The World, the Universe and Us

Episode 405 The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)  is a major system of ocean currents that plays a vital role in Earth’s climate. If it collapses, the consequences could be catastrophic. We could see ice-age level winters in Europe, coupled with scalding hot summers - and impacts on food production around the world. The trouble is it’s already weakening. That’s why scientists are building an early warning system that'll warn us of imminent AMOC collapse. But will a warning come soon enough for us to act - and will anyone actually listen? The team explains how the warning system would work, what happens if the AMOC does collapse and how soon it could happen. Plus they look at new research which suggests the AMOC may not be a classic tipping point - because we may be able to resuscitate it even if it stops. To discuss this, Penny Sarchet and Rowan Hooper are joined by climate reporters Alec Luhn and Madeleine Cuff.  To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image Credit: Tipping Points: CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148459736 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 403 A new species of feathered dinosaur has been discovered - and it looks like a supercharged magpie with teeth. Fossil evidence and an artist’s reconstruction show the dinosaur looks remarkably like a bird - yet it’s not actually an ancestor of modern birds. Over 100 million years old, Norellraptor barsboldi is named after two famous palaeontologists - one of whom taught palaeontologist Steve Brusatte. Steve is the author of The Story of Birds and joins the team to discuss this incredible finding, which shows flight may have evolved at least two separate times. He also explains how dinosaurs didn’t go extinct - but still roam among us today. On the panel are Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 401 Anxiety is everywhere. Climate change, political turmoil and a constant stream of alarming headlines can make optimism feel impossible. But to be hopeful you don’t need to ignore reality. What if it’s about paying attention to the breakthroughs that are already changing the world? In this special episode Penny Sarchet and Rowan Hooper are joined by bestselling author Caitlin Moran, who spent a year chasing hope. Prompted by her new book How to Be Hopeful, the New Scientist team shares eight recent developments that genuinely make them optimistic about the future. From the explosive growth of solar energy and the possibility of crops that make their own fertiliser, to new classes of medicines, AI-assisted scientific discovery, and even the search for life beyond Earth, this episode is a celebration of progress, curiosity and human ingenuity.  Also on the panel are Madeleine Cuff, Catherine de Lange, and Michael Le Page. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 399 Some aspects of childbirth have remained surprisingly mysterious - and scientists haven’t been able to agree on what actually kicks off the labour process. But they’ve finally worked out what’s going on - and the discovery could turn birth into a much more predictable occasion. The labour process in humans is much more complex than in other mammals. But researchers have now worked out the driving force that kicks it all off is the immune system - a special type of inflammatory macrophage sending mitochondria to the uterus just before birth. To explain this new discovery and why it might be game-changing for avoiding pre-term births, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Australia reporter Alice Klein. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 397 The first evidence has been discovered that Denisovans lived in south-west China. This ancient species of human spent over 100,000 years in the region and left behind incredible artefacts that tell us how they lived. 64,000 fragments of bone have been discovered from Bianfu Cave in Yunnan province. And the site tells us a lot about the food they ate and the animals they hunted - including rhinoceroses, hyenas and prime-age deers. As we discover an increasingly sophisticated culture in this previously mysterious species, what does it teach us about ourselves, and how exceptional Homo sapiens really are? To discuss the findings, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by science writer Michael Marshall. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image Credits: Homo longi - Nobu Tamura, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Homo floresiensis - Cicero Moraes, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Neanderthal: Neanderthal-Museum, Mettmann, 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