The World, the Universe and Us

Episode 395 Dark matter particles may have finally been spotted for the first time. LUX-ZEPLIN is the most sensitive dark matter detector on Earth - and what it’s discovered has the potential, if confirmed, to shake up all of physics. Despite making up about 85 per cent of the universe, dark matter has been notoriously difficult to spot. WIMPs, or weakly-interacting massive particles, are the leading theory to explain dark matter. That’s what this new, powerful detector has been built to search for. To explain how LZ works and what it means if its results are supported, Rowan Hooper is joined by space reporter Leah Crane. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image Credits: Dark Matter illustration: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/J. Pinto, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Dark matter gif: Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 393 A controversial TV show has suggested ADHD is a myth - a largely made up condition that is really just a “social construct”. But the science just doesn’t back this up. Decades of research prove ADHD is a real condition that impacts lives - and often needs treatment, which saves lives. But at a time when diagnoses are rising, people are wondering what’s causing the increase. Are we overdiagnosing the condition? Are we medicalising normal behaviour? That’s what this documentary might have you believe - but such messaging is damaging. Katya Rubia of King’s College London is one of the scientists featured in the documentary - and has spoken out about being misrepresented. She features on this episode to explain how harmful shows like this can be. From the benefits of ADHD medication to emerging data on women with the condition, we explore what the science really shows. Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are also joined on the panel by science writer and author Caroline Williams who is open about having ADHD and New Scientist’s Alexandra Thompson. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 391 Brain tumours are the most common and most deadly form of solid tumours in children. But a brand new kind of immunotherapy has shown incredible promise, saving four terminally ill children. By using a child’s own immune cells, this new treatment seems to work better than existing immunotherapies and causes fewer adverse side effects. Although it saved just 4 out of 33 participants, it’s still encouraging and researchers hope to continue trials. Join James Woodford and Alice Klein to find out how this new therapy works, how researchers plan to improve it, why brain tumours are so common and difficult to treat and what the future of treatment looks like. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 389 Europe is burning through another summer of extreme heat. Temperatures are soaring across the continent, wildfires are forcing mass evacuations in France and Spain, and scientists warn that heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting as the climate warms.  The fires are changing too. Hotter, drier conditions are creating larger and more destructive wildfires. Some are even generating their own weather systems, pyrocumulonimbus thunderstorms, in regions we’d never seen before. Find out what is driving Europe’s escalating heat and wildfire crisis, and whether district cooling networks could help cities stay livable in a much hotter future.  Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Alec Luhn and Michael Le Page. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image credit: Death Valley: Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices