{"podcast":{"title":"The World, the Universe and Us","slug":"the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524","podcast_index_feed_id":601524,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML6831509338","website_url":"https://www.newscientist.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f22f7b82-8d70-11ef-9557-7b534e653208/image/090b01ebf055769a0cfc5e9ac956962b.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Scientist","episode_count":444,"summary":"From the evolution of intelligent life, to the mysteries of consciousness; from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Hosted by journalists Dr Rowan Hooper and Dr Penny Sarchet and joined each week by expert scientists in the field, the show draws on New Scientist’s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context. Feed your curiosity with the podcast that will restore your sense of optimism and nourish your brain. For more visit newscientist.com/podcasts","last_synced_at":"2026-06-13T02:20:08.188658+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524"},"episode":{"title":"The Strange Case Of The Man Immune To Alzheimer’s","slug":"the-strange-case-of-the-man-immune-to-alzheimer-s","published_at":"2026-05-08T08:58:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/the-strange-case-of-the-man-immune-to-alzheimer-s","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524","url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8838005094.mp3","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8838005094.mp3","summary":"Episode 367 Some people are genetically destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease. But one man who carried the devastating mutation seems to have escaped it entirely - and scientists think it may be because of his job. Doug Whitney inherited the rare variant of a gene that should have caused early-onset Alzheimer’s in his mid-40s. Many of his family members died from it. Instead, he is now 76 years old with no memory problems and no trace of the disease. Researchers investigating his case uncovered a surprising clue: his inadvertent heat exposure while working as a mechanic in ship engine rooms. Could heat exposure really help shield the brain from Alzheimer’s? What does Doug’s case reveal about the disease? And should we all build a sauna in our backyard? Rowan Hooper is joined by New Scientist reporter Alice Klein to discuss Doug Whitney’s extraordinary case and what it could mean for the future of Alzheimer’s research. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Episode 367 Some people are genetically destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease. But one man who carried the devastating mutation seems to have escaped it…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1016,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/episodes/the-strange-case-of-the-man-immune-to-alzheimer-s/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/the-strange-case-of-the-man-immune-to-alzheimer-s.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}