The Naked Scientists Podcast

October Q&A

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 04:38:57 +0100

It's Q&A time! This week - is AI a threat to humanity? What's a panic attack? And why does being scared make your legs wobble? We're answering your questions about science, technology, and medicine with our panel of experts. We've got university of Cambridge AI specialist Beth Singler; Naked Scientist and host of Naked Genetics Phil Sansom; Olivia Remes to chat to us about anxiety and mental health; and physiologist Sam Virtue, also from the University of Cambridge. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Getting to Grips with Gene Therapy

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 05:42:57 +0100

This week - gene therapy. We talk to researchers using DNA technology to prevent blindness, halt muscular dystrophy, and even potentially cure HIV. Plus, what climate change means for the state of the world's oceans, a new satellite to take the Earth's temperature, and scientists discover the world's first baby bottles - and the milk that was in them - from thousands of years ago... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Crystal Clear About Glass

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 04:56:33 +0100

This week, we're taking a look through the window, or rather, at the window: we're looking at glass! Coming up, how do you make glass, how does stained glass work, and is bullet-proof glass really bulletproof? And in the news: Why birds are in big trouble, swimming the channel, scratching an itch, and treating tinnitus... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Code Making and Breaking

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 07:10:05 +0100

We're making codes and breaking ciphers this week as we look at the world of cryptography! Coming up, Cold War spy rings, and how does your computer keep your data secure? Plus in the news, why it's hard to keep the weight off when you get older, and seagulls are stealing more than our chips, they're stealing our superbugs... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Creepy crawlies, quarks and counting

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 04:25:46 +0100

This week: How long can someone hold their breath and can you train for this? Who are fitter - footballers or rugby players? And what's the most intelligent insect? We've assembled an expert panel to take on your science questions - University of York animal behaviour scientist Eleanor Drinkwater, exercise physiologist Dan Gordon from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge University physicist Fran Day, and Cambridge University mathematician and University Challenge icon Bobby Seagull! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Stripping down STIs

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 03:39:34 +0100

We're stripping down sexual health and sexually transmitted infections! Coming up, will we soon have a vaccine for chlamydia? And what happens in a sexual health check up? And in the news, the fires in the Amazon rainforest, and a new weapon against malaria... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are You Safe Online?

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 05:02:48 +0100

This week: How does the internet affect us? What does it mean for our security, our wallets, and ourselves. We're taking a deep dive into the world of all things cyber... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marvellous Materials in Medicine

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 05:25:39 +0100

This week, Chris Smith and Izzie Clarke explore the helpful materials that keep us healthy. How are dental implants made and fitted? Bacteria-resistant plastic coatings; and what hip implants have in common with plastic bags. Plus, in the latest science news, why pancreatic cancer is so aggressive - and how we might stop it, signs that something ten times the size of the Earth slammed into Jupiter, and more... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA: Fridges and impossible food

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:00:00 +0100

In this month's QnA show we're asking: why are fridges harder to open again after you just closed them? What's the best way to wipe the memory of a smart phone? And what might climate change mean for chocolate? We're answering your questions with the help of an expert panel - neuroscientist Duncan Astle, techxpert Peter Cowley, food security expert Nadia Radzman and engineer Livia Souza... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Spin Around the Electron

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 12:00:00 +0100

This week we're taking a spin around the electron! How does a fridge magnet stay stuck? And how can quantum physics help us in battling cancer? We'll find out. Plus in the news, the chemistry of breaking down microplastics, exploring bacterial infections resistant to last line antibiotics, and we're going back to school P.E lessons! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Flying into the Future

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists are taking off into the future of aviation: will flights get faster? Could we see a fully electric plane? And can a Naked Scientist land a commercial aircraft? Izzie Clarke and Adam Murphy find out... Plus, in the news, a new way of disguising cancer drugs as fat, sharks are in danger, and how do you make a bad joke funnier? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Moon Landing: 50 Years Later

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week a special show celebrating 50 years since man first walked on the Moon! How did we get there, what happened on the Moon, and will we ever go back? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Simulation Science: Living in The Matrix?

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week, could we be living in The Matrix? We're talking about the power of computer simulations, and we're asking are we all living in one! Plus, in the news - making diabetes treatment smarter; diagnosis by an electronic doctor - would you be comfortable with that? And the world's first robot that picks lettuces... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Alzheimers Disease: Facts and Fiction

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0100

This week, Alzheimer's Disease goes under the microscope: What is it? Why do people get it, and can we cure it? Plus in the news, why the planet needs more trees, a breakthrough in storing computer data, and the science of a good excuse! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extremely High: Sky high science

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0100

We're rounding off our month of extreme shows with some extremely high science - coping with altitude, flying over Everest, high energy physics and screaming in space! Plus, sniffing out Methane on Mars, and the scientists making sweet music with proteins... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extremely Deep: Mining for gold

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Extremes month continues, and this week we're going extremely deep; Chris Smith takes a trip to one of the world's deepest mines in search of gold. Plus, in the news, the GM mosquito that wipes out its own population, and would you return a lost wallet if you found one? We hear which is the most honest country in the world, and who's the least honest. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extremely Curious: QnA

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0100

For extremes month we have an extreme QnA! This week we're joined by astronomer Carolin Crawford, nanoscientist Colm Durkan, Haydn Belfield from the Centre for Existential Risk, and chemist Ljiljana Fruk. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extremely Cold: Cool Science

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0100

This week, we're continuing our month of science at the extremes, by looking at extreme cold. Including expeditions to the poles, what happens at absolute zero, and the animals that can survive temperatures we never could. Plus, in the news, the massive death risk from climate change, a prize for mapping the sea bed, and a new piece of the puzzle in the story of human migration... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extremely Fast: The Science of Speed

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're kicking off a month of science at the extremes. From fast acting venom to vehicles, speedy space to tennis serves... We're getting up to speed on Extreme Speed. Plus, in the news, weaponising a fungus to stamp out malaria, the smart glove that's taking a hold of touch technology and we celebrate an important centenary in the world of physics. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Ultimate destination: building better roads

Tue, 28 May 2019 12:00:00 +0100

Safer, cleaner, and more efficient. That's the aim for the roads of tomorrow, but are we there yet? This week, Katie Haylor hits the road on a journey to discover how science is helping us build the highways of the future... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Power of Vaccines

Tue, 21 May 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're putting on our swimsuits and diving deep into the choppy waters of the world of vaccines, how do they help us, and why are people becoming so hesitant to get them. Plus in the news, A new kind of Moon lander, the true cost of streaming videos, and how good are we at spotting postnatal depression in men! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does dark matter matter?

Tue, 14 May 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week - the mysterious stuff that's passing through you right now, and it literally holds the galaxy together... but we have no idea what it is. We talk to the scientists trying to find out. Plus in the news, the 100 year old technology that's helping us fight infections we can't currently treat. And evidence that wasps can size things up... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

That May Q&A!

Tue, 07 May 2019 00:00:00 +0100

It's Q&A time: We've got a panel of scientists ready and waiting to tackle the questions you've been sending in. Izzie Clarke was joined by plant ecologist Howard Giffiths, chemist and writer Kit Chapman, reproductive physiologist Bill Colledge, and physicist Ben McAllister. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Vets Beyond Pets

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week; horse racing, equine flu, a hedgehog hospital and a trip to the local zoo - we're looking at how vets keep animals healthy and why that's good news for humans too. Plus, how a dose of caffeine perks up a solar panel, cell transplants to boost wound and tissue repair, and a gene breakthrough for obesity... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked at Edinburgh Science Festival!

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Chris Smith and Adam Murphy head to Edinburgh Science Festival to bring you the best - and the bizarre - from the wonderful world of science. Joining them are Chris Johnson, Head of Computer Science at Glasgow University, Sophie Goggins, Curator of Biomedical Science at National Museums Scotland as well as astrophysicist Beth Biller and microbiologist Luke McNally, from the University of Edinburgh. Plus the team were also be joined by Sir Ian Wilmut, one of the brains behind the pioneering work of Dolly The Sheep.This show was produced by Izzie Clarke. For more podcasts by The Naked... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cooking with a Conscience

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

This week a Naked Scientists exclusive: we're putting a brand new type of oven to the test - can it really, as the inventors claim - roast a raw chicken in 35 minutes? Plus, the brave scientists who've attached cameras to Great White Sharks, and what does a black hole really look like? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Q&A Space Surgery in Scotland

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

It's time for our Q&A, this time from Edinburgh! This week, what happens if you get pregant in space? How do chemists make new molecules? And how do antidepressants work? Chris Smith is joined by our panel of experts to answer your questions: Space doctor Christina Mackaill, geologist John Underhill, chemist Lee Cronin and psychiatrist Stephen Lawrie. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Modelling and Microbes: Science of Birth

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Spring has officially sprung! There are newborn lambs prancing around in the fields in the UK, and we've recently celebrated Mothering Sunday. To celebrate, we're taking a trip down the road of pregnancy and birth, stopping off along the way to chat with experts about some of the science involved in bringing babies into the world. Plus, the person who can smell Parkinson's Disease, and a way to halve how much water plants need....Want more Naked Scientists shows? Check out our website - nakedscientists.com. Plus, we'd love your feedback and support, why not leave us a review wherever you get... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Say Hello to Tomorrows Tech

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Bonjour! This week we've been to Paris; we've been attending Hello Tomorrow, the summit that showcases world-changing emerging technologies that are about to make it big. This week: A tiny microphone that lets you zoom in on individual voices in a conversation, the perks of dissolving your mobile phone, and from kites to kilowatts: a new form of wind power. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A New Material World

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week, Chris Smith and Izzie Clarke are taking you to the cutting edge of materials science including how blacksmiths made incredibly tough swords to how defence scientists make bullet-proof armour today. Plus, news of a better way to manage prostate cancer, how fingerprints might replace chip n pin, and how scientists are using cold lightning to keep fruit fresh for longer.For more podcasts by The Naked Scientists, head to nakedscientists.com, find @NakedScientists on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to "The Naked Scientists" on your favourite podcast app.**Edinburgh Science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Q&A: Atoms, Avalanches & Armpits

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week, could we colonise a planet beyond our own galaxy? What's the greenest way to heat my home? And why do bright lights make some people sneeze? It's QA time! Chris Smith is joined by a panel of scientists to take on the questions YOU'VE been sending in. Joining him are chemist Ljiljana Fruk, physiologist Sam Virtue, mathematician and technology journalist Tim Revell and our very own physics boffin Adam Murphy.This episode was produced by Katie Haylor and Izzie ClarkeFor more podcasts by The Naked Scientists, head to nakedscientists.com or search "Naked Scientists" on your favourite... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Issue of Invasive Species

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we're being invaded! Izzie Clarke and Katie Haylor explore invasive species: how they sneak in, why they disrupt nature, and how to fight back! Plus, in the news, scientists turn carbon dioxide back into coal, researchers have uncovered an alarming new way criminals are trying to hack you and the mice with infrared vision.For more science podcasts and the latest news, head to nakedscientists.com. You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @nakedscientists.This show was produced by Mariana Campos and Izzie Clarke, with thanks to the South Georgia Heritage Trust for... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Born to Run: Sprinting Science

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week we get off the couch to talk about the science of running. What does it do for our bodies, and our minds? Why did we ever evolve to do it in the first place? Can a man outrun a horse? Plus in the news, a potential kill-switch for tuberculosis, landing on an asteroid, and we tackle the myth of alcohol warming you up... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Periodic Table: 150 Au Years

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week we're celebrating 150 years of the Periodic Table - we'll find out how scientists uncovered the elements in the first place and what other mysterious materials may be waiting to be discovered. Plus a way to power up the body's own morphine-like chemicals, how microbes are gluing microplastics back together in the ocean, and post-Valentine's Day, some dating do's and dating dont's to bear in mind for next year! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Zoo&A: Why cant dogs eat chocolate?

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

It's QnA time, or should we say ZOO and A? We're pondering about pets and inquiring about insects as Jacob Dunn, Eleanor Drinkwater, Jason Head and Stuart Eves join Chris Smith to answer the animal-inspired questions you've been sending in.For more podcasts by The Naked Scientists, head to thenakedscientists.com or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. We're @nakedscientists. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How to hijack a brain

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how hypnosis works, the parasites that hijack brain and behaviour, why we're all being manipulated 24/7, and how to build remote-controlled rodents. Plus news that we're a step closer to reversible birth control for men, why rocks affect how you vote, plastic makes mussels weaker, and a new device that puts thoughts into words... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cars of the Future: Are We Ready?

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we're getting revved up about the cars of the future! What needs to change for future car travel to be sustainable? And in the news, as Hitachi pulls the plug on a UK nuclear deal, could the answer to the country's energy crisis lie in compressed air? Also, is "blue Monday" science fact, or science fiction? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Art: From colours to counterfeits

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

From finding forgeries to creating colours, we explore the science of art. Plus, in the news, turning cancer cells into fat, a threat to one of our favourite beverages, and is there really a Dark Side of the Moon? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Microbes: From Farm to Fork

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

We're making a meal out of microbes, Geogia Mills and Chris Smith meet the little helpers that get food onto the table. Plus, in the news, the intelligent material that help wounds to heal, scientists get to the bottom of how norovirus makes us ill, and we explore a mysterious signal from space.Keep up to date with the lastest science news on www.nakedscientist.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.... We're @nakedscientists!Or have YOU got a science question for our team? Why not email it over to chris<@>nakedscientists.com and we'll take a look. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is There Always Room for Dessert?

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Do astronauts get WiFi in space? What is the speed of gravity? Why is there always room for dessert? Giles Yeo, Anne-Laura Van Harmelen, Richard Hollingham and Francesca Day gather round the microphones to answer your need-to-know questions about space, food and mental health. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Naked Year!

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

From talking whales to training astronauts, creating life to reversing life-threatening allergies, Georgia Mills, Izzie Clarke and few other familiar voices re-visit their favourite moments and the biggest scientific celebrations of the past year.To listen to the full podcasts these highlights have been taken from, head to thenakedscientists.com/podcasts You can also find The Naked Scientists on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, @nakedscientists. And should you wish to leave us a belated christmas present, we're trying to raise funding for next year's programming over on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of Surviving Christmas

Sun, 23 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Here is The Naked Scientists' guide to surviving - and thriving - at Christmas, including our top scientifically-tested tips for cooking turkey and making the best roast potatoes. Plus, a healthy helping of crappy cracker jokes and advice on how to avoid a festive family feud... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Regeneration: Healing Revealed

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we are getting to grips with regeneration: how does your body heal itself, and what can science do to help? Plus, in the news, the tech set to change our lives in 2019, the hidden perils of AI, and does a crossword a day really keep dementia at bay? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Talk: Missions Through Time

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Izzie Clarke and Katie Haylor are blasting through a brief history of space exploration and find out how humanity's quest towards the stars has inspired their guests; space journalist Dr Stuart Clark, band members of Big Big Train, Greg Spawton and David Longdon, and former Commander of the International Space Station, Col. Chris Hadfield. Plus, in the news, an app for anemia, the shocking genetic experiment that's rocked the world, and the latest on gravitational waves and a new era of astronomy.With thanks to NASA Archive. Produced by Izzie Clarke. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA: Earthworms and wormholes!

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week: Is everything in the universe spinning? How do lazy dogs keep fit? And is it safe to heat our dinner in plastic tubs? We've recruited 4 experts to tackle your science questions - astronomer Carolin Crawford, animal behaviour scientist Eleanor Drinkwater, geneticist Patrick Short and chemist Ljiljana Fruk. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Teeth: Brushing up on Dentistry

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, Chris Smith and Izzie Clarke are filling the gaps in their knowledge of teeth; we also meet the microbes in our mouths and test the battle of the toothbrushes. Plus, in the news, researchers grow new spinal discs in a dish, we explore the ghostly galaxy next door, and scientists discover one of the largest, oldest structures on the planet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can Science Create Superhumans?

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week - Humanity 2.0! Can we use genetics, drugs and technology to become superhuman? We speak to experts on the science that can push us to our extremes, and meet the world's first cyborg. Plus, in the news, do men and women really think differently, why what we call a "kilogram" is changing, and researchers uncover an animal that can talk about the past.More at www.nakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Great British Make Off

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, from posters to pancakes - how do the objects we see around us every day actually get made? We're uncovering the science of manufacturing - from the very big, to the very small and the very complex. Plus in the news, why being a morning lark could protect you from breast cancer, and the project using drones and AI to keep tabs on ocean health. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA: Temperature, Tech and Testicles

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we've assembled a panel of experts to tackle your science questions, including: Are there plastics in the fish we eat? Can electrical devices affect your fertility? And how does Earth's tilt give us our seasons? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Scientific Shimmy: Why we Dance

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week the Naked Scientists are hitting the dance floor with a look at the science of the shimmy. Why do we do it, what makes a dance look good, and how can it be used to help people? Plus, in the news; how glowing lungs can fight infections, an app the reduces the symptoms of OCD, and we look at the future of the Internet... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Catalysts: Our Tiny Chemists

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100

From brewing beer to cleaning up car emissions and even making less polluting fuels. We're asking - what exactly are catalysts, and how do they work? Plus, in the news, scientists discover the mechanism behind the majority of Alzheimer's cases, new technology helps beekeepers keep bees, and we explore the prospects for the survival of humanity with the Astronomer Royal. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet the Neolithic

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week we go back thousands of years to meet our Neolithic ancestors, and discover how their innovations paved the way for all life as we know it. Explore the origin of farming and wine making, and find out how the Neolithic wielded the remarkable material obsidian. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA: Sperm Races and Monkey Business

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, can science help us to quit our vices? Do any animals have accents? And how big can a planet get? Joining Chris Smith to tackle your sci-curious questions was physicist Jess Wade, planetary geologist David Rothery, neuroscientist Bianca Jupp and zoologist Jacob Dunn. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How Do I Look?

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week - from skin care to going under the knife, we're lifting the lid on the science of looking good. Plus in the news, a DNA repair kit that can fix genetic diseases and a UK project launches to clean up 7000 tonnes of space junk. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Flu Do You Think You Are?

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

In 1918, Spanish flu wiped out more people than World War 1. Now, a century on, we're asking why this pandemic packed such a punch, where flu came from in the first place, and how flu vaccines are made. Plus, fossilised fats from the world's first animals, a look at the IgNobel prizes, genes linked to hypertension, and the computer game that gets kids into engineering... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On the Flip Side - Earth's Magnetic Field

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're looking at the magnetic field keeping our planet safe, finding out how it's generated and whether some animals can actually see it. Plus, news of a technique to read out the time of our body clocks, the people making the case to reinstate Pluto as a planet, and how red alert signals can spread through plants in just seconds after something starts to eat them. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA: Diabetes, Driving and Dodgems

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

It's Question and Answer time! The Naked Scientists tackle the medical musings and chemical queries you've been sending in. Joining Chris Smith in studio was Astrophysicist Matt Bothwell, Chemist Peter Wothers, Psychologist Helen Keyes and Human Physiologist Sam Virtue. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Biomimicry: Borrowing from Biology

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we explore the field of biomimicry and how nature can help inspire technologies of the future, including the crickets that are showing scientists how to make better hearing aids, dragonfly-inspired wind turbines and the aircraft that repairs itself. Plus, news of why heart disease begins much earlier than we thought, whether science publishing is facing a crisis, and the future of satellite navigation. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked on a Punt!

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Join the Naked Scientists for a leisurely ride on a punt, past Cambridge's picturesque riverside colleges. At each stop the boat picks up some of the brightest brains from the University and hear about their cutting edge ideas, from fraud-preventing holograms to driverless punts. Plus, the team find out it's not always the best idea to perform chemistry on your drink supply. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Music Science: from Mozart to Marketing

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Mozart or Motown, most of us love music. We're digging into the science behind this much-loved pass time, be it listening to your favourite tunes, or playing them for yourself. Plus in the news - the discovery of an orphan planet, succumbing to robo peer pressure and do lemmings really jump off cliffs? We'll be finding out. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Waterloo Uncovered: Veterans Excavate Old Conflicts

Tue, 14 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're on the historical Waterloo battlefield where veterans of modern wars - often with disabilities, PTSD and other mental scars - are joining archaeologists to excavate remains of one of the most important conflicts in European history. Plus news that an anti-obesity pill might be on the scientific menu, and the space probe heading for the hottest part of the Sun... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Medicinal Cannabis: Weeding Out The Hype

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, medical uses of cannabis. What's the hype and what's the reality? We hear from the people who grow it, and the people who want to use it. Plus in the news, scientists grow replacement lungs in a lab, why a knock on the head can lead to dementia years later, and the very tiny thing that elephants are terrified of - and no, it's not a mouse! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Life in the year 2100

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

We follow a day in the life in 2100, exploring the cities, transport, workplaces and health of the future. Plus, astronomers find water on Mars, a magnetic wire which could screen for cancer and why your cat's poo could change your brain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The First Test Tube Baby at 40

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

On 25th July 1978, 40 years ago, the first baby conceived using in vitro fertilisation - IVF - techniques developed to help people who couldn't have children naturally, was born. Her name was Louise Brown, and she owes her existence to the pioneering efforts of Cambridge embryologist Bob Edwards, research nurse Jean Purdy, and Manchester-based gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe. Together, this team laid the foundations of the techniques that are now used all over the world to help people to conceive, and we're looking at the science of fertility treatment, telling their story and talking to some of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fighter Flight: The Skys The Limit

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

We hope you've got your boarding passes at the ready! To celebrate 50 years of the jumbo jet, 100 years of the Royal Air Force and the recent arrival of the brand new F35 fighter jet in the UK, The Naked Scientists are taking a flight through the history and science of fighter aircraft. Plus, in the news, a new way to fight cancer by giving people cancer, how virtual reality can combat a fear of heights, and we shed some light on the hearing aid of the future. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

QnA - Should you wee on a jellyfish sting?

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists are swinging into summer! Guests Jane Sterling, Jim Bacon, Laurence Kemp and Howard Griffiths take on your holiday themed questions, including: Why do we get heat waves; how do you treat a jellyfish sting and why does the sun bring out freckles? Plus, can you separate fact from fiction in our fiendish summer-themed quiz?Find transcripts and more programmes at www.nakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The A-Z of addiction

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, addiction! Why do we get hooked on things? Are video games addictive? And evidence that the gambling industry use artificial intelligence to make you more likely to keep playing. Plus, in the news, scientists discover how to turn insulin injections into a pill, a revolution in making biofuels much faster, and we find out about the science of why things roar! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Venting About Volcanoes

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week - we're exploding the science of volcanoes. Why do they erupt? What threat do they pose to aeroplanes? And what impact do they have on us and our environment? Plus, news that marriage cuts your mortality rate, what 800 million tweets have revealed about human moods, and the science behind the sound of a dripping tap... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Beating Heart Disease

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are delving into the science of heart disease; we've been to the UK's leading heart conference in Manchester. Hear from the researchers trying to discover the causes and new treatments for one of the world's most important diseases; why air pollution and heart attacks are linked, about the role of salt in high blood pressure and learn about a new vaccine for heart disease. With special thanks to the British Heart Foundation and the British Cardiovascular Society. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Q and A: Disney, Dark Matter, and Deja Vu

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

What is dj vu? Why do I get angry when I'm hungry? Why do I remember every Disney lyric, but can't remember how to set my oven? Materials physicist Jess Wade, neuroscientist Philipe Bujold, animal behaviour expert Eleanor Drinkwater, and physicist Francesca Day join Chris Smith, to answer a brilliant barrage of scientific questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Football Under the Microscope

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're taking a look at the science of football, from physics to psychology. And in the news, can being social stave off dementia and what new features have been found on the surface of Pluto? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Planet B: Can We Colonise Space?

Tue, 29 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're leaving planet earth in search of a new home. Is there a Planet B? How could we get there? And presenter Izzie Clarke takes a spin at astronaut training. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Allergy Science: from antibodies to anaphylaxis

Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Hayfever causing you havoc? Is asthma proving to be an annoyance? This week, we're talking allergies. What causes them, and can we reverse them? We talk to one specialist who's making great strides in doing just that. Plus, in the news, a possible cure for the common cold, and are longer legs really more attractive? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Q&A: Martian sunsets and submerged sloths

Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Why don't we get invisible animals on land? What's at the centre of a gas giant? Did we really land on the moon? Astronomer Matt Bothwell, marine biologist Kate Feller, palaeontologist Jason Head and geneticist Diana Alexander join Chris Smith to shoot the scientific breeze in this month's question and answer spectacular. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Water: Drips, Drains and Droughts

Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists are dipping their toes into water; where does it come from, could we ever run out, and we take a stroll through a local sewage plant. Plus, in the news, scientists look for Malaria's achilles heel, why our coral reefs are being silenced and a microscopic laser which can sit on the human eye. For full transcripts, paper references and more, head to thenakedscientists.com With thanks to music from Bensound.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Senses Month: Tackling Touch

Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists' senses month comes to a close as we tackle touch: how we develop a sense of touch, getting tactile when shopping and the secret to the perfect hug. Plus, making greener concrete and why bird populations are dropping in the South of England... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Senses Month: Scents and Scent Ability

Tue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists get right up your nose! We find out how smells work, explore if stenches could help people give up smoking and sniff out the scent of nightmares. Plus, the science of running a marathon, a secret use for spleens and we go bananas over some dodgy science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Senses Month: A Taste of Science

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

This month we're exploring the science of our senses. So far we've heard how our ears work, looked the visual system in the eye, and this week, we're getting our teeth into the science of taste. Plus news of a discovery that could re-write the story of human origins, how some antibiotics can also block viruses, and how ants keep infections at bay in their colonies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Senses Month: The Science of Sight

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

From ancient fossils to cutting edge surgery, we're bringing you the lowdown on the science of vision. Plus in the news, a drug that might aid stroke recovery, and what you can learn from taking a DNA test... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Senses Month: Can you Hear Me?

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Are we headed for a hearing-loss epidemic, and can science step in when the world starts to go quiet? This week, The Naked Scientists go on an odyssey into the science of hearing, listen in to find out the strange ways our ears decode sounds, get baffled by some auditory illusions and meet someone who can see with their ears. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Q&A: Greedy Guts & Useless Numbers

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0100

It's QnA Time! The Naked Scientists gathered a panel of experts to tackle your sci-curious questions; geneticist and food neuroscientist Giles Yeo, biologist and insect expert Chris Pull, material scientist Rachel Oliver and mathematician Bobby Seagull. So if you have any foodie thoughts, mathematical musings or an insect-ious thirst for knowledge, then this is the show for you. For full transcript visit thenakedscientists.comMusic from AudioNautix.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Brief History of Stephen Hawking

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

On Wednesday March the 14th, the world was shaken by the death of one of our greatest scientists, Professor Stephen Hawking. Joined by some of his Cambridge colleagues and the new generation of scientists he inspired, this week we celebrate his life, his science and his legacy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's Inside Your Computer?

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week - we use them everyday - at work, at home, to chat to our friends or listen to music - but how do computers actually work, what's inside them, and what will the computers of tomorrow look like? We'll be navigating through the past, present and future of computing, and lifting the lid - literally - on a PC to peek inside and see how it works. You can find transcripts and more information at www.nakedscientists.com and the music this week is from www.bensound.com. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Before they're Gone: Fighting the Illegal Wildlife Trade

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

It's one of the largest criminal industries in the world, worth billions and responsible for thousands of murders, but can we win the fight against the illegal wildlife trade? We speak to the foot soldiers of this battle: a scientist whose new techniques led to the capture of some dangerous criminals, a member of Border Force who intercepts ivory as it enters the country and the man with a gun facing off directly with the poachers. We also hear about the animals at risk, and why time is running out. Plus, a revelation from the early Universe which might change how we do physics today, why... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What The Heck Is Xenobiology?

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists meet the biologists who are inventing a new form of genetic information: this strange science is called xenobiology. Plus, in the news, a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer, the video game that tackles fake news and scientists make progress with Parkinson's.With music from JukeDeck and Free Sounds. For more information, interview transcripts and references, visit www.thenakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How High Can We Build?

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we put your questions to our expert panel of scientists - What's the tallest possible building? Do female animals flirt? And what can we do if an asteroid ends up heading for earth? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Art of Science

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists ditch the lab coats for artistic overalls. From coding musical compositions to the jeans that remove air-pollution, we take a look at how art has helped science. Plus, in the news, the most powerful rocket ever built takes to the skies, we breakdown Bitcoin and there's evidence that vaping could give you a chest infection. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Turning the Tide on Plastics

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, The Naked Scientists probe the plastic problem: can science help turn the tide on our rising consumption? Plus, the killer whale that can talk, and some groundbreaking research reveals why the USA is experiencing shakeups. Find transcripts and more information at www.nakedscientists.comMusic this week from audionautix.com and jukedeck.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why Bother Being Nice?

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we're asking would you risk your life to save someone else? Plenty of people do, and so do other animals and even bacteria. But why? And how did altruistic actions like this evolve? Plus in the news, scientists clone monkeys, the modified cold virus that selectively attacks pancreatic cancer, and why bees might be bad for other pollinators. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

James Webb: Gazing at Early Galaxies

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how astronomers are planning to see the beginning of our Universe: we talk to the team behind the telescope that's about to be blasted into deep space to make it happen. Plus, scientists announce a blood test to detect the most common cancers, a round-up of flu past, present and future, and the mini drug-factories produced by 3d printing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does snoring exist?

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Is it possible to stop snoring? Is there a difference between running outside and on a treadmill? Which food group really is the worst for us? Chris Smith is joined by exercise expert Dan Gordon, sleep specialist Nick Oscroft, dietician Sian Porter and wellness guru Tom Mole to answer all the health-related queries and quandaries people have been sending in. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Criminal Chemistry: What's the Perfect Poison?

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week - from adrenaline to arsenic, The Naked Scientists delve into the sinister science of poisons! Plus, what space tech is on the horizon in 2018, and the science of New Year's resolutions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of 2017

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This week, The Naked Scientists raise a glass to 2017 as they look back at their favourite science moments of the year, including: bees playing football, ghost busting, and removing farts from a car. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Very Naked Christmas

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, The Naked Scientists are spreading festive cheer as they get ready for Christmas, all in one hour! Joined by psychologist Philipe Bujold, tech expert Alex Farell, vibrations engineer Hugh Hunt and Plant development researcher David Hanke, Chris Smith and Georgia Mills tackle the physics of carol singing, firing up the christmas snacks - literally - and, whether you like them or loathe them, the biology of brussel sprouts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of Social Media

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Social media use is more common than ever, with over 2 billion of us signed up, but do we know what it's doing to our brains? We're exploring how this exploding trend is influencing our opinions and our wellbeing, and also how it could be used as a tool to diagnose mental illness. Plus, news of a breakthrough in Huntington's Disease research and a celebration of 50 years since the spooky radio signals that changed astronomy forever.Find more episodes and transcripts at www.nakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Star Wars: The Science Strikes Back

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week we delve into physics in a galaxy far far away as we probe the science of Star Wars! Plus in the news, evidence that London air is stunting the growth of developing babies, and scientists use AI to decode what dolphins are saying. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can a Shrimp Punch Through Glass?

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Are black holes really holes? Is there such thing as a genetic love match? Why do clouds move? The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Kate Feller, astrophysicist Matt Middleton, geneticist Patrick Short, and chemist Phillip Broadwith to tackle the science questions sent in by you. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Forever Young: Can Science Reverse Ageing?

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Is ageing inevitable, or can science help stop or even reverse the process? From young blood to diet fads, and stem cells to dancing, we explore what the experts think will keep us healthier for longer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Tomorrow's Tech: Biomedical Breakthroughs

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, new ways to spot cancers much sooner, repair nerve injuries and fix hip arthritis: we're looking at four major medical breakthroughs waiting to happen. Plus in the news, how advertisers can profile your personality online to boost their sales, and scientists dig up evidence of winemaking from 8000 years ago. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Palaeo Ponderings: Can You Dig It?

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Did dinosaurs live in herds? Why are mountains pointy? And what's the best preserved mummy? Plus we had a giant snake, a few skulls, a couple of "feet" and one of the oldest rocks on Earth in the studio. Scientists Lee Berger, Meghan Strong, Jason Head, and Owen Weller team up for an Early Earth QA show Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are we Working Ourselves to Death?

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

We devote up to 50 years of our life to it, yet it might just be getting us down. This week The Naked Scientists programme examines work, hearing how our behaviour and our buildings can change to boost our health and productivity. Plus, news of how gut bacteria can control our response to cancer treatment and how a rare opportunity allowed scientists to 'get inside' the human mind. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The paranormal: Why do we believe?

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, The Naked Scientists delve into the paranormal. We'll be asking why so many of us have supernatural beliefs, exploring the scientific origins behind our favourite monster legends, and bravely embarking on a ghost hunt... Plus in the news, what dinosaurs and zorro have in common, why swearing could do you some good, and how sugarcane ethanol could help cut global carbon emissions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Under Your Skin

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists get under the skin of skin. Hear about the new method to treat burn victims, the electronic tattoo that can tell if you've got flu and how to keep your skin in good shape. Plus, in the news this week, the diabetes drug that's treating leukaemia, how bird feeders are affecting beak length, and how the challenge of landing space probes now keep your crisps crunchy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Countdown to Artificial Intelligence

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are joined by an expert panel to discuss the seven most significant questions people are asking about AI. We explore the risks and positive outcomes of AI, and Chris finds out an artificial podcast presenter may be after his job. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

DNA Decoded: Past, Present and Sausage

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week we delve into DNA and what it can tell us about our past, present and future. And, what happened when we decided to read the DNA sequence of a local sausage. Plus, in the news, what won Nobel Prizes, the world's largest HIV survey, and why doing exercise you don't like makes you more likely to binge on junk food. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What makes the best breakfast?

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Can your intestines grow back? How can you measure your own stress levels? How do electric eels work? Scientists David Rothery, Sarah Madden and Gareth Corbett team up to answer an eclectic and electric selection of questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is The Future Bionic?

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week a look at enhancements for future humans: wearable robots, an artificial pancreas, and a replacement retina, as well as limb and head transplants. Plus, in the news, a new hope for global warming, a new therapy to halt MS, what a shock from an electric eel feels like, and how much alcohol remains in food after cooking... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Memories: Making Them & Faking Them

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we take a trip down memory lane. How scientists can implant false memories, wipe memory away, and the link between head injuries and Alzheimer's disease. Plus, in the news, farewell to Cassini, the science of hurricanes, and how scientists are now able to see what's in the atmospheres of remote planets hundreds of light years away. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Drug Discovery: The Future of Pharma

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week; from Big Pharma to Little Pharma, we look at how new drugs are discovered. Plus, in the news - what powers the Northern Lights on Jupiter, why cuckoos have the last laugh, and 3 decades of a telescope that's changed our view of the Universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fidget Spinners in Space?

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100

In the latest Q and A show from The Naked Scientists, we answer your questions with the help of an expert panel - plant scientist Beverley Glover, mathematician James Grime, physicist Jess Wade and Angel investor Peter Cowley. What makes plants carnivorous, what's the highest prime number we know of, and how do WWII coding machines work? Plus, how long would a fidget spinner spin for in space, what's the best way to water a plant, and what happened to Google Glass? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can Science Mavericks Save the World?

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're exploring the end of the world. From robotic AI takeovers to global floods, when it comes to the extinction of our species, is science really set up to predict or prevent such events? Plus, how gutbugs might be key to keeping healthy for longer, a holodeck for flies and why Pythagoras was beaten to his own theorem. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Diet: Can we be healthy and sustainable?

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week, food is on the menu! Do any of the diets that you hear about actually work? What's best to eat for the health of the planet? And will the steak of the future grow in a test tube? Plus, scientists fix cells with the wrong numbers of chromosomes and how birds use magnetic fields to navigate. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Black Holes in Sight

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're exploring the cosmos through your senses. How scientists are attempting to see a black hole for the first time, what Saturn sounds like, and what will the surface of Mars feel like. Plus how to make the immune system attack cancer, artificial intelligence invents a magic trick, and how goldfish swap oxygen for alcohol to get through the winter. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Whats the Best Way to be Happy?

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The science questions that you've been sending in get scrutinised and analysed by biologist Sarah Harrison, statistician Simon White, mental health expert Olivia Remes and machine learning guru Peter Clarke. Find out why smaller dogs live longer than bigger breeds, why some people are more susceptible to hayfever, whether machines are destined to take control of the world, and what science says will make you happy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can Nature Clean up Nuclear Contamination?

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Chernobyl was 31 years ago, but as nuclear power is one of the few reliable and low carbon energy supplies, how long before it happens again? We meet the scientists who are are preparing for when the worst happens, looking for ways to use nature to clean up nuclear spills. Plus, news of a slug-inspired glue and the science behind the fastest bicycles. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine Month: In too Deep

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week we round off Marine Month with a trip to the bottom of the ocean, meeting underwater robots and using maths to hunt for sunken treasure ships. Plus, a way to predict organ failure in hospital, and why size really does matter when it comes to speed. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine Month: All at Sea

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Our marine month continues as we swim out from the reef into the open ocean, where we'll be meeting one of the deadliest creatures on Earth. Plus, some good news about the Zika virus, how the cordless drill intended for space found its way down to earth, and the real-life spidermen of Cambridge University! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine Month: Making Waves

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Marine month continues with the Naked Scientists as we move out from the beach to the coastal waters in search of the world's biggest fish and the corals that glow in the dark to survive. Plus, in the news this week a new personalised cancer vaccine, how to programme human morals into self-driving cars and we investigate the science at work on the courts of Wimbledon... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine Month: Lifes A Beach

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Here at The Naked Scientists HQ, it's marine month! Throughout four programmes in July, come dip your toes into all things aquatic as we work our way down to the bottom of the deepest ocean. From building superior sandcastles to the Mexican clam that's invading Europe, we kick things off with a trip to the beach. Plus, how scientists have created the brightest light on Earth, new news on fake news and a drumming bird, nicknamed Ringo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would You Trust a Robot?

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Would you trust a robot to grow your food, to operate on you, to fight a war on your behalf, or to save your life in an emergency? We look at how robots are on course to alter our lives. Plus, new insights into how the Sun works, and climate change: why we need to wake up and smell the coffee: scientists are saying that warmer weather will affect the flavour of the world's favourite beverage. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hearts in the Extreme

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists report back from the British Cardiovascular Society's annual conference, finding out how our tickers deal with extreme exercise and environments, from deep under the sea right into outer space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we talk to dolphins?

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Danielle Green, physicist Stuart Higgins, psychologist Duncan Astle and astrophysicist Carolin Crawford, to tackle your questions. This week, find out whether you can hear screams in space, how to clean a beach, and just how giant is a Giant Squid? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cyber Security: When Crime Goes Online

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

As life moves increasingly online, so do crime and fraud. This week, we uncover some personal secrets from a supposedly blank hard drive, find out how hackers can use baby monitors to spy on people and hear about the next generation of passwords. Plus, news of how Zika virus could be used to combat brain cancer and plans to build a bigger, stronger particle accelerator. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Biology's Biggest Mystery: The Origin of Life

Tue, 30 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Journey back 3.7 billion years to the young earth, as we try to find out how life first began. Was it in a soup of colliding chemistry, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent or did life rain down on the earth from the cosmos? Plus, the microbial meal that changed the world. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why Bother Going to the Moon?

Tue, 23 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are joined by biologist Kate Feller, physicist Jess Wade, biochemist Andy Holding and Space Boffin Richard Hollingham, to field your science questions. This week, find out what happens to muscles in space, how to rid a car of flatulence, and whether any animals can become invisible. Plus, cyber security expert Paul Harris talks to Chris Smith about the recent cyber attacks - what happened, and how we can protect ourselves. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would Aliens Understand Maths?

Tue, 16 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Love it or loathe it maths is everywhere... from counting bees to interstellar trade with aliens, we explore how maths earned the title of the language of the universe. Plus, getting to know our new ancestor Homo naledi, how a good nights sleep can help to ease your pain and do cats really like milk? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How language affects the brain

Tue, 09 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists go global as we explore language - can speaking more than one exercise our brain?; and is our ability to save money purely down to the way we talk? Plus, the rodents that provide new information for stroke therapy and how very hungry caterpillars could solve our plastic problem... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Zooming in on Cancer

Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 +0100

Cancer is a devastating disease, and one of the largest killers in the Western world. This week, in a special show, Kat Arney investigates how scientists are fighting back, from building tumours in the lab to a Google Earth for cancer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gut Bugs: Friend or Foe?

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists go on a tour of the intestine, from top to bottom, in search of the good and bad germs that lurk there and what they mean for our health. Plus, why touchscreens may be harming toddlers' sleep and why scientists all over the world are putting down their pipettes and picking up placards. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Should I Sequence My Genes?

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0100

What surprises might you find lurking in your DNA, and can that information be used against you? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How to Grow a Human

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0100

We speak to scientists turning embryonic cells into nerve cells to treat Parkinson's disease and growing an entire system of organs in the lab. Plus, how antibiotics taken during pregnancy may affect your child's behaviour and why climate change will lead to bumpier flights. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do Those Pollution Masks Really Work?

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are joined by cosmologist Andrew Pontzen, biologist Sarah Shailes, neuroscientist Philipe Bujold and biochemist Sarah Madden to pit their wits against your science questions. This week, find out how venus fly traps work, whether psychologists can read your mind and why there is so much variation in herbivore poo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Inside the Atom

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0100

100 years since Rutherford split the atom, we investigate the secrets of the building blocks of our Universe. How can we harness the energy locked inside these particles, how have scientists been engineering brand new elements, and are we all the children of starlight? Plus, news of an anti-aging protein, a dinosaur family tree shake up and a new technique which can create millions of stem cells. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is Modern Life Affecting Fertility?

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Are trends in modern living helping or harming our ability to reproduce? And how do factors affecting fertility differ between men and women? Plus, fighting brain tumours with artificial antibodies and are internet filters really keeping children safe? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Crash Course in Space Junk

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

There is a floating museum above our heads: millions of fragments from past space missions are hurtling round the earth and could destroy our current satellites. We find out how spacecraft are coping now, and how we might be able to clean up space in the future. Plus, news of a synthetically engineered yeast genome, a breakthrough in OCD and a new ebola vaccine for gorillas. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is the cause of Brain Freeze?

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Why are we looking for earth-sized planets? Can I unshrink a woollen jumper? What does a black hole actually look like? Chris Smith is joined by David Rothery, Anna Ploszajski, Aimee Eckert and Michael Conterio to answer your science questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Conversations about Climate Change

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, a crash course in climate change: we meet one strange fish already feeling the pinch, ask if humans are wired to ignore the threat, and look at one way we could all reduce our carbon footprint. Plus, why alcohol consumption can come back to bite you, the seven new planets discovered by NASA and the bees that have been trained to score goals. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Preventing HIV with PrEP

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, we investigate the HIV preventative measure PrEP, which could be turning the tide on new infection rates - but is it safe to buy online? Plus, the toughest ever spider's web, a journey back through the history of language and the plant that could help clean up our oceans. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meteorites: Space Invaders

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

What's the difference between a meteorite, meteoroid, a comet and an asteroid? We tell you how to find your own space rock here on Earth, and hear from a scientists tracking where space rocks come down in the Australian outback. Plus, why quinoa could feed the world in future, and is vaping safer than smoking, or a gateway for a fresh legion of teen smokers? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we Create Artificial Gravity?

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Do giraffes get struck by lightning? What's the highest number a person could count to? How do animals have sex underwater? Chris Smith teams up with Tim Revell, Richard Hollingham, Chris Basu and Danielle Green to tackle your science questions, which range from the bottom of the ocean to outer space! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Optogenetics: Lighting up the Brain

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Could a light in your brain cure epilepsy, or send you to sleep? The Naked Scientists investigate the mysterious field of optogenetics, and the treatments it promises to bring. Plus, news of a cancer-detecting artificial intelligence and a vaccination to fight fake news. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The LED Lighting Revolution

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The light bulb is a hundred-year-old technology whose time is finally up. This week, we shine a little light on its replacement to find out what makes it such a compelling alternative and look to the next revolution in lighting. Plus, how scientists are turning to robotics to treat heart failure, the death of NASA astronaut and last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan and do you really eat spiders in your are sleep? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of Laughter

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week, The Naked Scientists take a look at the science of laughter, asking why we like to laugh, hearing what babies find funny and meeting a joke-building robot. Plus, news of a gene editing technique taking on a deadly disease and a record-breaking knot. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are more crimes committed during a full moon?

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Does being angry increase your risk of a heart attack? What's a psychopath? And how much does a single cell weigh? This week, Chris Smith answers your questions with Stuart Higgins, Maud Borensztein, Kyle Treiber and James Rudd. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

2016: A Year in Science

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists celebrate the dawn of 2017 with a look at their best bits from 2016, including: the science breakthrough of the year, how to use psychology to get a date and why it pays to look on the bright side. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Our Search for Extraterrestrials

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week: is there anybody out there or are we alone in the Universe? Graihagh Jackson ponders one of the fundamental questions of humanity, from flying saucers and UFOs to why we haven't found any evidence and what it would mean to find ET. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The 12 Scientific Days of Christmas

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:48:32 +0000

Supported by an all-star scientific cast of luminaries and willing volunteers the Naked Scientists celebrate the holidays with the 12 scientific days of Christmas. From why 9 ladies like to dance to making those 6 geese eggs into bouncy balls... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's the Healthiest Way to Eat an Entire Cake?

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Chris is joined by Giles Yeo, Roger Buckley, Andrew Pontzen and Kerstin Goepfrich, and they enjoy a mince pie or two while answering listener questions, including: why isn't love blinding; are glasses or contacts better for your eyes and what would happen if you brought a thimble of neutron star to earth? Plus, the team discuss the supposed benefits of the Mediterranean diet and debate the worst science movie mistakes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

When The Drugs Don't Work...

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Antibiotics are chemicals that kill bacteria but leave us unharmed. However, bacteria are evolving so that our drugs no longer kill them. If this trend continues, the treatable are going to become untreatable... How serious would this scenario be, though? We'll be putting the problem under the microscope this week. Plus in the news, the UK's new Snooper's Charter, the man modelling vascular diseases in a dish, and what happens in your brain when you talk to God... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is DNA the Basis for all Life in the Universe?

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week: alien hunting! Life here on Earth uses DNA, but why, and would aliens be made of the same stuff? Plus, news of how your gut microbes are controlling your genes, a new way to fight phobias, and we get a sneak peek at where the first human colonists of Mars might live... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Navigating the Future

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week the show comes to you from the Royal Institute of Navigation's annual International Conference, with a look at the future of navigation. From the trousers that can track your every move to the spacecraft charting their way through the Universe. Plus, how does GPS work, and are we ready for driverless cars? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's between my internal organs?

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've gathered the bright and the brainy to answer your science questions, from why ants are stealing your toenail clippings to what's between your internal organs and could you survive being eaten by a snake? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The History of Hominins: Are Humans Special?

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week on the Naked Scientists we're exploring our human story, from the use of tools and fire, to ritualistic behaviour. Where did we come from and what makes us special? Chris Smith is joined by some of the world's best fossil experts including one man who's discovered two of our caveman ancestors, and a scientist who can get the original tissues out of remains that are millions of years old. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Your Brain on Horror

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered why some people enjoy being absolutely petrified by horror films? This week, The Naked Scientists investigate the spooky science of the genre: what does fear look like in the brain, how do you compose the most terrifying soundtrack and can we use psychology to engineer the perfect scare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The End of Night

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0100

Kat and Chris are turning the lights down low in search of darkness. 80% of Europeans and Northern Americans now can't see the Milky Way. But does this extra light pollution matter? It doesn't harm anyone, or does it? Plus in the news, with the US presidential elections fast approaching, we see what we can learn from animals when it comes to picking a leader. And, do you really lose most of your heat through your head? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hospital Health Check

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week we step out of the lab and into the hospital to celebrate one of our most treasured institutions. We find out about the technology that could be changing the future of healthcare and Connie tries her hand as a medical student. Plus, a potential treatment for Sickle Cell disease and do ice baths really soothe sore muscles? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will We Beat Alzheimer's Disease?

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0100

Alzheimer's: A third of the population may be destined to develop this form of dementia, which robs people of their memories and independence. So what causes it, and what can we do about it? Plus in the news, NICE approves a new drug for an aggressive form of lung cancer, we've got the lowdown on the Nobel prizes, and how a computer code has been released online that could be using your devices to launch cyber attacks. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do Cats Have Vertical Pupils?

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0100

Why do cats have vertical pupils? Do clouds defy gravity? What is the brain basis of road rage? The Naked Scientists team tackle these and many more science questions, with help from an all-star guest panel. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Little Light Relief

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're in for a little light relief, as we explore how light-based technologies are delivering a brighter future, in medicine and beyond. Plus, in the news, a new gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, scientists make sonic holograms, and the most accurate reconstruction of a dinosaur yet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mapping the Milky Way

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week - Cambridge's key role in the mission to map the milky way! We learn how the Gaia space telescope is pinpointing the positions of a billion stars in our galaxy.Plus, news of a net which will leave mozzies dead or infertile, the DNA double-double helix discovery, and can the moon cause earthquakes? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Moulding the Minds of Tomorrow

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we don our uniforms for a lesson in the science of education: what's the best way to mould the minds of the future? Plus, a new drug that could cure malaria with a single dose and we find out what happened to the ice bucket challenge. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How Old is the Average Atom?

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0100

Can we see the lunar landing sites with a telescope? Why is it cooler at altitude despite being closer to the Sun? Why is there no salt in sea ice? Was it windier when the Earth turned faster? What will end life on Earth sooner, the cooling core or the Sun becoming a red giant? Is modern medicine damaging the gene pool? How old is the average atom? This week David Rothery, Caroline Steel, Andrew Holding and Adam Townsend join Kat Arney to answering the science questions that you've been sending in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Scrutinizing Science

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Naked Scientists are celebrating their 15th birthday and so Graihagh Jackson puts science under the microscope and questions its importance in today's world. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Animation: The Reel Deal

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we find out how science can help you get from script to screen in animated movies, from the physics of balancing a giraffe on a tightrope to the researcher putting voice actors in a brain scanner. Plus, news of why we're more prone to viral infections when we're jet-lagged, how a common technique to prevent premature birth could actually cause it and did campfires kill the Neanderthals? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Drugs: Time for a Change?

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0100

100 years since the first UK drug law, we explore the controversial and confusing science behind the drugs debate. From the brain basis of addiction to how ecstasy could treat anxiety, what are the implications of the world's war on drugs? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do Fish Fart?

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0100

From farting fish to the link between diet and cancer, Kat Arney and Chris Smith take on your questions with Matt Middleton, Giles Yeo and Eleanor Drinkwater... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science Too Hot To Handle

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0100

The Olympics is finally upon us and from going for gold in the tropical Rio climate to boosting the efficiency of jet engines, our ability to cope in high temperatures could make the difference between falling or flying. This week on The Naked Scientists we're exploring the many ways in which humans, and machines, can handle the heat. Plus, which country tops the charts when it comes to height? Also, we'll hear how tomatoes hold the key to fending off a deadly parasite. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fuels Of The Future

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week we'll need you to fasten your seatbelts because we're taking a trip into the future of fuels. We're asking if biofuels are really that brilliant and finding out how one lab is attempting to reinvent diesel.Plus, new research that could help unclog arteries and the data storage solution that operates at the scale of individual atoms. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A Dog's Life: Intelligence and Inbreeding

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists bring you a 'ruff' guide to dogs! We chart the ancient origins of our favourite pets, examine how smart dogs could provide clues into human disease and explore the science behind the problems caused by years of inbreeding. Plus, news of why it's not just redheads who are more at risk from the sunny weather, and does Pokemon Go mark a new frontier in gaming? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Concrete Jungles

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0100

The 11th of July was world population day and at current figures there are over 7.4 billion of us living on the planet. That number continues to grow and at the same time the proportion of people living in urban environments is also increasing.This week we're asking if there's space for animals in our concrete jungles and what we can do to persuade people to put nature first.Plus, in the news we learn how new technology is speeding up vaccination production and how ancient bacteria could increase plant growth. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can toads predict earthquakes?

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're answering the science questions that you've been sending in, including: is the Earth's core cooling down, how do messages from space probes get back to Earth and why sleeping on your front might increase your risk of Alzheimer's Disease... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Science meets MasterChef!

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists are hosting their very own dinner party, and the guests include a master distiller, a MasterChef finalist and a master of chocolate, all on hand to help reveal the science behind the perfect dinner party. Plus, the world's fastest supercomputer boots up in China and news of why itchy mosquito bites are more likely to infect. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Autopsy: A Matter of Life and Death

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week on the Naked Scientists, we observe a post-mortem. The patient was in his seventies but the coroner ordered an autopsy because the cause of death wasn't clear. Chris Smith observes pathologist Alison Cluroe conduct the procedure as she tries to find out why the patient died and sees how this once common practice is still saving lives... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How to Keep your Heart Healthy

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This programme comes to you from the British Cardiovascular Society Conference in Manchester, where leaders in the field have been presenting their latest research on preventing heart disease: one of the leading causes of death. We explore the radioactive toothpaste that can help you predict heart attacks, listen in to a genuine heart transplant and ask whether running really keeps your heart healthy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Your Home in 2050

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0100

A growing global population means we are facing a considerable housing shortage and it has been estimated that by 2025, as many as 1.6 billion individuals will face crowded substandard housing.But, the need to build more homes comes at a cost as in countries like the U.K., half of the population's carbon emissions come just from the buildings we inhabit. So, can we have sustainable housing that still meets the demands of a growing population?Plus in the news: painkillers that could actually be making your pain worse, the secrets of the earth's magnetic core and the truth behind the naked... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Stressed? You're not the only one...

Tue, 31 May 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week on the Naked Scientists, are we more prone to struggle with stress and if so why? Graihagh Jackson is probing the state of our mental health by taking a stress test to unearth how the human body responds and why; we'll be seeing whether having a 'gut feeling' has anything to do with it and what we can all do to unwind a little more. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The War on Salt

Tue, 24 May 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week we delve into the science of salt: what does it do in the body, how can it cause problems for farmers, and what avenues are scientists exploring to desalinate sea water and keep us all refreshed? Plus, one in ten adults have ADHD, the contagious cancer that's followed dogs across the world, and how scientists are growing a brain in a dish to find answers to Alzheimer's Disease... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does Telepathy Exist?

Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week on the Naked Scientists, your questions go under the microscope. Do women have a superior memory? What is the evidence for climate change? Can plants get cancer? Why do we sometimes see stars? And has the universe been through multiple big bangs? Join Dr Chris as he puts an astrophysicist, a neuroscientist, a climate researcher and a plant scientist through their paces tackling the questions you've been sending in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Phosphorus: Essential to All Life But Are We Running Out?

Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:00 +0100

If you've followed environmental stories over the years, you'll know this tune. Scientists have long been singing off the same songbook when it comes to fossil fuels, deforestation and pollution. But drum not often banged is the dwindling supply of phosphorus. It's is an essential element for all life. It makes up our DNA and all organisms need it for energy. It cannot be replaced, there is no synthetic substitute. In other words, without phosphorus, there is no life. This week on the Naked Scientists, we investigate whether we're running out of phosphorus for fertiliser and what we can do... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can Science Prove Whodunnit?

Tue, 03 May 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've got science on trial! We look at real case studies, finding out how forensics can both help and hinder criminal investigations, including the insects who are first on the scene, how your phone can tell tales, and why DNA can lead you on a wild goose chase. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Secret World of Shipping

Tue, 26 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're taking a look at the industry that transports 90% of global trade but most of us know very little about - shipping! We're all at sea as we navigate our way through driverless ships of the future and how to make an industry that is currently producing the same amount of emissions as Germany, a little greener.Plus how testosterone hardens your arteries, are drones getting out of control, and can a spoon in the bottle stop your sparkling wine going flat? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What happened to Tutankhamun's heart?

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've gathered a panel of pollies, pundits and professors to answer your science questions: from how prevalent was tooth decay in the neanderthals, to how Neil Armstrong got home from the moon! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Conflict in Conservation

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

Would you care about conserving an animal if it threatened your job, your food supply or even your life? This week, we unpick the hidden conflicts and controversies inside conservation, including the tragic fight to save the mountain gorillas, how to tackle poaching smartly and the lions who live in harmony with people. Plus, news of how engineers solved a medical dilemma and a look back at one of the world's greatest mathematical geniuses. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can You Boost Your Memory?

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 01:00:00 +0100

Exam season is around the corner, so this week the Naked Scientists take a walk down memory lane to find out what's going on upstairs when you learn and remember things, and investigate if it's possible to boost your brain power. Plus, in the news, prosthetic fingers that can actually feel, the sacred art of origami gets a DNA update and Kat asks whether giant pandas really just don't fancy getting frisky. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will an artificially intelligent robot steal your job?

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 01:00:00 +0100

With the recent rise of the machines and robots - could an artificially intelligent robot take your job any time soon? And could they then take over the world, terminator-style? Join Graihagh Jackson as she journies into the world of cyborgs to see if Skynet, Ex Machina and the realms of science fiction could turn into science fact and if so, when? And what can we do about it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do you burn more calories when thinking?

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week: you asked the questions, we have the answers. Our expert panel take on queries like: why don't whales get the bends, does chloroform work like it does in the movies, and would a spinning spaceship simulate gravity? Plus, the week's science news, including the controversial sugar tax, how ExoMars 2016 hunts for life on the red planet and why NASA plan to set fire to a space station. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cambridge Science Festival: Battle of the Brains

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week is a Cambridge Science Festival special with the Naked Scientists coming straight from the Cambridge Science Centre alongside a very lively audience!But that's not all, it's battle of brains as six of Cambridge's finest researchers strut their stuff in a competition of mind, matter and ultimate cool. From freeze-dried blood to turbo charged wheat who will come out on top? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The A - Zika of viruses: Preventing Pandemics

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

With infectious diseases wiping out millions each year, we look at how we can predict pandemics, whether scientists should be allowed to engineer super viruses, and how war and politics could prevent us from winning the fight against polio. Plus, news of how laughing gas could prevent PTSD, a breakthrough in soft-robotics and why skipping sleep could give you the munchies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gravitational Waves: Discovery of the Decade?

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This week, the discovery rocking the world of physics: gravitational waves! But what are they, and why are they set to change how we see the Universe in the future? Plus we take a look at the week's leading science breakthroughs, including a new way to see heart attacks before they happen, fighting superbugs with door knobs, and is there such a thing as being right- or left-brained? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could The Internet Die?

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

From why spicy isn't a taste, to how long it takes a comet to form, we've gone in search of the answers to the questions you've been sending in. We investigate whether the Internet is immune to a breakdown, if a person dreams under anaesthetic, why days are divided into 24 hours, and could an explosive stop a storm? Plus, news of a new cancer therapy that's got everyone talking, and how to recycle wasted energy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Rules of Attraction: The Science of Sex

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists have turned the lights down low for a stimulating odyssey through the science of dating and romance, including; which chat-up lines are most likely to get you talking, what statistics can tell us about our sex lives and lessons in love from the animal kingdom. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Caffeine: Friend or Foe?

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Caffeine is one of the only legal psychoactive stimulants but is it good or bad for our health? This week, the Naked Scientists are delving into the science to find out. Plus, the latest on Zika virus, bed bugs get their genomes sequenced, and will going out with wet hair give you pneumonia? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Food Security: Insects for Dinner?

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

By 2050 the global population is set to rise to more than 10 billion people. But right now, 1 in 10 people are suffering from chronic hunger. So how do we reconcile a rising population with an already hungry world? Plus in the news, why scientists are one step closer to understanding autism, and we take a moment to say goodbye to the Philae Lander... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Black holes: the inside story...

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

What's dark and so massive that not even light can escape its clutches? The answer is one of the most enigmatic phenomena known to physics: the black hole. And this week we explore the workings of these mysterious entities from how they distort time and what what would happen if you fell into one, to why black holes power the brightest lights in the Universe and how scientists are trying to image their interior. Plus, news of a dissolving brain implant, how ultrasound might be making some people sick, and why a real-life spider-man would have to be really, really small... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Hidden World of Hibernation

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Does midwinter make you want to eat all the food in your fridge, curl up in a duvet and sleep until spring? You're not alone, many plants and animals feel the same way, but you might not be so keen when we tell you just what it would do to your body! Snuggle down as we explore the world of hibernation and how it might be used to help humans. Plus, in the news: detoxing debunked and the miracle of the microbiome. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we have pubic hair?

Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

In this week's podcast, we're taking on your questions! From how we make decisions to why do we go temporarily deaf when we yawn and if light wears out, these are some of the many conundrums you asked and we answered with the help of an expert panel. Plus, the top headlines in the world of science, including the four new elements discovered, why you can blame your neanderthal heritage for bad allergies and how Harry Potteresque screens could be the next big thing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do You Have Skinny Genes?

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

With the New Year, there's often a resolution or two to make a new you. But what makes you, you? Given that we share over 99.9% of our genes with each other, there's a lot of variety in that 0.01%. Just look around you now - no two people are alike! Is it just your genes or is there something else at play? In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Graihagh Jackson goes in search of what makes a person, an individual beginning by asking why her brother got sixpack abs and she didn't... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Top Scientific Moments of 2015

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Remember that time that Ginny made Kat eat chocolate spread from a nappy? Or when Georgia broke the drone? It's the end of 2015 and what a year it's been for science! Whilst Chris and Kat take a well deserved break, producers Connie Orbach and Graihagh Jackson have hijacked the show to take you through all their favourite bits of the last 12 months. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cracking the science of Christmas

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists have Christmas unwrapped with a look at the science behind our favourite festive traditions, including how to pick the perfect present, the psychology behind board games and how to avoid hangovers. Plus, Star Wars science, a chocolate-covered PhD and Santa's tech-upgrade! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dishing the Dirt on our Soils

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This month, the United Nations published its much-anticipated report on the state of the world's soils and the results are not good. We'll be asking why, and taking a down-to-earth look at the consequences to see what we can do to reverse the trend. Plus in the news: why life drawing improves self-esteem; how the asteroid Ceres might be an invader from outer space; and the looming antibiotic apocalypse... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Music Technology: Do or Die?

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

How will you be receiving your presents this year - a CD, a voucher for iTunes or maybe even a Spotify membership? In 2014, streaming services made more money than CD sales for the first time ever and that trend is continuing.But it's not just the distribution of music that is changing; how musicians make music is also evolving rapidly. This week, we explore the influence of technology on one of mankind's oldest traditions - the art of music making.Plus in the news, the global response to climate change, the mystery of missing starlings and how delightful really is that red sky at night? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fighting Floods: Who Gets Hit?

Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and sea levels are set to rise. So could we be about to find ourselves in very deep water? This week we're exploring how to spot where and when floods will occur, and how to avert disaster. Plus, in the news, a GM mosquito to fight malaria, what really killed the dinosaurs, and general relativity 100 years on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sugar Tax: Answer to Obesity?

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, is sugar the enemy? Difficult as it is to digest, one person in every four in the UK is obese, and treating the condition as well as its knock-on effects, costs the health service 5.1 billion per year. Some say sugar is to blame, but is it the only guilty party? Plus, in the news, pigeons detecting cancer, half of museum specimens might be mislabelled, and how science journals are being hacked... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Big Data, Big Deal?

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

More pieces of data have been produced in the last five years than in all of human history put together before then. But what's driving this big data revelation? We'll discover what opportunities it opens up, and we'll uncover the pitfalls we might be facing. Plus, news that scientists uncover the first water on Earth, and we talk to the team who raced a solar powered car 3,000 kilometres across Australia... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do squirrels ever forget where they hid their nuts?

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists and some special guests team up to tackle your science questions head-on. Do squirrels ever lose their nuts? Is cracking your knuckles bad for you? And could your gut bugs turn you to crime? Plus, a look at this week's science news. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Electric Cars: Pollution Solution?

Tue, 03 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

London and many other European cities face the prospect of a 300 million penalty every year over bad air. Engineers say part of the solution lies with electric transport, so this week the Naked Scientists are getting under the hoods of a new generation of vehicles ranging from the first electric buses to tomorrow's supercars. Plus, news about how scientists are making objects levitate in the lab - with sound - and why there are now 3 types of "type 2" diabetes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Should I Stay, or Should I go... to Mars?

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists have been on a trip to Mars but we forgot to ask one BIG question, should we even be going at all? We complete the series with a debate featuring a space politician, a geologist, an astronomer and a would-be Mars pioneer. Plus, in the news, will faecal transplants change your personality, and how sci-fi has been predicting technology for years. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could We Ever Colonise Mars?

Tue, 20 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0100

In episode three of our series Destination Mars, we finally arrive at the Red Planet - but what is waiting for us when we get there? We examine possible solutions to the challenges of building a home on an alien planet, including a Star Trek-inspired health scanner and bacteria that can be engineered to grow rocket fuel. Plus, the science headlines from around the world: a brain scan for epilepsy, the bees that are addicted to caffeine and the science behind hallucinations. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mars: Are we nearly there yet?

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0100

To rocket engineers, the idea of transporting humans to Mars is a one colossal headache. Compared to inert satellites and probes, humans are highly unpredictable, needy and fragile. Radiation is our body's kryptonite; microgravity renders the bones thin and weak and if you broke a leg, it could take months to fix. These are just a few of the hundreds of problems scientists are grappling with when considering how they might send people to the rocky red planet. We'll be taking a closer look at some of those obstacles this week and asking if it's actually possible to get people to Mars. Plus,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could you be an astronaut?

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Destination Mars: this month we're launching a series of programmes to probe what it's going to take to send people to the Red Planet. We'll be looking at rocket technology, how to keep people fed and watered away from Earth and whether we really can hope to exist sustainably on Mars. This week we're focusing on the space pioneers who will take the first steps towards getting us there. Plus, in the news, four intestinal bacteria that can prevent asthma, a new magnetic material to protect you in car crashes, and a magic bullet to stop bleeding... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why don't spiders get stuck on their webs?

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0100

We take on your science questions: Can animals feel guilty? Could drones detect landmines? What's the furthest a paper plane could fly, and why don't spiders get stuck on their webs? Plus, a look at this week's science news - a development for Europe's Extra Large telescope, and the health challenges faced at the Rugby World Cup. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How to Save a Life

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week we find out what it takes to save a life, from doctors performing open chest surgery in the street to helping people recover in the longer term from severe brain injuries. Plus, news of a real invisibility cloak, how caffeine gives us a boost, and why scientists need you to quiz your dog. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Climate Change: Making Waves?

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Climate change - and concerns about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - are often in the headlines. However, looking back in the history of the earth, it's clear that this isn't the first time carbon dioxide levels have risen. So why should we worry now? We delve into the past to explore the effects climate change can have on the oceans and how that, in turn, can impact the climate. Plus, in the news, a new species of early human ancestor, the scientist who's jumping the Hubble queue with a helium balloon, and why humans are hard-wired for laziness... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hands-on, Minds Open: The Changing Face of Science

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're asking whether scientists and technologists are in short supply, and how the way that we teach science in schools is changing: some classrooms are pumping out published papers! Plus, in the news, a 2 metre-long scorpion, seabirds with stomachs stuffed with plastic, and the facts behind fat - is butter really all that bad for you? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Pluto, at Long Last...

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week is a very special, edition of the Naked Scientists as we dedicate a whole hour to the world's favourite dwarf planet - Pluto. But how did it get there in the first place? What has the New Horizons probe uncovered? And what's beyond Pluto? Graihagh Jackson puts the mission under the microscope, talking some of the leading scientists from the New Horizons operation and taking a trip to the edge of our solar system... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Truth and Beauty: The Hidden World of Symmetry

Sun, 23 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0100

On the face of it, symmetry may seem simple, but diving beneath the surface reveals a whole new world. Over the last 100 years, the mathematical idea of symmetry has proved to be a guiding light for the world of physics. But what does a mathematician mean by symmetry? How does this link in with the world around us? And could it be the key to the mysterious 'Theory of Everything'? Plus, in the news, a new MRI-based cancer treatment, zero-emission highways and the curious case of Whistled Turkish. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Yuck Factor: Why We Find Things So Disgusting

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0100

We delve into the disgusting to discover the emotion of disgust and how it affects our lives. From cockroaches dipped in juice to the importance of sanitation, no topic is off limits as we find out about the psychology of this most powerful of emotions and its applications. Plus, in the news, a universal flu therapy, why zebras have stripes, and the robot that can jump on water. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Graphene

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Hundreds of times stronger than steel, transparent, an excellent electrical conductor, and weighing next to nothing, graphene is hailed as a wonder material. But what is it doing for us now? And where will it take us in future? This week graphene goes under the microscope. We hear how industry can mass produce it, we uncover how it can clean up air in cities, produce the world's fastest lasers, revolutionise communications and boost the power of computers. Plus, news of how Earth's earliest life reproduced, how to regenerate human organs, and why animals have different shaped pupils... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet your Sex Hormones

Tue, 04 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Hormones are the driving force behind reproduction and are what make us keen to go make babies. We follow some of these hormones to hear how they have an influence from birth to death, and also the unexpected consequences they have on society, including causing the stock market to crash. Plus what Philae has revealed about the comet it landed on, how the bugs in your guts might be making you moody, and the key to keeping hamsters happy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do Scientists say "So"?

Tue, 28 Jul 2015 20:17:00 +0100

From why scientists so often use the word "so" to the feasibility of charging a human by USB, how much Silly Putty it would it take to cover the entire Earth, and whether we could genetic engineer super-abilities into humans, we answer your burning science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Seven Million Dollar Maths Mystery

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're investigating the Millennium Prize Problems - a set of mathematical equations that, if solved, will not only nab the lucky winner a million, but also revolutionise the world. Plus, the headlines from the world of science and technology, including why screams are so alarming, how fat fish help the human fight against flab, and what's the future of money? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Make it Digital!

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, broadcasting live from the centre of Cambridge, the Naked Scientists delve into the digital age we live in. We look at new, exciting ways to get kids into coding, how big data is changing the world of healthcare, and we take to skies to go drone racing. But what are the problems we face in this technological age? We find out who is using our online data, and explore the dangers of connecting to public Wi-Fi... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

BOOM! The Bang behind the bomb, and how to stop it

Tue, 07 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Things get a little dangerous as we don our body armour and head out into the battlefield. How do explosives work and what can we do to protect against them? We take a sneak peek at AnUBIS, a device that uses donated human body parts to help to understand the injuries an explosion can cause, and we investigate bomb-proof materials that could also be used in sports. Plus, in the news, why antibiotics at an early age might make you fat, the comet with a cave inside, and why you shouldn't marry your cousin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Caesium: The Element that Redefined Time

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0100

It's 60 years since the world's first atomic clock was created. But what is time? When did time begin, and how accurate is timekeeping today? We'll be asking why we need leap seconds, we cook up a Big Bang with lasagne and hear how planet Earth is a terrible time keeper. Plus, in the news, scientists uncover the cause of tinnitus, what do your baby's eyes say about its future behaviour, and one of the earliest life forms goes under the microscope... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Bring out your Dead: Plague and Fire

Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Tens of thousands of Londoners developed painful, apple-sized, pus-filled boils before dying from the dreadful disease within days. But just as the ordeal of the Black Death seemed to be subsiding, the Great Fire struck the city. But did the conflagration actually save the lives of thousands? In this scorcher of a show, we go in search of the cause of the plague, explore the origins of the Great Fire, and ask whether history might repeat itself? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What does Falling into a Black Hole Feel Like?

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0100

What's the point of mosquitoes? Do your eyes pop out if left open when sneezing? Is the Universe infinitely big? Are birds really related to dinosaurs? What is quantum entanglement? If the space station is held in orbit by gravity, why do things float about inside it? Why does hayfever make your eyes itch? Can animals forecast earthquakes? Find out in this week's show where you're in the driving seat asking us the questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Behind Blood donation

Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0100

For World Blood Day we've been delving into the history of blood letting, getting stuck into blood donation and exploring exciting new possibilities for making blood that's safe for everyone. Plus, a new test to reveal every virus infection you've ever had, the LHC fires up again after a two year shut down, and a new weapon in the fight against Ebola... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dark Matter: A Massive Mystery

Tue, 02 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Are we on the verge of solving one of the longest standing puzzles in physics? Physicists think we're close to discovering the identity of Dark Matter, the mysterious, invisible substance that accounts for nearly a quarter of the mass of Universe. So how will scientists see it, and why does its discovery matter? Plus, genes for pain, how smartphones can save lives, whether babies can feel pain, and how to make tastier cheese... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How many geckos to hold up a human?

Tue, 26 May 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Colour-switching sticklebacks, geckos with enough adhesive power to hold up a human, bats with built-in sonar and moles with amazing noses - this week we go in search of the world's most incredible animals. Scientists passionate about their species put their cases to our panel. But which animal will be crowned king? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can astronauts shower in space?

Tue, 19 May 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, can we colonise Mars? What's causes that smell after it rains? Can genetics inform skin care? And how do astronauts shower in space? Chris Smith, Richard Hollingham and Max Sanderson join Kat Arney to take on your quandaries, and also discuss some of the science news you might have missed this week: the Russian space race fail, hijacking a jet by hacking, and why humans feel pain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Safety at 40,000 Feet

Tue, 12 May 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, endoscopies for jet engines, how the aviation industry could have us cruising for an infectious bruising, the workings of radar, and whether cheap flights actually cost the Earth. Plus, in the news, why doctors could soon be culturing your cancer, the evolution of music, Messenger smashes into Mercury, and do you want to know if your DNA spells trouble for your future health? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Violent Volcanoes

Tue, 05 May 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Celebrating two hundred years since the devastating eruption of Indonesia's Mount Tambora, this week, accompanied by music from Michael Levy, we explore the science of volcanoes. We find out what causes volcanoes, we ask whether eruptions can be predicted, how we can keep people safe, and we re-create the physics of an eruption in the laboratory. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Game on! The Science of Video Gaming

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, the science at play in an industry that dwarfs both Hollywood and the music world: computer games. We hear how video games are altering the brains of players, why lovers of the shoot-em-up could be carving out a niche for themselves in the military, and whether adrenaline-fuelled sessions on a console can be addictive. Plus, why you might need a DNA test before going on holiday in future, evidence that bees are attracted by insecticides, and how colour can affect your body clock... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could Earth be Knocked Out of Orbit?

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0100

This week, you pit your wits against the Naked Scientists team and challenge us to answer your science questions. Is there an evolutionary reason why humans have rhythm? Do people sneeze in their sleep? Why do crabs walk sideways? And how do stinging nettles sting? Chris Smith, Carolin Crawford and Ginny Smith join Kat Arney get their teeth into your conundra, and take a closer look at the stories hitting the headlines, including a sieve that separates oil from water, how you can sniff happiness in sweat, and the Hubble telescope celebrates its 25'th birthday... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Defying Death...

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0100

The impact of modern medicine is drastically changing our concept of death. Increasingly, people are being resuscitated successfully, sometimes hours after they first died. So this week we toe the line between life and death, learn lessons from those who survived without oxygen for hours, discover how we could live immortally as robots, and hear about a very special type of cryo-ambulance to prep you for long term storage. Plus, news that the Dutch have grown nearly a foot taller in 2 centuries, what your fingers say about your marathon prospects, and the secret language of gibbons... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Egg-cellent Easter Science

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists take a special holiday look at some egg-cellent Easter science, including a breakthrough in how to unboil an egg, the genetically modified chickens that can't catch bird flu and why the Easter bunny might be knocked off his perch by a toucan. Plus, is a chocolate teapot really useless? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Whodunnit? Fascinating Forensics

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 01:00:00 +0100

From crime scene to court room and all the evidence in between. Join Chris Smith and Ginny Smith at our reconstructed crime scene to find out how science is used to help solve a forensic investigation, including dissecting pig organs, testing for drugs, planting false memories into our audiences' brains and trying out the world's first lie detector suit... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Brain on fire

Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how rogue antibodies turned one woman's existence into a living nightmare of delusions, hallucinations and paranoia, we examine the evidence that ME - or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) - might be an autoimmune disease, and why the blues might be down to a hostile immune response. Plus, how tracking eye movements can be used to influence decisions, why remembering causes you to forget, a new 3d-printer inspired by Hollywood's Terminator, and the genetic map of the UK: apparently the Romans didn't fancy breeding with us very much... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chasing Rainbows: The Quest to Understand Light

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Is it a particle? Or is it a wave? This week we're looking at light. From its earliest origins and what it can reveal about the Big Bang, to why Newton prodded his eye with a needle to probe the origins of colour, how the brain decodes the visual world and bionic implants to reverse blindness. Plus, in the news, a revelation in the remarkable colour-changing capabilities of chameleons, how an ultrasound can combat Alzheimer's Disease, and what people do with their fingers following a handshake... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Life Parasitic

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, the world of parasites. We find out what's living in you and on you, how these invaders hijack your immune system and how they can even control the behaviours and body shapes of their hosts. Plus, in the news, the oldest remains of our first human ancestors are uncovered in Ethiopia, scientists weigh a stegosaurus and NASA's Dawn probe reaches the dwarf planet Ceres, but what awaits it there...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Eureka Streaker: Experiments that Changed the World

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

From Archimedes leaping from his bath shouting Eureka, to Isaac Newton's falling apples and Volta's piles that produced electricity on tap, this week we recreate some of the scientific experiments that changed the way we view the world. Join Ginny Smith and Chris Smith on a journey through two thousand years of discovery that includes bricks on ropes, a singing Solar System, a hydrogen detonation and a spectroscope... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marijuana: Risk or Remedy?

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Cannabis is as controversial as it is complicated. Does smoking it cause schizophrenia, and can chemicals from the plant cure cancer? Plus in the news, the new breed of chemicals that are putting our ozone layer at risk and why teenage sperms are more likely to be mutants. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Your Smartphone: What's it Saying to Cyber-Criminals?

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how we're haemorrhaging personal information through our smartphones. We hear how snoopers can eavesdrop on your mobile signals while you're out in public to track down your home address. A computer scientist tells us what he discovered on a bunch of second-hand mobile phones picked up off eBay, and the website that grades the threat's you face from any app yu install. Plus, the stories making the headlines from the world of science and technology, including figuring out how much dark matter is in the Milky Way, and a breath test to diagnose Parkinson's Disease... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet the Doctors of Love!

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how to hack online dating, the way to maximise your chances on that crucial first date, what makes couples compatible, and the giveaway signs of fertility in the female voice. Plus, in the news, how late-night texting and Facebook-checking is affecting the sleep of young people, the Dutch chimps that now speak Scottish, and why chemistry teachers have a lesson to learn about one of the world's most popular classroom experiments... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Outnumbered: Are your bacteria controlling you?

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This week, why we're passengers in our own bodies, outnumbered by our resident bacteria. We explore how these bugs can alter your brain and behaviour, and "trans-poo-sion": the poo-transplant process that might save your life! Plus, why the chances of ET existing have rocketed this week, and signs that birds count the same way we do... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Lifting the lid on Plastic

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Last year, 100 million tonnes of plastic were produced by industry. At the same time sufficient waste plastic was found floating in the world's oceans to make a string of bottles long enough to make it to the Moon. This week we find out what plastic is, how it is made, how to recycle it and why, in the future, it might literally grow on trees. Plus, reading Roman scrolls buried 2000 years by a volcano, how the magnetic history of a meteorite sheds light on the early Solar system, and an antidote to radiation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Secrets of Sleep

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Most people spend around a third of their lives asleep, and yet we know almost nothing about what goes on in the land of nod. So this week we're going "under the covers" to investigate the science of sleeping including hearing from sleep talkers, probing the world of lucid dreaming and finding out what sleep deprivation does to the brain. Plus, in the news, the missing Beagle 2 probe is pinpointed, how the ingredients for life on Earth could have been cooked up in comets, and the computer that knows you better than your best friend... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fighting Fat with Science

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Are you sitting comfortably? You might want to stand up, because we'll be hearing why, in health terms, sitting is the new smoking! We're also taking a look at the science behind weight loss and why shedding extra pounds is so difficult. Plus news of why colds really do prefer the cold, why most of the world's fossil fuels need to stay in the ground if we're to meet climate change targets, and home from home: how scientists have discovered Earth's twin, deep in outer space... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dissolving teaspoons: Naked in Wellington

Tue, 06 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Dissolving teaspoons, plants that sunbathe, stopping multiple sclerosis, the ARGO floats that monitor the oceans, global warming in Antarctica, and using computers to find Kiwis. Chris Smith and Simon Morton meet some of Wellington's finest researchers, including nanoscientist Nicola Gaston, plant scientist Jason Wargent, MS specialist Anne La Flamme, ocean scientist Philip Sutton, climate researcher Tim Naish and computer scientist Ed Abraham... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Voices in the Dark

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

We all have an inner voice. Most of us know they're not real. But, for up to 15% of the population at some points in their lives, they can take on a different tone, as a terrifying experience that cannot be distinguished from reality. Where do they come from, and what do they say to sufferers? And how can the symptoms be treated? In this special guest episode, the Wellcome Trust's Chris Chapman hears the stories of schizophrenics affected by voices and explores a new approach to giving sufferers control over their experiences... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of Christmas

Tue, 23 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Seasons Greetings from the Naked Scientists! We invite you to spend the next hour with us as we explore the Science of Christmas. We'll be looking at why crackers are, or aren't, all that funny, the chemistry of Christmas and what makes the ultimate roast dinner as well as whether wine really is the best medicine. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Total wipe out: Mass Extinction

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Mass Extinction! 250 million years ago nearly all life on Earth ended. Back from the brink, history then repeated itself with the disappearance of the dinosaurs 60 million years ago. So are we next? Plus news of how a comet smash could have kick-started life on Earth, whether e-cigarettes are safe, and why science and medical reporting in the media might be untrustworthy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Good Vibrations

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

From the honking of cars to music blaring out of someone's bedroom window, the world around us is saturated with sound. But what exactly is sound, and how do we hear it? From mimicking an owl's wing for quieter aircraft to creating more effective cochlear implants and the science of opera singing, our panel of experts turn up the volume to 11 to answer your questions on anything audible... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Internet: the good, the bad and the ugly

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This week we delve into the Dark Web, a hidden arm of the Internet where Google doesn't dare to search and where drugs, guns and hitmen are offered up for sale. We explore how the World Wide Web works, and ask whether it can remain unregulated, free and open as it is now? Plus, in the news this week, the worm found lurking in a patient's brain, how scientists have grown pain nerves in a Petri dish, and what do dogs hear when we speak to them? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer?

Sun, 23 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Travel by air has increased by over 60% in the last decade and annual global air traffic is expected to reach 3.6 billion passenger journeys by 2016 meaning that there are at least 1 million people airborne aboard planes at any moment in time. But, as air traffic grows, so do concerns about smuggling and security. So keeping people safe is a major priority; but the processes can be intrusive and can also cause unpleasant delays at airports. This week we're looking at how technology - both old and new - can help to alleviate the hold ups and improve safety. Plus, in the news, the science behind... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Inside the Ebola Epidemic

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Ebola has rocked the world in 2014, but why has this outbreak been so devastating? This week we get inside Ebola to find out about the virus itself, and how it causes disease and spreads. We talk to healthcare and charity workers on the ground in West Africa to find out how what is being done to stem the epidemic; we catch up on progress towards a vaccine and we hear how the virus is also crippling gorilla populations. Plus, in the news, the latest on the Rosetta mission to comet 67P-Churyumov-Gerasimenko and how Wikipedia can reveal what diseases are circulating and where... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Combating Cancer

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This week, the latest breakthroughs in cancer including blood tests to pick up the disease much earlier, new genetic treatments to trigger tumours to kill themselves, and a laser technique to zap cancers in hard-to-reach places. Plus, in the news, why working the night shift can curb your intellect, a super-enzyme that could cut millions off energy bills and the gut bacteria that keep you trim... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Supernatural Science

Tue, 04 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Do you believe in ghosts? For Halloween the Naked Scientists take a look at the spooky science of the supernatural. Is there evidence that paranormal beings exist and why do so many people believe in them? How do out-of-body experiences happen? What causes coincidences? Where did werewolves and vampires come from? And what tricks do magicians use to fool your senses? Join us for an eerie exploration of how the mind can create nightmarish experiences and mysterious beliefs... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transport of Tomorrow

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Over the next 50 years, getting to work on time or heading out to the hinterlands for your family holiday will become much, much easier - and perhaps, even pleasurable. We're journeying into the not so distant future, to a world where cars drive themselves, drones deliver your pizzas, planes are bigger, faster, stronger and even see-through, and people holiday in space. The next generation of transportation is very nearly here, and we're taking a magnifying glass to some of the most exciting developments. Plus, we shine a new light on diabetes treatment, a cheap and quick test for ebola, and... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Cities of Tomorrow

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Continuing the theme of the future of humanity, this week we take a look at what we can expect from our towns and cities in the years to come. Will we be living in wooden skyscrapers, amongst crime fighting lampposts or have our own personalised pollution sensors? Plus, in the news, invasive shellfish, the amphibian version of Ebola, making the mind young again, why new brain cells are essential for learning, and advice to brush your teeth to boost your physical fitness... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will Climate Change Cost the Earth?

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0100

What does climate change have in store for the future? What will it mean for the man, or woman, in the street? How will it hit the global economy, and what can businesses do to fight back? This week, we hear the perspectives of a climate specialist, an economist, a psychologist and a technologist as we ask, "what are the costs of climate change?" Plus, in the news, the emerging ebola crisis, tastier beers coming on tap thanks to fruit flies, and a breakthrough in prosthetic arm technology... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Powering the Future

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0100

For years we have relied on fossil fuels to produce the light, heat and energy we need to live and work. But these supplies are diminishing, and polluting our environment. So can renewable resources step into the breach annd produce enough energy to power the world? In this special Naked Scientists show, live from the Cambridge Science Centre, we talk to some of the researchers trying to do just that, as well as conducting some energy-related experiments of our own... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Alien Hunters: The Search for ET

Sun, 28 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week, is there anybody out there? We're pushing at the boundaries of science in the search for ET. We take a magnifying glass to the big questions: what is life, where can we find it and could we ever communicate with it? Plus, the blood test that can tell you how long you'll take to recover from surgery, a new mussel-inspired glue that even works underwater and, 76 years after penicillin was first discovered, how scientists are combating antibiotic resistance Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can you 3D-print me a new kidney?

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week, are we on the verge of being able to print a new kidney or liver? And will every home soon have a machine in it to make medicines so we don't need to head off to the chemist for a dose of antibiotics? This is the world of 3D printing and we'll show you what it promises to deliver... Plus, in the news, is fracking contaminating underground water or is it just leaky pipes? And a new breakthrough therapy for multiple sclerosis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hack Attack!

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Have you been hacked? This week we examine the risks from public WiFi, why the Internet of Things is jeopardising the security of your home, the threats frequently lurking inside innocent-looking documents, what your mobile phone says to cybercriminals without your say-so and the new method of marketing: you compromise your competitor's website. Plus, in the news, an update on ebola, do bereaved people really die of a broken heart, and DNA points the finger at a Jack the Ripper suspect... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does nature do it better?

Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're looking to nature to solve some of today's biggest problems - from climate change to water shortages. We hear how spiders hold the key to making the strongest material known to man and how insect ears have inspired the world's smallest microphone. Plus, why Bruce Willis might be making you fat, the Arctic ice sheets that are melting despite headlines to the contrary, and why thousands of languages are on the brink of extinction... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nuclear Fusion

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're exploring Nuclear Fusion, the power source of the sun. What is it and how can it help us on Earth? We visit the JET fusion facility to watch a test firing, we hear how lasers can be used to kickstart the process and how a new spherical fusion system could be outputting power within a decade. Plus, in the news, what lights up the Universe, how people are no smarter than pigeons when it comes to gambling and how the eyes can forewarn of forthcoming dementia... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists in New Zealand

Tue, 26 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Chris Smith goes down under for this special report from New Zealand. In this podcast we discuss lasers that are helping us understand how molocules are formed, using viruses as antibiotics and the possibility of life on Mars. Plus, looking at video game therapy, where Ebola and HIV came from, and the world of bumblebee real estate. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Personalised Medicine

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're talking about gene sequencing and how to keep that information safe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Food for Thought!

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0100

The Naked Scientists have food on the brain this week, as we hear about how sound can affect taste, why our mood can be changed by what we eat, and we try out some unusual flavour combinations. And in the news; why grizzly bears may help us in the fight against diabetes, the comet chaser that has finally reached its target, and self-assembling origami robots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The brightest light in the Universe

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we hear how one of the brightest lights in the Universe is helping scientists to build better jet engines, fight off antibiotic resistant bacteria and read the biochemical make-up of long-dead dinosaurs. Plus, how fears and phobias can pass from parent to child in a smell, why first impressions really do count, and also the physics of being a lead guitarist... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A trip to the seaside

Tue, 29 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week why whales get dandruff, what seabirds think of wind farms, the plight of coral reefs, we take a look at some giant sea spiders and look at water that can stay liquid below freezing temperature. Plus, we use science to perfect the recipe for a superior sandcastle... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The End of Extinction?

Tue, 22 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Will wooly mammoths roam the tundra once more? This week we ask whether improvements in genetic technologies mean extinction is no longer the end, as well as meeting moss that came back to life after 2000 years buried in permafrost, and the million-year-old microbes lurking in the ice of Antarctica. Plus, news that our genes control who we make friends with, how fossil sea urchins hold the key to finding your lost car keys, and what ancient tooth plaque is revealing about the diets of our ancestors... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Returning to the Moon - A giant leap for mankind?

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0100

We celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission by asking, should we return to the moon? We discover what scientific knowledge is still to be gained by going back, what robot missions are being planned as part of the Google Lunar X prize, and do commercial companies hold the key to funding research? Plus, in the news, the electronic lables that can be printed by inkjet, the genes which control how good you are at Maths, and can elephants cry? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Saddle Up: The Science of Cycling

Tue, 08 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Chimps use gestures, climate change stops fish finding friends, gut cells reprogrammed to make insulin, and people prefer shocks to thoughts! Plus Saddle Up! - we look at the science of cyling as the Tour de France comes to the UK, including seeing how long an amateur cyclist can sustain Tour de France speeds, hearing how the bike came by its spokes, and visiting a wind tunnel to learn about the art of aerodynamics... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Engineering the Impossible

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0100

From levitating trains and humans to giant, climate-altering balloons, super-steels and earthquake-proof buildings, this month's live show panel reveal the latest advances in extreme engineering. Plus, we get engineering for ourselves, including taking a blowtorch to a paperclip to make metallurgy happen before your eyes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Ready for Kick Off...

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0100

England might be out of the World Cup this week, but thousands of fans are still cheering their teams on across Brazil. But how does chanting change the behaviour of a football crowd? Why do free kicks and penalties still come down to good old physics? And how can economists use data from the pitch to see whether discrimination still exists in the beatuiful game? Plus, in the news, why scientists have blown up a mountain in Chile, why you could get addicted to sunshine, and are electronic cigarettes safe? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Untangling Alzheimer's Disease

Tue, 17 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Alois Alzheimer, who described the first case of the disease now named after him, would have been 150 years old this week. But what have we discovered about the disease since he presented the first Alzheimer's case over 100 years ago? And how can fruit flies, arm hair and video games untangle the most significant threat to our generation? Plus, in the news, how making mosquitoes male could reduce malaria, protecting astronauts from solar radiation, and why is beetle sex a sticky situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Freeze Dried Blood!

Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Freeze Dried Blood! Every day the likes of probiotic "good" bacteria in yoghurts, and even the enzymes in washing powder, give us a helping hand. This week we investigate how scientists are designing new ways to protect and guard these tiny helpers, including new techniques to freeze-dry human blood. Plus, news of how sleep boosts learning, the effects of foetal nerve transplants for Parkinson's, tree-hugging koalas and why negative Facebook friends can make you moody. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Learning to Learn

Tue, 03 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Making brainwaves: from how babies' brains develop, to how children learn language and even unravelling the adolescent mind, this month's live show panel of guests walk us through how we learn to learn! Plus, popping balloons shows why teenagers take risks, and some practical tips to improve your short term memory Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Cost of a Life

Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 +0100

We often hear about amazing new medical developments which could improve disease treatment. But what about the ethical considerations involved in deciding how to use these advances? Hannah Critchlow and Ginny Smith discuss how we decide which drugs we can afford and what the limits are on designer babies. Plus how DJ's help get you in the groove, the risk of dengue fever at the World Cup, and how you can win the 10 million Longitude prize! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Natural born cleaners

Tue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week we investigate green clean ups. Can nature's recyclers, bacteria and fungi, help us clean up man-made environmental problems from oil spills to mining slag heaps? Plus in the news, how the Gemini Planet Imager is helping astronomers 'see' exoplanets, why pregnant women are at a higher risk of a car crash and why don't octopuses get tied up in knots? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Powering up the National Grid

Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 +0100

This week we look at how our power grids are going to be transformed. From technology which hopes to reduce our energy prices to new ways to include wind and solar power in the grid. Plus, in the news, what Google have up their sleeve for their next smartphone, the proposed takeover of the UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, and why AM radio could be sending birds off course... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fascinating Fossils

Tue, 06 May 2014 00:00:00 +0100

In front of a live audience at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith is joined by three paleontologists to discuss fascinating fossils! Alex Liu explains where the first animals evolved from, Stephanie Pierce describes how animals first crawled out of the oceans and Jon Tennant digs into how the dinosaurs died out. The team also answer questions like how big are fossilied spiders? Plus, Dave Ansell and Kate Lamble break down bones and discover how we know how fast dinosaurs ran... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Building the Future

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0100

With the demand for new homes ever increasing, we ask what will the buildings of the future be like? Will new materials like bamboo or plastic take a bigger place in our houses? And how can we make our accommodation greener? Plus, in the news, the first model of all of Earth's ecosystems, what a 115 year old can tell us about aging, how to improve cochlear implants, and what happens if you try and stowaway on a plane... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Huntingtons Disease

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0100

In a special show from Cambridge and New Zealand, Hannah Critchlow investigates the research into Huntington's Disease. How has the search to correct a single gene enhanced our understanding of how the brain functions? How are sheep helping to unpick the pizzle of the human mind? Plus we visit a brain bank to find out how tissue donors are supporting the scientific research. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we laugh when tickled?

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0100

In this question and answer special, the Naked Scientists get stuck into your queries, like why are planets round? Why do we laugh when tickled? Does wearing glasses make your eyesight worse? And how many trees could offset carbon emissions? Plus, in the news, the app that could help you get over jet lag and the Heartbleed bug which could affect your internet security. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Power to your Elbow: Better Batteries

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Bigger, better and longer lasting - this week we go in search of the battery technology that will power the future as well as consider the shortcomings of our present technologies. We also try to tune-in to our own broadcast on a radio powered by moss! Plus, in the news, the genetic switch for spinal nerve regeneration, the ocean deep inside Enceladus, young-smoking dads condemn their sons to adult obesity and why cereals make eye contact with you... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Right Hand, Left Hand

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 01:00:00 +0100

How handedness spans the scientific world, from the smallest particles in the Universe to the drugs that cure disease and even the way you hold a pen, goes under the microscope this week as we explore the realms of asymmetry. Plus, in the news, the world's first synthetic chromosome, the goo that stops bones breaking, is there a giant planet lurking beyond Pluto, aircraft black boxes and anti-aphrodisiacs... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Devouring Raspberry Pi

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

2014 is the Year of Code, with the UK even becoming the first major economy to introduce computer programming to the school timetable. This week we investigate why coding, and getting kids into computer science has become so important. Plus, in the news, why the estimated number of smells a human can detect has gone from 10,000 to a trillion, the astronomers who have detected primordial gravitational waves, and a new supercomputer, in Scotland... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Pit your Wits...

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Pit your wits against the combined brain power of the Naked Scientists, in this question and answer Special as the team try to find out the truth behind the age of the Milky Way? Whether plants die of old age, and how cats make their fur stand on end? Plus, in the news, contagious yawns, and how the number of takeaways on the way to work affects your risk of weight gain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Turning the tide on flooding

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

With climate change expected to bring more bouts of extreme weather and longer periods of drought and flooding, this week we take a look at ways to turn the tide on the looming water crisis. Plus, in the news, the schoolboy who's become the youngest person yet to achieve nuclear fusion, the pedicure-inspired tags which are helping track turtles, the new gene therapy breakthrough for treating HIV and, what's worse for you, cigarettes, or sausages? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

AUTOMATE: The World of Robots

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Robots are under examination this week. Engineer Blaise Thomson, from Vocal IQ, designs speech systems for smartphones, Neil Bargh builds robots for science labs, and Airbus systems engineer Paul Meacham, who is building the next rover that will explore Mars, join Chris Smith, Dave Ansell and Ginny Smith to pit their wits against the assembled Cambridge public, answering questions like how would the Mars rover fare in Robot Wars? Plus, we make a motor from scratch and find out what happens when we dunk electronic devices in liquid nitrogen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Noro Show

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, affects 1 million people each year in the UK. But what is it, and how can you best protect yourself? Plus, in the news, how stress hormones depress the stock market, brain training that can improve vision on the baseball field, a new biological marker to diagnose those at risk of depression and artificial growth factors to speed up wound healing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Brainy Babies!

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Should you raise your baby to be bilingual? Are video games rotting or rejuvenating children's brains? We find out! Plus in the news, personalised breast milk, modelling the brain with computers, how crude oil spills affect tuna and the next step towards nuclear fusion. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

David Willetts AAAS Audio Blog

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

UK Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, becomes his own radio presenter; here, on a tour organised by the UK's Science and Innovation Network, he charts his meetings with scientists and entrepreneurs in Chicago, including discovering how researchers are trying to develop new batteries, he meets MIRA the Argonne supercomputer, attends a synthetic biology convention, talks to technology start-up CEOs, addresses the AAAS fellows forum and talks in depth to his travelling companions, Nottingham chemist Martyn Poliakoff and Edinburgh Vice Prinicipal Mary Bownes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

NAKED at the AAAS

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Do scientists resort to propaganda to defend climate change? How do we deal with evolution unbelievers? How do governments and policy-makers decide what science should be funded? Where will the next generation of communicators come from? Why are western countries spending more on baldness than malaria? Live at the AAAS 2014 meeting in Chicago, panellists David Willetts, the UK Minister for Universities and Science, Robyn Williams, of the Science Show on the ABC, MIT Enterprise Forum president, Kathleen Kennedy, IgNobel Awards founder Marc Abrahams and University of Madison-Wisconsin scientist... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Green Food

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

We're chewing over the topic of food footprints: How green is your lunchbox? What's the environmental impact of your weekly food shop? Plus, in the news, the prosthetic hand that has allowed an amputee to feel for the first time, a new fatal strain of flu has been identified in a patient in China and Gaia's goal is to create the most accurate map yet of the Milky Way. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nanosized Science

Tue, 04 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This week we we zoom in on the subject of nano-particles to examine how tiny objects, smaller than the wavelength of light, can be making such large waves in the fields of health, optics, and electronics. Plus news of purple tomatoes on their way to your dinner plates, the medical treatment that could mean the end of peanut allergies, the acid dip that reverts cells to their stem state, and what's in the air in Beijing? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Exorcist, or Exercise: what's healthier?

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith is joined by exercise scientist Dan Gordon, who also holds the world record in tandem cycling, epidemiologist Nita Forouhi, who studies diet, and David Ogilvie, who investigates how our environment can shape our activity. Together they pit their wits against the assembled public as they answer questions like, is watching the Exorcist a replacement for exercise? Plus Dave Ansell and Ginny Smith find the iron on breakfast cereals, measure the vitamin C in carrots, and see how much exercise it takes to work off a Mars bar... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

And now for the weather, in space...

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This week we investigate why the UK is investing in space weather forecasts. Plus how could changes in the Sun's activity affect us here on Earth? In the news, conservationists supporting the sale of a hunting licence for the endangered Black Rhino, gene therapy success for treating blindness-causing diseases, and do humans use anger strategically? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are old habits hard to break?

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This week we want to hear how you're doing with your New Year's Resolutions as we investigate the psychology of willpower and how long it takes to form a new habit. In the news, does drinking a cup of coffee after studying help students remember their work? Should the UK introduce a minimum price for alcohol? Plus the light activated glue that could change the way cardiac surgery operates. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why don't microwaves spark off themselves?

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The Naked Scientists tackle your questions, from how hail storms come about to why the Mediterranean Sea has such small tides. And why do people often favour walking on one particular side of the road?Plus, we look at what science might hit the headlines in 2014, from China's ambitions for manned spaceflight, to new graphene-based electronics. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hydrogen-powered Party Poppers

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

It's Christmas, and we're celebrating in style with a look at the science behind the things that grace the festive period. In a special programme recorded live in the kitchen, we produce our own home-made ice cream, hear about the brain-basis of the Boxing Day sales bargain, test fruit-fuelled flamethrowers, investigate candle chemistry, find out about LED fairy lights, probe the origins of the Star of Bethlehem, and make our own hydrogen-powered party popper. Merry Christmas! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Super-shape me!

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

How balls of cells assemble into a baby, why cell shape is crucial in cancer, telling cells where to go in an embryo, and getting a handle on how limbs develop: this week's Naked Scientists explores the science of structure. Plus, does classical music make you brainier? News of what your Christmas dinner means to the microbes in your intestines and a breakthrough in tracking the international spread of pandemics... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Diving into Ocean Conservation

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The bid to create the world's largest marine reserve, diseases threatening corals in the Caribbean, what is the best way to conserve coral reefs in Fiji, and why fish microbes matter too. Plus news of DNA sequences extracted from a 400,000 human ancestor in Spain, contraceptive pills for men, pain-free injection patches and the brain basis of dyslexia... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Life, The Universe and Everything

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith is joined by guests Didier Queloz, who discovered the first exoplanet, Alan Tunnacliffe who investigates organisms which might be able to survive in space, and Gerry Gilmore, who is aiming to map the Milky Way. Together they pit their wits against the assembled public as they go on the hunt for alien worlds and life in space. Plus Dave Ansell and Ginny Smith reanimate yeast, spin an alarm clock to demonstrate how planets make stars wobble, and launch their own hydrogen rocket... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sniff! Sniff!

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This week, smells, pheromones and anosmia. We talk to a patient with no sense of smell, hear why odours might be more down to the way molecules vibrate that how they are shaped, we look at the role that genes play in what we can smell and hear how pheromones affect how we feel. Plus, in the news, the legacy of double Nobel laureate Fred Sanger who died this week, a new water-repelling material which rejects water faster than ever before, an ode to World Toilet Day, the swarm of tiny satellites which are helping to miniaturise space missions, and we hear about the bacteria that have acquired... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Restore, repair, retain!

Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This week we discover how we repair and restore everything from ancient manuscripts to the human heart! The team visits the BBC to find out how recently re-discovered episodes of the classic sci-fi series Dr Who were restored and find out about the three million pound project to develop self healing concrete. Plus, in the news, how Typhoon Haiyan has affected the Philippines, where in the world wolves first evolved into dogs, the new drug which could tackle persistent infections and the satellite database which can monitor deforestation from space... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Stopping Multiple Sclerosis

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

What is multiple sclerosis (MS), what causes it, why do some people suffer from it, and how can we treat it? This week we hear about a drug that can halt the disease in its tracks for some patients, and how scientists screening chemicals that trigger the brain to make new myelin have stumbled on a therapy that might reverse the symptoms for some sufferers. Plus, in the news, why the US and India are launching probes to Mars within weeks of each other, where the meteor which exploded over Russia in February 2013 came from, how Prozac makes the brain more plastic, and the stem cells which... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cutting Edge in Cancer

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

From detecting tumour DNA in our bloodstreams to making cancer cells stand out in an MRI scan, this week, coinciding with the NCRI Cancer Conference, we explore how best ways to detect cancer and monitor tumours during treatment. Plus, in the news, what a dog's wagging tail can tell you about its mood, the chemistry behind fireworks, how wind farms could be made up to 30% more efficient just by moving the turbines around, and the electronic blood that could help to shrink supercomputers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extreme Geology

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith, Dave Ansell, Ginny Smith and guests James Jackson, an Earth Scientist, Tehnuka Ilanko, a volcanologist, and Arwen Deuss, a seismologist, pit their wits against the assembled public as they tackle the extreme Earth. Plus Dave and Ginny make a flame tornado, a volcanic crater and explain why acid rain can be so damaging... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Stopping Superbugs

Sun, 20 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What is the scale of the superbug problem? How much is antibiotic resistance costing? Can new antibiotics be made that cannot be bypassed by bacteria? And what new drugs are already in the pipeline. In this infectious episode of the Naked Scientists, we put the rise of antimicrobial resistance under the microscope and ask what scientists are doing to combat the problem. Plus, why the abominable snowman hasn't been discovered...yeti, 46-million-year-old blood from a fossilised mosquito, phage therapy for C. diff and the brain wash-out that happens when we sleep... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Tunnelling Under London

Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0100

How do you dig a 26 mile tunnel beneath a city and below the water table? This week we drop in on Crossrail, who are busy constructing a new commuter line below the UK capital, to discover how massive tunnels are made in the modern era. Plus, we take a walk along the World's first and oldest tunnel built below a river to hear how it was made, and we find out what present-day tunnelling is turning up of London's past. Also, news of a drug that can repair the brain damage done by multiple sclerosis, and a planet found floating alone in interstellar space... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Science Centre Showoff

Tue, 08 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith, Dave Ansell, Ginny Smith and guests Rod Jones, an atmospheric chemist, Margaret Stanley, an HPV cancer researcher, and Caroline Goddard, jet engine metallurgist, pit their wits against the assembled public. Plus Dave and Ginny make crisp packet fireworks, prove you can't be heard screaming in space and make an elastic-band-powered fridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Science of Sleep

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What's the best way to catch 40 winks? We investigate the science of sleep, including why we need it and why do some people fall asleep at the wrong times? Jason Rhiel tell us how he investigates what makes us sleepy using zebrafish and Mick Hastings explains the effects of shift work on our health. Plus, in the news, nanoparticles deliver vaccines without needles, the 4,000 year old body perfectly preserved in a bog, an animal that can keep track of tides, a new nose grown on a forehead, and nurturing new neurones to treat Parkinson's... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Citizen Science: Research You can Do

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What's the best way to get involved in scientific research from home? Chris Smith and Dominic Ford investigate some of the best citizen science projects which are looking for your help. From categorising galaxies to hunting spiders, mapping your happiness and even discovering the nature of the trillion bacteria in one of your footprints - how will you choose to get involved? Plus, in the news, what a blue whale's earwax can reveal about ocean pollution, Curiosity fails to find methane on Mars, why Raspberry Pi have linked up with Google to boost kids programming skills, and the parasite that... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shedding Light on the Brain

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0100

We expose how electricity powers the nervous system. Chris Smith and Hannah Critchlow speak to a panel of experts about why chillis taste hot and mint feels cool, how ion channels could tackle diabetes and the new technique that uses algae could shed light on the brain. In the news, re-programming stem cells in situ, the TV programme that's changing accents 400 miles away, the insects that use natural gears to propel themselves and how you can tell whether a panda is pregnant. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Get the Frack Out of Here...

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Will fracking bring down energy prices and keep our lights on, or could it be an environmental disaster? Kate Lamble and Ginny Smith speak to a panel of experts about whether fracking could really contaminate water supplies or cause earthquakes. Plus, can methane from Shale Gas extraction contribute to global warming? In the news, whether a country's hygiene is linked to their Alzheimer's rates, why we feel so good when we cheat and how to spot a pregnant panda... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can you dehydrate in a bath?

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Another special question and answer edition of the show where the team get to grips with your queries, including, cna you dehydrate in a bath? What is tinnitus? What chemicals leak from batteries? Why does water freeze from the top down? Are solar photons making the Earth more massive? And what causes deja vu? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shark Camouflage in Australia

Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we have a final show from Perth in Western Australia. Chris Smith and Victoria Gill find out how camouflage wetsuits might help protect surfers from sharks, hear about a new development in muscular dystrophy treatment, how sea sponges can be used to mend fractures and whether the chemicals that a cell produces just before death can help us reverse the damage caused by stroke. In the news, why money makes the world go round, the comet that will be lighting up the skies in November, the eniromentally green military flares that could result in clearer firework displays and the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Australia's First BBQ

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we have another special show from Perth in Western Australia. Chris Smith and Victoria Gill go in search of dolphins, find out how DNA sequencing technology has allowed us to find out what was on Australia's first barbecue, and give a science lesson to children in the outback. In the news, how glucose affects our willpower, why the Antarctic oceans are so different from the rest of the world, and the batteries that store power from renewable energy farms. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked in Australia

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week we have a special show from Perth in Western Australia. Chris Smith finds out whether importing nitrogen fixing legumes could hold the answer to Perth's poor soil fertility and Victoria Gill heads out on a scientific fishing trip to see how Black Bream stocks could give us an insight into the health of estuaries. Plus could gardens hold the answer to preserving the native plants of the Kimberley? In the news, the first measurement of the magnetic field of a black hole, how squid skin could help us hide from infra red cameras and what can David Beckham tell us about playing the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mapping out the Milky Way

Thu, 08 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

We hear from the astronomers who are mapping out the Milky Way to work out where its stars came from. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Questions and Answers

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

A special question and answer edition of the show where the team get to grips with your queries, including, do hairs know they've cut? Is someone who sweats sooner fitter? How do noise-cancelling headphones work? How do we know what's inside Earth? Why are there no whale-sized insects? Does protein suppress appetite? And could there be a planet with a green atmosphere? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science in Sport

Thu, 25 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0100

How has new technology changed the face of sport? This week we delve into the science behind the tennis rackets that professional players use, the diets that top athletes follow, and how systems like Hawkeye are revolutionising the way that rules are enforced. Plus, we hear about new evidence that dolphins refer to each other by name, and sucking or chewing a sweet: which does least damage to teeth? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science of Schizophrenia

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What do sufferers of schizophrenia experience, and why? Might the immune system be to blame? And could an avatar be the answer to treatment? This week we delve deep into the brain circuitry behind this psychiatric condition to uncover the causes, hear what drugs like ketamine can reveal about hallucinations and how a cartoon representation of the voices plaguing patients can block the symptoms. Plus, chemically induced pluripotent stem cells, a gene that leads carriers into snacking temptation and why babies can tolerate extended periods upside down inside their mothers...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Souping up Solar

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week, the latest innovations in solar power technology including a Cambridge team racing from Darwin to Adelaide in a solar car, community co-operatives empowered by solar panels, and how algae harvest the Sun's energy. In the news, how wobbles in the Earth's core are affecting time, how nerves control prostate cancer growth and the turmeric-thalidomide combo being used to combat cancer. Plus, can you produce power from poo? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Last Organism Alive on Earth

Thu, 04 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week, the latest from the UK's National Astronomy Meeting in St Andrews Scotland including what will be the last organism living on Earth when the end-of-life Sun swells, why space science projects are getting larger, and the amateur astronomer who uncovers supernovae. In the news, a replacement liver grown from stem cells, the bacterial fingerprint in your intestines, nuclear bombs help with forensics and the threat posed by H7N9. Plus, would you explode in space? We do the experiment to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Modelling Diseases in Dishes

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Miniature lungs, breasts and other organs are being grown in dishes so scientists can study how they form, why they succumb to disease and how toxins, drugs and poisons affect them. Organ models like these are rapidly replacing animals for many lab experiments. But are the days of the petri dish also numbered, as computer models, like the virtual physiological human, become more powerful. We talk to scientists using and developing all three. Plus, a new coating stops joint replacements loosening, magnetic therapy for strokes, and plants do long division... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Fascinating Fungi

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Fungi go under the microscope this week as we explore how they barter minerals and carry chemical messages in return for sugars from plants; we also hear from someone who nearly died after consuming a deadly fungus, find out why fungi make the toxins they do, and hear how these organisms might hold the key to the next generation of packaging and building materials - and even surfboards! Plus, news of a light-powered retinal implant to restore sight, whether alcohol is dangerous in pregnancy, and why aspirin prevents cancers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extreme Physiology: Everest to Ocean Floor

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

How can an ascent to the top of Everest help to save lives in intensive care? This week we're exploring physiology at the extremes: altitude, depth and cold. How does the human body adapt and cope under these conditions? Also, news of improved gene therapy techniques for sight-loss disorders, when do babies become sympathetic, how to cloak your cat (or goldfish), and have scientists discovered the remains of the Tunguska meteorite that smashed into Siberia in 1908? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can GPS systems be Spoofed?

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The science of satellite navigation and how it can be fooled or "spoofed", a new system to pinpoint a person within a building to within a metre, and how GPS signals can probe and track volcanic dust clouds. Plus, news of what nuclear bomb tests have revealed about the brain, why volcanoes might cause Parkinsonism, HPV and oral cancer and why we comfort-eat high fat foods when we get depressed... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shedding light on LEDs

Thu, 30 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The next generation of LEDs, how LED lighting affects health, a new way to fight flu, treating schizophrenia with avatars and bringing 400-year-old frozen plants back to life. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do plants get jetlag?

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This week, how plants keep track of time, how scientists are breeding cereal crops with ancient varieties to boost diversity and yields, how insects carry viruses between plants, and the chemical in smoke that triggers fire-dependent plants to germinate. Plus, printing new body parts, the workings of tornadoes and the bug behind potato blight... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will it rain tomorrow?

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

How are weather forecasts made? Are they accurate, and if not why not? And how do we know when extreme weather is on the way? Also, what about on other planets and moons? To find out, we talk to the teams who study weather and climate patterns, both on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. Plus, scientists discover the world's oldest water, signs that selfishness kickstarted agriculture, and why butterflies with more melanin fly further... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gone Viral: Germs under surveillance

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Under the microscope this week, where new flu viruses including influenza H7N9 come from, the threat from extensively resistant tuberculosis and how doctors keep tabs on how bugs are spreading and who they are infecting... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Art & Antiquities: Conservation and Preservation

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The conservation and restoration of great art once relied on only a good eye and talent with a paintbrush. Now though, scientists and art conservationists are working together to develop new techniques to preserve our cultural heritage. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Testing Legal Highs

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What are legal highs, and how do scientists, doctors and law-makers keep up with new drugs entering the market? Plus, biofuels and why they cost the Earth, the cause of LED droop, a neutron star proves Einstein's theory of general relativity right, and E. coli programmed to pump out diesel. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Stem Cells and Gene Therapy

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

We visit the annual British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy conference to explore the latest in this exciting area of medicine... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet the ancestors

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Fossilised dinosaur egg embryos, fish fats on 15,000 year old Japanese pots, who put the arsenic in the beer, and we tour the Malapa cave site where Australopithecus sediba was discovered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The SKA and Radio Astronomy

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0100

We take a tour of the two Australian precursors to the Square Kilometre Array - the Murchison Wide Field Array and the Australian SKA Pathfinder - to discover how big radio astronomy projects will see the universe in a new light. Plus, how understanding the physics of radio detectors helps us make better telescopes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked Genetics Special Episode

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The genetic basis of autism goes under the microscope in this special Easter edition of Naked Genetics, from Kat Arney. One per cent of UK children have autism, a complex range of disorders that can be challenging to understand and live with. But recent advances in genetics are shedding new light on the origins of the condition. Plus, we look at the genes underlying Specific Language Impairment, find out why cancer has the X factor, and meet a hopeless-sounding gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Future of Digital Storage

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

What the future holds for digital data storage goes under the spotlight this week - how can we ensure that what we record today - on film, discs or up in the cloud - remains readable for years to come? Plus, news of what the Planck probe has revealed about the early Universe, giant squid, an update from the Mars Curiosity mission, eye implants and nanoparticles to track stem cells... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

BANG! Naked Science Festival

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Breasts, bazookas, bosons and bombs: The Naked Scientists take to the stage for the Cambridge Science Festival 2013. An explosive mix of fertile conversation and kitchen science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

John Snow and Cholera

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the epidemiologist John Snow by looking at the historic and modern fight against Cholera. Also, news of what 4000 year old mummies are revealing about arterial disease, a novel antibiotic approach to battling bacteria, the Facebook app that turns likes into predictions about your personality and do animals practise dentistry...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dining Out on Food Security

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

How Internet searches can give clues to drug side-effects, the science of sink holes, flame-retardant DNA, brain stimulation for anorexia, and feeding the planet in future: why flies might hold the key to better food security... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Extreme Engineering

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This week, research at the extremes: We find out how the new Halley VI station was engineered to withstand Antarctic conditions, and how scientists tackle some of the harshest environments on Earth to do groundbreaking research. In the news we discover a battery you can bend, share our thoughts on open access, find out how yeast can aid in the fight against tropical disease and hear how the ozone hole is closing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Supersenses: Extraordinary Animals

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

New drugs for flu, bees read electrical fields, why moles are sensitive to seismic vibrations and how good is a sharks sense of smell...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is Love?

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Love is... neurochemistry? This week, we look at love from a scientific perspective. We go looking for love in the brain and explore the chemistry behind falling, and staying, in love! Plus, how ovaries become damaged with age, and the new virus strain with pandemic potential. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Analysing Asteroids

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We're analysing asteroids in this edition of the Naked Scientists, as Earth is due a very near miss next week! We'll also meet the asteroid miners - companies looking to go prospecting in outer space - to find out how to mine an asteroid. Plus, the new material that can generate electricity from the heat in your hand, and what will the Large Hadron Collider be looking for next... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

I'm a Tasmanian Devil, Get Me Out Of Here!

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

How can science save the Tasmanian Devil? New research reveals why an infectious cancer that's spreading amongst the animals isn't attacked by the immune system. Plus, the quantum basis of smell, reading a fish's thoughts and are scientists on the verge of a cure for the common cold? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We're Back! Transparent Electronics

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

WE'RE BACK! And in this first episode of our new series, a sponge for soaking up oil slicks, how dung beetles navigate by starlight, the world's largest jelly, the rebound effect, how dogs came to be, why DNA is the data storage medium of tomorrow. Plus, a heads-up on transparent electronics, including a device that will superimpose a map of the road ahead onto your glasses... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's Living in Your Loo?

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

As we gear up to launch a new series of the Naked Scientists, here's a taste of things to come with a recording of the second hour of the Naked Scientists 'Science Night' aired on BBC 5 Live, December 30th 2012. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does a Frozen Body Shatter?

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Can a frozen body be shattered with a hammer, how can speedbumps diagnose appendictis and why are reindeers' noses red? For Christmas 2012 we talk to a host of scientists doing seasonal research, find out how Elite, the blockbuster computer game launched 30 years ago, is about to make a comeback, and answer your brain-busting science questions, including why chewing gum gets tougher the longer you chew it, and we do the experiment to discover whether James Bond really could freeze - then shatter - a baddie... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Science Behind Broadcasting

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How does radio reach out of the studio? This week, we tune in explore the science and technology of broadcasting to find out how a voice hits the airwaves. We discover the difference between AM, FM and DAB, and use basic physics to build our own microphone. Plus, the 7000 year old cheese and the surprisingly simple solution to a box jellyfish sting. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Unravelling Epigenetics

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Epigenetics controls the activity of genes inside cells and holds the key to new treatments for old diseases. We explore the impacts of epigenetics on embryonic development, cancer, and stem cell biology, and find out how epigenetic changes during pregnancy can even affect your grandchildren! Plus, why parenthood extends your lifespan, and the genetic recipe for the red blood cell. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Protecting Our Oceans

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How should we protect marine ecosystems? We examine the science behind Marine Protected Areas and find out how a new plan could protect the oceans around England. In the news, the sub-zero bacterial ecosystem surviving in an Antarctic lake and fibres inspired by slimy fish. Plus, will mixing spider and human DNA give us superpowers? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Investigating ISIS - The Neutron Source

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This week, join us on a tour of ISIS, the STFC's Neutron and Muon source. We find out how neutrons can probe the properties of materials, help to protect electronic circuits from failure and shed light on the action of antibiotics. Plus, in the news we hear how to print out perfect replacement cartilage. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can Gravity Leak from Alternate Universes?

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Why does biro ink smell? How can you reset your tolerance to caffiene? Why can't my sat nav and my speedometer agree? We take on your science questions, as well as discover a lonely rogue planet and hear the DNA detective story that stopped an MRSA outbreak in its tracks. Plus, in our Question of the Week, we find out if menstrual cycles synchronise... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Bed Bug Biology

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Bed bug cases are on the rise after a 50 year absence from much of the Western world. But why now? We explore the genetics and bizarre biology of these parasitic pests. In the news, we examine the fungal disease killing Ash trees across Europe that may decimate up to 40% of British woodland... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Cutting Edge of Cancer Research

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How does cancer spread? How can we target our immune system to take out tumours? This week we visit the National Cancer Research Institute's annual conference to explore the cutting edge of cancer research. We'll find out why cancers become resistant to chemotherapy, and how new research offers us a window to watch a cancer as it spreads. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Ugly Animals Need Love Too

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 01:00:00 +0100

It's not just pandas, great apes and big cats - ugly animals need our attention too. This week, we find out why some of nature's least attractive species are under threat and explore the arguments for conserving bacteria, fungi and even parasites! In the news we hear how to fix mitochondrial faults, discover a cocktail of bacteria that can see off C. diff and we find out how dung beetles are on the ball when it comes to keeping cool. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is there a Googol of anything in the Universe?

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Are vegetables intelligent? Is Pi a "normal" number? Are humans the only picky eaters? We take on your science questions, including why women generally don't go bald and how fingers can feel cold even though they're warm to the touch. Plus, we're joined by Matt Parker, the Stand Up Mathematician, who takes on your mathematical brain teasers, and explains how a simple mathematical trick can let you predict the numbers on a barcode! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Listen Up! The Science of Hearing

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How do we tell where sounds are coming from? What does life sound like through a hearing aid? Can we cure tinnitus? We try to answer all these questions and more in our show on hearing. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Tricks of the Mind

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The tricks your mind plays on you are up for analysis this week as we explore the science of taste including why noise diminishes food flavour aboard an aeroplane and how much affects your choice of wine. We also speak to a synaesthete who, quite literally, tastes the people he meets, and we probe the workings of the placebo effect. Plus, pain killers from black mamba venom, why teenagers take risks and the age old chestnut of why names are so hard to remember... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dodging Death: Growing Old in Good Health

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How can we stay sharp as a senior citizen? This week, we explore the different biological approaches to understanding healthy ageing, discover a protein that may prevents age-related nerve degeneration and find out how to preserve cognitive function as we age. Plus, why Eunuchs lived longer, and how to turn trousers into catalytic converters that filter polluted air! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What shape web does a spider spin in space?

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Can spiders weave webs in microgravity? Can shampooing cause hair loss? How much brain do we use at once? Can a person survive on raw food alone? This week we're answering your science questions, plus news of the IgNobel prize for research into 'hairodynamics' and a way to wipe out bad memories... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Silicon Sailors - Robots take to the waves

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Would you set sail with a robotic skipper? This week, the World Robotic Sailing Championships grace the waters of Cardiff Bay, and we meet the teams to find out how this could lead to a sea change in robot science. Plus, we find out how robots are coming out of the factory and into the home, to care for the elderly and help children learn. In the news, stem cells restore hearing to deaf gerbils, facebook alters voting behaviour, and why a blue berry is the brightest thing in nature... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is there life under Antarctica?

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Will we find life in a lake trapped under 3 kilometres of ice? How can living above an abandoned mine cut your heating bills? What is the future for diet foods? This week, we bring you the best from the British Science Festival in Aberdeen. We also discuss the Higgs and antimatter, how plastics are affecting our health and how to recreate the colours of fossilised insects... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cybersecurity: how safe are we online?

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How is data sent safely online, and how can we keep prying eyes away? This week we investigate the basis of cybersecurity, ask if chip and pin is safe and talk to a team of hackers who attempt to penetrate websites legitimately. We also reveal the dangers of wifi as we find out what your mobile phone is revealing about you. Plus the genetic basis of movement, a new form of flexible battery and, in our Question of the Week, how one telephone line can have multiple uses! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Brain Uncovered: Naked Neuroscience

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How nerve cells make decisions, how genes control behaviour, using light to interrogate neuronal circuits, anxiety attacks, deep brain stimulation to bust addiction, how the immune system can cause psychosis, the genetics of behavioural problems and hallucinogenic flashbacks: fact, or a mind playing tricks on you? This week we launch Naked Neuroscience, a new monthly podcast to open your mind... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Hydrogen Economy: Fuelling the Future

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Is hydrogen the fuel of our future? As fossil fuel reserves run out, this week we ask whether hydrogen can fill the energy void? We look at work to harness bacteria to transform everyday waste into biohydrogen, hear how scientists are planning to store this gas safely, take to the road in a hydrogen-powered car and investigate the workings of the fuel cells that run them... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do Dogs Understand People?

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0100

What happens if you're exposed to the vacuum of space? Is using a mobile phone on a flight safe? Which is more contagious - a cough or a sneeze? This week we answer your sticky science questions, such as what makes Jam set? And how does ironing work? Plus, we meet the very first lumberjacks, locate the dark matter in our locality and find out how a small electric pulse can stop a seizure in its tracks... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Curious about Mars...

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Publishing early in recognition of the arrival on the red planet of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover, this week we talk to members of the mission team, revisit some previous successful planetary explorations and hear how UK engineers have made it possible for Rovers to think for themselves. Plus, news of why planets orbit in a plane and whether elephants purr, or just hum... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How Science Goes for Gold

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How can science, technology and engineering aid the world's elite athletes? In this special edition of the Naked Scientists, we discover how physiology, psychology and technology help get us across the finish line. We'll be exploring the biochemical tests that can improve training, and Meera gets put through her paces on a treadmill! We also hear from Gold Medal winner Steve Redgrave and current Team GB competitors about the impact of science on their performance. Plus, how Formula One technology can make better bicycles, and why can technology can get so good, it has to be banned from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How Powered Flight got off the Ground

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

From the first flight to supersonic air-travel was achieved in under 50 years. To discover what made it all possible we look at the advances in technology, engineering and materials that were needed, and the social and political pressures that drove the field forward since the first tentative steps toward take-off in the 1870s... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Better to blow up an Earth-bound Asteroid?

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Should we blow up objects on a collision course with Earth? Or will they do less damage left intact? More importantly, is there a gene for hating marmite? And what makes copper such a good conductor? How would a caveman cope in modern society? What's the secret to how balls spin in sport, and why does wrapping vaccines and antibiotics in silk make them last longer. Plus, why physics says Batman's cape won't work... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Super Bainite: Super Strong Steel

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Super bainite, a surprisingly-strong steel, is the subject of this week's Naked Scientists. We discover how it's made in the metallurgical equivalent of a pizza oven, why it makes the best bearings and how, even when it's full of holes, it also makes great armour. In the news, a nanotechnological tool to unblock blood vessels, a dust cloud that's disappeared around a nearby star and have we found the Higgs? Plus, can your cutlery affect the flavour of food? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

An Olympic Effort - Keeping Crowds Safe

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Later this month, the 2012 Olympics kicks off in London. With hundreds of thousands of people expected from overseas, is this the perfect trigger for a pandemic? This week we're looking at the public health implications of events like London 2012. We discover why an understanding of crowd psychology can avert disasters, and how mathematical models can predict and prevent jams in human traffic. Plus, a new technique to communicate with "locked in" patients, the evidence for warm blooded dinosaurs, and does ice really help to treat an injury? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Exposing Explosives

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Science and technology can catch criminals and tackle terrorism. This week, we're exploring two ways to sniff out concealed explosives and a new technique to lift fingerprints from surfaces that have been cleaned or burned. In the news, a new way to halt Huntington's disease and how to identify the influential online. Plus, could gene therapy cheat a DNA test? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why Do I See Stars when I Stand?

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Why does a head injury, or standing up too quickly, make us see stars? Are slug pellets painful? How do flies fly in an elevator? We take on your science questions this week, and find out why we should let food ferment, what makes batteries get hot and if the strings in string theory are real. Plus, a new drive to improve science education, new vistas for Voyager 1 and new veins from stem cells. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

SETI, Aliens and the Origins of Life

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How do we look for life beyond Earth? And how did it first get started down here? To help us take on these big questions, we explore the science of SETI and the chemistry of creating life. Plus, science gets cinematic as we meet the scientific adviser for Prometheus, and find out how his work could help us understand alien atmospheres. In the news, how to sequence a baby using just the mother's blood, and the simple intervention that could prevent millions of malaria cases. In Question of the Week, can we create life in the lab from just elements and heat? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Getting Inside your Genes

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're introducing the new Naked Genetics podcast - This time, Kat Arney takes a look at the world of top models - not the kind that won't get out of bed for less than ten grand, but the model organisms used by researchers all over the world to answer some of the most challenging questions in biology. We'll also be hearing about the origins of polar bears, the extinction of Tasmanian tigers, fitter frogs with faster-changing genomes and promiscuous bees. And move over Beyonce, because our gene of the month is the curvaceous Callipyge - Greek for beautiful buttocks. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Making a Meal out of Microbes

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This week we explore the role of microbes in drug development, food production and soil fertility. We investigate how bacteria such as Streptomyces are used and improved to make antibiotics, discover how gut microbes in cattle can be manipulated to increase growth and reduce environmental impact, and we visit the Chelsea flower show to learn how Rhizobia found in the roots of legumes could be used to improve crop growth and food availability. Also, in the news, how shift-work could affect your fertility, a new method of data storage using DNA, the key to growing the tastiest tomatoes and the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From PC to Plane - Making New Metals

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How do you make a new metal? This week, we follow a novel alloy from PC to plane, finding out how computer modelling and design can help us create new metals with exciting new properties. We also discover how these newly-designed metals are forged, treated and tested before they form the basis of a new generation of jet engines. In the news, deep-sea dwelling bacteria that are still digesting a meal dating from the time of the dinosaurs, a shot-in the arm for ageing satellites and a brain-interface device to permit paralysed patients to control robotic arms... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cracking Chronic Fatigue

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sufferers describe symptoms of severe exhaustion, weakness, muscle pain and fatigue. But why, and what is science revealing about the underlying causes of the condition? We talk to a researcher who is probing the genetic links to the syndrome, a clinician with evidence that the muscles of patients accumulate acid when they exercise and a pathologist with post-mortem evidence of inflammation in the nervous systems of CFS sufferers. Also, in the news this week, the ants that help a pitcher plant to catch its lunch, the missile-hurling zoo chimp who plans his... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked in Norway

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This week we get Naked in Norway as we visit the University of Oslo to reveal the remains of ancient plesiosaurs and investigate their migration into water, discuss a new concept for more efficient solar cells and discover the fatal effects of climate change on lemming population cycles. We then scour more Scandinavian science to unearth the causes of mass extinction, find out a new way to overcome resistance to radiotherapy, tool around with chimps in the Savannah and round up with a scientific climax in bird masturbation! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is there such a thing as a "girls' throw"?

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Does exercise lead to a more muscular heart? Why can an unfit cyclist cycle faster than an olympic runner runs? How do kinetic watches work? We answer your questions in this week's Naked Scientists Podcast, and find out why so many dead bugs end up on their backs, how salmonella gets into an egg, and if it's more efficient to fill your freezer than run it half empty? In the news we hear how farming migrated across Europe, why distant stars might have influenced life on Earth, and why rogue DNA can cause heart failure. Plus, we home in on the parts of the pigeon brain that respond to... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Clock This! - The Science of the Circadian Rhythm

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The body clock goes under the Naked Scientists' spotlight this week. We unpick the mechanisms that enable human cells, plants and even bacteria to track the time of day and alter their activities accordingly, and we hear the evidence that night work makes you put on weight and boosts your diabetes risk. In the news, how cells grafted into the eye restore sight to blind mice, the three genes that can convert scar tissue back into beating cardiac muscle following a heart attack, and electrical stimulation that returns movement to limbs paralysed by spinal injury. And on the subject of the body... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Saving Submariners and Studying Deep Sea Species

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

How can we save the occupants of stricken submarines? What species survive in the deepest depths of ocean trenches? Recognising the centenary of the Titanic tragedy, we're diving deep to meet the Rolls-Royce NATO Submarine Rescue System, we find out about a new initiative to discover what really lives at the bottom of the ocean and hear how volcanoes are acidifying the seas. Plus, what robots can tell us about cocktail party conversations, the mystery of the pigeon's magnetic navigation, and can oil-based face-cream make you fat...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Naked Oceans - From Plastics to Poo

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This week we bring you a special look at marine pollution from the Naked Oceans team, going from plastics to poo to explore some of the many ways we pollute the seas. We find out the truth behind the Pacific Garbage Patch, discover how human sewage is wiping out corals in the Caribbean, and in Critter of the Month, a marine expert describes which ocean creature they'd like to be and why... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why did my Dishcloth Detonate?

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0100

Why does sunlight make me sneeze? What causes air turbulence? Why do energy-saving lights take time to warm up? In this week's question and answer show we also investigate why microwaving a dishcloth causes it catch fire, whether mining could change the Earth's orbit and why streetlights shine with an orange glow. In the news, meanwhile, how electrical brain stimulation can make impossible problems tractible, a pint-sized rocket to take spacecraft to the moon and a tornado spotted on the surface of the Sun... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Going Nuclear

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This week we're exploring the future of nuclear energy, including meeting the makers of a new design of nuclear reactor that can consume the fuels that other plants can't burn. We also delve into ways to unclog pipes inside reactors without the risks of going inside. And where do you stand on the nuclear debate? Should we be exploring alternatives, or is there no alternative to a nuclear-future? We talk to two parties on opposite sides of the debate. Plus, what the Messenger probe has found on Mercury, a blood test to predict an imminent heart attack, flushing out evidence of drug use from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why Viruses Don't Infect the Same Cell Twice

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Immune-manipulating parasites, bacterial genomes married to disease processes and viruses that bounce off already-infected cells make for an infectious episode of the Naked Scientists this week. Also up for analysis, why the eyes vote no to long space journeys; the problem with prostate cancer prediction; why nanoparticles trigger bacteria to breed superbugs and the contagious question of which cancers you can catch... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sensors and Sensibility

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Smart sensors can open a window into the environment. In this week's Naked Scientists Podcast we find out how networks of sensors around Heathrow airport can study how planes alter the atmosphere, and how a similar network can monitor an Oxfordshire floodplain. Plus, we find out how the tools of a surgeon are helping to keep jet engines in flying form. In the news, we hear how gut bugs promote blood vessel growth, why fresh fruit and veg gives you a healthy hue and how scientists are analysing antimatter with microwaves... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Wattage from Waste and Watching Our Water

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How can we extract energy from waste? In this week's Naked Scientists we explore the technology that turns muck into methane and consider the fertile issue of nutrient overload resulting from returning the finished products to farmland. And what about water? Why do we individually use ten times more water than we actually need, and what's the solution for a drought-stricken Britain? Plus, in the news, how astronomers have discovered evidence of life in the universe, but only down here on Earth, and the "ungentlemanly" conduct of the upper classes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can a Mobile Phone Compromise your Sperm Count?

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

What's the point of earwax? Does WiFi damage the brain? Can a mobile phone in a trouser pocket dent a man's fertility? In this week's science Q and A show we also brush up on how they get the stripes in toothpaste, discover whether dropped food follows the 5 second rule and shed light on why some forms of EM radiation more damaging than others. Plus, news of a new microscopic MRI machine for molecules, how computer games can alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia and why what a woman eats, even before becoming pregnant, can have a lifelong genetic legacy for her offspring... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

ZAP! Lasers on trial...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A new liquid crystal laser that can dial-up any wavelength of light you need, a laser-powered projector technology that turns any surface into a touch-screen, and a laser that fires salvoes of X-rays to make light work of unlocking the molecular fabric of matter are the focus of this week's laser-led show. We also meet HECToR, one of the world's fastest computers that just got a tenfold power boost, and David Braben unveils the credit-card sized Raspberry Pi, the world's smallest home micro he's helped to invent... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Reclaiming Wasted Watts - Thermoelectric Generators

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Over two-thirds of the energy in the fuel you put into your car is wasted, most of it in the form of heat that exits along the exhaust pipe. The same is true of large-scale power stations, which are only 50% efficient at best. But now researchers are bringing 200 year old physics to bear against the problem by developing thermoelectric generators (TEGs) that can turn waste heat into useful electricity and this week we find out how. Plus, news that disguising cancer cells as Salmonella could hold the key to producing effective anti-cancer vaccines, why the Y chromosome boosts heart attack risk,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do Diet Foods Make You Fat?

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Could diet foods be making you fatter? How do we learn to like the foods we eat? This week, we indulge in the science of appetite, diet and diabetes. We'll find out how our early experiences of food can alter our diets for life, and ask if low calorie alternatives to sweet and fatty foods can fool the brain into underestimating the energy content of the real thing. Also, how synthetic chemists are searching for compounds to monitor blood glucose and control diabetes. Plus, how regions of the brain can "catch" Alzheimer's from each other, we discover a new microscopy technique that can... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are any viruses good for you?

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Has all the air in the world been breathed before? Are any viruses beneficial to health? Can naked farts transmit diseases? You set the agenda in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show in which we also discover how Inuit cope without fruit and veg, whether muscles can become cancerous and how long before we can teleport to work. Plus, reproducing Alzheimer's disease in a dish, self-distilling vodka, magnetic soap to cleanse the parts other soaps can't reach, and what magic mushrooms do to the brain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Vitamin D: Shedding light on diabetes, MS and cancer

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Could a ray of sunshine hold the key to preventing MS, diabetes and even bowel cancer? Vitamin D - made naturally in skin exposed to strong sunlight - appears to reduce the risk of developing these, and a rash of other diseases. We examine the evidence to find out why as well as hearing how seaweed looks set to ignite a biofuel boom in the future, why a good night's sleep might make traumatic memories worse and how scientists have made multicellular life in the lab in just 60 days... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mind Meets Machine

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Where do you stand on becoming part person, part machine? This week we hook up with three pioneers in the field of cybernetics including walking cyborg Kevin Warwick, who volunteered his own nervous system to test out a new way to connect up with the machine world, Markus Groppe, who is trialling an implantable chip to restore vision to the blind, and Andrew Schwartz who's developing neural interfaces to couple the brain's motor circuits to a robot. Plus, news of an H5N1 'flu furore as scientists create the most dangerous virus imaginable, and a voyage to the deepest subsea vents ever... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's Inside Your Nappy?

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Do stars form outside galaxies? What causes ringing in the ears? How fast does force propagate? Why do spectacles still work when worn backwards? Is the expanding universe tearing galaxies apart? And is any new water being created on Earth? Plus, news of the new satellite surveying the moon, the scientific way to sound out a Stradivarius and how a vaccine based on chimp viruses can protect against Hepatitis C. Plus, in kitchen science, Dave unpacks the contents of a nappy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What Colour is a Dead Chameleon?

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Are candles environmentally unfriendly? Why does tinfoil touching a filling set my teeth on edge? What colour does a dead chameleon go? Does antiperspirant deodorant make you sweat more elsewhere? Could we tether the moon on a string to stop it escaping? And why is the fine spray in the shower so cold? To find out, join Chris, Dave, Dominic and Helen for this festive Christmas edition of the Naked Scientists, which also sees the team connecting an oven shelf to their heads and a musical Higgs Boson-inspired interlude from Professor Karmadillo... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Monitoring Moods with Mobiles

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Can new technologies probe human thoughts and feelings without us even realising? This week we talk to a researcher who's using mobile phones to tap into peoples' emotions to provide new insights into human behaviour and even spot the triggers that might be encouraging someone to smoke. Plus, how data mining and computer simulations can identify the patterns of behaviour that predate disasters so they can be predicted - and prevented - in future. And with the surge in online social media of the last 5 years, is statistics capable of keeping up when it comes to doing research using these... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Underwater Archaeology and Underwater Welding

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

How do archaeologists locate, conserve and recover historical treasures from old shipwrecks? What is erosion revealing on the foreshores of the River Thames? And how do you weld up an oil or gas pipeline one kilometre underwater? This week we're looking at the "appliance of science" beneath the waves as well as hearing how the ageing Voyager space probes have discovered the births of new stars in the Milky Way, how a gene therapy technique can block HIV infection and how a computer programme can spot to what extent a photo's been doctored. Plus, does heading a football cause brain damage? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Imaging the Invisible

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This week, how immune cells can be caught on camera as they exit blood vessels, a new design of lensless microscope and one that sees cells in 3D, how sound and heat can be used to find faults in materials and how something as small as an atom can be seen under an electron microscope. Plus, news that nerve transplants can correct metabolic disorders, the World's first fishhook, bionic contact lenses that project emails into your eyes, are statins safe and why are mirror reflections still blurry close up for the shortsighted... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is Technology Altering Your Brain?

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Is modern technology changing your brain? How fast does flu fly? Can you build a lightsaber? Your questions are the stars on the Naked Scientists this week, as we discuss the implications of faster-than-light travel, the risks of skydiving through a thundercloud, and ask if dogs can sniff out cancer. Plus, we find out how the brain detects different diets, what happens when black holes collide, and in Kitchen Science, how a coin can make a balloon roar! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Flu Vaccines from Tobacco?

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In a show not to be sneezed at, we look at the evidence that coughs and sneezes are linked to heart attacks. We also probe the Flu Survey, a new citizen science initiative to gather data on the incidence of influenza-like illnesses in the European population; we talk to the company who are mass producing flu vaccines in tobacco plants and catch up with the Columbia University scientific adviser on Contagion, Hollywood's latest infectious offering. Plus, why babies don't tie their umbilical cords in knots and news of a new fat-busting injectible that selectively destroys adipose, evidence... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

NCRI Cancer Conference

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This week Kat Arney joins us live from the National Cancer Research Institute's conference in Liverpool. We find out how mistakes in cell signalling can cause cancers and why DNA repair pathways offer targets to treat tumours. Also, we explore the latest developments in cancer imaging, including new techniques that allow us to track chemical reactions happening inside the body. In the news, why you need to remove genes to repair nerves, and how clearing out old cells can prevent diseases of old age! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week's podcast is live from the British Society for Gene Therapy (BSGT) conference in Brighton, UK. Some of the world's top gene and stem cell therapists explain how we can manipulate genes to treat a variety of disorders, from cystic fibrosis and haemophilia to cancer and blindness. We hear what life is like as a haemophiliac and answer your questions, including whether gene therapy can alter all the cells in our bodies and how scientists account for the ethics and side effects of this research. Plus, is a human moustache like a cat's whiskers? Find out in Question of the Week! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why Is Ice Slippery?

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Can moonlight and a magnifying glass be used to start a fire? Why do bananas go brown and does it happen faster in the fridge or the fruitbowl? Why are ice and snow slippery? And how does flyspray work? Alongside your quality science questions in this week's Question and Answer science phone-in, we also hear how how space scientists have spotted a whole planet's worth of water in a nearby system, the surprising discovery that seaweed is making corals seasick, we serve up a digital delight with the kitchen that teaches you both to cook and speak French, and we find out why an antiviral a day... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Plant Pests and Plant Pathology

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week, Plant Pests and Plant Pathology - we find out what happens when plants get ill, how to understand and prevent the spread of plant disease, and how they can call up an insect army to defend them if they're attacked. We also find out why some horse chestnut trees are going brown before their time, and meet the pesky critter responsible! Plus, a new technique to cleanly edit out and correct errors in the DNA code, how the plague bacterium hasn't changed in 600 years, and why children, but not chimps, choose to work together. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Outpacing Petrol - Biofuels and Hydrogen

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're investigating alternatives to petrol. We'll board a biofuel powered bus to meet the plant scientists who are using algae to make biodiesel. We'll find out how to turn household waste into hydrogen, and meet the brains behind Bristol's first hydrogen powered passenger boat! Plus, the brain basis of boundless optimism, why a bacteria-busting chemical keeps injured arteries open, and a run down of this year's Nobel prizes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would a Siphon Work in Space?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Could a Siphon be used in orbit? Why do leaves change colour in Autumn? How is immunity passed from mother to baby through breastfeeding? Why do earthquakes happen away from plate boundaries? How do microwaves heat up food? We storm through your questions this week as well finding out how Twitter can be used to monitor moods around the world, how carbon dioxide can be converted back into a fuel, how biomarkers hidden inside ECG's can predict the risk of a repeat heart attack and how glowing bacteria can send secret messages! Plus, in Kitchen Science, we make flames without fire by making iron... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cheese Making and Cake Baking: The Chemistry of Cookery

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We've whipped up an appetising take on the science of food and cooking for you this week. With a main course of cookery in the kitchen served up by a cake-baking physicist followed by a microbiological look at the cheese board and then the bacterial basis of the Best Before Date for dessert, this three-course scientific combo is an absolute academic feast. Also on the menu this week, how scientists are using brain scanners to reconstruct the movies we see in the mind's eye and we ask whether Einstein was wrong as scientists report particles apparently moving faster-than-light... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chilling Out - The Science of Cryogenics

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we're chilling out in the world of cryogenics, the science of the super-cold. We'll find out what happens to living tissue when it freezes, and how we can use low temperatures to keep organs, and maybe even one day whole bodies, in suspended animation. We also talk to the company behind an attractive new design of super-efficient fridge that runs on magnetism. In the news we hear how computer gamers have contributed to a breakthrough in HIV, why humans are programmed for overconfidence, and how the nervous system controls the immune system. Plus, we ask, is modern medicine altering... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Supercomputers & Super Computing

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week, we seek the science of supercomputers! We find out how they work, and how they can answer some of the biggest questions in science. We also hear about the World Community Grid, which offers scientists computer time donated by volunteers worldwide. In the news we hear how computer aided design can help breast restoration, why special stem cells with just one set of chromosomes can aid geneticists, and how Earth's precious gold may have come from outer space. Plus, we explore the workings of the humble calculator in Question of the Week! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Australopithecus Sediba Special

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Reader in evolution at Wits University, Lee Berger, made a life-changing discovery when he uncovered the remains of a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, in South Africa. Here, Chris Smith gets to meet the newest addition to the human family tree... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do some animals dump indiscriminately?

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Why do some animals poo wherever the fancy takes them, whilst others are more fussy about the locations of their lavatory actions? What triggers pins and needles? How do some fish survive in both fresh and saltwater? And how are new nerve cells born in the adult brain? We burn through your best science questions this week as well as taking a look at Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, and hearing how a computer model of a heart can revolutionise cardiac drug design and reviewing the evidence that bacteria were already antibiotic resistant over 30,000 years ago... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Science in Scotland

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This week, Chris explores some of the cutting edge research taking place in Aberdeen. We meet a scientist making new cannabis-like chemicals that lack the side effects of the real thing, talk to a man exploring the deepest part of the Pacific - 7 miles down - to find out what's living there. Plus, thalidomide - 50 years on. Scientists now know why it had the damaging effects it did on unborn babies, but can they make a safe form of the agent so it can be used to treat cancers, leprosy and HIV? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do planes trigger rains?

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the "plane". Or so the saying goes, but new research has confirmed that aeroplanes do cause clouds to dump their contents prematurely, often around airports, and in this week's show we explore this weather-altering effect of aviation. We also ask industry leader Rolls-Royce to explain how a jet engine works and how their designers have cut noise pollution from planes by over 99% since 1960. In the news, we hear how scientists are forecasting more accurate space weather predictions thanks to a new way to spot sunspots before they even erupt, a new study finds a... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chemistry By Design

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Are designer molecules poised to take us into a new chemical dimension? This week, we explore how, long before the bunsen burner gets lit, computer aided chemistry can enable us to create in silico imaginary new molecules, reactions and designer catalysts. We also delve into how chemicals are manufactured on a massive scale with a visit to a plant making zeolites. And in the news, how hydrogen-metabolising bugs can supercharge deep-sea mussels, how reprogrammed immune system cells can hunt-down cancer, and nature's stock exchange - how plants and fungi develop a subsoil free-market economy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists