About this episode

This episode discusses the surprising benefits of festivals on brain health, new Alzheimer's research, and the composition of clouds on exoplanets.

Episode 390 In a special episode recorded live at Latitude Festival in England, we open with the finding that orcas in the Gulf of California have been making fish explode like piñatas. Sunfish are too large for orcas to get their teeth around, but they’ve been seen working together to tackle them - another amazing display of their ability to coordinate.  We also discuss a surprising new way to clear proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease from the brain. An early-stage experiment shows that inhaling carbon dioxide could boost your brain’s waste disposal system and clear out harmful proteins. But don’t try this at home. Also on the agenda, the clouds on distant exoplanets are now being studied - and they are made of incredible materials. Some are made of sand, molten iron and even rubies and sapphires. As we explain how materials like this can stay suspended in the air, we also discuss the importance of clouds on Earth. And we wrap up with the finding that festivals protect the brain and help keep us young. A study involving 3500 people found that those who attended social gatherings like festivals and concerts showed clear reductions in their biological age. Discover why…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet

Guests: Hannah Wakeford, Catherine Loveday, Steve Pretty

Topics covered

• orcas
• Alzheimer's disease
• exoplanets
• clouds
• festivals
• brain health

Keywords

• orcas
• Alzheimer's
• exoplanets
• clouds
• festivals
• brain health
• biological age
• music

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Scientist

Places: Gulf of California, Latitude Festival, Earth

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