EPISODE · Jan 9, 2026 · 31 MIN
Why does America want Greenland?; Mystery of dark DNA; Ozempic weight rebound
from The World, the Universe and Us · host New Scientist
Episode 340 Acquiring Greenland has been deemed a national security priority by America. President Trump wants to use the country to deter adversaries in the Arctic, have control over its rare minerals and oil - and maybe even build experimental cities. But with the challenges of a changing climate, difficulty actually extracting any natural resources and the fact that Greenland isn’t free to occupy, how realistic are Trump's goals? Human-plant hybrid cells are being used to answer the mystery of “dark DNA”. Also known as “junk DNA”, this refers to the fact that much of the human genome seems to be inactive. And this new experiment may have proven this claim, showing that only about 10 per cent of our DNA is useful…the rest is just rubbish. What does that mean for the story of evolution, or the future of genetic modification? The team explores two major ways to interpret the results. And two diet-related stories this week. First, that fibre seems to have a beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to a large observational study review. And second, how people who stop taking GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, tend to regain the weight they lost within less than two years. Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Michael Le Page, Alexandra Thompson, Anna Merril, Ruth Mottram and Martin Stendel.To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Episode 340 Acquiring Greenland has been deemed a national security priority by America. President Trump wants to use the country to deter adversaries in the Arctic, have control over its rare minerals and oil - and maybe even build experimental cities. But with the challenges of a changing climate, difficulty actually extracting any natural resources and the fact that Greenland isn’t free to occupy, how realistic are Trump's goals? Human-plant hybrid cells are being used to answer the mystery of “dark DNA”. Also known as “junk DNA”, this refers to the fact that much of the human genome seems to be inactive. And this new experiment may have proven this claim, showing that only about 10 per cent of our DNA is useful…the rest is just rubbish. What does that mean for the story of evolution, or the future of genetic modification? The team explores two major ways to interpret the results. And two diet-related stories this week. First, that fibre seems to have a beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to a large observational study review. And second, how people who stop taking GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, tend to regain the weight they lost within less than two years. Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Michael Le Page, Alexandra Thompson, Anna Merril, Ruth Mottram and Martin Stendel.To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why does America want Greenland?; Mystery of dark DNA; Ozempic weight rebound
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