Best Organized Sound Productions Podcasts (2025)

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A Scottish tea mystery: a bag for life – episode three 20:56

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24h ago20:56

20:56

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three, all of Tam’s lies come to a head and Stuart uncovers exactly where Tam was sourcing tea to supply to hotels and shops. At trial, Tam takes the stand and Richard and the Scottish growers finally get some answer…

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A Scottish tea mystery: the list – episode two 23:00

2d ago23:00

23:00

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two, Nicola hears how Tam’s network of Scottish tea growers began to have suspicions about exactly what he was selling and where it came from, and how cutting edge science helped provide some answers. Help support ou…

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A Scottish tea mystery: green shoots – episode one 22:02

3d ago22:02

22:02

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one, Nicola looks back on her first meeting with Tam while working on a feature about tea plantations in the UK. He was selling his award-winning Scottish-grown tea to some of the UK’s finest hotels, but something di…

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The ‘remarkable’ implant that can restore sight 15:19

8d ago15:19

15:19

An electronic eye implant half the thickness of a human hair has helped people with incurable sight loss to see again, opening up a potential ‘new era’ in tackling blindness. Madeleine Finlay hears from Mahi Muqit, a surgeon from Moorfields eye hospital in London, about what this implant has meant for his patients and what the future could hold for…

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The seed bank storing the planet’s future 16:58

10d ago16:58

16:58

As biodiversity declines, locating and conserving the planet’s plant life is becoming more important. The Millennium seed bank in Wakehurst, West Sussex, has been doing just that for 25 years, collecting and storing seeds and keeping them in trust for countries all over the world should they ever be needed. To mark the anniversary, Patrick Greenfie…

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How to Handle Listener Feedback - EP 103 16:46

11d ago16:46

16:46

What's the worst piece of feedback you've received about your podcast? We all have one—that cringe-inducing review or comment that fires up our impostor syndrome. The one that makes us question our hosting skills, our topic selection, and our whole show. And yet, feedback, even the negative kind, doesn't have to get you down. In this episode, Mary …

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Why is ‘chronic’ lyme disease so controversial? 19:57

15d ago19:57

19:57

Celebrities including Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber and Miranda Hart have talked about their years-long struggles with the effects of Lyme disease, but despite rising rates and better awareness, the illness remains poorly understood. To understand more about how the illness can impact people over the long term, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian…

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Traitor or faithful: how to spot a liar 15:51

17d ago15:51

15:51

The Traitors has returned to UK screens with its biggest viewing figures ever as 19 celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. The game depends on being able to accurately spot a liar, but are any deception detection methods actually backed up by science? Madeleine Finlay speaks to Timothy Luke, a senior lecturer in the department of applied psy…

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All the news and science from the 2025 Nobel prizes 20:55

23d ago20:55

20:55

This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that paves the way for the next generation of quantum technology, the creation of porous materials that have been compared to Hermione Granger’s handbag and the discovery of the hidden army inside us that helps to keep our immune system in check. To find …

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The real science of weight loss with the US’s leading nutritional scientist 21:17

24d ago21:17

21:17

By The Guardian

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How to Keep Fear From Overpowering Your Voice with Kat Stewart and Kevin Ribble - EP 102 38:07

25d ago38:07

38:07

What are you afraid of when you're recording your podcast? Training your voice doesn't start with what comes out of your mouth—it starts with what's going on in your head. Mary learned this 25 years ago from her radio school instructors, Kat Stewart and Kevin Ribble. In this episode, her former teachers take the mic to talk about finding your chari…

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Remembering primatologist Jane Goodall 17:05

29d ago17:05

17:05

By The Guardian

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Fraud, AI slop and huge profits: is science publishing broken? 18:28

29d ago18:28

18:28

Scientists are warning that academic publishing needs urgent reform in order to retain trust in the research system. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what has gone so wrong, and Dr Mark Hanson of the University of Exeter proposes some potential solutions. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod…

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Does a bit of booze really make us better at languages? 13:07

1M ago13:07

13:07

The Ig Nobel prizes were awarded recently – for science that makes you laugh and then think – and the peace prize was given to a cheeky study testing the link between alcohol and language proficiency. Does a drink really help us to converse more convincingly in another tongue, or does it just give us inflated confidence? To find out, Madeleine Finl…

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Fact-checking Trump’s autism announcement 20:18

1M ago20:18

20:18

In a televised press conference on Monday, Donald Trump and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr made a series of unproven claims about autism and its links to paracetamol use in pregnant women, and about childhood vaccinations. The comments were immediately refuted by scientists and health agencies around the world, but many expressed concern abou…

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Is there hope on the horizon for patients with Alzheimer’s? 14:52

1M ago14:52

14:52

A trial is under way to find out if a £100 blood test could transform the way that the NHS diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia and diagnosis is currently costly and time-consuming. To find out how this blood test could benefit patients, Ian Sample talks to Prof Jonathan Schott, who is co-leading the trial. He…

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Voice Prep for a Personality-Driven Podcast That Pops - EP 101 11:32

1M ago11:32

11:32

How do you make your personality shine through as soon as you hit record? The podcast world is always evolving—that's what happens when a baby industry grows up! For better or worse, audio-first media is changing constantly, and the latest shift involves Amazon's decision to shut down the Wondery podcast studio. This kicks off a move away from thos…

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Is the US on the brink of a new era of political violence? 18:20

1M ago18:20

18:20

The murder of political activist Charlie Kirk has prompted fears about rising levels of political violence in the US after a number of high-profile assassinations and attempted assassinations of political figures in recent years. But how connected are these events and do they signal a rise in public support for this kind of violence? To find out Ia…

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Putin’s quest for longevity 18:43

2M ago18:43

18:43

At a recent ceremony for world leaders in Beijing, a hot mic picked up a surprising exchange between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping about the possibility of living to 150. Putin suggested the secret might lie in repeated organ transplants. But is this the new frontier of anti-ageing research or a fringe and unproven theory? To find out, science edit…

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Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people? 16:44

2M ago16:44

16:44

The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row – a trend mirrored across the world, with two-thirds of the global population now living in countries with below-replacement-level fertility. In the second episode of a two-part series, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dean Spears, assistant professor of economics at the Unive…

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Shrinking states: are we on a path to depopulation? 19:43

2M ago19:43

19:43

The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row. It is a story that is being repeated all over the world, with two thirds of the global population now living in countries with below replacement level fertility. Low fertility rates have become a talking point on the political right, with Elon Musk claiming that populat…

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Is curiosity the key to ageing well? 16:06

2M ago16:06

16:06

Psychologists have traditionally believed we become less curious as we age, but recent research has shown that curiosity actually becomes more targeted and specific in our later years. To find out why this happens, and how maintaining broad curiosity into older age can help keep our brains young, Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Mary Whatley, an assi…

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RFK Jr and the chaos at the CDC 17:47

2M ago17:47

17:47

It’s been a dramatic week at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the space of seven days, the agency’s head was sacked and replaced by an interim head, four senior staff members resigned, and existing staff took to the streets to express support for their ousted leaders. To understand how everything unfolded and what it coul…

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‘AI psychosis’: could chatbots fuel delusional thinking? 16:34

2M ago16:34

16:34

There are increasing reports of people experiencing delusions after intensive use of AI chatbots. The phenomenon, dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, has raised concerns that features built into large language models may contribute to some users losing touch with reality. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Hamilton Morrin, a psychiatrist and researcher at King’s Col…

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A decade long mystery - why were billions of starfish turned to goo? 16:20

2M ago16:20

16:20

For more than a decade, scientists have been puzzling over what was causing billions of starfish to dissolve into piles of white goo. Sea star wasting disease has ravaged starfish populations, wiping out 90% of the once common sunflower sea star. Now, researchers have finally identified the culprit. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Melanie Prentice, o…

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Can science crack the mystery of ME? 19:07

2M ago19:07

19:07

Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people’s genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community. To find out more, Madeleine Finlay speaks to science editor I…

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Why can’t the world get its act together on plastics? 15:57

2M ago15:57

15:57

After three years of negotiating, talks over a global plastics treaty came to an end in Geneva last week with no agreement in place. So why has it been so difficult to get countries to agree to cut plastic production? Madeleine Finlay hears from Karen McVeigh, a senior reporter for Guardian Seascapes, about a particularly damaging form of plastic p…

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Staying cool in Europe’s record-breaking heat 16:40

3M ago16:40

16:40

Europe is suffering from another heatwave as deadly temperatures of up to 44C hit the continent and wildfires blazed across the Mediterranean. To find out why Europe is heating faster than anywhere else, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, and to Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster U…

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Is sunscreen really toxic? 16:12

3M ago16:12

16:12

For many of us, slathering on sunscreen to protect our skin in the summer months is a no-brainer. But recently social media has been awash with influencers airing their concerns about the potential dangers of this seemingly innocuous product. So is there anything to the claims that sunscreen is toxic? To find out, Madeleine Finlay is joined by the …

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Summer picks: Where do our early childhood memories go? 18:42

3M ago18:42

18:42

It’s a mystery that has long puzzled researchers. Freud called the phenomenon infantile amnesia, and for many years scientists have wondered whether it’s a result of failure to create memories or just a failure to retrieve them. In this episode from March 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Nick Turk-Browne, a professor of psychology at Yale University, who…

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Summer picks: what is ‘mirror life’ and why are scientists sounding the alarm? 17:33

3M ago17:33

17:33

Recently, a group of world-leading scientists called for a halt on research to create ‘mirror life’ microbes amid concerns that the synthetic organisms would present an ‘unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about why this work initially seemed exciting for scientists and what the risks of it continuing could be. K…

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Summer picks: The science of racism, and how to fight it 19:17

3M ago19:17

19:17

In this episode from January 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and discrimination. Help support our independent j…

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Summer picks: Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back? 17:10

3M ago17:10

17:10

In 2024, the Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year was ‘brain rot’. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many who feel they don’t have the mental capacity they once had. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California,…

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Why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it? 14:14

3M ago14:14

14:14

Scientists are beginning to understand that ageing is not a simply linear process. Instead, recent research appears to show that we age in three accelerated bursts; at about 40, 60 and 80 years old. To find out what might be going on, Ian Sample hears from Prof Michael Snyder, the director of the Center for Genomics and Personalised Medicine at Sta…

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The babies born with DNA from three parents 17:10

3M ago17:10

17:10

Doctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about the life-threatening genetic disorders that the technique appears to prevent, and Prof Sir Doug Turnbull describes the 25-year journey to achievin…

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Two black holes collide, lab-grown organs, world’s first climate visa 21:44

4M ago21:44

21:44

Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science and environment stories. From a breakthrough in the quest to create organs in the lab to a world-first climate visa that will see citizens relocate from the island of Tuvalu to Australia, plus what happens when two massive black holes collide. Help support our independent …

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Why are parents using melatonin to help their kids sleep? 17:32

4M ago17:32

17:32

Guardian feature writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett recently wrote about the growing cohort of parents whose children are on the waiting list for an autism or ADHD diagnosis, and are turning to the internet to buy melatonin to help them sleep. She tells Madeleine Finlay about their experiences and what is driving them to the hidden market. Paul Gringras…

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Texas floods and forecasting cuts: a sign of things to come? 16:49

4M ago16:49

16:49

In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this narrative stacks up and what the consequences could be for extreme we…

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What are microplastics doing to our health? 15:58

4M ago15:58

15:58

The actor Orlando Bloom recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Stephanie Wright, associate professor of envi…

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Why British women are freezing their eggs abroad 18:26

4M ago18:26

18:26

The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian journalist Lucy Hough, who recently travelled to Brussels to freeze he…

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What does it take to make a nuclear weapon? 15:54

4M ago15:54

15:54

In an interview last weekend, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’ because it is permitted for ‘peaceful energy’ purposes. It is the latest development in an escalation of tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which erupted when Israel targeted the country’s nuclear facilities in June. To understand …

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Finding Joy in the Serious Work of Podcasting - EP 100 22:09

4M ago22:09

22:09

How can reflecting on your podcast journey spark delight in your success? The process of podcasting is serious business. You have to be laser-focused on all the pieces of the spiral—from brainstorming topics to marketing the published episode to starting the next one—and sometimes the subject matter gets dark, especially in the daunting uncertainty…

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‘Huge advances in cancer and rare diseases’: 25 years of the human genome 18:33

4M ago18:33

18:33

It has been 25 years since Bill Clinton announced one of humanity’s most important scientific achievements: the first draft of the human genome. At the time, there was a great deal of excitement about the benefits that this new knowledge would bring, with predictions about curing genetic diseases and even cancer. To find out which of them came to p…

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Can a revolutionary new telescope solve the mystery of planet nine? 15:10

4M ago15:10

15:10

Ever since Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, astronomers have been wondering whether Neptune really is the most distant planet from the sun. Now, a new telescope could uncover what lies in the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Vera C Rubin Observatory released its first images this week, and soon the world’s most powerf…

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Do medicinal mushroom products actually work? 18:41

4M ago18:41

18:41

More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market now worth billions of pounds. Promises of benefits to mental and physical health have seen its popularity spill over from wellness influencers to the shelves of Marks & Spencer – but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? Ian Sample chats…

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Does the UK need nuclear to reach net zero? 15:14

5M ago15:14

15:14

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has promised £14bn of investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, kicking off what the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, says will be a ‘golden age for clean energy abundance’. But for critics, the technology’s high costs and lengthy construction times have always eclipsed the benefits of abundant low-carbon …