Astrophysics 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

This episode explores transient searches, multiprobe cosmology and planetary nebulae through conversations with researchers at Jodrell Bank. Alex Reeves discusses his doctoral research, the computational methods used in multiprobe cosmology and his experience as a PhD student. Alec Csukai reflects on completing a doctorate in planetary-nebula research and the transition beyond graduate study. The presenters also discuss experiences of the August solar eclipse and share highlights from the Jodcast’s twentieth-birthday outreach activities at the National Astronomy Meeting. The episode combines current astrophysics with research-career perspectives and public engagement.

Hosted by Phoebe Ryder, Louisa Mason

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

Fraser Cain and Pamela L. Gay examine possible futures of the universe across vastly different timescales. Topics include the Milky Way and Andromeda, cosmic isolation as expansion continues, the fading microwave background, the end of star formation and the era of stellar remnants. They discuss uncertain processes such as proton decay, black-hole evaporation through Hawking radiation, entropy and heat death, alongside alternative outcomes if dark energy evolves. These are model-dependent projections. Pamela Gay is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Published on 21 September 2026, the episode appears in the feed as The Beginning and End of Everything, Part 2. Its original duration is 37 minutes 7 seconds.

Hosted by Fraser Cain, Pamela L. Gay

Chris Smith presents a science-news episode examining how artificial intelligence could be misused to develop biological weapons and how researchers and regulators are responding. The programme also covers long-lasting genetic scars after childhood chemotherapy, ultra-strong ice as a possible construction material, and methods for tracking weather patterns on distant planets.

Hosted by Chris Smith

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

The Science Show reviews a new approach to detecting and measuring concussion, a repurposed satellite for mapping the Universe, intervention to conserve a potentially sterile native plant, AI support for people with dyslexia, and how recommendation algorithms influence reading choices.

Hosted by Robyn Williams, Belinda Smith

University of Arizona planetary scientist Daniel Apai joins Tim Swindle to discuss the Pandora Space Telescope and its potential to reveal the properties of exoplanets and their atmospheres. This Arizona Science episode examines the scientific questions addressed by the observatory as it returns data from Earth orbit. Published on 10 September 2026; listen through Arizona Public Media’s episode page.

Hosted by Tim Swindle

The Supermassive team revisits an interview with Meg Schwamb about the Kuiper Belt and the small bodies beyond Neptune. The conversation explores what these distant objects can reveal about the Solar System’s formation and evolution. This is the explicitly labelled revisited edition published in September 2026.

Vitor Cardoso discusses how observations and theory are changing black-hole physics. The conversation covers Hawking radiation, general relativity, gravitational-wave observations and the Event Horizon Telescope, asking what these measurements reveal about black holes and what future observatories could test.

Hosted by Sean Carroll

This Nature Podcast episode reports on a high-speed star whose orbit could enable measurement of the spin of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The programme also examines how exoskeletons influence human movement and covers other current science stories.

Nature's podcast explores genetically engineered probiotic bacteria that sense elevated glucose and release therapeutic factors, lowering blood sugar in animal studies. The episode also covers ecological research on pumas, geological erosion, and how a solar eclipse can help researchers probe the Sun's magnetic corona.

The astro[sound]bites team introduces cohost Vivasvaan and his work on galaxy mergers and machine learning. The discussion explains why mergers are useful probes of galaxy evolution and gives an early-career researcher’s perspective on the field.

Øystein Elgarøy and Anders Kvellestad discuss unresolved problems in physics, drawing on cosmology and particle physics. Conversation in Norwegian.

Ulrich Sperhake and Seppe Staelens explain hypothetical boson stars and how researchers use mathematical modelling to investigate them. The discussion connects these unusual compact objects to black holes, gravity and gravitational-wave observations.

Adam Riess explains how astronomers measure the universe's expansion and why different methods give conflicting results. He revisits the evidence for accelerated expansion and examines what the Hubble tension might reveal about measurement techniques or missing ingredients in cosmological models.

Hosted by Steven Strogatz

Nature reporters discuss evidence for a distant Jupiter-mass exosatellite and the discovery of a rare transmissible cancer in wild catfish.

Nature staff discuss the discovery of a four-carbon sugar molecule in interstellar space and a newly decoded formula that identifies a Maya mathematician.

David Kipping considers how to reason about extraterrestrial life when evidence is scarce. The discussion covers promising places to search, the interpretation of possible biosignatures and the role of statistical inference, alongside questions about habitable worlds and moons beyond our solar system.

Hosted by Janna Levin