Astroparticle Physics podcasts

Hamish Johnston is joined by Oxford neutrino physicist Kirsty Duffy and Physics World's Matin Durrani to discuss the 2026 physics Nobel Prize awarded to Francis Halzen. They examine the IceCube observatory's contribution to detecting high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources and the broader history of Nobel-recognized neutrino research. The episode considers why these elusive particles have repeatedly transformed physics and how studying them opens a window onto the universe.

Hosted by Hamish Johnston

Physicist Daniel Akerib joins Sean Carroll to examine the search for weakly interacting massive particles and the challenges of directly detecting dark matter. They discuss a single unusual event in recent LUX-ZEPLIN data and why its low statistical significance warrants interest rather than a discovery claim. The conversation connects this result with Akerib’s experience in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search, LUX and LUX-ZEPLIN experiments.

Hosted by Sean Carroll

Astrophysicist Benoît Famaey and theoretical physicist Francesca Calore discuss the evidence motivating dark matter and the challenges of identifying its nature. With Alexandra Delbot, they examine proposed particle candidates, possible detection signals and why a promising observation requires careful scrutiny before being treated as a discovery.

Hosted by Alexandra Delbot

Jonathan Webb interviews Theresa Fruth of the University of Sydney about a potential dark-matter signal in the LUX-ZEPLIN xenon experiment. They explain how detector observations are interpreted, why the signal is of interest and what further evidence would be needed.

Hosted by Jonathan Webb

Fraser Cain and Pamela L. Gay explore what cosmology can establish about the universe’s earliest history and where knowledge remains limited. The discussion covers inflation, the separation of forces, the emergence of particles and nuclei, and density fluctuations that seed later structure. Recombination and the cosmic microwave background lead into the dark ages, the first stars and reionization, with observations including JWST helping test models of the early universe. Pamela Gay is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. This Astronomy Cast episode was published on 14 September 2026; its publisher feed labels it The Beginning and End of Everything, Part 1. The original duration is 39 minutes 27 seconds.

Hosted by Fraser Cain, Pamela L. Gay

Nature's Benjamin Thompson and Maren Hunsberger discuss research recognised by the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, including a soil-health experiment, and examine an intriguing signal from a xenon-based dark-matter experiment. Published on 4 September 2026, this episode connects environmental measurement with particle-physics news.

Jostein Riiser Kristiansen discusses the observational evidence for dark matter and dark energy and the questions they leave unresolved. Conversation in Norwegian.