The genetic testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, another twist in the story of a company that promised a pioneering approach to precision health. Now users are scrambling to delete their personal data, with the future ownership of the firm uncertain. To understand the highs and lows of 23andMe’s journey, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian US ... Show More
Yesterday
Does going to the moon still matter?
If all goes to plan, Artemis II, Nasa’s mission to return humans to the moon, will launch this week. The mission will mark the farthest that humans have travelled from Earth, and the first return to the moon in more than 50 years. It will also pave the way for landing on the moon ... Show More
19m 36s
Apr 2025
DNA and Bankruptcy Collide With 23andMe
The genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, after years of slowing sales, legal trouble, and a declining stock price. And now, the valuable trove of genetic data the company owns is for sale, sparking privacy concerns. On today’s Big Take, Bloomberg biotec ... Show More
16m 30s
Dec 2024
Science’s Breakthrough of the Year, and psychedelic drugs, climate, and fusion technology updates
First up this week, Breakthroughs Editor Greg Miller joins producer Meagan Cantwell to discuss Science’s 2024 Breakthrough of the Year. They also discuss some of the other scientific achievements that turned heads this year, from ancient DNA and autoimmune therapy, to precision p ... Show More
44m 46s
Jun 2025
Part One: Dire Wolves, Dr. George Church & The De-Extinction Grift
Robert walks Langston Kerman through the story of Dr. George Church, a very real scientist who co founded the company making bullshit claims of "de extincting" dire wolves. (2 Part Series) Sources: George Church, Colossal W*nker – For Better Science Can Gene Therapy Slow Ageing i ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2025
David Lyon, "Surveillance: A Very Short Introduction" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Surveillance is everywhere today, generating data about our purchasing, political, and personal preferences. Surveillance: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2024) shows how surveillance makes people visible and affects their lives, considers the technologies inv ... Show More
59m 41s
Jan 2025
Nara Milanich, "Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father" (Harvard UP, 2019)
Nara Milanich’s Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father (Harvard University Press, 2019) explains how fatherhood, long believed to be impossible to know with certainty, became a biological “fact” that could be ascertained with scientific testing. Though the advent of DNA test ... Show More
1h 6m
Jan 2025
Nara Milanich, "Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father" (Harvard UP, 2019)
Nara Milanich’s Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father (Harvard University Press, 2019) explains how fatherhood, long believed to be impossible to know with certainty, became a biological “fact” that could be ascertained with scientific testing. Though the advent of DNA test ... Show More
1h 6m