Presented each week by New Scientist’s Rowan Hooper (podcast editor) and Penny Sarchet (news editor), with guests from the editorial staff, the Weekly promises to deliver the inside knowledge on three must-know stories from the past week, say the publishers.

“I’m really excited to launch this excellent new podcast from New Scientist,” says Rowan. “There are so many important and entertaining developments in science and technology each week, and we can’t wait to tell you everything you need to know about them,” says Penny.

New episodes go live each Friday, and are available from the usual sources, as well as the New Scientist website. There is also a dedicated Twitter feed for the show, @newscientistpod.

According to the publishers, two more New Scientist podcasts will be launching soon.

Rowan has been at New Scientist 15 years. He has a PhD in evolutionary biology and worked as a biologist in Japan before becoming Science Editor of the Japan Times in Tokyo. He has also written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. His first book, published in 2018, is Superhuman: Life at the Extremes of Mental and Physical Ability.

Penny is New Scientist’s news editor. She previously specialised as a reporter and editor covering health, biology and science policy, and has a DPhil in developmental genetics. She has also written for The Guardian, BBC Science Focus, Nature, Mosaic and The Telegraph.