New Scientist CultureLab

Ever wondered how your teenage years shaped the person you are today? Or why certain rebellious behaviours, like underage drinking, seem almost inevitable, no matter which generation you look at? Adolescence is a crucial, yet often misunderstood, phase of life. Adolescent psychologist Lucy Foulkes’s new book ‘Coming of Age: How Adolescence Shapes Us’ will leave you reflecting on your own formative years in a whole new light – and offers insights that may help settle your anxieties as a parent of teens. In this episode, Foulkes explains to New Scientist editor Catherine de Lange why adolescence is often such a challenging period, explains how these struggles are essential for self-discovery and shares tips on how adults can help the young people in their lives navigate this tricky period. To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.

With so many new TV series and documentaries available, it can be tough to decide what's truly worth your time. That’s where our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley comes in. From the genetically-gifted superheroes of Supacell…to a sobering documentary about the ethics of assisted dying, she has a wealth of options for your next night in.Bethan and host Christie Taylor share a rundown of the top science TV shows from 2024 so far. They also get excited for what’s still to come this year and next, with recommendations on what to keep an eye out for.Explore all of Bethan’s TV columns at newscientist.com/author/bethan-ackerley.In this episode Christie and Bethan discuss the following series:Science fiction:Dr. Who (BBC/Disney+)Time Bandits (Apple TV+)Supacell (Netflix)The 3-Body Problem (Netflix)Fallout (Amazon Prime Video)Scavengers Reign (Netflix)Historical fiction:The Decameron (Netflix)Documentary:Our Living World (Netflix)Better Off Dead? (BBC - UK-only at this time)The Space Shuttle that Fell to Earth / Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight (BBC/Max/Hulu/Others)Yet to come:Secret Lives of Orangutans (Netflix, August)Dune: Prophecy (Max/Sky/NOW, November)Silo, season 2 (Apple TV+, November)Squid Game, season 2 (Netflix, December)Severence, season 2 (Apple TV+, January 2025)Andor, season 2 (Disney+, early 2025)The Last of Us, season 2 (Max/Hulu/Others, 2025)

Quantum theory describes the tiny building blocks that make up everything around us. It has made many successful predictions but could a new, more radical idea help us make better sense of the world around us? Could it even be the answer to creating world peace?Carlo Rovelli is an Italian theoretical physicist and writer behind the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics. His idea suggests that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are not particles or objects as many of us are taught in school, but relationships and interactions between them.In this episode, Rovelli explains why he believes we should all be applying his theory to our everyday lives and relationships. And how it could even help improve international relations. To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.

Despite humans having never set foot on Mars, scientists have been working for decades to paint a picture of life on the red planet. With the help of photos and videos from robotic rovers, scientists now know more than ever about its rocky terrain, early history and current climate.Now, experts are painting a fuller picture of the dusty planet by using audio recordings captured by these rovers. Composer David Ibbett has used that data in epic fashion: to create an immersive concert that harnesses the sounds of Mars and transforms them into musical instruments and melodies. In this episode, Ibbett explains to host Bethan Ackerley how ‘Mars Symphony’ includes the real sounds of Mars’ winds, dust devils and seismic rumbles and takes the audience on an interplanetary journey through the past, present and future of the red planet. Still curious? Attend an upcoming performance or experience the music of Mars from your computer, at MarsSymphony.com.To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.

We like to think of science and medicine as unbiased, unaffected by social constructs. But we see evidence to the contrary everyday, from false yet persistent claims that black people’s bones are denser to the reality that the covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted people of colour. In her debut book Systemic: How Racism is Making Us Ill, science journalist Layal Liverpool explores the health consequences of racism. She showcases how fatal stereotypes can leave people of colour in need of medical care undiagnosed, untreated and unsafe. In this episode, Liverpool explains how race and racism infiltrate every aspect of health – from living in polluted areas to being dismissed by doctors in the hospital. She lays out the problematic history of medicine and health science. And she highlights the many ways people are beginning to make meaningful change. To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.

If (or maybe when) we find alien life in the universe, will it look like us? As telescopes become bigger, our ability to peer into the cosmos is only getting better. So the question may not be “will we find something?” but rather “what exactly should we be looking for?”Lisa Kaltenegger is an astrophysicist and founding director of Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute. She even works out of Sagan’s old office and shares the same optimism and enthusiasm he brought to the search for extraterrestrial life. Abby Beall speaks to her about her new book Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos, which takes readers on a cosmic adventure to faraway exoplanets with oceans of lava and multiple suns. Through the conversation Lisa explains how Earth’s geological history can help inform our search for life, while acknowledging alien life may not look the same as us. She discusses the technology that has allowed us to enter a new epoch of exploration – and what technological advancements are needed to help advance our search for alien life. And she examines the alien worlds that feature in various science fiction worlds, like those in Star Wars and Avatar, and whether they could actually exist somewhere in the universe.To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.

From Dune to The Three Body Problem, is science fiction having a moment? Attention to the genre, as well as TV and films based on it, seems to have exploded in the past few years. With sci-fi often getting a bad rap, it’s time to ditch the snobbery and celebrate its complexity and diversity. And who better to do this with than New Scientist’s science fiction columnist – and our former editor – Emily H. Wilson?Wilson is a journalist and author. In 2023 she published Inanna, the first of The Sumerians, a trilogy set in the ancient civilisation of Sumer. The books are an epic, speculative retelling of some of the oldest myths ever recorded.In this episode, Rowan Hooper speaks to Wilson about the enduring popularity of the genre, and why you should be proud to call yourself a science fiction fan. Plus, the pair share loads of recommendations and explore sci-fi’s many different sub-genres, from climate fiction to cyberpunk.You can learn more about Emily’s trilogy, The Sumerians, here.To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.Books mentioned:- Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu- Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky- Ancillary Justice, Anne Leckie- Annie Bot, Sierra Greer- Dune, Frank Herbert- The Chrysalids, John Wyndham- Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham- The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin- The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin- The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick- Neuromancer, William Gibson- Burning Chrome, William Gibson- Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson- Red Moon, Kim Stanley Robinson- 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson- The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson- Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler- Patternmaster, Octavia Butler- The Broken Earth, N. K. Jemisin- Middlemarch, George Eliot- Impressions of Theophrastus Such, George Eliot- Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky- Autonomous, Annalee Newitz- Excession, Iain M. Banks- A World Out of Time, Larry Niven- Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card- The Ballad of Halo Jones, Alan Moore and Ian Gibson- Tank Girl, Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett

How do we understand the stakes of climate change, and communicate them? As we’re facing the consequences of climate change and our historical inaction as a species, how do we come to terms with the reality and uncertainty of our situation?In H is for Hope: Climate Change from A to Z, Journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert breaks things down for us, alphabetically. She dissects the narratives around climate change, from sobering facts about our warming planet, to innovations to fuel our optimism.In this episode, Kolbert reminds us how dangerous our current situation is, and what we are missing in this fight – including gaps in our understanding of how fast the climate is changing. Plus, the role of narratives in shaping how we decide to act. To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.