-
1 week ago | 
theguardian.com | Alex Healey |Ryan Baxter |Steve Glew |Josh Toussaint-Strauss |Ali Assaf
An unprecedented planetary-scale seismic event caused the earth to vibrate for nine days straight back in 2023, but the reason why was unclear. Scientists initially had more questions than answers, labelling the event an unidentified seismic object and undertook a mammoth scientific collaboration across multiple countries and institutions to get to the bottom of what really happened.
-
2 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Ryan Baxter |Ali Assaf |Neelam Tailor
Millions of people are taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro. But with so many unanswered questions, are we in the middle of a giant human experiment? In this episode, journalist Neelam Tailor asks two doctors what these drugs are really doing to our bodies, our minds, and our society – from muscle loss and mental health to beauty standards and the blurred line between medicine and aesthetics.
-
1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Ryan Baxter |Rachel Salvidge |Ali Assaf |Josh Toussaint-Strauss |Leana Hosea
Pfas are a group of thousands of chemicals that are used for their non-stick and water-resistant properties. They are often refered to as 'forever chemicals' because they can take thousands of years to break down. Pfas are being found in so many everyday items that it's starting to feel like they are everywhere - non-stick frying pans, waterproof mascaras, stain-resistant clothing, packaging for takeaway food items. Pfas are even in our food, our drinking water and in the rain.
-
1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Ryan Baxter |Ali Assaf |Alex Healey |Neelam Tailor
Temu’s deals feel like a game but behind the scenes the Chinese shopping app uses underhand psychological tactics known as ‘dark patterns’ to keep us spending. Temu was the most downloaded app in the UK, US, Australia and Canada at the beginning of last year. Neelam Tailor uncovers the tactics the shopping app borrows from casinos and gaming apps to manipulate shoppers, and explores the environmental, ethical and data privacy risks that come with those bargain hauls
-
2 months ago | 
theguardian.com | Alex Healey |Ryan Baxter |Steve Glew |Neelam Tailor |Ali Assaf
What happens when western billionaires try to ‘fix’ hunger in developing countries? Neelam Tailor investigates how philanthropic efforts by the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the organisation they set up to revolutionise African farming, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), may have made matters worse for the small-scale farmers who produce 70% of the continent's food.
-
Mar 27, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Ryan Baxter |Ali Assaf |Elena Morresi |Patrick Greenfield
Net zero is a target that countries should be striving for to stop the climate crisis. But beyond the buzzword, it is a complex scientific concept – and if we get it wrong, the planet will keep heating. Biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield explains how a loophole in the 2015 Paris climate agreement allows countries to cheat their net zero targets through creative accounting, and how scientists want us to fix it
-
Mar 20, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Alex Healey |Ryan Baxter |Steve Glew |Josh Toussaint-Strauss |Ali Assaf
As droughts become more prevalent, corporate control over our drinking water is threatening the health of water sources and the access people have to them.
-
Mar 6, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Alex Healey |Ryan Baxter |Steve Glew |Neelam Tailor |Ali Assaf
Plastics are everywhere, but their smallest fragments – nanoplastics – are making their way into the deepest parts of our bodies, including our brains and breast milk. Scientists have now captured the first visual evidence of these particles inside human cells, raising urgent questions about their impact on our health. From the food we eat to the air we breathe, how are nanoplastics infiltrating our systems? Neelam Tailor looks into the invisible invasion happening inside us all
-
Feb 28, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Amy Hawkins |Jem Talbot |Ryan Baxter |Ali Assaf |Elena Morresi
China has dramatically increased military activities around Taiwan, with more than 3,000 incursions into Taiwan's airspace in 2024 alone. Amy Hawkins examines how Beijing is deploying 'salami-slicing' tactics, a strategy of gradual pressure that stays below the threshold of war while steadily wearing down Taiwan's defences. From daily air incursions to strategic military exercises, we explore the four phases of China's approach and what it means for Taiwan's future
-
Jan 30, 2025 | 
theguardian.com | Alex Healey |Ryan Baxter |Steve Glew |Josh Toussaint-Strauss |Ali Assaf
Efforts at stopping population movement by force often fail to stop people migrating across borders. But for many politicians, that can be a good thing. Josh Toussaint-Strauss explores how immigration is being exploited for business, to boost political agendas, and as a weapon of war• ‘Weapons of mass migration’: how states exploit the failure of migration policies
