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The Guardian

Twice a week, the Guardian brings you the latest science and environment news

Science Weekly

This year’s flu season has begun more than a month earlier than usual, with a mutated strain spreading widely among younger people and expected to drive a wave of hospital admissions as it reaches the elderly. Science editor Ian Sample speaks to Madeleine Finlay about what we know so far and Prof Ed Hutchinson of the University of Glasgow explains how people can best protect themselves and each other. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Should the UK brace for a brutal flu season?

Ian Sample joins Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories from the week. They discuss the complicated legacy of James Watson, who won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA; a new breakthrough in the quest to understand the autoimmune disease lupus; and why everyone from Joe Rogan to Kim Kardashian is talking about comet 3I/Atlas.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Why everyone’s talking about 3I/Atlas, a lupus breakthrough, James Watson’s legacy

Do you have an uncanny recall for faces? Have you ever recognised the same extra in TV shows that are decades apart? If so you could be part of the small number of super recognisers. Research from the University of New South Wales indicates they naturally pick out the most useful parts of a given face to help commit it to memory. So what else have scientists uncovered about this elite cohort? Dr David Robertson, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Strathclyde, talks to Ian Sample about what life is like for super recognisers, and how their powers could be put to use for the public good. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Never forget a face? You could be a super recogniser

Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon? In the final episode of this three-part series from June 2025, Jon encounters a radical new view of the Amazon’s history being uncovered by archaeologists. Far from an uninhabited wilderness, the rainforest has been shaped by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Jon finds out how their expert knowledge could be harnessed to secure the Amazon’s future. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode three: ask the people that know

Jon Watts, the Guardian’s global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon? In episode two of this miniseries from June 2025, Jon meets the people trying to make sure the rainforest is worth more standing than cut down – from a government minister attempting to establish Brazil’s ‘bioeconomy’ to a startup founder creating superfood supplements and a scientist organising night-time tours hunting for bioluminescent fungi. Jon explores new ways of finding value in the forest and asks whether they will be enough to secure its survival. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode two: the magic and mystery

Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon? In episode one of this miniseries from June 2025, Jon explores what’s at stake if we fail to act in time. He hears about the crucial role of the rainforest for South America and the global climate, and asks how cattle ranching came to dominate and destroy huge swathes of the rainforest – pushing it to a dangerous tipping point today. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Revisited: How to save the Amazon episode one: the stakes

As global leaders and environmental activists descend on Brazil for next week’s Cop30 climate summit, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jon Watts, who recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the UN secretary general, António Guterres. As he approaches his penultimate summit as the UN chief, Guterres reflected on humanity’s progress in attempting to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, why Indigenous voices must be listened to and how he remains positive in the face of the climate crisis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

‘We must change course’: a stark climate warning from the UN chief

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three, all of Tam’s lies come to a head and Stuart uncovers exactly where Tam was sourcing tea to supply to hotels and shops. At trial, Tam takes the stand and Richard and the Scottish growers finally get some answers. But what remains today of the nascent Scottish tea industry that Tam instigated?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

A Scottish tea mystery: a bag for life – episode three

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two, Nicola hears how Tam’s network of Scottish tea growers began to have suspicions about exactly what he was selling and where it came from, and how cutting edge science helped provide some answers. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

A Scottish tea mystery: the list – episode two

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one, Nicola looks back on her first meeting with Tam while working on a feature about tea plantations in the UK. He was selling his award-winning Scottish-grown tea to some of the UK’s finest hotels, but something didn’t quite add up. And Nicola wasn’t the only person taking an interest in his story. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

A Scottish tea mystery: green shoots – episode one

Right now, across much of the midwestern and eastern US, trillions of cicadas are crawling out from the soil. And this year is extra special, because two broods are erupting from the ground at once. The first brood hasn’t been seen for 13 years, the other for 17 years and the last time they emerged together Thomas Jefferson was president. Ian Sample speaks to entomologist Dr Gene Kritsky to find out what’s going on, why periodical cicadas emerge in cycles of prime numbers and how they keep time underground. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

In their prime: how trillions of cicadas pop up right on time

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