New Scientist CultureLab

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Latest episodes

• Amorina Kingdon on the grunting, growling and singing world underwater

  September 9, 2024 · 49 min

  Have you ever heard a haddock knock? What about a cusk eel’s chatter?  Sound travels four-and-a-half times faster through water than air and can be heard across huge distances. It’s how whales are able to communicate hundreds of kilometres…

• Lucy Foulkes on how adolescence shapes us

  August 26, 2024 · 40 min

  Ever wondered how your teenage years shaped the person you are today? Or why certain rebellious behaviours, like underage drinking, seem almost inevitable, no matter which generation you look at? Adolescence is a crucial, yet often…

• The best science TV of the year – so far.

  August 12, 2024 · 38 min

  With so many new TV series and documentaries available, it can be tough to decide what's truly worth your time. That’s where our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley comes in. From the genetically-gifted superheroes of Supacell…to a sobering…

• Carlo Rovelli on the link between quantum physics and world peace

  July 29, 2024 · 31 min

  Quantum theory describes the tiny building blocks that make up everything around us. It has made many successful predictions but could a new, more radical idea help us make better sense of the world around us? Could it even be the answer…

• The incredible, intelligent abilities of plants with Zoë Schlanger

  July 15, 2024 · 39 min

  What if we told you plants can hear and see? And memorise information? And track time to adapt their pollination techniques? And even look out for their family members? These are just some of the remarkable behaviours plants are capable of…

• Sonifying Mars, symphonically, with David Ibbett

  July 1, 2024 · 40 min

  Despite humans having never set foot on Mars, scientists have been working for decades to paint a picture of life on the red planet. With the help of photos and videos from robotic rovers, scientists now know more than ever about its rocky…

• The catastrophic health consequences of racism with Layal Liverpool

  June 17, 2024 · 41 min

  We like to think of science and medicine as unbiased, unaffected by social constructs. But we see evidence to the contrary everyday, from false yet persistent claims that black people’s bones are denser to the reality that the covid-19…

• On the hunt for alien life with Lisa Kaltenegger

  June 3, 2024 · 44 min

  If (or maybe when) we find alien life in the universe, will it look like us? As telescopes become bigger, our ability to peer into the cosmos is only getting better. So the question may not be “will we find something?” but rather “what…