Wissenschaft | Deutsche Welle

Plug your nose, folks, because "poop streak science" goes well beyond the toilet bowl. Also, we plunge into the data (and psychology) of German "flings" and make an appeal for a bit – just a bit – of quiet.

You know what's better than five fingers? Six. We look at this strange new research and talk to a "polydactyl" himself. Also, go barefoot, but then put some shoes on to meet a young German woman with "foot phobia."

He was the most famous scientist in the world when he was alive. And then he was forgotten. Join us on the 250th birthday of scientist Alexander von Humboldt as we try (in vain) to summarize his achievements.

On the ground, up in the air, and in the belly of a barge — science is everywhere. Zip around with us to as we dip into batteries, inhale some helium and look inside a robot's brain.

Drive into a child, or swerve and hit two grandparents? Such horrendously difficult choices will soon be programmed into ours cars. Cast your own vote in this moral bloodbath of an episode.

It's "Action Week Alcohol" in Germany, so join us in-studio as we take "Das Quiz." Also, we hear from the author of a study that shows women perform cognitively better as the temperature in a room rises.

Like destroying things? We all do. So much so that scientists in Europe are planning a 100-kilometer mega-project to destroy the smallest things possible. Plus, a gigantic natural disaster is boiling in Germany's belly.

On this week’s show, it’s all about bugs and birds. Is it end times for entomology, the study of insects? Can high-frequency, loud electronic music be used as mosquito spray? And, are European crows racist?

Addicted to your smartphone? Just wait 'til you hear about what's coming next. Come follow us through the terrifying arc of personal computing.

We human beings make a lot of strange sounds with our mouths, and if you listen carefully, a lot of them are just PACKED with emotional meaning. Join us in-studio as we recreate a very interesting study.

You'll read some pretty nasty news in the coming decade about cancer swallowing a record number of victims. That is unavoidable. The good news: Two in every five cases are preventable.

At the biggest sweets trade fair in the world, you'd be surprised how many people are fighting against sugar. Where are sugar lovers in the modern-day manifestation of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory?

In the heart of winter (at least in the northern hemisphere), we take a look this week at what the cold does to our bodies. Can it possibly be good for us to be exposed to -196 degrees Celsius?

How can professional athletes who cause their team to lose by their blunders be helped? Also, can snail slime make us prettier? And we talk about asbestos, a very dangerously fine dust.

What would you do if you got a text message from an elf — an elf who says Santa doesn't use ANY magic. And this elf invites you to meet him to show you proof of how it all goes down on the 24th.

Amsterdam to Barcelona in about an hour. Wouldn't it be great if Europe had its very own hyperloop system? Come with us to check out the radical plan being drawn up at the Delft University of Technology.

How artificial intelligence is seeping into peculiar corners of medicine, why we should keep an early eye out for dementia, and DW science's Fabian Schmidt bids farewell to his beloved Scottish Terrier.

Follow us into a darkened German cinema to talk about how the stuff we breathe out when we're watching a movie has implications on the future of film ratings — and on a young field of medicine.

Half of young British people say they're bisexually inclined, how to become a Jedi warrior right here on planet Earth, and why China's "artificial moons" might be artificial science.

Drive into a child, or swerve and hit two grandparents? Such horrendously difficult choices will soon be programmed into ours cars. Cast your own vote in this moral bloodbath of an episode.

DW reports from a special conference in Bochum, where experts from around Germany - and Europe - met to discuss the psychological dimension of diabetes. Why is it so hard to live with this metabolic disease?

How do you "graduate" astronaut school? We ask Europe's newest astronaut. Also, the strange story of a roaring Himalayan flood, and what you should do in the event of a tsunami.

On the show: Can obesity induced inflammation reduce your ability to taste? How much CO² does one sandwich produce? You’ll be surprised.

On this week’s show, it’s been 90 years since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered. We’re going to take the occasion to talk about bacterial resistance, and what may be the future of antibiotics.

Will the UK win the space race and become the first European country with its own spaceport on European soil? Host Jessie Wingard meets an amateur radio operator connecting Earth with the International Space Station.

We take a look at how South Africa has become a world leader in penis transplants. Stem cell therapies – miracle cure or harmful to your health? We discuss mental health and climate change.

On today’s show – can a robot really stop loneliness for sick kids? We talk to a researcher behind a novel blood test that detects the early signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.

We hear from the first 'test tube baby' 40 years later, find hot and bothered Germans (who also sit too much), long live the vanishing king penguin, and the sound of our sun.

If Marijuana can make old mice brains younger, does that work with humans too? What is the point of monogamy if our instincts tell us to have sex with as many people as possible? And can robots help us fall asleep?

We’re going to be analyzing the song Seven Nation Army, the omnipresent anthem of soccer teams around the world. Why do groups of people sing this song together? What’s going on in our brain when we do that?

Going by what the experts tell us, the cities of the future will be digital and connected. Smart cities use smart technology to improve the quality of life for their citizens. In Finland, some of that is already reality.

Some of you may have heard that there's a certain 'European of German descent' floating above your head right now, but many of you won't really know how the heck Alexander Gerst got there.

On this week’s show we’re going to take a look at the EU’s new data protection laws. We’re also gearing up for Alexander Gerst's launch to the ISS.

What's it like living next to a shaking, spewing volcano? And what can Hawaiians do about it? Also, we go inside the caldera of a German volcano that erupted with such violence that it stopped the River Rhine entirely.

Hike Elba's trails without ever leaving the armchair, Germany's young hackers aren't really hacking anything, and the Netherlands even big enough for a wildlife preserve?

An unbelievable collection of data shows that the biomass of flying insects in a couple of states in Germany has drastically gone down. 76 percent fewer bugs are flying around in 2017 compared to 30 years ago.

Für die einen ist ein Schatz ein Edelstein, für andere vielleicht eine sensationelle Entdeckung oder auch Forschungsergebnisse, die unsere Welt auf den Kopf stellen und althergebrachte Auffassungen widerlegen.

Das Amazonasbecken in Südamerika ist ein riesiges Gebiet. Es ist rund sechs Millionen Quadratkilometer groß, und es ist eine der artenreichsten Regionen der Welt. Doch viele Tierarten sind vom Aussterben bedroht.

In der Nähe von Salamanca - im Nordwesten Spaniens - ist eine riesige Uran-Mine geplant. Dagegen gehen Bewohner auf die Barrikaden. In England hingegen will ein kleines Städtchen Vorbild in Sachen Umweltschutz sein.

Sterben werden wir alle eines Tages – das ist keine sensationelle Erkenntnis. Aber wollen wir wirklich tagtäglich daran erinnert werden? Genau das macht die amerikanische App "we croak".

China will nicht mehr der Müllschlucker für die halbe Welt sein. Etwa 56 Prozent aller Plastikabfälle gehen in das asiatische Land. Auf Mallorca hingegen sind es die Touristen, die für riesige Müllberge sorgen.

Die Müllberge wachsen weltweit. In einigen Regionen ist Recycling schon lange an der Tagesordnung, in anderen wird der Abfall noch immer auf riesigen Müllhalden verbrannt. Die Gegensätze könnten kaum größer sein.

Ausgediente Kleidungsstücke, die in den westlichen Industrienationen niemand mehr haben will, werden einfach entsorgt. In Indien aber sind diese Textilien heiß begehrt. Dort werden sie recycelt.

Schwerpunkt: Wasser +++ Was macht ein Wasser-Sommelier? +++ Mit einem heißen Bad Kalorien verbrennen +++ Was passiert beim Tauchen +++ Das Rätsel des Flusses Ganges

Mit Computerspielen kennen sich auch ältere und alte Menschen bestens aus, wie zum Beispiel ein Team in Schweden. Bei Wettbewerben sind sie zu einer ernsthaften Konkurrenz für die Jungen geworden.

Schon lange ist es nicht mehr eine Puppe oder die Spielzeugeisenbahn, die ganz oben auf dem Wunschzettel von Kindern stehen. Es sind Computer und Roboter und so ziemlich alles, was elektronisch und innovativ ist.

Ein Roboter als Polizist? Das ist keine Zukunftsmusik. Es gehört schon zu unserem Alltag und immer wieder kommen neue Entwicklungen hinzu. Aber dazu gehört auch Negatives, wie etwa die Verschmutzung eines Sees in Indien.

Die Fidschi Inseln, Südpazifik – das klingt nach wundervollem Urlaub in einer fernen Welt. Aber die ist schon seit langem nicht mehr heil. Viele der Inseln drohen zu versinken. Schuld daran ist die Erderwärmung.