The world, the universe and us

A new type of brain cell, glutamatergic astrocytes, could provide insights into brain health. Bridge construction over a sinking glacier in Alaska is vital for park access. Quantum batteries hold promise for quick and wireless charging. The feet of the Terracotta Army may have contributed to ancient China's success. The flexibility of shoulder and elbow joints in humans and apes is explored. Researchers discuss growing humanized organs in pigs and a super-bright space explosion.

Author Ed Yong explores how animals perceive the world in his book 'An Immense World'. He discusses exotic animal senses, bird vision, bird auditory abilities, and the harmful effects of human activities on animals' sensory worlds.

Rodney Gorham, one of the first people to use mind typing communication, discusses the medical uses of brain implants. The podcast also explores the drastic population bottleneck our ancestors faced, the recreation of ancient Egyptian perfume, and challenges to the theory of beer goggles. Additionally, learn about the intriguing trapping strategy of pirate spiders.

Andy Rivkin, asteroid researcher and planetary astronomer of John Hopkins University, joins Leah and Chelsea to discuss various strategies for protecting Earth from asteroid impacts, including using a gigantic net, a humongous gong, and even Bruce Willis. They explore the challenges of creating a shield, discuss the importance of a planetary defense system, and end with a lighthearted discussion on a 'gong or death' t-shirt.

India's successful moon landing; Placenta cells' potential to heal heart; Rise of mind-altering drug use; AI technology for tsunami detection; Turtle shells as nuclear activity records; Dog poop's impact on greener vegetation; Stronger concrete with coffee biochar.

Struggling to choose what to watch? Whether it’s sci-fi, medical dramas or documentaries about the natural world, we’ve got you covered. Our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley shares a rundown of her top TV choices from 2023 so far, as well as what to look out for the rest of the year. Reviews of some of the shows featured in this episode:  Foundation (Apple TV)The Last Of Us (HBO Max and Sky Atlantic)Best Interests (Sky Go, Amazon, Apple TV)Wild Isles (BBC iPlayer, Amazon)Dead Ringers (Amazon)Silo (Apple TV)To read all of Bethan’s TV columns visit newscientist.com/author/bethan-ackerley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this climate special, the podcast discusses the hottest July on record, global wildfires, and bleached corals. It also explores the possibility of intelligent alien life lacking the key ingredient for technology - oxygen. Additionally, it reveals new insights about Europe's oldest tattooed mummy, Ötzi, and showcases AI recreating a rock song by reading people's minds. The podcast covers topics such as the Eris COVID variant, extreme temperatures, and lampshades that remove air pollution.

Exploring the power of gravitational waves to destroy everything we know and love, including harnessing them with a black hole machine. Discussion on resonant frequencies and using the Earth as a detector. Exploring whether gravitational waves could break the tie of the sun's gravity. The potential of using black hole gravity to create a symphony of gravitational waves and transmitting it across the universe.

#210Ultra-processed foods are bad for us and we should avoid them at all costs – right? Well, it’s actually not as clear cut as that.The foods may actually form a much more important part of healthy diets than we release.  Nuclear fusion, which could some day offer a low-waste source of clean power, is one step closer to becoming viable. Last year scientists managed to get more power out of a fusion reactor than they put in – a huge breakthrough for the technology. And this year they’ve done one better, squeezing even more power out of it.There’s a lot that’s “unknome” about the human genome. More than 20 years since we discovered humans have just 20,000 different genes, we still don’t have a clue what thousands of them even do. A project is now finally looking at the proteins that science forgot.We’re getting 70s space race vibes. Russia has launched its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years – just behind India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit earlier this week. With both heading to the moon’s south pole, who’s going to get there first?Plus: a potential vaccine for the virus that causes mononucleosis – often called “the kissing disease” – and is linked to multiple sclerosis; whether robots are better than humans at the very CAPTCHA tests designed to block robots; and the slightly gross treasure hiding in 200-million-year-old fossilised poop.Hosts Timothy Revell and Chelsea Whyte discuss all of this with guests Grace Wade, Matt Sparkes, Michael Le Page and Leah Crane. To read about these subjects and much more, you can subscribe to New Scientist at newscientist.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientist and broadcaster Alice Roberts has written her first children’s book. The fictional tale follows prehistoric girl Tuuli, and captures the story of her encounter with a strange boy who leads her on a great adventure.Inspired by her own experiences trekking through the arctic, the book imagines what life would’ve been like for humans of the time, how they might’ve interacted with neanderthals and grapples with questions like: how were the first wolves domesticated?In this episode of CultureLab, New Scientist’s comment and culture editor Alison Flood, and her 10-year-old daughter Jenny, ask Alice about the inspiration for the book and the science behind it.To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices