World, the Universe and Us: Autism in Girls, Longevity, and Bold Quantum Ideas

Overview

In this episode of New Scientist’s World, the Universe and Us, Penny Sache guides listeners through a suite of thought provoking features spanning biology, health, physics, and archaeology. The show foregrounds Gina Rippon’s work on the lost women and girls of autism, Brian Johnson’s longevity regime, and a range of frontier physics ideas, including quantum numbers and spacetime memory. It also highlights a breakthrough in reading ancient charred scrolls with AI and ends with practical strategies for managing emotions during the holiday season.

Across these stories, the program asks how bias shapes science, how extreme routines intersect with health, and how information and observation shape our understanding of reality and the body. The episode blends interviews with editors Claudia Canavan and Kat Delange and features a mix of expert insights and human experiences.

Autism in Girls and the Shifting Brain Narrative

The episode opens with Gina Rippon’s controversial yet transformative examination of autism in women and girls. It challenges the notion of autism as an “extreme male brain,” showing that autistic girls can have distinct neural patterns, such as heightened activity in social processing regions and sensory systems. The conversation also explores masking, which helps girls fit in but exacts a cognitive and emotional toll, contributing to anxiety and depression. Teachers and diagnostic tools have historically been biased toward male presentations, making diagnosis harder for girls. The piece calls for more inclusive brain imaging studies and diagnostic criteria that reflect female neurodiversity, highlighting real world implications for mental health and support.

The Longevity Pioneer: A 6.5 Hour Morning Routine

Claudia Canavan recounts an interview with Brian Johnson, a tech millionaire-turned-longevity advocate. Johnson’s routine blends intense exercise, specialized diets, altitude training, sauna, and even experimental gene therapy. The discussion probes what we can learn from his regimen, what is truly evidence-based, and where the line lies between fringe experimentation and credible science. Researchers caution that a sample size of one cannot be generalized, but they acknowledge the potential for untested interventions to illuminate new research directions when shared responsibly with the wider scientific community.

Radical Quantum Proposals: Beyond Particles and Observers

Josh Newell and physicist Vlatko Vedral present a provocative view of reality rooted in quantum numbers and entanglement. They discuss the idea that the observer is not a fundamental requirement to explain quantum phenomena, and that physics may be understood by focusing on quantum numbers and entanglement rather than wave function collapse. The conversation traverses the notion of ghosts in quantum theory, the limits of current experiments, and the possibility that formulating a fully quantum description of spacetime could reveal new physics. The segment emphasizes that these ideas, while speculative, aim to push the boundaries of experimental testability and theoretical coherence.

Memory in Space: The Quantum Memory Matrix and Dark Matter Clues

In another feature, a researcher explores the concept that spacetime itself could remember information. A theoretical framework called the quantum memory matrix is tested in a simulated atom of spacetime inside a quantum computer. The discussion links this idea to broader questions about dark matter and information theory in physics, suggesting that reading the universe’s informational weight could point toward new physics and a deeper understanding of how information behaves in the cosmos.

Ancient Texts Reborn: Reading the Philodemus Scrolls

A companion piece chronicles the digital unwrapping of carbonized papyrus scrolls from the villa of Piso near Vesuvius, a project that uses X-ray imaging and collaborative AI to decipher ink and text. The fragmentary words and phrases already revealed hint at philosophical musings on pleasure and virtue, illustrating how technology can unlock long lost libraries and extend human knowledge beyond material destruction. The project underscores the evolving role of AI in archaeology and the excitement of turning charred artifacts into readable sources of ancient thought.

The Fat as an Organ: Adipose Tissue as a Communication Network

Linda Geddes reports on fat as an active, signaling organ rather than mere padding. Fat tissue communicates through hormones, signals to the brain about energy stores, and participates in immune and mood regulation. The piece differentiates visceral fat, which wraps around organs and poses health risks, from subcutaneous fat and highlights how metabolically healthy obesity may reflect a more flexible adipose system. The narrative reframes obesity as a biological condition with memory, relapse, and potential targets for holistic approaches to health rather than moral judgment.

Emotions Under the Christmas Lights: Tools for Regulation

David Robson distills practical strategies for managing emotions during the holiday season. Drawing on Ethan Cross’s work, the piece emphasizes that emotions are malleable and can be shifted via cognitive reappraisal, changing implicit beliefs about emotional change, using music, altering environment, and practicing self distancing. The aim is to empower readers to regulate emotional responses in social environments and build a more resilient holiday experience.

Closing Thoughts: The Big Questions, The Small Experiments

The episode threads together a common theme: science advances through bold ideas tempered by rigorous evidence and thoughtful critique. Whether reframing autism, reassessing longevity, probing quantum foundations, or reviving ancient texts with AI, the program invites curiosity while acknowledging the limits of current knowledge and the importance of responsible exploration.