Show Notes
What if evolution isn't just about the survival of the fittest? Rowan Hooper, senior editor at New Scientist, joins Shirtloads to discuss his new book Togetherness - a challenge to the idea that nature is defined purely by competition. From the fig and wasp's ancient partnership to the mycorrhizal fungal networks threading through forest soils, Hooper makes a compelling case that relationships and symbiosis are overlooked fundamental aspects of evolution.
More from Shirtloads of Science
When Robbie Williams announced he had been diagnosed with scurvy earlier this year, Professor Clare Collins was relieved… why?! Because he was bringing attention to a major issue arising from the use of the popular class of weight loss medications, GLP-1s. Professor Collins joins me on Shirtloads to discuss how nutrient deficiencies have increased among those using these medications. Clare agrees that GLP-1 medications DO have an overall net positive effect as effective and beneficial medications, but warns that without proper nutrient intake (due to a suppression in appetite) nutrient deficiencies are much more common than they should be.
In mid-2026, a swarm of AI agents coordinated a cyberattack on Hugging Face, a platform where machine learning communities can collectively work to improve AI models and capabilities. This breach happened without human supervision.
Science writer and journalist Marcus Chown returns for a shorter, more philosophical chat. When Einstein first proposed gravitational waves, atoms hadn't even been discovered, so who knows what the next century holds? We dig into the strange idea of the universe's "mathematical twin," and discuss the Standard Model of physics - a brilliant framework, but riddled with holes.
Science writer and former astrophysicist Marcus Chown joins us to discuss the elusive graviton - the theoretical particle behind gravity.
A bonus episode straight from the audience at Geraint Lewis' book launch for "The Shortest History of Reality." Listeners fire off some big questions: where do we sit with the 95% of the universe we can't explain? What is dark energy? Why does time feel so different experientially? Along with other questions concerning the Theory of Everything, whether light really has a speed, what happens to our mass when we die, consciousness and the Twin paradox!