Life beyond Earth? Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the mysteries of space

Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator who has worked on a number of instruments that are revolutionising our view of the cosmos, including the James Webb Space Telescope. This year she will be giving the Royal Institution Christmas lectures, Britain’s most prestigious public science lectures, in which she will be exploring some of the big questions space science still has to answer. Nicola Davis sat down with Dame Maggie to discuss the lectures, why she is convinced there is life beyond our planet, and her dream of journeying to a distant exoplanet. Madeleine Finlay hears from them both in this Christmas special edition of Science Weekly.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

We all know eating too much sugar is bad for our health – but would we be better off replacing it with artificial sweetener? It’s a question Science Weekly listener Marion posed recently and, as Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample, the answer is complicated. She explains what the science says about sugar v sweeteners with the help of Prof Havovi Chichger, from Anglia Ruskin University, and Prof Jim Krieger, from the University of Washington’s school of public health. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message: they could exit the medical system and take back their power by free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is episode one of a year-long investigation by the Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne Listen to the full series from The Guardian Investigates podcast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

The Guardian’s science editor, Ian Sample, sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week, including a study investigating the link between social media use in children and rising rates of ADHD diagnosis. Also on the agenda is groundbreaking evidence that humans were starting fires 350,000 years earlier than previously known, and the discovery of a new strain of the mpox virus in England. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

At this time of year when stress levels are high, we can find ourselves being sent over the edge by frustrating post office queues, infuriating traffic jams and tension-filled family occasions. But what’s the best way to release our anger and find peace and calm this festive season? To find out, Ian Sample hears from science correspondent Nicola Davis, who recently tried out a rage room as a means of channelling her fury, and from Brad Bushman, professor of communication at the Ohio State University. Is venting the most effective way to overcome anger, and if not, what is?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay and science correspondent Hannah Devlin to hear about three eye-catching stories from the week, including a study showing that the brain has five ‘eras’, with adult mode not starting until our early 30s. Also on the agenda is new research showing the shingles vaccine not only protects against dementia but could actually slow its progress, and a paper exploring how ants sacrifice themselves when they become infected with pathogens to protect their healthy relatives. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Artificial intelligence can execute tasks in seconds that once took humans hours, if not days to complete. While this may be great for productivity, some researchers are concerned that our increasing use of AI could be impacting our ability to tackle difficult problems and think critically. To find out where the science stands, and how worried we should be about the potential of AI to change how we think, Ian Sample hears from Madeleine Finlay and Sam Gilbert, professor of neuroscience at University College London. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Patrick Vallance, the minister for science, research and innovation, recently unveiled a plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI and other technologies, with the eventual aim of phasing it out altogether. To understand how this will affect research and what could be used in place of animal models, Madeleine Finlay hears from science editor Ian Sample, Prof Hazel Screen of Queen Mary University London and Prof Kevin Harrington from the Institute of Cancer Research. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

After bitter arguments, threatened walkouts and heated all-night negotiations, delegates eventually reached a deal this weekend at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil. To unpick what was achieved and what was left out, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s environment editor, Fiona Harvey, who has been following every twist and turn. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

As the Cop30 climate talks continue in Brazil, Madeleine Finlay hears about a landscape at the opposite end of the planet facing the direct impacts of the climate crisis. The Guardian reporter Leyland Cecco recounts a recent trip to Qikiqtaruk (also known as Herschel Island) off the coast of Canada’s Yukon territory, where he saw first hand how indigenous groups and scientists are reckoning with an ecosystem collapsing into the sea. He tells Madeleine about efforts to preserve the history of the island and how scientists are racing to understand what it means for the fate of other arctic communities.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod