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The world, the universe and us

From the evolution of intelligent life to the mysteries of consciousness, from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined each week by expert scientists in the field, drawing on New Å®ÉúСÊÓÆµâ€™s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context. Feed your curiosity with the podcast that will restore your sense of optimism and nourish your brain.

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About this episode

5 December 2025

Episode 335

Exercise has been shown to shrink tumours by 60 per cent. A new study shows another link between regular exercise and cancer prevention, this time revealing that muscle cells may outcompete cancer cells for energy - basically starving them. We explore the links between metabolism and glucose - with the caveat that so far this has only been demonstrated in mice, in a small study.

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may be even weirder than we thought. Ever since we spotted this comet from another star system, scientists have been studying every inch of it. And no - it’s not an alien spacecraft. But it does seem to be home to surprising amounts of chemicals like carbon dioxide and methanol - essential ingredients for life. Could this shed light on the origin of life in the universe?

A 100-year-old debate between two titans of physics has finally been settled. In the 1920s, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr butted heads about the nature of light. Einstein said light is a particle. Bohr said it’s both a particle and a wave. They came up with an experiment to settle the argument - the trouble is, they had no way to run it. Now, 100 years later, we finally have the technology to perform the test - and the winner is…

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, Alex Wilkins and Jacob Aron.

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