Episode 398

OpenAI says it has just solved one of the hardest problems in mathematics. The Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem has been unsolved for more than 200 years. Now AI has cracked it, some claim we’ve finally reached “AGI” - artificial general intelligence.

Navier-Stokes is one of the Millennium Prize Problems, chosen for being famously challenging. And as OpenAI sets its sights on solving more of these problems, what does it mean for the future of mathematics and even for the future of humanity?

This comes as fear mounts over the safety of AI - supercharged by the resignation of a researcher from Anthrophic who believes AI companies are “gambling with our lives.” 

So have we really reached AGI? Is this new solution a good thing for humanity? To discuss all of this, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Matthew Sparkes and Timothy Revell.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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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

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Episode 396

A devastating climate disaster has killed at least 1,200 people in Nepal. A mass of ice and rock came crashing down off the Langtang mountain into the valley below. The climate crisis has made events like this much more likely.

This is just one of many retreating glaciers. We’re also on track for a record year of ice-loss in the European alps. As the world is reshaped before our eyes, what does this mean for the planet - and the 1.9 billion people who live downstream of glacier ice mountains?

This all comes as experts predict this year’s Super El Nino event will be the biggest in 1,000 years - plus an admittance from The UN Environment Programme that we will overshoot 1.5 degrees of global warming. 

To discuss the tragedy in Nepal and the growing concern in the Alps, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Professor of Glaciology Bethan Davies and climate journalist Alec Luhn.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image Credit: The aftermath of severe flooding along the Bhotekoshi river in Nuwakot, Nepal, on 28 August Ambir Tolang/JNA/ZUMA Press/Alamy

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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

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Episode 394

A new technique using a woman’s own fat cells has been used to reconstruct her breast without silicone implants. By injecting her own tissue into a dissolving scaffold, it’s hoped this technique will make breast augmentation safer.

Traditional plastic surgery involves silicone or saline, which can cause health issues like breast implant illness and even cancer. And they typically only last 10-20 years before needing to be removed.

Penny Sarchet speaks to Australia reporter Alice Klein to find out how the surgery works and why humans evolved to prefer bigger breasts in the first place.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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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/

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Episode 392

Ancient wildfires may have shaped the course of human evolution. A reconstruction of the environment in East Africa 1.75 million years ago suggests a particularly volatile period of climate change made our species adapt rapidly.

Climate swings may have led our species to develop sophisticated tools. Ancient hominins may have also learnt to control fire thanks to frequent wildfires during this period. 

As wildfires become increasingly common, currently devastating parts of Europe including the UK, will humans have to adapt again? Could it even force rapid evolution in our species?

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Sam Wong and Michael Le Page to discuss the finding and what it means for humans today.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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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/

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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 this happens, plus the wider benefits of music on brain health.

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by:

Astrophysicist  Hannah Wakeford

Neuropsychologist Catherine Loveday

Musician Steve Pretty

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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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

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Episode 388

Two extraordinary breakthroughs have been made in transplant surgery. First, scientists have found a way of keeping human eyes alive for up to 10 hours after death, opening up the possibility of eye transplants in the future. 

And in a second controversial surgery, another team has managed to restore severed spinal cords in pigs, allowing them to walk again after being paralysed. While it’s hoped this will eventually allow people with spinal injuries to walk again, one of the scientists involved is a proponent of human head transplants - or body transplants as they should really be known. Is that the ultimate goal?

Find out how the scientists achieved these feats - and what’s required to take both surgeries to the next level.

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Alexandra Thompson.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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