TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Physics World Weekly Podcast

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100 episodes
2024 to 2026
Median: 35 minutes
Collection: Physics, Math, and Astronomy

Description (podcaster-provided):

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

This podcast delivers a journalist-led overview of current developments across physics and closely related fields, mixing explanations of new research with conversations about how science is funded, communicated, evaluated and applied. Many discussions focus on quantum science and technology, including sensors, metrology, materials, error correction and the relationship between quantum information and quantum gravity. Computing is another major thread, spanning thermodynamic and reversible computing, the energy costs of AI, and the use of advanced algorithms and machine learning to accelerate research and improve decision-making in areas such as particle physics and radiation-therapy planning.

The show also covers large-scale scientific infrastructure and “big science” collaborations, with attention to upgrades and strategy around major particle-physics experiments and the broader impacts of funding decisions. Energy and sustainability appear both through technical topics—such as fusion and the materials constraints it imposes—and through organizational efforts to reduce carbon footprints.

Space and astronomy topics range from planetary missions and astrochemistry to exoplanets and planetary defence, emphasizing how measurement, modelling and uncertainty shape real-world risk. Biomedical and life-science themes include medical imaging and optics, ultrasound-enabled tools for cell research, physics-based simulations for diagnosis and treatment, microgravity-related health challenges, and the interface between physics, chemistry and lifelike behaviour in complex systems.

Alongside research and technology, the podcast regularly explores the scientific ecosystem: open data and sharing practices, peer review in the age of AI, careers inside and outside academia (including science journalism, entrepreneurship and venture capital), science education and policy, accessibility in STEM, and the intersections between physics and culture, such as art and computer animation.

Episodes:

‘Galactic archaeologists’ share the 2026 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics 2026-Jun-11 30 minutes

Inside EPSRC: Charlotte Deane on funding the future of UK physics 2026-Jun-04 30 minutes

Open data: the benefits and challenges of sharing a precious resource 2026-May-28 25 minutes

Thermodynamic computing: noise as a resource, not an enemy 2026-May-21 37 minutes

Paul Howarth: IOP president highlights the need to raise the profile of physics in society 2026-May-14 36 minutes

Near-oxymoronic requirements: the materials challenges of fusion energy 2026-May-07 32 minutes

Quantum sensors benefit from miniaturized ultrahigh vacuum 2026-Apr-23 26 minutes

Proteins on manuscript reveal how Renaissance medicines were made 2026-Apr-16 49 minutes

Backing winners in deep tech: physicist and venture capitalist Alexandra Vidyuk 2026-Apr-09 32 minutes

Biomedical optics play crucial roles across medicine 2026-Apr-02 34 minutes

How IOP Publishing cut its carbon footprint by 36% since 2020 2026-Mar-26 27 minutes

From the classroom to the committee room: Dave Robertson MP on politics and physics 2026-Mar-19 28 minutes

Droplet scientists push the boundary between living and non-living matter 2026-Mar-12 41 minutes

Ultrasound system solves the ‘unsticking problem’ in biomedical research 2026-Mar-05 31 minutes

LHCb upgrade: CERN collaboration responds to UK funding cut 2026-Feb-26 33 minutes

Quantum Systems Accelerator focuses on technologies for computing 2026-Feb-19 34 minutes

Asteroid deflection: why we need to get it right the first time 2026-Feb-12 22 minutes

Physics‑based simulations help diagnose and treat disease 2026-Feb-05 27 minutes

AI-based tool improves the quality of radiation therapy plans for cancer treatment 2026-Jan-29 38 minutes

Laser fusion: Focused Energy charts a course to commercial viability 2026-Jan-22 32 minutes

Quantum metrology at NPL: we explore the challenges and opportunities 2026-Jan-14 25 minutes

Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity 2026-Jan-08 25 minutes

Oscar-winning computer scientist on the physics of computer animation 2025-Dec-23 23 minutes

How to make 2D metals: Guangyu Zhang on his team’s award-winning research 2025-Dec-18 35 minutes

Exploring this year’s best physics research in our Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2025 2025-Dec-11 31 minutes

Building a quantum future using topological phases of matter and error correction 2025-Dec-04 25 minutes

Quantum gravity: we explore spin foams and other potential solutions to this enduring challenge 2025-Nov-27 29 minutes

Talking physics with an alien civilization: what could we learn? 2025-Nov-20 46 minutes

Better coffee, easier parking and more: the fascinating physics of daily life 2025-Nov-18 57 minutes

Designing better semiconductor chips: NP hard problems and forever chemicals 2025-Nov-13 40 minutes

Unlocking the potential of 2D materials: graphene and much more 2025-Nov-06 38 minutes

Quantum steampunk: we explore the art and science 2025-Oct-30 40 minutes

Quantum computing and AI join forces for particle physics 2025-Oct-23 25 minutes

Astronauts could soon benefit from dissolvable eye insert 2025-Oct-16 41 minutes

From quantum curiosity to quantum computers: the 2025 Nobel Prize for Physics 2025-Oct-09 33 minutes

The curious history of Nobel prizes: from lighthouses to gravitational waves 2025-Oct-02 47 minutes

Imagining alien worlds: we explore the science and fiction of exoplanets 2025-Sep-25 42 minutes

Peer review in the age of artificial intelligence 2025-Sep-18 28 minutes

Juno: the spacecraft that is revolutionizing our understanding of Jupiter 2025-Sep-11 36 minutes

Artificial intelligence predicts future directions in quantum science 2025-Sep-04 36 minutes

From a laser lab to the Economist: physicist Jason Palmer on his move to journalism 2025-Aug-28 41 minutes

Cosmic chemistry: Ewine van Dishoeck shares her zeal for astrochemistry 2025-Aug-21 36 minutes

Building a quantum powerhouse in the US Midwest 2025-Aug-14 47 minutes

Building a career from a passion for science communication 2025-Aug-07 38 minutes

Third age careers for physicists: writing and the arts beckon 2025-Jul-31 45 minutes

From rabbits and foxes to the human gut microbiome, physics is helping us understand the natural world 2025-Jul-24 40 minutes

Oak Ridge’s Quantum Science Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to developing quantum materials and technologies 2025-Jul-17 39 minutes

Inside ATLAS: Sara Alderweireldt explains how the CERN experiment homes in on new physics 2025-Jul-10 19 minutes

Making science careers more accessible to people with disabilities 2025-Jul-03 32 minutes

Reversible computing could help solve AI’s looming energy crisis 2025-Jun-26 27 minutes

Helgoland: leading scientists reflect on 100 years of quantum physics and look to the future 2025-Jun-19 37 minutes

Exploring careers in healthcare for physicists and engineers 2025-Jun-12 25 minutes

Richard Bond and George Efstathiou: meet the astrophysicists who are shaping our understanding of the early universe 2025-Jun-05 55 minutes

Teaching quantum physics to everyone: pictures offer a new way of understanding 2025-May-29 35 minutes

A Martian aurora, how the universe fades away, Heisenberg on holiday, physics of fake coins 2025-May-22 42 minutes

Quantum computing for artists, musicians and game designers 2025-May-15 32 minutes

Molecular engineering and battery recycling: developing new technologies in quantum, medicine and energy 2025-May-08 35 minutes

Ferenc Krausz explains how ultrashort laser pulses could help detect disease 2025-May-01 30 minutes

Driving skills and innovation in the UK’s semiconductor industry 2025-Apr-24 33 minutes

Radiosurgery made easy: the role of the Gamma Knife in modern radiotherapy 2025-Apr-17 32 minutes

Non-invasive pressure sensor could revolutionize how brain injuries are diagnosed 2025-Apr-10 26 minutes

William Phillips: Nobel laureate talks about his passion for quantum physics 2025-Apr-04 63 minutes

Microsoft’s Chetan Nayak on topological qubits, the physics of bigger splashes 2025-Mar-27 32 minutes

Artur Ekert explains how Albert Einstein and John Bell inspired quantum cryptography 2025-Mar-20 55 minutes

Ionizing radiation: its biological impacts and how it is used to treat disease 2025-Mar-13 37 minutes

New materials for quantum technology, how ultrasound can help detect breast cancer 2025-Mar-06 35 minutes

Exploring CERN: Physics World visits the world’s leading particle-physics lab 2025-Feb-27 28 minutes

Jim Gates updates his theorist’s bucket list and surveys the damage being done to US science and society 2025-Feb-20 47 minutes

Quantum superstars gather in Paris for the IYQ 2025 opening ceremony 2025-Feb-13 27 minutes

How the changing environment affects solar-panel efficiency: the Indian perspective 2025-Feb-06 26 minutes

Mark Thomson looks to the future of CERN and particle physics 2025-Jan-30 38 minutes

Why electrochemistry lies at the heart of modern technology 2025-Jan-23 35 minutes

Ceryx Medical: company uses bioelectronics to coordinate the heart and lungs 2025-Jan-16 41 minutes

Humanitarian engineering can improve cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries 2025-Jan-09 48 minutes

International Year of Quantum Science and Technology: our celebrations begin with a look at quantum networks and sensors 2025-Jan-02 37 minutes

The physics of ice cream: food scientist Douglas Goff talks about this remarkable material 2024-Dec-26 40 minutes

Mikhail Lukin and Dolev Bluvstein explain how they used trapped atoms to create 48 logical qubits 2024-Dec-19 39 minutes

Hartmut Neven talks about Google Quantum AI’s breakthrough in quantum error correction 2024-Dec-19 32 minutes

Exploring this year’s best physics research in our Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2024 2024-Dec-12 28 minutes

How the UK Metamaterials Network supports scientific and commercial innovation 2024-Dec-05 27 minutes

Astronomers can play an important role in explaining the causes and consequences of climate change, says astrophysicist 2024-Nov-28 36 minutes

Top tips for physics outreach from a prize winner, making graphene more sustainable 2024-Nov-21 34 minutes

Space travel: the health effects of space radiation and building a lunar GPS 2024-Nov-14 53 minutes

How to boost the sustainability of solar cells 2024-Nov-07 31 minutes

Peter Hirst: MIT Sloan Executive Education develops leadership skills in STEM employees 2024-Oct-31 36 minutes

Julia Sutcliffe: chief scientific adviser explains why policymaking must be underpinned by evidence 2024-Oct-24 30 minutes

Data-intensive PhDs at LIV.INNO prepare students for careers outside of academia 2024-Oct-17 36 minutes

Deep connections: why two AI pioneers won the Nobel Prize for Physics 2024-Oct-10 28 minutes

Nobel predictions and humorous encounters with physics laureates 2024-Oct-03 30 minutes

Science thrives on constructive and respectful peer review 2024-Sep-24 34 minutes

Diagnosing and treating disease: how physicists keep you safe during healthcare procedures 2024-Sep-19 38 minutes

Looking to the future of statistical physics, how intense storms can affect your cup of tea 2024-Sep-12 37 minutes

Hybrid quantum–classical computing chips and neutral-atom qubits both show promise 2024-Sep-05 48 minutes

The Wow! signal: did a telescope in Ohio receive an extraterrestrial communication in 1977? 2024-Aug-29 41 minutes

Physics for a better future: mammoth book looks at science and society 2024-Aug-22 33 minutes

Quantum sensors monitor brain development in children 2024-Aug-15 23 minutes

Abdus Salam: celebrating a unifying force in global physics 2024-Aug-08 24 minutes

Non-physicists find opportunity in the quantum industry, improving the university experience 2024-Aug-01 45 minutes

Zap Energy targets fusion power without magnets, Claudia de Rham on the beauty of gravity 2024-Jul-25 44 minutes

Diamond dust for MRI, 4D printing creates advanced devices 2024-Jul-19 36 minutes