Ian Sample

The River, United States

Guardian science editor and podcast presenter | PhD | Massive, shortlisted Royal Society Science Book Prize | Sony Award | Leaks to [email protected]

Articles

Surviving 200 snake bites, decoding ancient scrolls and the countries ‘flourishing’ - podcast

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Tony Onuchukwu |Ian Sample

Science correspondent Hannah Devlin joins Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science stories from the week, from a global study that puts the UK third from bottom when it comes to flourishing, to a man who intentionally suffered more than 200 snake bites in the quest to find a universal antivenom and a breakthrough in the quest to understand the contents of the charred Herculaneum scrolls buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted
How old are we really? What a test can tell us about our biological age - podcast

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample |Madeleine Finlay |Joel Cox |Ellie Bury

Direct to consumer tests that claim to tell us our biological – as opposed to chronological – age are getting a lot of attention, but what can they really tell us about our health? Science editor Ian Sample talks to Dr Brian H Chen, an epidemiologist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, who has conducted research into a variety of these tests called epigenetic clocks.
Why did Spain and Portugal go dark? - podcast

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample |Ashifa Kassam |Jillian Ambrose |Tom Glasser |Madeleine Finlay |Tony Onuchukwu | +1 more

Presented by Ian Sample with Ashifa Kassam and Jillian Ambrose, produced by Tom Glasser and Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer was Ellie BuryThu 1 May 2025 00.00 EDTAuthorities are still trying to understand what triggered the massive power outage that left the majority of the Iberian Peninsula without electricity on Monday.
UK among lowest-ranked countries for ‘human flourishing’ in wellbeing study

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample

Britain ranks among the poorest countries for “human flourishing”, according to a major study that raises questions about the nation’s wellbeing and younger people in particular. The survey, which spanned 22 countries on six continents, rated the UK 20th based on a combined score that considered a range of factors from happiness, health and financial security to relationships and meaning in life.
Evidence of alien life, a clue about the rise of colon cancer, and a new colour? - podcast

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Ian Sample |Rachel Porter |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury

Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From a hint at alien life on a distant planet, to a clue in the search for answers over why colon cancer rates are rising in the under 50’s, and news from a group of scientists who claim to have experienced a colour no one has ever seen before.
Bite marks on York skeleton reveal first evidence of ‘gladiators’ fighting lions

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample

Bite marks from a lion on a man’s skeleton, excavated from an 1,800-year-old cemetery on the outskirts of York, provide the first physical evidence of human-animal combat in the Roman empire, new research claims. While clashes between combatants, big cats and bears are described and depicted in ancient texts and mosaics, there had previously been no convincing proof from human remains to confirm that these skirmishes formed part of Roman entertainment.
Childhood toxin exposure ‘may be factor in bowel cancer rise in under-50s’

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample |Madeleine Finlay

Childhood exposure to a toxin produced by bacteria in the bowel may be contributing to the rise of colorectal cancer in under-50s around the world, researchers say. Countries, including some in Europe and Oceania, have witnessed an increase in young adults with bowel cancer in recent decades, with some of the steepest increases reported in England, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Chile.
Teenagers who go to bed early and sleep longer have sharper brains, study finds

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample

Teenagers who go to bed earlier and sleep for longer than their peers tend to have sharper mental skills and score better on cognitive tests, researchers have said. A study of more than 3,000 adolescents showed that those who turned in earliest, slept the longest, and had the lowest sleeping heart rates outperformed others on reading, vocabulary, problem solving and other mental tests.
Are we alone? New discovery raises hopes of finding alien life

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample

Towards the end of his life, the cosmologist Stephen Hawking was asked about the odds of finding intelligent alien life in the next two decades. “The probability is low,” he declared in 2016, and took a lengthy pause before adding: “Probably.”This week, other scientists from the University of Cambridge reported tentative evidence for two compounds in the atmosphere of a planet, K2-18b, that sits in the constellation of Leo 124 light years away.
Hue new? Scientists claim to have found colour no one has seen before

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ian Sample

After walking the Earth for a few hundred thousand years, humans might think they have seen it all. But not according to a team of scientists who claim to have experienced a colour no one has seen before. The bold – and contested – assertion follows an experiment in which researchers in the US had laser pulses fired into their eyes. By stimulating individual cells in the retina, the laser pushed their perception beyond its natural limits, they say.

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Ian Sample @iansample

24 Sep 24

“Nature does not like zombies.” https://t.co/Xr2skWk0oW

Ian Sample @iansample

10 Sep 24

AHOY! We’re taking the Science Weekly podcast to @BritishSciFest on Thursday to ask: Will AI make a good companion? Come armed with hopes / fears /questions for @mhairi_aitken and @tonyjprescott Presented & produced by @MadiFinlay and @elliebury https://t.co/fWFrGN81vv

Ian Sample @iansample

5 Jul 24

Thanks to @alokjha for flagging this gem: A weekend with Gareth Southgate and friends https://t.co/ZMTKOYpSo5 from @TheEconomist

Ian Sample

Articles

Surviving 200 snake bites, decoding ancient scrolls and the countries ‘flourishing’ - podcast

How old are we really? What a test can tell us about our biological age - podcast

Why did Spain and Portugal go dark? - podcast

UK among lowest-ranked countries for ‘human flourishing’ in wellbeing study

Evidence of alien life, a clue about the rise of colon cancer, and a new colour? - podcast

Bite marks on York skeleton reveal first evidence of ‘gladiators’ fighting lions

Childhood toxin exposure ‘may be factor in bowel cancer rise in under-50s’

Teenagers who go to bed early and sleep longer have sharper brains, study finds

Are we alone? New discovery raises hopes of finding alien life

Hue new? Scientists claim to have found colour no one has seen before

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Emails

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