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Science Weekly

Hantavirus update, Pentagon’s UFO files, can art slow biological ageing?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.21K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eyecatching stories from the week, including an update on hantavirus. Also on the agenda is the Pentagon’s release of a tranche of never before seen documents relating to UFOs, and a study looking at the link between taking part in cultural activities and slower biological ageing. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:10.8

Last Friday was a pretty big day for those who believe the U.S. government is hiding something.

0:19.0

UFOs? Real. The Trump administration released its first tranche of declassified UFO files

0:25.4

from the Pentagon, NASA, and the FBI. It's a thing. It's a real thing.

0:30.4

The trove of documents released by the Pentagon details reports of alien encounters,

0:37.0

sightings of unidentified anomalous phenomena,

0:40.3

and videos of strange objects flying through the sky.

0:43.7

There's a whole fleet of of. Look on the ASA.

0:46.7

Oh, my gosh.

0:53.3

And from spaceships to cruise ships, namely the Hanta virus hit M.V. Hondias.

0:59.7

As scientists analysed the virus and health organisations continue in their response,

1:04.7

the passengers have finally been allowed to disembark,

1:07.4

but many will now be facing six weeks of quarantine.

1:11.6

A question they might be asking themselves is how to stay occupied,

1:16.6

and they could do worse than indulging in some arts and crafts.

1:20.6

According to a new study, activities like singing, dancing and painting

1:25.6

have been linked to slower biological aging.

1:32.3

So today I chat to Ian Sampal about the stories that have caught our eye this week.

1:41.3

From The Guardian, I'm Madeleine Finley and this is Science Weekly.

1:50.4

Ian, since our episode about Hanta virus last week, the epicentre of the outbreak, the cruise

1:56.7

ship MV Hondias, has been on quite a voyage. So where do things stand now in terms of the numbers

2:03.7

of cases and what's happening with the response? So at the moment the latest figures at the time

...

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