The Naked Scientists Podcast - Stripping Down Science: Recent Episodes
Naked Scientists
The Naked Scientists flagship science show brings you a lighthearted look at the latest scientific breakthroughs, interviews with the world's top scientists, answers to your science questions and science experiments to try at home.
Coming up, a team of doctors successfully conducts surgery on a baby still inside the womb. How did they do it? Also, what does SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket collision with the Moon mean for future space missions; how the bright lights and loud sounds of gambling machines promote higher risk-taking; and the deadly cyclosporiasis parasite that's causing bouts of explosive diarrhoea across the globe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we explore how the food industry uses science to develop new foods that are better for the environment, healthier, and still taste good. The show is produced by Petra Merzan, a student of the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership, which is funded by UKRI-BBSRC. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's show, wildfires have now spread to Italy, Canada, and the wine-producing region of France, Bordeaux. These fires produce a peculiar cloud phenomenon called pyrocumulonimbus and scientists plan to fly a jet over these clouds to determine how they operate. Also, we hear how drug-packed nanoparticles can aid brain cancer treatment, the genetic evidence of smallpox in Incan mummies, and how the smell of dad affects infant brain activity... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, our Titan of Science is cell biologist Sara Wickstrom. Her work focuses on how cells communicate with one another to coordinate growth, development, and movement. These insights have just won Sara the Koerber European Science Prize, and, in this episode, she tells us how she will spend her million Euro winnings, and how her discoveries will inform future treatments for diseases like cancer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's show, wildfires continue to race across the world in Canada, Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Why are they happening, and what can we do to prevent them? Plus, scientists track neighbourhood food consumption from DNA in sewage, the first evidence of an "exomoon" orbiting a planet outside our solar system, and how tiny "algebots" can deliver cancer chemotherapy in the bladder. What makes these critters remote-controlled? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, our Titans of Science series continues with neuropsychologist and author Adrian Owen. Adrian's work has focused on determining how different parts of the brain contribute to functions such as cognition and memory, and famously led to him being being able to communicate with a patient in a long-term vegetative state using a brain scanner. Here he retells the story, and explains the basis of what we call consciousness... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A new drug called Trontinemab, which could stop Alzheimer's disease, is about to start clinical trials. How does it work? Also, scientists at the University of Oxford have created a vaccine to fight Ebola; researchers have documented three different types of severe pneumonia; and why the discovery of sugars in space matters. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Titans of Science continues with plant biologist Enrico Coen, a professor at the John Innes Centre in Norfolk. His work investigates how genes move and interact to create tissue shapes during plant development, and how this process varies to produce such a wide range of plant forms. In this episode, we find out how Enrico's early work on fruit flies paved his path to plants, and his work on 'jumping' genes and their effect on plant variation. He's been speaking with Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, Wegovy weight loss pills are now available in pharmacies and online in the UK. Will they help tackle obesity? Plus, how scientists are trying to restore sensation in the feet; the legacy of Dolly the sheep 30 years on; and space rovers and the solar eclipse with the astronomer Megan Argo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Titans of Science returns with Tara Spires-Jones, a world-leading neurobiology researcher and Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She studies the mechanisms and reversibility of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain diseases. We explore Tara's path to neuroscience, the history and biology of Alzheimer's, and treatments developed to overcome it. Tara has been speaking with Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up: England's mental health services are reportedly in "crisis", with over 1 million children referred. What is driving the uptick? Plus, new research suggests that antibodies protect against norovirus, strategies to improve plastic recycling rates, and insights into the bilingual brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, Rachael Ralph explores the role of science in music. At Trinity College, Cambridge, engineer Hugh Hunt demonstrates how sounds are made; Ian Cross discusses turning experimentation into music and instruments; Trinh Nguyen examines music and development in babies; and Jacopo de Berardinis explains AI's role in the 21st-century music revolution. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, most of Europe smashes June temperature records. But what is the 'heat dome' that's driving this extreme weather? Plus, why HPV vaccine rates are declining despite a huge reduction in cervical cancer deaths; Sonia Shah on her book The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years; and former Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees, on aliens. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore the life and times of our ancient ancestors, and what they can teach us. In this episode, Lee Berger tells us about the Homo Naledi species that ritualistically buried their dead; George Nash on remarkable cave paintings in South Wales; Andrea Manica explains how our ancient ancestors evolved sickle cell to sidestep malaria; and Rod Flower on our forebears making medicine and mind-altering drugs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, the UK follows Australia's lead in introducing age-related restrictions on social media. But do they work? Plus, how biologists are fighting infection from inside cells; researchers trace the origins of cotton to Mexico; and Elon Musk becomes the world's first trillionaire. How might he spend his fortune? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore the summer solstice and its enduring connection with Stonehenge. Larissa Palethorpe at the University of Bristol explains the astronomical significance of the summer solstice; Jennifer Wexler at English Heritage on the origins of Stonehenge; Richard Bevins at the University of Aberystwyth on the geology of the famous stones; and Vincent Gaffney at the University of Bradford on whether Stonehenge is part of a much broader landscape. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, Danish footballer Christian Eriksen is reportedly "doing well" after collapsing for a second time during an international match. Did a tiny device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator save his life? Plus, whether magnetic immune cells in the liver can drive a pigeon's homing instincts; how astronauts repaired air leaks on the International Space Station; and we ask whether maths can help us decide what to have for dinner. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The FIFA World Cup is taking place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It's often called the beautiful game, but is it really more science than art? This episode features Rachael Ralph, Hugh Hunt, and Alex Grantham on the physics of football; Tom Brownlee on elite player performance; Gill Cook on the psychology of fans; and Jan Wendt on whether AI can assemble a top squad. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode, we hear about a breakthrough drug called mirvetuximab, which has been dubbed a "biological missile" in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Plus, astronomers suggest some black holes may have formed before the stars in their host galaxies; a 'killer fungus' that could help habitats damaged by invasive moss; and Blue Origin officials assess the damage caused by the New Glenn rocket's dramatic explosion in Florida. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode, we explore the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda - including the origins of Ebola and how it is transmitted; how an outbreak is modelled; how we treat and manage Ebola with drugs and vaccines; and what happens if international medical teams become infected. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In today's episode, the rising rates of melanoma skin cancer in the UK - why is this happening? Also, evidence that pregnancy induces epigenetic changes to brain gene expression, researchers produce the world's first artificial bird egg to bring back the Dodo, and an electrical technique to discover the composition of the best coffee... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we unpack artificial intelligence. What does it do well? And how is it advancing science? This episode features the BBC's Zoe Kleinman, Oxford University's Mike Wooldridge, Raj Jena, the UK's first clinical professor of AI in radiation oncology, and Google's Annalisa Pawlosky... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we unpack artificial intelligence. What does it do well? And how is it advancing science? This episode features the BBC's Zoe Kleinman, Oxford University's Mike Wooldridge, Raj Jena, the UK's first clinical professor of AI in radiation oncology, and Google's Annalisa Pawlosky... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda. How is it being managed? Plus, NASA announces preparations for Artemis III, whether nuclear power plants are susceptible to attacks from rogue actors and natural disasters, and whether ice vests and cold showers could help people lose weight... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, the basis of depression and how science is helping in its management. Neuroscientist Trevor Robbins defines this condition; GP Munro Stewart tells us how it might be diagnosed and managed through medication; Jackie Rogers at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy examines the role of talking therapy; and Imperial College London's David Nutt looks at how ECT, deep brain stimulation and psychedelic drugs can play their part... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, a virological voyage through what is known about the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. Plus, scientists create the first detailed map of the smell receptors in the nose; how footballers can cope with extreme temperatures at the FIFA World Cup; and the Trump administration releases a tranche of UFO files... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we explore an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius. Cambridge virologist Colin Crump explains how the outbreak of this viral disease may have occurred; Emory University's Boghuma Titanji explores the clinical impact of hantavirus infection; Amesh Adalja at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security explains how the disease passes into humans; and the World Health Organization's Maria van Kerkhove on the international response... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we discuss the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. What are we beginning to learn? Plus, how potatoes were the driving force for advantageous gene selection in the Indigenous Andean population, the salmon being exposed to cocaine in polluted rivers, and what newly discovered molecules are teaching us about ancient life on Mars... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we put meningitis under the microscope. Robin May at the UK Health Security Agency explains this group of conditions and how his team might respond to an incident; Kat Sharrocks at Addenbrooke's Hospital details a range of symptoms associated with meningitis; and the Oxford Vaccine Group's Andrew Pollard on the protection that inoculation offers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Forty years on from the Chernobyl disaster, we discuss radioactive fallout and our relationship with nuclear risk. In sport, researchers suggest repeated head impacts may disrupt the blood-brain barrier, potentially increasing dementia risk in retired athletes. And a new approach offers hope for speeding up recovery from ash dieback in affected woodlands... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we are taking a journey through the evolution of space telescopes and observatories. They are continuing to drive our understanding of the Universe, and the latest iterations - the Vera Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope - are hoping to go even further. But what are these ambitious eyes on the sky revealing? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week scientists confirm the link between changes to the microbiome and later development of Parkinson's Disease, a super speedy microfluidic way to diagnose infection and probe antibiotic susceptibility, how many infections does daycare cause in your toddler, and the breakthrough capable of boosting laser power by orders of magnitude... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We dive into the science and impact of flooding and coastal change. In partnership with UK Research and Innovation, this podcast explores what flooding is, how we measure tides, the dangers flooding presents to people and places, and how computing and AI are helping us predict, manage, and reduce its impact... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we look at UK Alzheimer's drugs and the latest debate over whether new treatments are a genuine breakthrough or overhyped, alongside a striking HIV case from Oslo that has raised fresh questions in medical research. We also explore new findings on gut health and its link to hormones and modern disease in industrialised societies, before turning to the skies for the Lyrid meteor shower 2026 and when to see it in the UK... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we are exploring the oil and gas industry, literally from the ground up: what's the geology of oil formation, how does a petrochemist go from crude to highly refined, can the UK solve its energy price problem by actually using the oil on its own doorstep, and what lies downstream of oil as we transition to alternatives? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we find out how space travel is likely to affect the bodies of the Artemis II astronauts. Plus, how conflict and other adverse events during childhood influence young lives, what is the link between chronic pain, stress and the brain, and how male octopuses use a specialised arm to find mates... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Time waits for no one, but what exactly is it? Is it just a human construct, or something far deeper, flowing through our minds and bodies? In this episode, we examine the very fabric of time: how we created it, how we perceive it, the hidden rhythms of our body clocks, and what the future might hold as science and technology bend the boundaries of time... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Artemis II begins its mission to take humans farther into space than ever before, scientists in London unveil the first lab-grown oesophagus, the dangers of physical inactivity and why we urgently need to tackle it, and brain cells on a chip learn to play video games like humans... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Across our planet, natural archives preserve the biological footprints of species long gone, from woolly mammoths at the macro scale, through plants and seeds, to dormant bacteria and viruses at the micro end of the spectrum. And one environment that safeguards some of this material in the best condition of all is the cold - in other words, in ice. So, this week, we're going to look at what is sitting in nature's deep freeze... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week: social media's role in user harm and the plausibility of app addiction, a sunken Soviet sub revealing how nuclear materials behave deep underwater, a hidden "magnetic shadow" on the Moon that could improve space travel safety, and the science behind the famous "waggle dance" performed by honeybees.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore the race back to the Moon. Why are we going? How will we get there? Can we live and work on its surface? And what can we grow when we get there? We explore the science, the engineering, and the possibilities of humanity's next giant leap... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore an outbreak of meningitis in the English county of Kent. Will a targeted vaccination campaign bring it under control? Plus, a fast diagnostic swab test that may help diagnose schizophrenia, how thousands of old tumour samples could aid our understanding of rising bowel cancer rates in people under 50, and a new study that suggests ultrasound could help save European hedgehogs from road traffic... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
For Endometriosis Awareness Month, we explore a condition which affects 10% of women around the world. Cells that form the lining of the uterus crop up in other parts of the pelvis, and elsewhere in the body. It prevents many patients from being able to carry out everyday tasks, and can also cause infertility. In this episode, we explore the condition, hear the experiences of those living with endometriosis, discuss the science behind it, and find out about the treatments of tomorrow... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we assess the environmental and health impact of conflict in the Middle East. Plus, the gene variants that affect how heavily someone smokes, a medication called ruxolitinib that could help the vitiligo community, and a fascinating new study on interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're exploring polio: a highly infectious viral disease that can attack the nervous system and cause paralysis, mainly in young children. Polio has been pushed to the brink of elimination thanks to global vaccination efforts - but it still persists. In this episode, we'll look at what polio is, how vaccines have helped control it, where the virus still exists today, and whether it can finally be eradicated... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up, we explore how CAR-T cell therapy is revolutionising personalised cancer treatment. Plus, how NASA's DART mission tested Earth's asteroid defence, what we are learning about the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby health, and we delve into the physics behind squeaky shoes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Our Titans of Science series continues with Mike Wooldridge, Ashall Professor of Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford. He has conducted extensive work in the field of agentic AI, systems comprising multiple interacting AIs. In this episode, he tells Chris Smith what drew him to computers and AI in the first place, the pioneering work of Geoff Hinton, why ChatGPT isn't made to speak the truth, and what's in store for us as AI continues to develop... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, how the brain harnesses immune cells to clear burned out fats during sleep: does this protect from Alzheimer's disease? Also, the nutrient-rich guano of seabirds that shaped society in ancient Peru, fast footage reveals how kangaroos hop faster at no extra energy cost, and how horses whinny! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Our Titan of Science this week is leading light in the field of malaria, Jane Carlton. The first to sequence the genome of malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax, she also helped sequence the deadlier Plasmodium falciparum. Jane tells Chris Smith the ins and outs of malaria, her journey to become Director of the Malaria Research Institute at Johns Hopkins, and how stealing her brother's genetics textbook when she was just 8 years old led her to where she is today... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we look into the science behind Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death, caused by dart frog poison, and why Russia resorted to such an exotic means of dispatch at all. Also, how cat cancer genomics can provide new insights into human malignancies, and - more with a whimper than a bang - how a dying star skipped the supernova and became an instant black hole. Plus, Barack Obama's stance on aliens sends conspiracy theorists into a frenzy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Is elite level sport linked with Motor Neurone Disease? We examine the evidence as another top player announces his diagnosis. Also, cages that can sieve out molecules, the immune system peacekeepers; and the quantum realm: we look at this year's Nobel Prizes for science. And, how did birds react to the Great American Eclipse last year? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
You've probably heard of Omicron, but what about Nimbus and Stratus? These are the latest COVID strains spreading around the world, and for most people they'll amount to a heavy cold at worst, lasting just a few days. Or will they? Are these coronaviruses doing more to our immune systems than meets the eye? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: US scientists have turned skin cells into human embryos for the very first time. We unpack the significance. Also ahead, the legacy of the primatologist and conservationist, Jane Goodall, who has died at the age of 91. Plus, we hear from a chemist who believes he has cracked the mystery of ghostly lights we call will-o'-the-wisps... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we're picking up a brush, and probing the science of paint. Where does chemistry stop, and the art take over? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
On today's show:, scientists successfully treat Huntington's disease for the first time, slowing the disease by at least 75%: we hear how they've done it. Also, the High Seas Treaty takes a step closer to protecting the world's oceans. And the Earth-sized planet not that far away that might have conditions suitable for life. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Lung cancer is one of the world's biggest killers. Today, we explore why, and how medical research into this disease is seeing the development of better diagnostic tools, cancer treatments and even a vaccine to prevent tumours from taking hold in the first place... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news podcast, the US and the UK have forged a long-term nuclear alliance - but what will it really deliver? We also examine a new study on whether smoking cannabis makes it harder to get pregnant. And we'll be hearing from a forensic scientist who is using detective work to rid our oceans of plastic. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
To celebrate 10 years since they were first detected, we're examining gravitational waves. What are they? And how do we find them? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, the strongest hint yet of life on Mars. Should we get excited? Or is it another red herring? Also ahead: The first new UK-wide study of babies in 25 years. We'll find out why it matters. Plus, an ancient lizard-like fossil is discovered on the coast of Devon. We'll uncover the significance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What does it take to build a society in space? Today on the Naked Scientists, we explore efforts to make microgravity amenable to humans; including how to harvest energy, make fresh food, and even birth the next generation of space explorers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A new test to detect Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms first appear. Also, the study showing Earth can sequester only a tenth of the carbon we thought it could. And, how drones, traps and sniffer dogs are protecting the UK's timber industry from beetle attack... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, from bogus scientific papers and misleading made-up "facts", to potentially curtailing our critical thinking, we look at the effect that mass adoption of AI might be having on the way we think, the decisions we make and the information we learn and act on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today on the Naked Scientists: a pig lung is transplanted into a man in China, but what was the outcome? Also, scientists have a theory for the origins of Dark Energy - and it makes sense that a black hole might be the source! And, why the dawn chorus is starting earlier and finishing later these days: what's getting into wildlife? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we look at the science of hair, why we suffer hair loss, treatments that can slow hair loss, whether wigs are any good, and what happens during a hair transplant? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Apple locked horns with the UK government who were demanding a security back door through the company's encryption. What was the outcome? Also, scientists discover the secret to the tastiest chocolate - it's all down to microbes. And, archaeologists uncover the earliest evidence yet of our ancestors using stone tools... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, why we need to pay closer attention to antimicrobial resistance in some of the world's poorest nations... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the scientists who think they can decode the thoughts we hear in our heads. Also ahead: do ultra-processed foods make it much harder to lose weight? Plus, we hear from the PhD student who is aiding the search for life on Mars... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
James Tytko explores the science behind 'three-parent' embryos: the incredible medical procedure that prevents children from inheriting incurable mitochondrial diseases. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, why a dose of bacteria might be the solution to combating kidney stones. What tooth enamel tells us about the lives and diets of dinosaurs. And what the world's most abundant insects can teach robots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we are on the hunt for dinosaurs as we explore how cutting edge tech, chisels, and canoes go hand in hand when changing the way we view our prehistoric past... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, an old drug heralds a new treatment for the gut parasite Cryptosporidium; the bionic-knee that anticipates where amputees want to go to make movements much more natural; and why we're spotting more Near-Earth Objects, and whether one may hit us. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how is science helping to shape the future of warfare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news podcast, what's causing the uptick in malaria cases in Africa? Also, scientists show statistically that the sex of a baby at birth is not random, and South Korea joins the throng in the race for settling on the Moon. Then, we hear how computer scientists are programming ethical AI to explain its decision making, and, sticking with AI, what are some of the environmentally friendly projects seeking to offset machine learning's vast energy consumption? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
There are more than sixteen thousand care homes across the UK, housing around half a million people. Staggering numbers. They are meant to be places of safety, support, and quiet, relaxed companionship for the people who live and work in them. But when COVID-19 arrived, they became one of the pandemic's deadliest frontlines. In a bid to see what might be possible, the Vivaldi Study - a nationwide effort to gather data from inside care homes - was launched. Can better data improve the lives of people in care homes? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Scientists get their hands on the oldest ice on Earth, and we've been to see it, but what's it going to reveal? Also, measles is on the up, again; we find out why. And, is humour genetic? We talk to the scientist who has studied hundreds of pairs of twins to find out! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we look at 25 years of the Human Genome Project. What is it? And what has it achieved? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, the cells that vanish when we slim down: are these the link between obesity and health problems like diabetes? Also, the bacteria that might be able to shield us from the "forever chemicals" we're all eating. Plus, why will 3 days over the next month be a millisecond shorter than they should be? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we pay a visit to Cambridge University Botanic Garden to ask 'can genetics help grow a better garden?' Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, counting the calories: The UK government want shops to help us put 100 fewer calories in our baskets to beat obesity. So will it work? Also, archaeologists uncover the world's oldest fat factory - it turns out that Neanderthals were processing bones for their grease 125,000 years ago, but why? And on Mars the Curiosity rover captures close-up images of spiderweb-like patterns on the planet surface, but what made them? Listeners are also wondering whether green initiatives really do help to save the planet... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of was produced and presented by Dr Marushka Soobben, a scientist from South Africa who's been taking part in an internship here at the Naked Scientists. And this week, a journey into the world of proteins. What are they? why do they matter? And why did predicting their shapes win a recent Nobel prize? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Weight loss jabs are now being prescribed by GPs in England. But do we know enough about the side effects? Also ahead: a new simple test that could safely replace endoscopies for patients with Barrett's oesophagus. Plus, we'll hear from one of the engineers at the Vera Rubin Observatory - which is shedding new light on the cosmos... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we speak to the Cambridge scientists who have made it their mission to understand climate change in one of the world's most inhospitable regions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: HPV vaccination rates are waning. We examine the importance of the jab. Also ahead: why Africa is key to understanding the evolution of early humans. Plus, the reasons alcohol-free booze might actually not be all that good for us... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the final installment of this season of Titans of Science, Chris Smith speaks with Sharon Peacock, one of the UK's leading voices in infectious disease research. She is best known for her work on whole genome sequencing of pathogens such as MRSA and SARS CoV-2, and studies of antimicrobial resistance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Cambridge University have informed us that, for cost cutting reasons, they intend to make Dr Chris Smith redundant. Naturally, this jeopardises the Naked Scientists programme, which is produced under his role. He will also lose his medical job. We regard this as a terrible decision and we intend to protest. Please listen to this short podcast to hear how you can help. Together we hope we can turn around this terrible decision... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the UK commits to building a new nuclear power station. But is it worth the hefty price tag? Also, how robots are revolutionising surgery. We'll ask what they can and can't do. And, how NASA's top scientists track rogue near-Earth objects with remarkable precision... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The mental health of the young is reaching breaking point, globally. A recent analysis by a panel of leading researchers, young people, and policy experts, has warned that, without targeted action, by 2030, 42 million years of healthy life could be lost to mental illness or suicide; that's two million more than ten years ago. So today we're asking, why are so many young people suddenly afflicted by a decline in their mental health and wellbeing, and what are the solutions? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: African leaders hold emergency talks about deadly outbreaks of cholera on the continent. But why is this happening, and what can be done to curb the threat? The James Webb Space Telescope breaks another cosmic record spotting the oldest galaxy ever seen, dating from just 280 million years after the Big Bang. We explore the hidden workings of our natural history museums: what did they decide not to display, and why? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today's programme is all about prostate cancer; exploring what the disease is, who gets it, and how it can be treated. We'll explore the game-changing test from a Cambridge based firm, and question whether sometimes the best approach is to leave the cancer alone... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The UK announces a 1 billion pound budget for a cyber army: but what will these keyboard warriors be doing? Also, a vaccine for norovirus that is just one pill. And, physicists at CERN turn lead into gold, albeit briefly! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Titans of Science continues with Autism research pioneer, Simon Baron-Cohen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The new drug that cures mosquitoes of malaria. Intrigued? You'll see why scientists have done this, in just a minute. Also, the Microsoft AI system set to revolutionise weather forecasting, so you can plan that barbecue with impunity in future! And, 150 years of the metre, kilo and second: how science finally agreed on a definition for some of our most important units... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists was brought to you in partnership with the health foundation Wellcome.In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we return to the world of fungi and why this is one of the most serious health threats you haven't heard of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: New DNA evidence helps free a British man after 38 years in prison. Also, Cambridge scientists push up breast cancer survival rates and cut side effects with a new treatment regimen. And, why the near and the far side of the Moon are world's apart in appearance: it's all down to temperature differences inside, scientists say... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Sarah Parcak was born in Bangor, Maine on the 23rd of November 1978. She attended Bangor High School before reading Egyptology and Archaeology at Yale University. She then studied here in Cambridge under the supervision of the world-renowned Egyptologist Barry Kemp. After that, she was a teacher at Swansea University and then also at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.She pioneered the use of tech to advance archaeology, including the use of detailed satellite images, which has earned her the nickname "The Space Archaeologist". Sarah's discovered literally thousands of forgotten... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A landmark report that outlines the generational impact of climate change; also, the man bitten by snakes and even injected with venom hundreds of times has provided the key to a powerful new antivenom; and a breakthrough in oven technology that's helping to cook up a revolution in industrial baking... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists was brought to you in partnership with the health foundation Wellcome. This week, the first in a two-part series on the hidden world of fungi. What we do - and don't - know about them, and how the fungal landscape is set to shift as our climate changes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Will - and could - India switch off the water supply to Pakistan amid mounting tensions over Kashmir? Also, how a transmissible canine cancer from 8000 years ago is shedding fresh light on tumour biology - and how cancers can steal foreign genes, today. And, testing out a virtual reality tool designed to help us confront our fears of speaking in public... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today's Titan is former chair of the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and a key figure in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which rolled out during the Covid pandemic. Andrew Pollard tells Chris Smith how vaccines work, how public health bodies decide what to protect us against, and how current technology will shape the future of immunisation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Four and a half years ago many countries told their inhabitants they had to stay at home for weeks at a time to control the coronavirus pandemic. Many countries had never resorted to any such measure - which deprived citizens of their civil liberties to such an extent - in recorded history. And while it was successful at slowing the spread of the disease, at least initially, as the world has emerged from the pandemic, it's become obvious that there's a less than positive legacy of these lockdowns. So what have we learned, and what can we do, if anything, to prevent history repeating itself? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Signs that fruity vapes paralyse the immune system in your lungs; the world's oldest cheese: but why was the nearly 4000 year old dairy product smeared all over an ancient Chinese mummy? And, why it might be a giant leap to suggest that we're getting an extra moon, at least for a while! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Recently, doctors announced some extremely encouraging news about a jab for people with advanced forms of several types of malignancy, including melanoma, lung cancer and other solid organ tumours. The vaccine is called mRNA-4359 and has been developed by the pharmaceutical company Moderna, of Covid vaccine fame. The trials have been conducted here in the UK, and we'll hear from the man running the study. Also, the success of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer, and how a Lynch syndrome vaccine could prevent a variety of malginancies... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: what do we know about the pagers and walkie-talkies used to attack Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon? Also the landmark study on the impact of pregnancy on the human brain. And how scientists in Israel have grown a one thousand-year-old seed that might fill in a missing link in the Bible... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how engineers are using novel concepts and ideas to attempt to tackle the climate crisis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How COVID-19 lockdowns affected the brain development of teenagers; how best to dispose of dangerous nuclear waste; and why the UK's puffin population is thriving despite a rise in avian flu. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we take a fresh look at the appendix. Despite its historical reputation of being a useless part of the body, have new studies shone a light on the pivotal functions that the appendix may have? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Scientists uncover a way to help amputees toughen up their skin to make prostheses more comfortable; Covid mRNA jab pharmaceutical company Moderna turn their attention to vaccines for mpox; and the Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, on whether ET is really out there... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, teaching an old mine new tricks: how old mines are being repurposed in the name of science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How the UK looks set to take the world's toughest line on smoking; the new study showing that last year's Canadian wildfires pumped more CO2 into the atmosphere than most countries worldwide; and why are those astronauts still stranded on the International Space Station? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode of The Naked Scientists, we are looking at the outbreak of monkeypox - mPox - in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and fears that it could spread internationally... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the regulator says the Alzheimer's drug lecanemab is safe, but NICE say we can't afford it; also, the UK MOD launches its first Earth-imaging satellite. We talk to the makers; and the BBC's Frank Gardner on why the UK's butterflies need our help... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Human pursuit of body perfection and ideal aesthetics means that we're increasingly resorting to cosmetic interventions to achieve the look we're after. But evidence is mounting that some of these cosmetic and hygiene enhancements might come with a hidden health cost: many have never been subject to rigorous appraisals of the chemicals they contain, meaning that as more people embrace them, some concerning trends are beginning to emerge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, we speak to the WHO about the rise in cases of the new variant of Mpox. Also, the final piece of Stonehenge is traced back to its origin, and Nasa's InSight lander finds evidence of liquid water on Mars. Plus, how horses almost deceived scientists into believing they were less sharp than goldfish... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of Titans of Science features body clock guru Russell Foster, who talks all about our body's circadian rhythm, and how paying attention to it is crucial for a healthier and happier life... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news podcast, could Chinese scientists have found the mechanism that gives ketamine its antidepressant effect? Also, how a Cambridge researcher has laid the foundations for eliminating a form of blindness in English Shepherd dogs, and how bees find their way about with remarkable efficiency. Plus, the big questions in the search for extraterrestrials... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of Titans of Science, the man who co-discovered the accelerating expansion of the Universe and gave us dark energy; the Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A meeting of minds: scientists show that when two people talk, their brains really do sync up. Also, bird flu is now spreading among cattle via their milk. What are the implications? And, a new scientific twist for better, more efficient fog harvesting to keep arid areas watered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the first half of the last Century, scientists realised that there must be more to space than meets the eye: without some invisible force hanging on to them, clusters of stars rotating around galaxies ought to be being flung out into space like children letting go on a playground roundabout. That force, they knew, must be gravity, but its origin - where it was coming from - no one knew.A popular theory at the time was that millions of small stars we couldn't see were lending their mass to the equation, but by carefully logging what was out there in our own Milky Way Galaxy, Gerry Gilmore... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
On the Naked Scientists news podcast, 'muscles on chips' provide microgravity researchers new opportunities to study ageing. Also in the show, the machine learning models overhauling weather forecasting, and scientists unpick how the placebo effect reduces pain by discovering the brain network responsible. Then, we speak to a doctor on how to protect yourself from skin cancer in the summer, and we find out what it is we can smell when it rains and where you are most likely to smell it. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
To mark the start of the Olympics, we're hosting our own science themed opening ceremony, centred on sporting extremes. We'll learn about potentially dangerously high temperatures at this year's Games and how athletes are reckoning with them. Then, we'll find out whether (really) cold therapy is the key to recovery, and what the mindset of a successful athlete should be. Then, it's the turn of a sport nutritionist to provide some tips on how to keep your body in with a chance of crossing the line in first place. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Self-test kits to help doctors bear down on cervical cancer; the 'jelly' batteries that could be used in wearable tech devices; and why seagulls keep trying to steal your chips, and how to stop them: science has the solution! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today's Titans interview is with the key figure in one of science's modern triumphs. Susan Solomon and her team were the first to theorise and prove what was causing the hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic, and why it was growing: chlorofluorocarbon pollutants humans were emitting. What followed is a testament to what can be achieved in the face of significant challenges with international collaboration. What lessons does it hold for how we tackle climate change? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
On the Naked Scientists news pod: data released from the UK's Covid tracing app provides intriguing insights on how the virus spread. Then, we hear whether extreme weather is the new normal, and we profile Patrick Vallance, the UK's new science minister. Also, what does having AI assistance do to our creative writing skills? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of Titans of Science, we hear from some of the biggest names in the business. Today, it's the turn of the British Formula One engineer Dan Fallows. He's currently technical director at Aston Martin and I went to meet him at their base in Silverstone to find out what makes a F1 car do what it does... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Body scans give us new insights into long COVID; scientists discover the switch that triggers a mosquito's blood lust; and we'll take you on a whistle-stop tour of Royal Society's summer science exhibition... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How clever are birds really? Titans of Science continues, as we sit down with Cambridge University psychologist, and expert in animal comparative cognition, Nicky Clayton. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode of The Naked Scientists: Edward Stone, the man who led the Voyager probe missions, which are still working half a century on, has died at the age of 88. We reflect on his legacy. Also, scientists discover what they think is the first Neanderthal with Down's Syndrome, clearly cared for by his community. And what should be in your first aid kit if you're heading to a major music festival? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists marks the return of a brand news series of Titans of Science, where some of the movers and shakers of the scientific and technological world help us to unpick a big problem. Kicking us off is the AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, with a fascinating insight into artificial intelligence, how it actually works and what we need to be wary of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists: How scientists are getting to grips with the UK's E. coli outbreak. Lettuce leaves look like the source, but how? Also, how atomic bomb tests have helped us build a better picture of how much carbon plants can lock away - and the news is both good and bad. And, how scientists near Norwich are sniffing the air... for DNA. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, we're taking a look at trees. We look at how they communicate, the diseases they are fighting, and how beneficial to the climate planting trees really is... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Could lab-grown 'mini-guts' help us crack Crohn's disease? Also, is the Universe organised like a bagel? I talk to one cosmologist trying to figure it out. And we hear from the engineers who have recreated a 115-year-old cricketing contraption that bowled out an Australian legend back in the day! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This time, we're looking at gambling addiction and the associated harms. We hear from Bianca, a recovering gambling addict, about the deceit which characterised her experiences with betting, and why this is shared by many like here. Then, with Barbara Sahakian from the University of Cambridge, we learn about the biological and environmental factors which may lead to problem gambling, and hear from the perspective of the industry with Dan Waugh of Regulus. Finally, what treatments are out there for gambling addiction? Emma Ryan from the UK's first Primary Care Gambling Service tells us. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, after the death of rugby legend Rob Burrow, we explore the mechanisms of motor neurone disease with John Ealing from the Manchester MND Care Centre. Also, we hear from Alexander Forse at the University of Cambridge who has helped to develop a carbon sponge which can suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, and Inga Kamp from the university of Groningen explains why a new finding from the JWST could reveal the secrets of how Earth-like planets form. Plus, the intriguing story of a non-drinker who couldn't stop getting drunk... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, we are looking at attempts to map the dark universe. As the new space telescope Euclid seeks to unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, we ask why their secrets have eluded us for so long... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists: The genetically engineered mosquitoes released to fight malaria in Africa; how fake news skews public opinion, and who is behind it; and, finding out what it's like to own an extra thumb! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists, as infected blood victims are finally promised compensation following the UK government's cover up of the scandal, we trace the story back to the very beginning, and hear from some of the victims who now have justice... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How science can help cut the carbon footprint of concrete; designer antibodies to introduce cancers to immune assassins; and the caterpillars that sense static charge on wasp wings to beat a hasty retreat... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're coming back to the topic of generative artificial intelligence, asking how this potentially gamechanging technology is going to be integrated into our society. We'll hear an explanation of neural networks from Geoff Hinton, one of the founding fathers of AI, and some of the most promising avenues for maximising the strengths of machine learning systems with tech journalist David McClelland. After a brief update on the debate around AI sentience from the foothills of the Himalayas from Nicky Clayton, we explore why chatbots might be about to stop advancing as rapidly as before, and how... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, geneticist Henrik Salje tells us about the relative ineffectiveness of the measles vaccine for infants born via c-section. Also, the incredible memory-making abilities of Eurasian jays with Nicky Clayton, and Ramsey Faragher relates how quantum-based navigation can overcome the vulnerabilities of GPS. Then, Ulf Buntgen explains how tree rings have revealed that the summer of 2023 was the hottest in 2000 years in the northern hemisphere, and Toby Wiseman explains the marvel of our working theory of everything. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Linguistics - the scientific study of language - is our topic for today. Chris Smith learns about the potential origins of human language with David Crystal, and how we assimilate vocal sounds into sentence structures with the University of Cambridge's Mirjana Boziv. Then, a fascinating finding about the way apes layer their communication is described by Adriano Lameira, before Cambridge's Regina Karousou Fokas gives Chris a lesson in Greek... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, the nanotechnology enabling the production of a new vaccine to immunise against future coronaviruses. Then, how we can use psychedelic treatments without giving patients an unwanted trip, and how it was discovered that squirrels and humans were both living with leprosy in medieval England. Plus, what does the latest exoplanet discovery tell us about how far the closest habitable planet might be? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we turn our attention to cancer. With several high profile cases in recent weeks, we look at the broader picture across the UK as of late. Then, the mechanisms by which cancer takes hold of its host, before we explore recent innovations helping to combat cancer: AI screening programmes and precision medicine show particular promise... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists: AstraZeneca acknowledges its Covid vaccine is linked to a rare blood clotting side effect; also, whether scientists are getting closer to cracking nuclear fusion; and how adding bacteria to plastic could be the key to making the stuff break itself down! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists: as mankind seeks to colonise the Moon, Mars and beyond, we'll examine the impact of cosmic voyages on body and mind, and what we can do to keep spacefarers healthy and happy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode of The Naked Scientists: Scientists give mice a rat's sense of smell; we find out why some of China's biggest cities are sinking; and, 14 years after disaster struck in the Gulf of Mexico, might laser-treated cork be able to help us to clean up oil spills... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, we're going to take a closer look at attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - which is usually referred to by its acronym: ADHD. Globally, it's estimated that around 5% of children and adolescents are affected by ADHD. But those numbers vary from country to country and diagnoses are on the rise.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: MPs vote in favour of stricter smoking and vaping controls; but do we actually need this and will it work? Also, the remains of what's thought to be the largest reptile to have roamed our "Severn" seas are uncovered on the beach in Somerset. And a tribute to the BA pilot who saved his air passengers from a volcanic ash cloud, but why are volcanoes so disastrous for jet engines? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, a special tribute to the revered British scientist, Peter Higgs, who died on the 8th of April, aged 94. His friend, Lyn Evans, tells us about the 40-year search for the eponymous Higgs boson: the God particle that provides some of the answers to life, the Universe and everything... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists: Scientists invent artificial platelets to help clot blood; why it might be time to reappraise the peace-loving nature of bonobos; and why the Moon may have turned itself inside out in the past... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, fresh off the back of the World Meteorological Organizations scathing report of the state of global climate 2023, we're taking a look at how the increasing trend of torrid weather extremes are affecting our relationship with food production. How do we reconcile our demand for food if the expansion of farmland will only exacerbate climate change's effects? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the Naked Scientists News this week, stem cell treatment using cells from the bellies of those with spinal cord injuries restores movement and sensation in phase 1 clinical trials. Also, Cambridge scientists build an 'atlas' of breast cells to better understand how cancer develops, and new analysis into dinosaur fossils reveals when they began to develop rapid growth rates... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today we're investigating dangerous new drugs which have found their way onto the streets of the UK. Nitazenes are lab made opioids with similar effects for the user as heroin. Their relative strength, however, means it is much more difficult to take them safely and much more likely to result in a fatal overdose. With drug deaths in this country already at a record high, and devestation being wrought by similar substances in the US, we look at a range of solutions for preventing as much harm as possible... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists: Check your watches: how climate change is making the Earth turn more slowly; we'll also hear from the Cambridge scientists investigating whether vaccines can combat bovine TB; and would you be prepared to shell out millions for a luxury trip to space? One company is optimistically planning an orbiting space hotel for the years ahead. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Thanks to Sannia Farrukh and the ICGEB for their support in making this show!It's thought that by the end of the decade, 78 million people around the world will have Alzheimer's disease. It's debilitating and progressive. It robs people of their personality, their independence, and their quality of life. And caring for people with the condition, which often goes on over many years, is extremely costly, both financially and emotionally. The biggest risk factor is age; and as the proportion of the population living into their 80s, when as many as a fifth of individuals can develop the condition,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists: The spike in whooping cough cases occurring across Europe; what's behind it? Also, how scientists are set to look for life on an icy moon of Jupiter. And, the new artificially intelligent gadget to make roads safer for cyclists. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, we're getting ticked off about the uptick in ticks, as we look at what they are, the problems they cause, and what we can do to tick them off our worry list. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, 4 years on from the outset of the COVID pandemic, what questions still need answering in the bid to avoid a similar emergency? Plus, why we need to start taking space security more seriously, how car brakes could be more polluting than exhaust fumes, and Paul Alexander - who lived inside an iron lung for 70 years - dies at the age of 78. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
4 years since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic officially, we take a look at the latest research guiding scientists towards the root causes of the debilitating symptoms some people suffer for many years after their initial infection with SARS-CoV-2... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, the greedy gene fuelling hungry labradors, AI assists prostate cancer prognosis, the galaxy which died 13 billion years ago, how birds are struggling to adapt to changing seasons, and fish that send each other electrical signals to help them see farther... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, cyber crimes in cyber times. Off the back of cyber attacks on the British Library and our own Cambridge University, we'll be taking a look at the world of cyber attacks, from the state level down to the individual. How does it happen, and who is responsible, and how can we protect against them? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode of The Naked Scientists: As the UK rejoins the EU Horizon research programme, we hear from the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on what she sees as the benefits from this "new deal". Also, scientists discover a way to get lithium batteries charging faster, and performing better in the cold. And how, and why, did we humans lose our tails back in history?Michelle - Horizon isn't a EU exclusive scheme. What Horizon is, is it's the world's largest research collaboration program. So for the UK to reassociate is a big deal, not just for the scientific... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today's topic is sure to gain a lot of traction with our listeners, and that's because we're talking about the state of our roads. Potholes are so maddening, they can send the most mild mannered among us into full blown road rage, cracking windscreens and wrecking wheels. And the problem seems to be getting worse...Luckily researchers at Cambridge University are coming to the roaduser's rescue: with digital facsimiles of the road network to help spot problem areas sooner, new materials that make road repairs last longer, and even an autonomous robot that can track down and fix up potholes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, a study into the DNA of ancient humans has found what are potentially the oldest examples of genetic diseases like Down syndrome. Also, new insights into whale song, a potential new treatment for blood clots, and lifting the lid on a phony fossil... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists: they're everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to inside your bodies. We look at the pervasive topic of microplastics, and so called 'forever chemicals.' What do we know so far, and should we be concerned? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod, as an outbreak of Dengue fever rips through Brazil, we ask, should we be worried in Europe? Also, scientists describe the microbes responsible for the decomposition of animal flesh, and a miraculous underwater archaelogical find sheds light on ancient hunting practices. Plus, could teasing behaviours in great apes be the origins of our own sense of humour? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
On this episode of The Naked Scientists, we'll examine the evolution of the role of medicine in conflict, with contributions from a retired general, a war wound pioneer and a trauma expert. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Why cancer waiting lists have lengthened, and the importance of catching the disease early; how pollution is blinding insects to plants they might otherwise want to pollinate: and how do blueberries come by their colour? It's not as simple as it sounds: squash one and you'll see they're not blue inside! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Dame Esther Rantzen reignited the debate on assisted dying in the UK after she shared the news she had joined the physician assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland. The services offered by Dignitas are illegal here in the UK, but recently some countries have been relaxing their laws in this area. The argument goes, modern medicine has given many of us the gift of much longer lives, so should it also give us the option of a more dignified death? In this episode of the Naked Scientists, James Tytko speaks with those with a personal stake in this debate, medical professionals, and a legal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news pod this week, Elon Musk's Neuralink chip is successfully implanted into a human brain, but what's the potential of computer brain interfaces? Also on the programme, an Imperial scientist reveals the reason for insects' attraction to street lights, and we hear about one of the health benefits of fasting. Plus, join us on a sneak preview of a Cambridge museum exhibit all about the evolution of the spine... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we are in Dover, south-east England, to meet the people trying to bring sustainable solutions to one of the world's most important sectors: shipping. In this episode, we look at the shipping industry as a case study to see just how much has to be taken into consideration on so many levels, in order to work towards a carbon neutral future. What are the enormous challenges currently being faced, and what goes into building the ship of the future? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode of The Naked Scientists: what the structure of your retina reveals about your risk of developing a range of diseases; have we finally cracked how the first biological cells appeared 4 billion years ago; and how pond skater insects survive potentially lethal run-ins with large raindrops. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Julie Williams has dedicated much of her career to uncovering the genetic signposts for the most common cause of dementia: Alzheimer's disease. Chris Smith caught up with her to hear about influences she had growing up, how a revolution in genetics means we could be on the verge of key breakthroughs in fighting neurodegenerative conditions, and speaks about her time as Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on the Naked Scientists, did the Black Death cause a change in our genes? Also, we'll be finding out whether smaller wine glasses could be key to reducing alcohol consumption in the population, and how scientists are plugging the potholes in our roads with science. Plus, a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding long Covid... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Titans of Science returns with another out-of-this-world guest: astronomer, astrophysicist and science populariser, Lord Martin Rees. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
On this week's edition of The Naked Scientists: Why dose of old drugs might be a new way to beat depression; with many countries gearing up for general elections, why AI-generated deepfakes have got politicians worried; And we look back at the life of the pioneering British transplant surgeon, Professor Sir Roy Calne.. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week in The Naked Scientists, Titans of Science is back, and today we hear from the University of Cambridge's new vice-chancellor, Deborah Prentice. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, What can be done to reverse a dramatic rise in measles cases around the world? We'll also be exploring Japan's susceptibility to incredibly powerful earthquakes. Plus, what may have prompted early humans to adapt the way they communicated... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Happy new year from The Naked Scientists! In this week's show, we're going to look ahead to what 2024 has in store - scientifically speaking - in a number of key areas in the months ahead. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week's show is one of retrospection. We're taking a look back at the year that was 2023, and reliving some of the outstanding scientific stories that came out of it. Everything from AI in medicine to asteroid samples. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode, Naked Gaming has commandeered the programme, as Chris Berrow and Leigh Milner take us through a Christmas full of games! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In our festive themed magazine show, join Chris Smith as he samples the BMJ's Christmas offerings, enjoys a glass or two of champagne (in the name of science, of course), and previews the pliosaur skull making waves on our TV screens over the Christmas break... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
For this edition of Titans of Science, Chris Smith sits down with Mark Slack, a doctor revolutionising the use of robots in medicine. They discuss his early years in apartheid South Africa, how he established himself as a surgical innovator in the UK, and what the future holds for the use of technology in the operating theatre... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, scientists identify the protein responsible for pregnancy sickness, what was settled on in the COP consensus, how honeyguides listen out for local language, and the special chemical which could hold the key to preserving a Rembrandt masterpiece. Plus, how many nukes would it take to destroy Jupiter? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This episode marks the return of Titans of Science: full of in depth interviews with some of science's greats. To start us off, the astronaut and rockstar, Chris Hadfield. The conversation covers his upbringing in rural Canada, his time as an elite test pilot in the US military - the inspiration for his latest thriller novel 'The Defector' - and his multiple missions into space, culminating in a stint as commander of the International Space Station. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, What did we learn from Boris Johnson's appearance at the COVID inquiry? Then, we'll hear from the team that's developing a new drug in the fight against the United States' fentanyl crisis. And, We'll hear about the discovery and fate of an ancient woodland. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
If there were a pill you could take to reduce your risk of chronic diseases like heart failure, obesity, diabetes, depression, anxiety and more by 20%, chances are you'd be interested in getting your hands on it. Studies continue to extol the virtues of living an active lifestyle, but a growing number of us consistently fail to meet recommended levels of physical exertion. In this episode, we speak with medical experts on why it is so important, whatever your level of fitness, to feel like you can make a positive change to your life through exercise... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's news pod, we preview the COP28 climate summit with Richard Black and get the latest on a confirmed case of a new strain of swine flu in the UK. Also, we speak to the researcher discovering the capacity for language learning in babies yet to be born, and hear from a scientist who has finally got their hands on a sample from the Bennu asteroid... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode of The Naked Scientists, we'll be taking a closer look at digital twins. What are they, and could they be the future of engineering, healthcare, and climate science? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on The Naked Scientists, A damning indictment of our politicians' grasp of science emerges from the Covid Inquiry. Also, we'll ask who is behind the high-profile cyber hacks on the British Library. And, how researchers got to the bottom of why some of us get red-wine headaches? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week - following the revelation that a man with debilitating Parkinson's Disease has been helped to walk again with a special implant that stimulates nerves in his spinal cord - that's what we're going to look at in this half hour. We'll be hearing from the surgeon who performed the operation, and other experts seeking to understand more about the condition... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week on the Naked Scientists; why, after many years, chickenpox vaccines for children finally look set to become the norm in the UK. Also, will artificial intelligence beat our weather forecasters? And can comets seed the biological building blocks of life to planets like Earth? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're taking a look at the genetics of selective breeding, how it might be dooming certain breeds of dog but saving certain endangered species. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, the drug called Anastrozole can help prevent thousands of cases of breast cancer among older women: but at what cost? Also, climate change expert Mark Maslin on what we need to know about the forthcoming COP28 summit kicking off soon in Dubai. And, how the UK's hedgehogs have been going through a rough patch... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we're helping you to get to know your microbiome, and hearing why a better understanding of it viewed by some as the next frontier in helping us to live longer, healthier lives. First, we explore the co-evolution of man and microbe, and the suite of modern techniques helping to clear up the remaining mysteries of the intestines. And, later on, how medicine is mobilsing the microbiome to ward of antibiotic resistant bacteria using faecal transplants and 'good' viruses... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this edition, can civil engineers help rescue the UK's crumbling schools and hospitals? Also, new initiative that is hoping to improve the treatment of sepsis, and how the scent of ancient Egypt has been replicated in a Danish museum... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today's guest is Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space. Our conversation ranges from her early beginnings working in a chocolate factory - Mars, would you believe - to her run in with the then leader of the Soviet Union... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, London's latest ULEZ expansion - will it make much difference to air quality? The concerning impacts of poaching, and not just to endangered species, and the curious case of a woman with a worm in her brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're casting our eyes towards the brightest and largest object in our night sky: the Moon. As India becomes the 4th nation to achieve a successful soft landing on our only natural sateillite, we saw a fantastic opportunity to chart the history of how the Moon was formed and the many billions worth of missions invested in finding out more about it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, how can we understand the motivations of serial killers? Also, we ask a dermatologist to outline the early signs of melanoma, and find out about the initiative to reduce carbon emissions from the shipping industry using aeroplane wings. Plus, water voles are being reintroduced in the Lake District - we hear from the site manager in charge. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Eating. We all have to do it 3 times a day and there's a lot to consider every time we do: is what I'm eating good for me? Is it sustainable for the planet? Can I afford the time or the expense to prepare it? In this episode, we address all these concerns, but with a focus on why food brings us joy in the first place: taste and flavour! Join Chris as he embarks on a culinary challenge to achieve everything he wants from his dinner, without compromising on cooking something delicious. The adventure takes him to a top Cambridge restaurant, to hear how a local chef is making tasty dishes with... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, we start by asking whether we should start preparing to combat election interference in the wake of the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. A study is out this week linking lower levels of grey matter in the brain's frontel cortex with an increased likelihood of taking up smoking - we speak to one of the authors. Will Russia's first mission to the moon in 50 years be a success? Plus, an analysis of the impacts of climate change on butterrfly numbers in the UK, and our Question of the Week relates to the states of matter and their relationships with each other... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we'll explore the origins of nuclear weapons and how they have changed modern warfare. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we'll find out about preparations for the next pandemic and "disease X"; the link between a noticeably enlarged part of the human brain and obesity; and how honey sweetened the deal for an injured cricketer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're turning to the subject of hydrogen and its potential to play a role as a cleaner fuel in future. Could hydrogen be the answer to our energy conundrum? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Sweltering temperatures wreak havoc across Europe and North America, so what needs to be done to bring them down? We hear from the Cambridge scientist who wants to create the largest ever DNA and health research programme for children and young people. And, did aliens crash-land on Mars? Strange pictures resembling a crash site have been circulating but is there a more mundane explanation? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's been quite the ride in the realm of artifical intelligence over the past year or so. As impressive as advancements in machine learning have been, however, few experts are worried about bots taking our jobs and threatening our safety as a species. The truth is, tools like ChatGPT are not the way AI is going to prove most helpful in the short term. We scratch below the surface to explain how, with more carefully trained programmes, the real potential of chatbots can and is being unlocked... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A new drug in the fight against Alzheimer's disease: how does it work? Plus, we'll also have the latest on measles cases in London, look at the calls to reset the lunar clock, and could algae help people who are seeking to increase vitamin B12 in their diet? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We'll be exploring depression, what causes it, and whether antidepressants or other treatments hold the key to solving it. Amongst our guests is psychologist Gordon Harold, speaking on how depression manifests in patients, and we'll also hear from psychiatrists on both sides of the antidepressant debate: Hamish McAllister Williams and Joanna Moncrieff. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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It's a Question and Answer special this week. You supply the questions and we pose them to a panel of expert guests. Joining us this time, biologist and author Tom Ireland, marine scientist Liberty Denman, chemistry writer Philip Broadwith, and comedien Rosie Wilby. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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Many people don't recognise light pollution at night for what it is: pollution. Largely, we fail to see this harmful introduction into the environment because we have been conditioned to associated light with good and darkness with badness. It's time to change that. In this episode, we explore the various implications of artifical light at night and speak to the activists trying to put a stop to it. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's show, we speak to a former navy commander about the Titan sub, do our decision-makers ignore evidence when making scientific policy? And the new telescope that is hoping to explore the dark side of the cosmos... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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The plan to beam-in solar power from space, ways to incentivise sharing trustworthy material on social media, and do ill fish run a fever like we do? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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As the UK's Covid inquiry kicks off, will it help to transform how we tackle future pandemics? How an AI is writing its own computer code, speeding up the Internet; and using gene therapy for cat contraception. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Researchers around the world are naming a new kind of dinosaur every week on average at the moment - what's behind this golden age of palaeontology? We talk to scientists, museum staff and amateur fossil hunters to find out about some of the most recent breakthroughs in the field, including new techniques looking for fossilised DNA still present in the samples stored away in curators' collections... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Also in the news, boys vocalise more in their first year, NASA' holds a public meeting on the study of 'unitdentified aeriel phenomena', and what damage might a time traveller cause? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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Are public health officials preparing to clampdown on the sale of dangerous vapes, the Russian scientists under arrest for treason, how researchers are homing in on why some of us are magnets for mosquitoes, and a very welcome floral addition to King's College, Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Your questions are going under our microscope and we'll be asking our guests to give their expert insight on a number of topics. Including, Why does asparagus make your wee smell? Could plastic eating worms help prevent pollution? And what's going to happen to the International Space Station? Plus, there'll be our customary quiz at half time. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do we remember things, why some people stuggle to remember their way around, and what does it take to be a memory world champion? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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With the global power supply shifting towards renewables, the battery is fast becoming one of the most vital forms of power storage. So how did we get here, how do batteries still need to improve, and could we be flying in battery-powered airliners before long? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What should we make of claims that China is building super weapons to hack and hijack US satellites? Also, the new app to help midwives detect health conditions in newborns, and we hear from the couple who have discovered one of the world's most important fossil deposits, almost on our own doorstep! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How repeated bumps to the head in sport can add up to dementia later in life... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The doctor and broadcaster, Chris van Tulleken, on why ultra-processed food is making us fat and ill, the team that think they're close to cracking the male contraceptive pill, and the WHO's drive to get more people vaccinated. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
With 14 million new cases of diabetes each year being attributed to poor diet and half the worlds' population estimated to be overweight or obese by 2035, it's no wonder the UK's Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, claims the situation around these conditions presents one of 'the biggest future health challenges we face.' So why is it happening and what can be done to reverse these worrying trends? We find out what dieting does to your metabolism, and whether the effectivness of weight loss drugs in the short term might make them a part of the solution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, Elon Musk's Starship experiences a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly', there's progress in developing a universal flu vaccine, and the sounds which might help your little one to fall asleep... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Black holes are one of the most extreme things in the universe. Their gravitational pull is so strong, they can bend light and even time. So were you to find one and fall into it...what would happen? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The world crosses the threshold of 1 terawatt of energy produced from solar means, the parting gift left behind by birds meeting an unfortunate demise, and looking for exoplanets that have magnetic fields Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this bonus edition, climate psychologist Patrick Kennedy-Williams introduces us to the concept of eco-anxiety, the very real phenomenon leaving people across the UK feeling stressed about the future and the frightening implications of climate change. In partnership with E.ON NEXT - the energy provider on a mission to tackle eco-anxiety - we discuss when eco-anxiety first began to make its presence felt, who is most affected and why, and what we can all do to help both ourselves and the environment... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This is a special, bonus episode brought to you in partnership with E.ON Next. If you've just been listening to our conversation with climate psychologist Patrick Kennedy-Williams, you'll know that they've created an audio toolkit for when eco-anxiety gets the better of you. We have part of it - a mindfulness meditation to boost well-being - for you here. For more of these resources search powerupforchange, or visit eonnext.com/eco-anxiety Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, tech experts call for AI slowdown, monkeys fail to grasp magic tricks which require opposable thumbs to pull off, and why the WHO wants China to release information on the origin of Covid. Plus, according to one study, as many as 44 percent of the population suffer from chronic pain. The difficulty is, we experience pain in many different ways, making it notoriously hard to find treatments. We'll look into the possible causes of long term pain, and what scientists are doing to find solutions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, in partnership with BMW, we're "recharging in nature" - discovering how stepping out into wild country replenishes our wellbeing batteries. But there's a disconnect for drivers of electric vehicles: many of the national parks are very much "off grid", paradoxically preventing those doing their bit for environmentally-friendly motoring with an electric car from benefiting. Luckily there's also a new initiative to power up national parks and benefit biodiversity... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up this week, why we might need to re-draw dinosaur faces: it turns out T Rex had lips - how did we miss that? Also, as the government moves to make laughing gas illegal we look at how it works and why they're doing this, and is it time to call time on changing the clocks? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Whatever happened to make do and mend? Many of us, it seems, have lost the ability to fix the things we buy. So are manufacturers on a mission to make things impossible to fix, forcing us to buy new ones? Or should we be taking more personal responsibility to reduce waste? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, scientists seeking to make measuring animal welfare a top priority on farms. Machines seeing the original chemicals in the bodies of fossilised animals. And why superglue might be the key to superior plastic recycling. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The UN high seas treaty hopes to turn the tide on the biodiversity crisis in the ocean. Will it work, and will protecting 30% of the high seas be sufficient? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How doctors in the US have "cured" a woman with HIV, does Venus have volcanoes? Reexamining 30 year old probe footage has got scientists wondering, and signs that an artificial sweetener can affect the immune system... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What happens when you put a space scientist interested in looking for alien life, a geologist studying some of the earliest life on Earth, a psychologist, and a linguist in a radio studio? Well hopefully a really interesting conversation and answers to some of science's - and your - big questions, because that's the line up for our Naked Scientists "ask us anything" QnA call-in this week: you supply the questions and we'll provide the answers. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Take a daily brisk walk and take 25% off your mortality rate, the northern - and southern - lights and why they've been so pronounced of late, and have scientists discovered the world's first Roman sex toy? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The news is awash with the destructive side of these geological processes, but are there aspects of these events that can help us learn more about our planet's inner workings? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are we any closer to a contraceptive for men, will a 4 day work week pay for itself, and how cretaceous caterpillars helped scientists work out when plants first opened and closed their leaves... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Today, we're asking whether UK science minister George Freeman's ambition of an operational fusion energy plant by 2040 is realistic. Scientists have their say as to whether or not this possible and, if not, when we can expect to see fusion on grid... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, a UK toddler with a rare genetic disease is saved by gene therapy: we explain how it works. Cockatoos wow scientists by taking a toolkit along to solve a problem. And a 55 million year old penguin fossil... And it's a whopper that weighed in at 150 kilos! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
With over a billion birds dead and signs that the influenza virus is now spreading among mammalian species in the wild, are we at risk of another pandemic, just as we thought Covid was over? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
As Turkey battles against the clock to find survivors of the recent Earthquake there, we look at what triggered the magnitude 7.8 quake. Also, how modern day codebreakers have unlocked secret correspondence penned by Mary Queen of Scots from exile in the 1500s, and the overlooked threat of indoor air pollution: we worry about what we breath in on the streets but we're potentially encountering air just as bad in our own homes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Scientists and governments are working together to turn farming, one of the foremost causes of global emissions, into a future-proof industry. We'll hear about the UK governments new sustainable farming scheme which rewards farmers for eco-friendly practices, scientists working on reducing reliance on harmful and costly fertilisers for grain crops, and the food formed of microbes which might soon feature on supermarket shelves... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Brain implants grown in a lab wire themselves into the nervous system. Artificial intelligence joins the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. We take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2023. And are sugar taxes actually effective ways to fight the obesity epidemic Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Much of our daily lives is made possible by the placement of objects orbiting our planet. From GPS, to weather forecasts, even your bank's ATM wouldn't be able to function without a timecode from space confirming when your transaction took place. So we're going to explore whether the increasing numbers of satellites up there is a problem, how we can use them to spot potential disease outbreaks before they even happen; why space weather is a threat, and even how one company are planning to forge metals aboard satellites and make things in microgravity for use back here on Earth! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The plan to pay people to dial down their electricity use, the bacteria eating plastic in the ocean, and why antidepressants make it harder for users to enjoy themselves. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We first chatted ChatGPT last month, and have since been keeping an eye on the incredible ways it's been responding to users from across the world. This week, we consider the implications of this very powerful tool that has just landed in the hands of pretty much everyone, and whether we should be excited or concerned by the prospect it might become even more powerful... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How hair follicles might hold the key to reversing scars, but not just in skin: in hearts and other organs too. Also, scientists crack how to grow new brain cells in the laboratory dish. And what a mutant from millions of years ago is revealing about how ancient animals mated... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's that time of the year where we traditionally make - and usually break - resolutions to eat less, drink less, lose weight, give up meat and take up exercise during the year ahead. And in the decade since 2013, thousands of people have also been signing up for "Dry January". Last year 130,000 people in the UK elected to stop drinking alcohol for a month. So we thought this week we'd look at our long term love affair with the bottle, from how the practice of brewing began back in history, to the health harms and benefits of drinking today, and how scientists are now working on synthetic... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The artificial pancreas to turnaround diabetes control, what went wrong with the UK's first space launch, and the Cambridge-born process that can turn CO2 and waste plastic into fuels and valuable chemical raw materials... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How stars burn for billions of years. Can Rishi Sunak turn us into a nation of mathematicians? And how misinformation changes the shape of our brains. Plus, there'll be our customary quiz at half time... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're looking back at 2022, a remarkable year for many reasons. Whilst it is easy to be consumed by stories of conflict, climate catastrophe, and disease outbreaks, it is still important to remember that this year has been another in stellar scientific breakthroughs, a fair few of which may well help us combat the aforementioned challenges. We hope to bring you some of the weird and wonderful discoveries that were made throughout the scientific community over the past 12 months. Everything from the James Webb telescope, to James Tytko falling into a river. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're taking a look at our planet's oceans, and seeing how and where the important work into studying our seas takes place, as well as finding out how the data collected by marine expeditions translates to research that informs our climate and conservation efforts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A landmark achievement: nuclear fusion experiments produce a net energy output - so what does this mean in practical terms. Also, glasses that soak up infrared to auto-demist. And how magnets are helping to solve a pollution problem on the London Underground... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we've found ourselves attracted by the topic of magnetism; it's what makes it possible to generate and distribute electricity to our homes, or send messages and radio broadcasts over the airwaves; it underpins our ability to see inside the body with technologies like MRI scanners, and thanks to the fact that there's a massive magnetic field surrounding our planet, much of the radiation onslaught from space that would otherwise hit us is fended off, keeping the Earth habitable. That planetary magnetic field also provides us and animals with a way to navigate, and there are even... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, the old liver drug that turns out to be able to prevent Covid-19 infection, the artificial intelligence systems that pass the Turing test and can write their own computer programmes, and what bats and heavy metal singers have in common. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Last month, we were told, the 8 billionth person was added to Earth's human population. But despite many acknowledging that some of the biggest threats facing us and the planet, like climate change - stem from our impact on world, and the more of us there are, the worse those threats will be, the topic of population is mysteriously absent from the dialogue at major international fora, like the recent COP27 meeting in Egypt. Surely "living sustainably" must include, as David Attenborough puts it, not over-running the planet and destroying it in the process?So how many people can, or should the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A new Alzheimer's drug shows some promise in trials, but are the risks from side effects worth it? A new contraceptive inspired by Roman history and shellfish... And the surprising discovery about ants that scientists missed for over a century... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
If you've recently applied for a job, you may have been asked to fill out a personality test. From banks and consultancy firms to fast-food outlets, they're increasingly being used as a way to improve efficiency and perceived fairness in recruitment.The most common tests used for these purposes are based on the so-called 'big 5' personality traits that psychologists have settled on as providing a good indication of just what makes us tick. Such personality tests take the form of a questionnaire in which the participant indicates their alignment with statements concerning human behaviour,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, we hear about the novel approach to diagnosing diseases by looking at the chemical compounds in patients' breath, a new way of attacking viruses without damaging our cells, the potential for life on Mars, successful trials prescribing heat for health conditions, and what low frequncy noises we can't even hear can do for our propensity to dance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, it is time to put your questions to a panel of excellent experts in one of our Q&A shows! We are going to be investigating how we track disease outbreaks, why our ears go pop, and why neanderthal DNA makes some of us more susceptible to diseases like COVID. Plus, we have a science quiz based on the World Cup. See how you fare against our experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're talking about the so-called scientific reproducibility crisis: an alarming sounding study was released earlier this year which concluded that less than one third of breast cancer research papers had reproducible results. So who's to blame? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
NBA great Alonzo Mourning returned home feeling ill after winning the gold medal from the Sydney Olympics. Surprisingly, he was diagnosed shortly after with kidney disease. His type of kidney disease is linked to genetic variants of the APOL1 gene carried by 13% of people with African ancestry. Ogo Egbuna leads clinical development researching APOL1-mediated kidney disease at Vertex, where they're investigating a small molecule therapy to target its underlying cause... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this episode, How researchers are growing new blood in the lab, the scientists planning for potential alien communications, and why fertiliser may be fooling bees' ability to spot flowers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Before Covid, the bacterial infection "tuberculosis" was the number 1 infectious disease killer on the planet. Every day it claims the lives of thousands, with the impact particularly marked in lower income countries which account for 80% of the cases. But that doesn't mean that richer countries are off the hook. As people migrate, and wars displace refugees, Western countries are seeing a rising trend in new TB cases, particularly of highly drug-resistant forms of the infection. So this week we're looking at new ways to combat one of the oldest and most fearsome infections on the planet... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, the novel gene therapy for epilepsy which reduces side effects, how birdsong can provide listeners with a mental health boost, we take a terrifying tour of Cambridge University's Botanic Garden, and hear about how Aluminium formate could bring carbon capture to the masses... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We mark the clocks going back with a look at our circadian rhythms: that's the mechanism by which our bodies mark time and keep our biological processes ticking over. Some drugs work better at certain times of the day, so why isn't this tested in clinical trials? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week, a new health study of unprecedented scale launches in the UK to improve disease detection, CAR-T therapy is administered without tailoring it specifically to the patient, the shock experienced by the scientist studying buzzing bees, computer games show signs of improving cognition in youngsters, and we delve deep into the ocean for signs of evolution happening before our eyes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A trip to the British seaside to see a See Monster - that's the title for the decommissioned gas platform turned art installation attempting to fuel new discussions around reuse and renewable energy in Weston super Mare. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up this week... how bacteria could be supercharging cancer cells, the ghost fishing nets laying waste to our oceans, and could capturing carbon underground hold the key to our net zero ambitions? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, the latest research findings on Long Covid. What did a study on over a million people reveal about who's at risk of the condition and for how long? What research is now being done to discover the cause, and what role do reactivating dormant viruses like EBV, more normally the cause of glandular fever, play in the disease? Plus, the doctor disabled by two doses of Covid explains how her life has changed... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Coming up this week in the news, the advanced warning signs ten years ahead that Alzheimer's might be on the way, the exoskeleton boot that learns how you walk and helps you go faster, and the sleeping bacteria that can count themselves awake... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an industrial process undertaken to access pockets of gas locked inside rock formations underground. It's seen by its proponents as a vital part of the solution to the current energy crisis, particularly as on-going tensions with Russia mean gas supply security looks very uncertain and remains very expensive. Critics, however, have pointed to environmental concerns and contest how much it could actually reduce energy prices. So, we're going to remove party politics from this contentious topic and see what the science has to say. We're sorting fract, from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news, we dissect the achievements of the Nobel prize winners for science and medicine, ask whether paracetamol causes behavioural problems in children, and hear about the disturbance caused by cockatoos in Sydney's suburbs... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week the Naked Scientists have been in the City of Science - Trieste - to take part in their annual science festival and speak to some of the researchers pushing back the frontiers of knowledge in this beautiful part of northeastern Italy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the programme this week, we look at the plastic that sterilises itself, why sweeteners are worse for you than sugar, and how will seagrass react to climate change? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, it is time to put your questions to a panel of excellent experts in one of our Q&A shows! We are going to be investigating if truth serum really exists, what would happen if the Earth stopped rotating, and just how much nutrition is there in the human brain? Plus, we have a science quiz based on today in history and going back to school. See how you fare against our experts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week's show conveys how surprisingly susceptible science is to dogma. We uncover the alarming oversights which have mitigated progress in disciplines like zoology and medicine for decades. Corrupted for years by false assumptions, the failings in these fields can be extremely difficult to overturn. We hear from scientists going against the grain to dispel mainstream myths from their respective areas of study, and also provide a protocol for dodging dogmas moving forward... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A massive archeological find has been making headlines all over the news this week. Plus, 'breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper', is there any truth to the old saying? And are video GP consultations safe enough to be a permanent fixture in medical practice? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
When it comes to treating diseases, we often think of lifestyle changes, pills and procedures. What often isn't considered is poo. But this week, the NICE guidelines - which recommend treatments for use in the NHS - were updated so people who have a recurring gut infection caused by the Clostridium difficile superbug are eligible to receive a transplant of healthy stool in a procedure called fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) - sometimes dubbed a "transpoosion" - to aid their recovery. This procedure alters the balance of bacteria living in the gut, helping to hold the bad bugs in check... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week: mRNA vaccine giants Moderna and Pzfizer face a legal battle over potential technology infringements, and a new study explains how small talk with strangers before working together can improve strategic interactions. Plus, we hear about research suggesting cannabis use doesn't impact an indivduals motivation, the biggest animal alliance outside human beings, and the hot take on cancer risk in coffee drinkers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're looking into where our water comes from, and how modern technology could help us better conserve the precious resources we have to be more prepared for future dry periods. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the news this week: the medical breakthrough of a potential malaria vaccine; we find out how sewage is polluting our beaches but may also help us cope with a sulphur shortage; and a way to immunise the brain against misinformation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The scale of space is difficult to grasp: a trip to Mars would take 7 months, and for Jupiter you are talking years. But a scaled-down sculpture trail of our solar system offers a planetary tour on a more manageable scale. Plus we discuss living on Mars, exploding stars, and what the beautiful images flowing from the James Webb Space Telescope are showing to us... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In science news this week: the UK has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine which hopes to tackle the omicron variant, and scientists alter the blood type compatibility of a kidney outside the body. Plus, we investigate if e-scooter riders are more reckless than cyclists, how brain scans can be used to better predict learning over tests, and what chemicals make bees wobbly... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Children's wellbeing is in a state of emergency. It's a fact that has been tragically overlooked for some time now. In the UK, 41% of children are classed as overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. Meanwhile, demand for mental health services is at an all time high.One of the central pillars to any child's development is play: a necessity for good physical and mental health. You'd have thought, given the crisis we face in children's health, ensuring kids have the proper provisions to do what comes naturally to them, to play freely, would be a top priority. Unfortunately,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's news show: Chris provides an update on the polio siutation in London, and we hear what we can learn from hotter climes about dealing with the scorching weather. Plus, the robotic ant teaching other insects a lesson, tracking migrating moths, and getting to the bottom of earth's oxygen supply... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Last month saw a first in the UK: Bison were released into a woodland in Kent. An animal of this size and nature hasn't be known to be on UK soil for milennia, but now conservationists hope they can act as ecosystem engineers and help protect our woodlands. We explore how the European bison is able to exert such dramatic effects on its environment as well as dive into past reintroduction sucess stories, including the flight of the red kite and the nesting of the dormouse. Plus, we address the potential costs off adding a species into a new space, how learning to live alongside predators may... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In the world of science news this week, major supermarkets in the UK are removing their best before dates after data reveals just how much they sway our decisions to chuck food away. Plus, we dive into some physics to understand what influences how fast the Earth spins and how this fluctuates, the virtual robotic surgery techniques which helped separate Siamese twins in Brazil, and how gestures can make video meetings less fatiguing and more engaging. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week vaping, and the potential hidden health costs, go under the microscope as we also explore whether teens that would never smoke are being seduced by eCigarettes. Also, news of period impacts of the Covid-19 vaccines, woodpeckers and brain damage, signs that CRISPR could destabilise chromosomes, and a "wheely" good way to recycle old tyres... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Harry Lewis and James Tytko are off on a summer science special, a jolly down the River Cam with their Captain for the day Peter of Camboats. If you're willing to adhere to the safety rules of the vessel you'll be making pit stops to check out the local wildlife, sporting prowess of the University's rowing team, historical engineering works that still function perfectly and local residents taking it upon themselves to monitor the health of the water itself. But to kick it all off the boys will start by dipping their toes in the deep end, and making the most of what's on their doorstep... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's that time again where we round up some of the most pressing and perplexing science news stories from the past month. We analyse the first images from the James Webb telescope, discuss whether the protocol on rescue from car wrecks is based on any scientific evidence, and ask how data might be used to the detriment of period tracking app users in the wake of Roe vs Wade. Then, we'll find out why great white sharks are running scared near South Africa, question whether chatbots are on the verge of becoming sentient, and compare how the taste of wine is affected by the glass it is carried... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could the potential food of the future be on its way to our supermarket shelves? Parliament is currently reviewing rules which would allow gene-edited food to be grown and sold in the UK, moving away from the more stringent rules it had adopted under EU regulations. The phrase 'genetically-modified' gained a bad repuation towards the end of the 20th century, with concerns around the safety of inserting foreign DNA into organisms, the mechanisms for doing so and the motivations behind its use. With the development of targeted gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, modifying genetic... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ponds used to prosper alongside old agricultural practices. But 100 years' of modernisation has seen bodies of water on farmland disappear, although they never truly die. And this week we go in search of their ghostly remains and show how they can spring back to life. Plus, in the news, how dengue and Zika infection makes us more attractive to mosquitoes, a lunar mystery that has space agencies bickering, and how you may be able to help map the entire seabed by 2030... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Emerging viral infections go under our microscope this week, including the recent surge in monkeypox, the world's largest bird flu outbreak to date, and learning points from Covid-19. Plus, in the news, the biggest bacterium ever seen, brain training - or brain draining - apps, polio circulating in London, and signs we make friends with people who smell like we do! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's programme we are going to be sharing some science highlights - sci-lights, if you will - going in depth with some of the latest science news from the past month plus some fascinating science stories. We ask researchers what policies need to be in place to protect biodiversity as we enter a descivie decade for nature and take a look at the species living in the UK which are currently at risk. New resesearch from the week also gives us more clues about if life exists on venus and we hear how singing lava inside a volcano could help us better predict future eruptions. Plus, with... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, should your house have a battery, the abandoned gold mine that's now pumping out power, and will your fridge talk to the grid in future to better manage your energy consumption? Continuing our theme of alternative energy, we turn to the questions of energy distribution and storage. Plus, why tyres may be worse for your health than exhaust emissions, will the 4-day working week work, samples from an early asteroid, and where chickens came from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We are continuing our alternative energy month as energy prices remain sky high and this week, we are all a'flurry about wind power. With over 10,000 wind turbines on and off shore in the UK alone, we are already utilising breezy conditions to power our homes. But how much of a role will this power play in our mission towards net-zero? We'll be getting up-close with a traditional windmill to understand how humans have historically harnessed the wind, learn about the turbines which you can partially own, and hear of a homemade device which can capture the wind and turn it into electricity.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The UK harbours the leading expertise in marine renewables, but water itself remains to be a major contributor to the race for net zero. Why are these technologies lagging behind the other more favourable renewable sources and what does the next decade have in store? In the news this week: a novel approach at identifying and engineering antibiotics, the Mars probe being forced into retirement and an insight into why teenage girls are more likely to suffer from depression than their male peers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The UK harbours the leading expertise in marine renewables, but water itself remains to be a major contributor to the race for net zero. Why are these technologies lagging behind the other more favourable renewable sources and what does the next decade have in store? In the news this week: a novel approach at identifying and engineering antibiotics, the Mars probe being forced into retirement and an insight into why teenage girls are more likely to suffer from depression than their male peers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
The warmer weather is here and, with it, solar energy is on my mind. Sun-thing tells me I'm into something good. Join us in the first of our series of programmes on renewable energy sources as the world faces a difficult energy challenge and the threat of an 'apocalyptic' food shortage crisis. We'll be speaking to some of the players, big and small, in the solar industry in this country and around Europe, all with the shared goal of trying to build a sustainable future in which nobody is left hungry and cold either this winter, or in the coming years... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
War crimes. Violations of international law, such as the targeted killing of civilians, which could lead to the prosecution of those responsible. As the horrors of conflict continue in Ukraine, claims of war crime are increasing. Proving a crime has been committed in these circumstances is a long process and can be incredibly tough. But science can provide vital evidence, specifically archaeology and anthropology. These are fields often associated with historical findings or learning about ancient life. But when applied within forensics, they can help solve crime. Through the use of context,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
A diverse range of expertise graces this month's "Q n May" panel show! Find out how we listen to our cosmos for signatures that herald the birth of the first stars, how gender labels help us understand our society, and whether or not your dreams might be worth remembering. We also probe your insights into the latest scientific discoveries in our new quiz, NEWSWORTHY. Unfortunately, there is no prize for the winner, but we'll give you bragging rights if you ace it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
From skateboarding bulldogs to drumming gorillas, modern advertising is teeming with wacky characters and far-fetched fantasies, often with little relation to the product actually being promoted. But why? If you have found yourself wondering how mad marketing in all its forms actually works to get us to buy things, join us as we take a look at the science supporting the strategies of the world's biggest brands. We'll be talking to marketing experts to uncover what makes a successful campaign, and the techniques agencies use to test the tautness of our heart strings while viewing their ads.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Stimulating isn't it. I recently came off the hard stuff and I've missed it ever since. I used to see coffee as a real treat, but that caffeine hit may soon be harder to come by. Scientists predict a drastic decline in suitable coffee growing land by up to 60% before 2050. In the show we'll put you in the hotseat to see how well you really know the UK's second favourite hot beverage. In the news: a change up at CERN could spell big changes for particle physicists universally, dinosaurs with coloured feathers and the happy hormone that makes old timers love life... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we have an egg-cellent panel of spectacular science specialists who will be diving into their areas of expertise and sharing the goods! We hear about how formula 1 technology is changing the world, tools for coping with grief, some of the biggest controversies in science media and an update on the James Webb telescope as it preps for capturing the universe. Plus, we put our panel to the test with a science news quiz and follow clues on an easter egg trail which takes us all around the globe... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Cancers are made from a person's own cells going rogue. If a cell acquires the right combination of mutations or changes in its genetic code, it can divide uncontrollably and lead to the formation of a tumour. As these cells contain a unique individual's DNA, if they were to end up in another person's body, they should sound the immune alarm, be recognised as foreign and destroyed - much like an Incompatible organ transplant. Some viruses, like the human papilloma virus or HPV, can also cause cancer by triggering changes in a cells genetic code and promoting tumour formation. In these cases,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
SPOILER ALERT: May contain poorly formed bias opinions on this past year's blockbusters. Now though, it's time to dress up to the nines and hit the red carpet in scientific style as we bring you The Naked Scientists Science of the Silver Screen Awards. Tonight we'll hear about the sandy planet in the sci-fi Dune, the likelihood of improvising a musical as portrayed by Disney's Encanto, Don't Look Up's planet destroying comet and the mysterious bioweapon that finished off Daniel Craig's James Bond. We did tell you there would be spoilers! In the news, the muscle types responsible for your dog's... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Human milk is the special subject we're looking into this week, including how the cells it contains can jump into a baby's bloodstream - and literally make mum part of their offspring. We hear how biotechnology is aiming to produce human milk in the lab as an improved alternative to formula, and how donated human milk is helping sick babies, parents in need and cancer research. Plus, we dive into why online sales of human breast milk are on the rise due to a slightly surprising consumer group... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
From time to time here on the Naked Scientists we showcase episodes from some of the other programme strands that are part of our Naked family. Today we're sharing an episode of Naked Reflections, pertinent at the moment owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, host Ed Kessler is joined by Meryem Kalayci and James Smith to discuss the distressing issue of genocide. This Podcast includes some unique witness from a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, AI-based facial recognition systems go live on the front in Ukraine, ozone exposure links to teenage depression, and evidence that sleeping with the light on can adversely affect your health. Plus, as the world grapples with an energy crisis, nuclear power is going up the energy agenda. We hear about Rolls-Royce's plans for a fleet of "off the peg" small modular nuclear reactors, and the efforts to harness nuclear fusion at JET... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ever set a new year's resolution only for it to fall by the wayside after a few weeks? It is common for us to have goals and want to make change, but when it comes to turning those plans into reality, it can feel difficult. We often default back to old routines as more common behaviours take hold. Alongside trying to find ways to help us stick to our resolutions, we are exploring how our brain decides which way to act, how behaviours transition from being goal-directed to habitual, the disorders which can arise from alterations to these systems, and how research is trying to find methods to... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Conflict around the world is no longer simply fought on the ground, in the water or in the air but also in the airwaves. As digital devices pervade our lives, so too do they become both agents of and targets for conflict. To navigate us between the bombs in the bitstreams, we speak with a young student from Ukraine, unpick cyberwarfare within society, tease apart the technicalities, investigate how this changes the rules of conflict, and ask what it means for the future... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's that time again, where we compile all those lovely science questions you have sent in and form a crack squad of expertise, throw them on a panel together, and shove a mic under their noses! This week, you'll meet a Nobel laureate, figure out if the word 'dark' is put in front of complex theoretical physics topics to make them more attractive, and come face to face with our greatest bodily enigma: your armpit! Plus, with it being women in history month, we'll put your memory to the test to see how well you really know your great ladies of science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Alongside analysing AI faces & how a heart beats, we will be putting microscopy under the microscope; from the first glimpses of life up close, to stepping inside the lens and experiencing microscopic specimens in virtual reality. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Amidst the aftermath of COVID-19 waiting lists continue to grow for those in need of an organ transplant, whilst simultaneously in an American surgery a man recieves the heart of a pig. Animal donors may be the answer to our shortage of available organs, but the procedure isn't quite ready to become common place. Take a trip down memory lane and embark on the jounrey of transplantation, where it began, where we are right now and what the future might look like in the next decade. Plus, catch up on chimps applying insects to their wounds, the current uses of facial recognition and how tech can... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, it is time to put your questions to a panel of excellent experts in one of our Q&A shows! We are going to be investigating what supermassive black holes do, strategies for coping with anxiousness and just how dog became man's best friend. Plus, we have a science quiz based on new beginnings and another mystery sound up our sleeve - see if you can guess what it is... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It has been almost 2 years since the COVID19 pandemic - one of the most significant outbreaks in living history - was declared. But where did the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes severe respiratory disease come from? Spillover from the wild? Leaked from a lab? We explore what we know about the lineage of this virus and the evidence gathered so far... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Taste is wonderful! Think of all those occasions where you and loved ones or firends are brought together by food! You may not realise, but our sense of smell, our 'fifth sense', is intertwined with taste; they are essential to our happiness and wellbeing. We're taking a deep dive into how your smell and taste work. We'll be hearing from someone who suffers from a condition called phantosmia, how we can normalise smell training and maybe we'll get a spoonful of scientific cooking work-arounds designed to help those suffering from smell and taste disorders. Also, in the news this week: an... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
2022 has been heralded as the golden era of robotics. In this episode of The Naked Scientists you'll see how futuristic machines are already employed throughout industry to make our lives better. This isn't a tech review of Alexa, but instead a glimpse at pinpoint-accurate surgical arms completing tricky operations on human patients and tiny robots that allow food to swallow itself into your stomach. Gulp. In the news this week, the worst case of Avian Flu recorded in Europe, a Sea Dragon unearthed in Rutland UK and fish that no longer need their L plates to get on the road... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We are looking into the science behind the headlines in the first week of 2022 - including a medical update on omicron and how this variant impacts disease severity, a review of some of the top games and gadgets to look out for in the year ahead, a celebration marking 100 years since the first use of insulin to manage diabetes, and a behind the scenes preview of the new Sir David Attenborough documentary, 'The Green Planet'. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're looking back on the year that's just been, and what a year 2021 was. Once again, Covid-19 dominated the headlines, alongside the climate crisis and extreme weather events. But fear not! Sally Le Page shares only the good news stories that we've covered here on the Naked Scientists, such as solving perennial train delays caused by leaves on the line, and even how we cracked the ultimate mystery: how wombats make their poos cube shaped... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at The Naked Scientists? Well, here's your chance! Grab yourself a nice warm mug of cocoa nestle down by the decorated tree and prepare for some festive, but of course, infromative fun. We'll be finding out how to make the perfect snowball, how drunk Santa is come the end of Christmas Eve and whether an artificial tree is better for the environment than its pine counterpart... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We've seen them in movies, but how close are we to having nanorobots in reality? And what will we do with them? We'll be unpicking the tiny details of nanotechnology! Plus in the news this week: as Omicron cases continue to rise, what can we learn about it from South Africa? Researchers figure out why quitting smoking often leads to weight gain. And why we're bad judges of when we're over the drink-drive limit Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It is time for a festive Q&A! In this episode, we are going to be answering your questions such as, does another planet Earth exist? Can robots be as creative as humans? And why do deep sea creatures glow? Our panel of scientific superstars taking on your queries this month are science song-writer Raven Baxter, deep-ocean diver Diva Amon, exoplanet explorer Hannah Wakeford and intelligence investigator Beth Singler. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Surely a day doesn't go by without you using plastic. It's a marvel of material science. But hidden behind its convenience, plastic poses serious enviornmental challenges. Is this versatile and ubiquitous material contributing to the climate problem or helping us solve it? Plus, in the news this week: as Omicron spreads across the globe, we get the low-down on how the new variant differs from those we have already seen, one researcher thinks he might have fouind our solar system's missing 9th planet and printer-ink that 'lives'! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
As we strive for a transition to a green future, we're asking "would wood be good" to help us build everything from better buildings to more insulating windows, from steak-cutting knives to nano-engineered, biodegradable glitter. Plus, in the news: as Covid cases take off again in Europe, we review the situation here in the UK; also, making strawberry smells with mushrooms; and breakthrough textiles that cool you down when the sun shines on them. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's Q&A time! In this episode we'll be answering questions from you, our listeners, such as how close are we to developing a vaccine against the common cold, what's it like to live on Mars and what are the weirdest animals in Antarctica? That's right this week is dedicated to you. We're answering all your questions with the help of supernova scientist Sarafina Nance, marine mastermind Huw Griffiths, viral virtuoso John Tregoning and genetic genius Nessa Carey... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we have the inside track on the COP-26 climate conference in Glasgow; why bird song at dawn sounds dramatically different to 20 years ago; and scientists uncover the secret to a successful blind date. And, as COP26 marches on, we reflect on how the climate crisis is destined to affect us all. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're wandering into the weird world of spiders! We'll be looking at spiders that can fly using little silk parachutes and the grisly and gruesome mating habits of black widow spiders. Plus in the news, as UK cases surge, should Covid precautions move to Plan B; how does raw sewage affect our waterways; and is your mobile phone damaging your finger? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's that time again for another Q&A show, a chance for you to have your say! This week we delve behind the headlines as well, trying to figure out what social media platforms are doing to protect their users and discovering why Bitcoin, after 12 years, is now considered a threat to the global financial market. All that and more with Gareth Mitchell, Chris Riley, Eleanor Drinkwater and Andrew Steele. If you have a question, why not give us a whirl. Let us help you scratch that scientific itch... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
As some continue to speculate that COVID came from a lab, we're looking at the scientific research being done on dangerous diseases, whether this work is safe and how it's regulated. Plus in the news: are Covid vaccines messing with menstruation; how subsea cables are affecting crabs; and scientists add plant cells to brains to supply them with oxygen. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're journeying into the world of the smallest objects known to humanity: the tiny particles that make up us and the entire universe around us. Plus, in the news, getting the world vaccinated against COVID-19 - half the global population have been jabbed so far, but the many countries in the Global South lag far behind; the Nobel prizes are announced; and, have scientists finally solved the biggest problem of them all: leaves on the line delaying trains... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
As the UK struggles with a lack of fuel in petrol stations and fresh food shortages in the supermarket, we ask: what else are we at risk of running out of? Plus, in the news, why we might be destined to succumb to the 'worst cold ever' this winter; signs that air pollution causes millions of premature births each year, and scientists peer into the past and read previously-hidden parts of Marie Antoinette's love letters... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's programme, it's Q&A time! Coming up, we'll find out: what can we learn from invisible measurements in space, how scientists discover potential new medicines made by plants and why green energy might be more costly to the consumer... Yep, we're answering science questions you've been sending in! We've assembled the very best experts to help get to the bottom of it all: climate researcher Ella Gilbert, climate economist Gernot Wagner, enthnobotanist Cassandra Quave, and public astronomer Matthew Bothwell... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In this week's programme, it's Q&A time! Coming up, we'll find out: what can we learn from invisible measurements in space, how scientists discover potential new medicines made by plants and why green energy might be more costly to the consumer... Yep, we're answering science questions you've been sending in! We've assembled the very best experts to help get to the bottom of it all: climate researcher Ella Gilbert, climate economist Gernot Wagner, enthnobotanist Cassandra Quave, and public astronomer Matthew Bothwell... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we're looking into a topic that almost never gets mentioned at school but affects almost all of us, one way or another. It's the menopause. And we'll hear why it happens and when it happens, and what we can do to lessen the effects when it does. Plus in the news, COVID vaccines for kids: is the side effect everyone's worried about worth worrying about, farmers toilet train cows, and China clamps down on kids playing computer games. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
In recognition of World Sepsis Day on the 13th, we're unpicking the science of this dangerous syndrome - from the infections that cause it, to the genes that make us more susceptible, and how artificial intelligence can help us to crack it... Plus, in the news, sending hydrogen to houses through the gas network to cut our carbon footprint. How a high fat diet could be disrupting your sleep; and the Ig Nobel prizes are announced. We'll hear who's won what... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Quite soon after the pandemic first struck a significant number of people began to complain of persistent symptoms in the aftermath of being infected with the new coronavirus. These manifestations have been dubbed "long covid" and classically include fatigue and tiredness, headaches, difficulty concentrating and mood changes. What's less clear is the extent to which this is happening not just to adults but also to children, and particularly teenagers. These are groups that tend to have a very low risk of developing severe Covid infections but, as it turns out, they are nevertheless quite often... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we are boosting our knowledge on what "immunity" against COVID-19 really means and what our strategy heading into winter should be. We'll also hear about a new generation of coronavirus vaccines to better protect us in future. Plus, in the news, signs that living through the pandemic is having a serious impact on early childhood development, leaded petrol disappears from the last service stations, and the new wooden floor that generates electricity when you walk on it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we're taking a deep dive into the world of carbon sequestration and how we can use nature to help us solve climate change. We'll be wading through peat bogs, getting serious about seaweed, and digging into the details of dirt... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's Q and A time! Can animals really sense impending dangers like storms and earthquakes? What is the universe expanding into? And how can we prevent the insect apocalypse? We've assembled a panel of experts to answer your science questions: physicist Jess Wade, infectious disease historian Kyle Harper, animal expert Jo Wimpenny, and insect lover Dave Goulson... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, long COVID: we're 18 months into the pandemic and there are thousands of people with long-term health consequences of having caught the infection. We're asking the experts to find out who is most at risk, what could be causing this to happen, and what research needs to be done in trying to treat it. Plus, in the news, an even gloomier outlook on climate change as the latest IPCC report confirms we need to drastically reduce emissions; also a new carnivorous plant discovery - the first for 20 years - and we're asking why COVID vaccine uptake is lagging among the under 30s in the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we'll be delving into the world of environmental DNA: what did researchers find when they went looking for the Loch Ness monster? Plus, in the news, with an autumn "booster" on the cards, we look at how much antibody you need to be protected against Covid 19, and how sea level change can affect volcanic eruptions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
From collecting cobalt to installing infrastructure, what's the latest on how we're getting ready for the electric vehicle revolution? Plus, in the news, with numbers of COVID cases falling across the UK despite the country opening up we're asking, why? Also, the bottom line on how ventilation can help us keep the pandemic at bay; and how farmers can benefit by giving bees a dose of caffeine... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are billionaires racing for space? What is the UK's Covid-19 strategy since freedom day? And how will Covid-19 affect the Olympics? This week it's QnA time, and with us to explore where weightlessness begins, whether animals other than mammals suckle their young, if recent findings of methane mean life on Mars, and why the UK isn't vaccinating kids against Covid, are Richard Hollingham, Linda Bauld, Eleanor Drinkwater and Dan Gordon. Plus, an Olympic-themed quiz to boot! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's the Royal Society's annual Summer Science Exhibition, but with a digital difference. We go behind the scenes to hear whether bees have favourite flowers, and discover smelly science of your armpit microbiome...Plus, in the news, the data on masks is mixed; might it be that most people aren't using them properly? Also, are "ice berg basements" why Brian May's home flooded in London? And an app that can spot anaemia from a selfie... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are you feeling it? We're taking a hallucinatory trip into the world of psychedelic drugs. These substances are going through a medical renaissance - we'll learn how they work and how they might help to treat even the most serious psychiatric disorders. Plus, why an eye of fire appeared in the ocean off the coast of Mexico; astronomers pin down the birth of the first ever stars; and how some COVID tests can be tricked with orange juice! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we're exploring Lyme disease, looking at the science behind the ticks that carry it, the bacteria that cause it, how we treat it, and why the condition is on the rise in the UK. Plus, in the news, can we mix and match COVID vaccines? We've got the results of the latest trial. Also, a new family of beetles discovered fossilised in dinosaur poo, and a pacemaker that dissolves when you're done with it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's Q and A time! Does counting calories really work? Could the universe ever implode? And what makes duct tape so sticky? We've assembled a panel of powerful people to answer your science questions: brain and bodyweight expert Giles Yeo, astrophysicist Katie Mack, chemist Kate Biberdorf, and microbiome geneticist Rob Finn... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Eastern Australia is currently in the grips of a mouse plague. Mice live everywhere people do, often undetected. Right now though, highly favourable conditions have caused mice populations to explode in the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales. A year of abundant rainfall after several years of drought has led to bumper crops, providing lots of food for mice, allowing them to not only thrive but also reproduce at an astonishing rate. Farmers are using zinc phosphide-coated wheat bait to combat the pests, the only registered in-crop rodent killer for the management of mice in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, fetch your swimmers, or maybe not, because we're diving into the secret lives of sharks, including hearing how some of them live for hundreds of years. Plus, in the news, antibody treatments for Covid-19, plastic made from peas, and crayfish on antidepressants... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're looking at the world of vaccine hesitancy: why are some folks unsure about getting a COVID vaccine, and how we can help? Plus, in the news, home, or away - should we be able to get away for a holiday abroad this year? Also, 'sea snot' paralyses the Turkish coastline; and how just seeing another ill bird at a distance boosts a canary's immune system. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Fetch your sunglasses because we're looking into the science of sunlight: from the past to the future, what has the sun meant to humanity? Plus, in the news: a global update on COVID, toxic mercury in glaciers, and a new glue that sets underwater. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
We're diving into the science behind the latest headlines - including the oxygen shortages occurring in the wake of COVID outbreaks; the nuclear waste deep inside the wrecked Chernobyl reactor threatening to reignite; and we're meeting the man who found the Titanic, to talk about his new mission. Plus, a dive into science fiction with author Max Brooks, author of World War Z and the new novel Devolution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we're tuning in to the science of birdsong, including parents who talk to their eggs to warn them of high temperatures, and how traffic noise means young birds are taking longer to learn their songs. Plus, in the news, scientists grow beating hearts in a laboratory culture dish; why the plastic you recycle isn't going where you think it is; and why a long working week might be the death of you. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're be discussing ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It can lead to difficulty concentrating and focusing on tasks, and many adults don't actually realise they have it. So what is it, and what can we do to help people who have it? Plus in the news, we look at Indian variant of Covid, new discoveries from a 40 year old probe, and new ways to hit for six? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week we get our teeth into the science of fermented foods: are they a tasty health myth, or are the claimed medical benefits rooted in reality? From DIY sauerkraut and artisan cheeses, to the impact of fermented foods on the microbiome and how meat substitutes like Quorn are made in fermenters, it's a scientific feast. Plus, the latest Covid-19 news including government plans to vaccinate children over 12, why quantum physics just got "weirder", and an artificial intelligence that can predict when mums will go into labour... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
It's a look at the science behind the headlines! Including the latest on COVID-19; a successful vaccine for malaria; the abuses of forensic science to send down the wrong people, and is 'net zero' fact - or climate change fantasy? Also, talking about the new book he's got coming out, best-selling author of 'The Martian' Andy Weir... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
As the UK announces the world's most ambitious target for cutting carbon and enshrines it in law, we're looking at how to improve the green credentials of one of the country's largest carbon contributors: the homes we live in. Plus, as India sees covid cases hit more than 300,000 a day, is the emergence of a variant there - and its detection here - cause for concern? And, the coffee species lost for 70 years and now rediscovered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How is it that you can listen to signals on your radio? We delve into the science of radio. From how one is made, to listening out for alien broadcasts. Plus in the news, we look at the potential for the third wave of Covid, how the vaccine fairs in pregnant people, and some muons behaving badly? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, with the northern hemisphere firmly in Spring and new growth bursting out all around us, we're talking about the science of seeds. Plus, in the news: the latest on the Astrazeneca COVID vaccine and blood clots, why UK plans to Covid test the population twice a week are flawed, and why beating their chests can save gorillas from fighting. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Meet the digital phenomenon that's worth in the trillions of dollars, that uses more power than the nation of Sweden, but that very few people - including those involved - even understand. Cryptocurrencies are notoriously complicated, the best way to understand how they work is to understand where they came from. In this programme: the history, the technology, the economics, and the psychology. Plus, latest news from the crypto-world: NFTs and multi-million art sales, 'stablecoins' and financial misconduct, and finally - will the whole thing come crashing down? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, 10 years on from the earthquake that caused the Fukushima disaster, we're looking at the science of earthquakes, new techniques to protect ancient buildings from quake damage, and are we any closer to predicting these awesome forces of nature? Plus in the news: Why countries across the EU stopped, and then restarted, using the AstraZeneca vaccine, how lightning helped life on the early Earth, and do we owe our fine sense of touch to our fingerprints? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, solving the mysteries of ancient Egypt: we delve into the discovery of secret chambers hidden inside pyramids, and if glowing bones reveal antibiotic use was going on thousands of years ago... Plus, in the news, the fireball that shot across the UK night sky; a new device protects women from HIV; and the carbon footprint of cultivating cannabis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
This week, we're looking at the science behind the headlines. From the latest with COVID-19, to weather in space, we'll be taking a closer look behind some of the biggest stories of the moment. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists