Physics World Weekly Podcast
Physics World Weekly offers a unique insight into the latest news, breakthroughs and innovations from the global scientific community. Our award-winning journalists reveal what has captured their imaginations about the stories in the news this week, which might span anything from quantum physics and astronomy through to materials science, environmental research and policy, and biomedical science and technology. Find out more about the stories in this podcast by visiting the Physics World website. If you enjoy what you hear, then also check out our monthly podcast Physics World Stories, which takes a more in-depth look at a specific theme.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 35 minutes
- Episodes
- 111
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Astrophysicist uses X-rays to explore the universe, heat pumps could prevent potholes
This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a wide-ranging conversation with the astrophysicist Victoria Grinberg, who is a liaison scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA).
Based a…
Challenging the space industry’s attitudes towards diversity, the ‘wild boar paradox’ explained
In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, the science journalist Anna Demming meets four people who are trying to change the space industry’s attitudes towards diversity. She is joined by …
Quantum-safe cryptography: why we need it now
Cryptography keeps our messages secret, our bank transactions secure, and our data safe from hackers — but there is a threat looming on the horizon. Most cryptographic systems used today are based on…
Mathematics makes sense of the modern world
Today, it can seem that we are adrift in a swirling sea of claims and counterclaims designed to prod and provoke. So, how can a person make sense of this barrage of information? According to the this…
Metasurfaces simplify optical sensing systems
Conventional optical systems such as those found in cameras and microscopes use curved lenses to bend and focus light. As a result, these systems tend to be bulky and difficult to miniaturize for use…
LK-99: meet a materials scientist who put the room-temperature superconductivity claim to the test
When the materials scientist Ross Colman and colleagues read a preprint claiming that a material called LK-99 is a superconductor at room temperature and ambient pressure, they set out to replicate t…
Body-based units of measurement offer advantages over standardized systems, speaking of Oppenheimer
For millennia, humans have used units of measurement based on aspects of the human body. Familiar examples include the fathom (arm span) and the qubit (forearm length). Our guest in this episode of t…
Award-winning company uses quantum sensors to develop a lightweight, wearable brain scanner
Earlier this year, Nottingham-based Cerca Magnetics won the inaugural IOP qBIG Prize for quantum innovation for the development of its OPM-MEG wearable brain scanner. The prize is awarded by the Inst…
Quantum science and technology thrives when industry and governments join forces
In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast our guest is Celia Merzbacher, who is executive director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C).
Based near Washington, DC, QEC-C …
Interdisciplinary researcher explores the many facets of decarbonization
Our guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast is Emily Grubert, who is a civil engineer and environmental sociologist at the University of Notre Dame in the US. In a wide ranging inte…
Iconic Pink Floyd album cover provides a valuable lesson in optical physics
Pink Floyd’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973 and spent a total of 981 weeks on the Billboard 200 list of top-selling albums in the US. The album is also famous for its ic…