New Scientist Podcasts

Smell – The Surprising Link Between Olfaction and Dementia

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode, ��ҹ��1000�� Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange explore the surprising brain superhighway between scent, emotion and memory, to explore why certain smells can yank you back to childhood and why smell could hold the key to healthy brain aging.��

They are joined by neuroscientist��Michael Leon, who explains what happens when we lose our sense of smell, and staggeringly that simply enriching your life with�� pleasant scents could help protect you from diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to��⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠⁠⁠

Find out more about your senses at New Scientist:

⁠/topic/senses/⁠��

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Breakthrough Synthetic Cell Has Just Reproduced – But Is It Alive?

New Scientist Podcasts — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:08:00 +0000

Episode 382

Scientists have created a synthetic cell with just 36 genes that can copy DNA and replicate. In an attempt to create a “minimal cell”, a team led by professor Kate Adamala have built “SpudCell” from the ground up, using non-living components.

But is it alive – and is it dangerous? Despite being able to carry out some of the tasks of a normal cell, it’s not clear that it’s capable of evolution – yet. But it is a major breakthrough in the field and could pave the way for the creation of artificial life in the future.

Researchers have made their work open source so the next breakthrough can be fasttracked – and hope it will help provide a solution to the climate crisis by replacing the need for petrochemicals.

To discuss the news – and its implications for the origin of life – Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by New Scientist reporter Michael Le Page.

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The Science of Football: Inside the 2026 World Cup

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:12:00 +0000

Episode 381

Advances in sports science, data analysis and AI are having a huge impact on the way football is played. With England rated highly in this year’s World Cup, and teams such as Paraguay causing upsets – how will science help give teams an edge?

In the past there was very little data available to help assess player performance – and diet and training were much more rudimentary. But now we can analyse information in an incredibly sophisticated way, which is changing what players can achieve on the pitch.

In this special World Cup episode recorded at the Royal Society in London, we explore the emerging role of data and AI in football, the neuroscience of penalty shootouts, the impact of extreme heat on player performance, differences between the men’s and women’s game – and much more.

Rowan Hooper is joined by a panel of expert guests, including:

Dr Charlotte Cowie, Chief Medical Officer of the British Olympic Association

Dr Ian Graham, Founder of sports advisory business Ludonautics

Holly Bridge, Professor of Neuroscience at University of Oxford

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Image credit: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons��

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Solitude – How Time Alone Can Strengthen Your Mental Resilience

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

��ҹ��1000�� journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson just want some time to themselves… but not everyone feels that way. For others, moments alone can be deeply uncomfortable. Research shows that solitude could be incredibly important for our mental health, so whether we’re craving it or avoiding it, we should probably learn how to do it right,��

In this episode of Change Your Mind from New Scientist, Helen and Cat explore the surprising science of solitude, including how it differs from loneliness and why time alone can sometimes even improve our connections with other people. They’re joined by��Netta Weinstein, a psychologist at the University of Reading, UK, and co-author of��Solitude: The Power and Science of Being Alone, to discuss how much time alone is actually good for your brain. And how do you make the most of your alone time to restore your mood, creativity and patience?��

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to��⁠⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠⁠

Find out more about the Solitude at New Scientist:

/article/2423641-how-mastering-the-art-of-being-alone-can-boost-your-mental-health/⁠��

Make space for solitude over the holidays: ⁠/article/2508619-why-it-is-important-to-make-space-for-solitude-over-the-festive-season/⁠

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Ancient Human DNA Found in Stone Age Cave Art For First Time

New Scientist Podcasts — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:38:00 +0000

Episode 380

The DNA of ancient humans has been found preserved in cave art that’s more than 40,000 years old. This discovery could open an entirely new avenue for finding out about the lives of our ancient ancestors.

Researchers from the First Art project found these unexpected samples while examining 11 different caves decorated with rock art. Although it’s unclear if the DNA belongs to the original artist, it may soon be possible for researchers to identify the exact person who did the painting – and even uncover traits like their hair and eye colour.

Now this has been done once, the potential for more discoveries is massive. We may even be able to figure out if Neanderthals were also making art like this.

Rowan Hooper is joined by features editor Alison George and Genevieve von Petzinger at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

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Microplastics – Are Tiny Plastics Harming Our Brains?

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Microplastics can be found everywhere from freshly falling Antarctic snow to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and our brains are no exception. In this episode of��Change Your Mind��with New Scientist, ��ҹ��1000�� Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson trace the origins of microplastics and nanoplastics to tell the story of how they end up in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. There’s no question that these tiny plastic particles are in all of our bodies, but are they causing any harm there? ��

With the help of “godfather of microplastics” Professor Richard Thompson, they explore what decades of animal studies really show about development, fertility, behaviour and brain health and why it’s so hard to get definitive answers in humans.

Are microplastics really building up in our brains, and if so, what might that mean for memory, mood or dementia risk? Should you be worried about your non-stick pans, plastic water bottles or synthetic clothes?��

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to��⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠

Find out more about the microplastics at New Scientist:

/topic/microplastic/

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A “Super” El Niño May Be Coming – Here’s What It Means

New Scientist Podcasts — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:48:00 +0000

Episode 379

El Niño has officially arrived – a natural climate event that raises global temperatures. The difference this time is it looks very likely to become a “Super” El Niño. This is a more extreme warming phase which could lead to record high temperatures.

Coupled with the ongoing impacts of climate change, weather agencies are predicting an increase in extreme weather events around the world. From droughts to floods and devastating coral bleaching, what will this year’s warming bring?

We find out how a “Super” El Niño differs from a normal one, the extent of the damage it could cause and whether it’s responsible for the strange weather we’ve already had this year in the UK.

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Emily Black, Climate Professor at the University of Reading and New Scientist climate journalist Alec Luhn.

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The Lost Solstice Monument That Predates Stonehenge By 500 Years

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:27:00 +0000

Episode 378

A prototype Stonehenge has been discovered – an even older structure that may have been a first attempt at building the famous megalithic calendar.��

A team led by archaeologist Phil Harding, best-known for the TV series ‘Time Team’, discovered a range of artefacts at a site near Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.��

Excavations at Bulford uncovered pottery, animal bones, flints – and something even more telling. Signs of a structure of wooden poles were found, that line up directly with the summer solstice sun.

Phil Harding joins Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet to discuss what he found and why it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

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Image Credits:

Wessex Archaeology – ��

Marijane Porter

Dr Fabio Silva

garethwiscombe, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Dunn, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Brain Training – Can a Game really Protect You from Dementia?

New Scientist Podcasts — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode of��Change Your Mind, Science Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson ask whether brain training is finally shaking off its flaky reputation and if a simple computer game could really cut your risk of dementia. For years, Sudoku and brain game apps promised to “keep your brain young”, then were largely dismissed as only making you better at the game itself. So why is brain training back in the headlines now?

Cat speaks to��Professor Marilyn Albert, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins, about her study that recently linked a specific kind of speed‑processing training to a��25% lower risk of dementia.�� But is this finding too good to be true? Or should we all be signing up to give this brain training game a go?��

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to��⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠

Find out more about Brain Training and dementia at New Scientist

Learn more about our sponsor Alzheimer’s Society

If We Can Make Genetically Engineered Designer Babies – Should We?

New Scientist Podcasts — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Episode 377

Considered too dangerous and unreliable a few years ago, the technology for gene editing babies is advancing fast. Improved methods of using CRISPR gene editing are making the technique safer and more targeted. But does that mean we should be creating designer babies?

A new, more powerful version of CRISPR has already saved lives by correcting cells in children linked to leukaemia. But editing human embryos is a different story – and less safe. Despite this, researchers have been studying whether it’s possible.

To discuss the obstacles that still need to be overcome and the ethical challenges, Rowan Hooper is joined by reporter Michael Le Page.
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