reduced flow is linked to Alzheimer’s in mice, and what researchers know about humans. The discussion also examines pink noise, near-infrared light, carbon dioxide, and other experimental ways to influence brain cleaning.
13 snips
Oct 16, 2026 • 31min
If the AMOC Collapses - Could We Reverse the Damage?
Climate journalists Alec Luhn, who reports on environmental crises and their political fallout, and Madeleine Cuff, a specialist in climate policy and Earth-system tipping points, explore the Atlantic’s fragile conveyor belt. They examine how scientists could warn of collapse, possible climate and food-system upheaval, and whether a stalled AMOC might someday be revived. Greenland melt, interacting tipping points and the race to cut emissions also come under scrutiny.
8 snips
Oct 9, 2026 • 12min
Secrets of the World’s Longest-Lived Animals
Jonathan the tortoise has lived since 1832, but what keeps him young? Explore the remarkable biology of the world’s longest-lived animals, from Greenland sharks and 507-year-old quahogs to naked mole rats and bristlecone pines. Discover how slow growth, resilient mitochondria, cancer resistance and cellular repair may help these extraordinary survivors defy aging.
14 snips
Oct 2, 2026 • 28min
New Fossil Shows Birds Weren’t the Only Dinosaurs to Evolve Flight
Steve Brusatte, a University of Edinburgh paleontologist and author of The Story of Birds, explores Norellraptor, a dazzling feathered dinosaur that suggests flight evolved more than once. He traces how feathers may have begun as insulation, revisits Archaeopteryx and dinosaur-bird discoveries, and explains what fossils reveal about dinosaur intelligence, behavior, survival and their continued presence as modern birds.
15 snips
Sep 25, 2026 • 22min
This El Niño Is About To Cause a Global Catastrophe
Climate journalists Madeleine Cuff of New Scientist and Alec Luhn, an environmental and geopolitics reporter, examine an intensifying El Niño and its worldwide fallout. They discuss deadly heat, floods, drought, Amazon fire risks, coral reef collapse and the prospect of 2027 breaking temperature records. The conversation also explores geoengineering, marine protections and the perilous limits of emergency climate intervention.
10 snips
Sep 21, 2026 • 49min
How to Be Hopeful: Caitlin Moran and New Scientist Look to the Future
Caitlin Moran, bestselling author and journalist, joins a lively exploration of hope in an anxious age. The conversation ranges from solar power’s rapid rise and crops that make their own fertiliser to breakthrough medicines, precision-fermented foods and AI-powered discovery. Rewilding, the Mediterranean diet and the search for life beyond Earth add even more reasons to look forward.
14 snips
Sep 18, 2026 • 31min
THIS Is What You Need To Worry About With The Rise Of AI
Technology journalists Matthew Sparkes, Timothy Revell and Jacob Aron examine whether AI’s biggest dangers are apocalyptic or already here. They explore alignment, rogue AI agents, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, disruption to work, regulation and the US-China race. The discussion also considers corporate motives, concentrated power, copyright, emissions and AI’s promise for science.
11 snips
Sep 16, 2026 • 23min
The Mystery of Childbirth Is Finally Being Unravelled
Alice Klein, an Australia-based New Scientist reporter covering science across the Asia-Pacific, explores childbirth’s biggest mystery: what starts labour. Discover how immune cells and mitochondria activate uterine contractions, why this could help prevent premature birth, and what evolution, pelvic limits and maternal-fetal conflict reveal about pregnancy’s timing.
