TrueSciPhi logo

TrueSciPhi

 

Podcast Profile: The Naked Scientists Podcast

podcast imageTwitter: @NakedScientists
Site: www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast
1040 episodes
2005 to present
Average episode: 53 minutes
Open in Apple PodcastsRSS

Categories: Story-Style

Podcaster's summary: The Naked Scientists flagship science show, includes the latest science news, interviews with top scientists, hands-on science experiments and answers to your science questions.

Discover other podcasts.

List Updated: 2024-Apr-19 06:40 UTC. Episodes: 1040. Feedback: @TrueSciPhi.

Episodes
2024-Apr-16 • 27 minutes
Hunting Higgs bosons: A tribute to Peter Higgs by Lyn Evans
A tribute to the great theoretical physicist, who has passed away aged 94.
2024-Apr-12 • 30 minutes
Artificial platelets, and angry primates
Plus, a bluetooth pancreas that could change thousands of lives
2024-Apr-09 • 31 minutes
Global warming vs global farming
The fight to keep our food and save our planet
2024-Apr-05 • 34 minutes
Stem cells for spinal injury, and breast cancer breakthrough
Plus, the special vision behind virtuoso sporting performance...
2024-Apr-02 • 29 minutes
Nitazenes move the needle for drug death distress
New synthetic opioids, many times stronger than heroin, have appeared in the UK illicit supply...
2024-Mar-29 • 30 minutes
Climate change slowing Earth's rotation, and hotels in space
Plus, a fascinating feat of animal memory
2024-Mar-26 • 34 minutes
Alzheimer's: the fight back
The costs of Alzheimer's, and the hope for future treatments
2024-Mar-22 • 29 minutes
Whooping cough cases surge, and looking for life on Europa
Plus, using CRISPR to fight HIV...
2024-Mar-19 • 30 minutes
Tackling the uptick in ticks
How can we deal with the potential expansion of tick populations?
2024-Mar-15 • 32 minutes
COVID retrospective, space security, and car brake particles
Plus, we look back on the life of Paul Alexander, who lived inside an iron lung for 70 years...
2024-Mar-12 • 33 minutes
Should we stop calling it Long COVID?
Probing the pathologies behind long term COVID symptoms
2024-Mar-08 • 34 minutes
Greedy labradors, a dead galaxy, and telepathic fish
Plus, a new AI tool which improves projections of prostate cancer...
2024-Mar-05 • 31 minutes
Cyber crimes in cyber times
Who are the perpetrators, and how can you protect yourself?
2024-Mar-01 • 39 minutes
The UK rejoins Horizon programme, and how we lost our tails
Plus, a breakthrough in better battery building
2024-Feb-27 • 27 minutes
How pothole misery is driving a digital roads revolution
Will science hold the solution to the bane of all motorists...
2024-Feb-23 • 29 minutes
Blood clot breakthrough, and a fossil forgery
Plus, the oldest documented case of Down syndrome...
2024-Feb-20 • 33 minutes
Microplastics and forever chemicals: here to stay?
What are the effects of these pervasive and invasive substances?
2024-Feb-16 • 28 minutes
Dengue, decaying dead bodies, and a stone age deer trap
Plus, teasing orangutans reveal potential insights into why we like monkeying around...
2024-Feb-13 • 31 minutes
Healing war wounds
Both physical and mental...
2024-Feb-09 • 31 minutes
King Charles' cancer, and a new particle supercollider
And how certain pollutants are hiding plants from pollinators
2024-Feb-06 • 28 minutes
Is it time to change the law on assisted dying?
Weighing up the many strands of the debate...
2024-Feb-02 • 29 minutes
Neuralink implant, and a brief history of spine
Plus, why fasting reduces inflammation in the body...
2024-Jan-30 • 29 minutes
Decarbonising shipping, and the Ship of the Future
The unseen sector that fuels our daily lives...
2024-Jan-26 • 28 minutes
Retinas reveal future health, and the first cells on Earth
Plus, how do pond skaters avoid raindrops?
2024-Jan-23 • 27 minutes
Titans of Science: Julie Williams
The leading Alzheimer's expert shares the latest developments in understanding the disease...
2024-Jan-19 • 34 minutes
Plague in the population, and preventing potholes
Plus, could taking large glasses of wine off the menu change drinking habits?
2024-Jan-16 • 28 minutes
Titans of Science: Martin Rees
Cambridge University's Astronomer Royal shares his insights...
2024-Jan-12 • 34 minutes
Depression drugs, deepfakes, and fingerprint discoveries
Plus, a tribute to legendary surgeon Sir Roy Calne
2024-Jan-09 • 27 minutes
Titans of Science: Deborah Prentice
The first American-born vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge
2024-Jan-05 • 28 minutes
Measles outbreaks, and terrorist chatbots
Plus, what caused the earthquake in Japan?
2024-Jan-02 • 31 minutes
What science has in store for 2024
How might AI, public health, and space travel fare over the next 12 months?
2023-Dec-29 • 55 minutes
The best of 2023!
Our picks for some of the best scientific interviews of the past 12 months
2023-Dec-26 • 26 minutes
A Naked Gaming Christmas!
What are some of the best games around in the festive season?
2023-Dec-22 • 29 minutes
Naked Christmas: Presents, plonk and a pliosaur
Plus, could cola clear the food stuck in your throat?
2023-Dec-19 • 31 minutes
Titans of Science: Mark Slack
We speak with a pioneer of surgical robotics...
2023-Dec-15 • 32 minutes
The pregnancy sickness protein, and COP controversy
Plus, the sounds of the Mozambican and Tanzanian bush...
2023-Dec-12 • 33 minutes
Titans of Science: Chris Hadfield
The story of the former commander of the International Space Station
2023-Dec-08 • 30 minutes
Fentanyl, fenlands, and Boris Johnson's COVID defence
Plus, the new space telecope being used to watch satellites
2023-Dec-05 • 30 minutes
Invigorating the inactive with just one step
You don't have to run a marathon to enjoy the health benefits of exercise...
2023-Dec-01 • 30 minutes
COP28, Swine flu in the UK, and Bennu samples arrive
Plus, how babies begin to learn language before they're born...
2023-Nov-28 • 28 minutes
Jet engines, hearts, and planets: the world of digital twins
You've got to be in it to twin it
2023-Nov-24 • 39 minutes
COVID inquiry revelations, and red wine headaches
Plus, why the British Library came under cyber attack
2023-Nov-21 • 35 minutes
Spinal stimuli and good vibrations: All about Parkinson's
What causes the disease, and how we can deal with it...
2023-Nov-17 • 30 minutes
Chickenpox and weather bots
Plus, how the building blocks of life may have arrived on Earth...
2023-Nov-14 • 29 minutes
Selective breeding: designing dogs, and conserving tigers
How to keep your gene pool deep
2023-Nov-10 • 35 minutes
Breast cancer drug breakthrough, and hibernating hedgehogs
Plus, a guide to the upcoming COP28 summit
2023-Nov-07 • 31 minutes
Faeces and phages: Moulding the microbiome
How we can be better friends to our gut bacteria...
2023-Nov-03 • 34 minutes
Flu vaccinations, and calls for AI regulation
Plus, how chimps are demonstrating sophisticated battle tactics...
2023-Oct-31 • 29 minutes
Halloween, and why you should love creepy creatures
Debunking the bad rap given to certain organisms
2023-Oct-27 • 29 minutes
Long COVID, and strengthening hurricanes
Plus, a breakthrough in cervical cancer treatment
2023-Oct-24 • 28 minutes
Time to ditch daylight saving?
Health experts question whether we'd be better of without changing the clocks...
2023-Oct-20 • 31 minutes
Head knocks and food system shocks
Plus, what a liquid biopsy from the eye can reveal about your general health...
2023-Oct-17 • 31 minutes
The James Webb Space Telescope
How the JWST is solving mysteries across the universe
2023-Oct-13 • 30 minutes
Bedbugs, pig organ transplants, and 1918 flu deaths
Plus, the street drugs being linked to deaths in the UK
2023-Oct-10 • 36 minutes
When not if: Preparing for the next pandemic
We speak to experts on learning from the past to fight diseases of the future...
2023-Oct-06 • 33 minutes
Malaria vaccine, Fukushima wastewater & Nobel prizes
Plus, the scary sounds of the savannah...
2023-Oct-03 • 26 minutes
Titans of Science: Sally Davies
The former Chief Medical Officer in England talks vocations, being CMO, and antibiotic resistance
2023-Sep-29 • 28 minutes
COVID variant vaccines, and sinking antimatter
Plus, are mammals really halfway through their time on Earth?
2023-Sep-26 • 32 minutes
Titans of Science: Robert Winston
A pioneer of IVF, and a lover of the opera...
2023-Sep-22 • 32 minutes
Spinal injury repair, and embryo editing ethics
Plus, the mission to bring an asteroid sample back to Earth...
2023-Sep-19 • 31 minutes
Titans of Science: Anthony Fauci
Charting a commendable career of public service, saving millions of lives during the HIV and Covid crises...
2023-Sep-15 • 31 minutes
Ban on cheap vapes, and farewell to Dolly's 'father'
Plus, the molecule dubbed a 'slam dunk' sign of life is detected on a planet in our galaxy...
2023-Sep-12 • 30 minutes
Titans of Science: Helen Sharman - part 2
What is life like aboard a space station?
2023-Sep-08 • 31 minutes
Concrete concerns, and pharaoh de toilette
Plus, how much of a brain boost will free school meals provide?
2023-Sep-05 • 31 minutes
Titans of science: Helen Sharman - part 1
Chris Smith chats with the first Briton to ever go to space
2023-Sep-01 • 31 minutes
London ULEZ emissions tax, and uterus transplants
Plus, the worm found in a woman's brain!
2023-Aug-29 • 28 minutes
Return to the Moon: Why now?
We review the progress of the major powers' lunar programmes...
2023-Aug-25 • 31 minutes
Serial killers, and sails on supertankers
Plus, we hear about water voles' return to the Lake District...
2023-Aug-22 • 30 minutes
The perfect plate of food: seasonal and well seasoned
How to cook food that's healthy for us and the planet without compromising on taste...
2023-Aug-18 • 27 minutes
Elections in an AI age & smokers start with less grey matter
Plus, why Russia is planning a trip to the moon...
2023-Aug-15 • 35 minutes
The past, present and future of nukes
From discovering the atom, to preparing for a nuclear strike
2023-Aug-11 • 28 minutes
Prepping for pandemics, and pursuing Perseids
Are we prepared for "Pandemic X"?
2023-Aug-08 • 58 minutes
Q&A: Knuth, curry and kettles
How much of the universe is empty space...
2023-Aug-01 • 30 minutes
Hydrogen: fuel or folly?
Does hydrogen have a part to play in our net zero ambitions?
2023-Jul-28 • 28 minutes
Global boiling, and crashed crafts on Mars
Plus, a new biobank scheme aimed at children
2023-Jul-25 • 30 minutes
How AI will actually change the world
We ditch the media hysteria to focus on how machine learning tools work and how we can make best use of them
2023-Jul-21 • 28 minutes
Alzheimer's drug, and algae vegan vitamins
Plus, is London set for a major measles outbreak?
2023-Jul-18 • 30 minutes
Antidepressants: the ongoing debate
What is depression, and are antidepressants the best treatment?
2023-Jul-14 • 28 minutes
Feeling the heat and hearing the silence
What caused the hottest day ever recorded?
2023-Jul-11 • 61 minutes
Q&A: Love drugs and phaging superbugs
Plus, how dolphins manage to get some shut eye...
2023-Jul-04 • 31 minutes
The fight to save the oceans
What is being done to combat the effects of human encroachment on our oceans and its inhabitants
2023-Jun-30 • 32 minutes
AI cancer scans, and heatproof drone plans
Plus, ecofriendly supercomputers, and exotic carbon found in deep space
2023-Jun-27 • 31 minutes
Light pollution: time to flick the switch
Light pollution causes many harms, from sea turtles to astronomy, and even our stress levels...
2023-Jun-23 • 28 minutes
Polio vaccine and policy probe
Plus, what we know about the Titan sub...
2023-Jun-20 • 28 minutes
40 years of HIV
In the 40 years since HIV was identified, what have we learned about how it works, and how we might cure it...
2023-Jun-16 • 28 minutes
Space solar power and fish running fevers
Plus, why perfectionism is bad for our mental health
2023-Jun-13 • 28 minutes
The science of UFOs
What does science have to say about the UFO's most famous traits?
2023-Jun-09 • 30 minutes
UK Covid inquiry, AI, and cat contraception
What are we hoping to learn from the UK government's COVID inquiry
2023-Jun-06 • 29 minutes
Fossil fever: scientists dig in
We're in the midst of a palaeontological boom...
2023-Jun-02 • 31 minutes
Treaties, treatments and time travel
Are psychedelic treatments going to be considered for depression? Plus, what's in the new WHO treaty?
2023-May-30 • 26 minutes
Allergies and how they happen
What causes allergic reactions, and can anything be done about it?
2023-May-27 • 29 minutes
Toxic vapes and Russian treason
Plus, why mosquitoes pick on certain people...
2023-May-23 • 63 minutes
Q&A: Dodgy Devices and Maths Mayhem
Can our panel get a maths exam question right....
2023-May-16 • 27 minutes
How to remember everything
What is memory, and how can you improve yours?
2023-May-14 • 30 minutes
Cancer vaccines and Commercial Space Stations
Pancreatic mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise, and SpaceX want a space station by 2025
2023-May-09 • 28 minutes
Building a better battery
How did batteries become such an important power source, and what might the future hold for them?
2023-May-05 • 33 minutes
China's satellites and Wales' trilobites
Is China gearing up for conflict in space? And why did the 'Godfather of AI' quit Google?
2023-May-02 • 29 minutes
Did rugby give me dementia at 40?
What we know about concussions, and how they can lead to dementia
2023-Apr-28 • 31 minutes
Ultra-processed cuisine and catch-up vaccines
Ultra-processed foods are linked to diseases like cancer, and the WHO push for people to catch up on vaccines
2023-Apr-25 • 26 minutes
Dealing with Diabesity
With obesity and diabetes rates rising around the world, we seek solutions...
2023-Apr-21 • 33 minutes
Starship explodes & soundscapes for sleep
Plus, breakthrough in the fight against flu and measuring the microbiome of mice in space...
2023-Apr-18 • 30 minutes
Taking a trip into a black hole
What are black holes, how do you find one, and what would happen if you fell in?
2023-Apr-14 • 29 minutes
Solar power milestones and bird microbiomes
Plus, a new theory behind magnetoreception, and how concrete might absorb more CO2
2023-Apr-13 • 30 minutes
Eco-anxiety: getting hot under the collar about climate change
Why people are feeling stressed about the future and the frightening implications of climate change...
2023-Apr-13 • 12 minutes
Bonus Episode: Mantra Meditation
Your audio toolkit for fighting eco-anxiety...
2023-Apr-11 • 60 minutes
China hides Covid data, the problem with pain
Plus, scientists manufacture meatball made of mammoth
2023-Apr-04 • 26 minutes
Recharging in nature
How nature is good for our health, and how installing EV chargers at national parks might help us get there...
2023-Mar-31 • 30 minutes
T-Rex lips and dating tips
Also, should we call time on daylight savings, and why has the UK government moved to ban nitrous oxide
2023-Mar-28 • 29 minutes
The Right to Repair: Get your fix
Making sure that where there's a will, there isn't e-waste.
2023-Mar-24 • 31 minutes
Nerve interfaces and infrared fossil finding
Plus, assessing animal welfare and building infrastructure on areas of biodiversity...
2023-Mar-21 • 33 minutes
Trick or treaty: the high seas agreement
The high seas treaty aims to protect 30% of the open ocean by 2030. But is this realistic?
2023-Mar-17 • 31 minutes
HIV case cured by umbilical cord stem cells
Plus, an artificial sweetener suppresses immunity, and gorillas enjoy getting dizzy
2023-Mar-10 • 48 minutes
Q&A: How will astronauts shower on the moon?
Why did sharks survive the meteor strike and the dinosaurs didn't? What's the secret to self control?
2023-Mar-03 • 31 minutes
Roman dildos and hackers targeting pets
Plus, 11 minutes of exercise reduces risk of fatality, and why the latest aurora was so far south
2023-Feb-28 • 30 minutes
What can plate tectonics teach us?
Can the often destructive forces of our planet shed light on its inner workings?
2023-Feb-24 • 30 minutes
Sleepy sperm and shiny shrimp
Plus, the early bows and arrows in Europe, and if the 4 day work week trial has been a success
2023-Feb-21 • 28 minutes
Fusion power by 2040?
Nuclear physicists have been set the challenge to generate clean energy in 15 years...
2023-Feb-17 • 32 minutes
Gene therapy saves baby from fatal condition
Plus, tool-using cockatoos and the giant penguin which lived 50 million years ago...
2023-Feb-14 • 31 minutes
A Bird Flu Pandemic Hovering on the Horizon
Could the worst outbreak of avian influenza on record lead to another pandemic?
2023-Feb-10 • 29 minutes
Turkey's earthquake and China's balloon
Plus, the overlooked threat of indoor air pollution, and the newly deciphered letters from Mary Queen of Scots
2023-Feb-07 • 28 minutes
Cheaper food from fewer fertilisers
Cutting back on environmental damage is key to farming of the future...
2023-Feb-03 • 26 minutes
Transplanting brain cells & the Big Birdwatch
Also, machine learning algorithm proves more efficient at searching for aliens, and results from the sugar tax
2023-Jan-31 • 32 minutes
Satellites: forging metal and finding cholera
We examine some of the surprising capabilities that satellites have and the dangers satellites face in orbit
2023-Jan-27 • 31 minutes
Plastic-eating bugs & paying you to power off
Is paying people to turn off their appliances the precursor to a digital control of our energy consumption?
2023-Jan-24 • 31 minutes
ChatGPT: The chatbot changing how we work
Large language models are ushering in a new era of idea generation...
2023-Jan-20 • 30 minutes
Lasers lure lightning and carbon computing
Hair follicles remodel scar tissue, and mature brain cells grown in the lab
2023-Jan-17 • 30 minutes
Dry January: is giving up booze beneficial?
The past, present, and future of our relationship with alcohol
2023-Jan-13 • 29 minutes
Shouting dolphins and failed rocket launches
Marine noise causes dolphins to yell, and what went wrong at Spaceport Cornwall...
2023-Jan-10 • 62 minutes
Q&A: How to avoid being squashed by a whale
Putting your questions, from the cosmic to the microscopic, to our panel of expert guests...
2023-Jan-03 • 54 minutes
The best of 2022!
Some of our favourite stories from the past 12 months
2022-Dec-20 • 31 minutes
A deep dive into oceanography
How data on our oceans is collected, and what we then do with it...
2022-Dec-16 • 26 minutes
Nuclear fusion, and magnetic air pollution
A breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy, but what does it mean?
2022-Dec-13 • 29 minutes
Tumours and tectonics: magnets making a mark
How magnets, quite literally, shape the world we live in...
2022-Dec-09 • 27 minutes
AI passes Turing Test, and new drug for Covid
Plus, the unusual new link between death metal singers and bats...
2022-Dec-06 • 31 minutes
8 billion: an overpopulation crisis?
How did we cross this milestone, what are the implications, and is depopulation a viable solution?
2022-Dec-02 • 29 minutes
New Alzheimer's treatment, and mussel memory
A promising breakthrough in Alzheimer's treatment, but with some troubling side effects
2022-Nov-29 • 29 minutes
Personality testing: no wrong answers?
The artificial intelligence standing between you and your dream job...
2022-Nov-25 • 32 minutes
Disease breath tests, and Perseverance papers
Plus, using artificial enzymes to attack COVID, and how low frequency noises make us want to dance
2022-Nov-22 • 60 minutes
Q&A: How did we outpace the big bang?
Why do black holes spin, and what makes glue so sticky?
2022-Nov-15 • 30 minutes
Reproducibility: science's consistency issue
What use are the scientific findings if they can't be reproduced?
2022-Nov-11 • 29 minutes
Growing blood in the lab, and talking to ET
How red blood cells can be grown from stem cells, and how will we commuincate with aliens?
2022-Nov-08 • 27 minutes
Tuberculosis: tackling the troubling uptick
Covid has slowed progress in fighting TB. So what options are scientists weighing up?
2022-Nov-04 • 29 minutes
Gene therapy for epilepsy, and beastly botany
Plus, birdsong proven to reduce anxiety and the new, cheaper carbon capture material...
2022-Nov-01 • 31 minutes
Clocks, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll
How scientists are using knowledge of the human body's circadian rhythms to better our health...
2022-Oct-28 • 29 minutes
Charged up bees and deep, dark seas
Plus, New health study enlists 5 million Brits, and amphipods show signs of deep sea evolution...
2022-Oct-25 • 29 minutes
SEEMONSTER and the circular economy
A trip around the circular economy, inspired by the SEEMONSTER installation at Weston-Super-Mare
2022-Oct-21 • 34 minutes
Neanderthals, lost nets, and net zero
In the news, how much fishing line is sat at the bottom of our oceans, and can bacteria make tumours worse?
2022-Oct-18 • 31 minutes
The Latest on Long Covid
Are reawakening, dormant viruses to blame? And what's the prognosis for the one person in twenty left feeling low in the coronavirus aftermath?
2022-Oct-14 • 27 minutes
These boots are made for walking
Plus, spotting dementia early and plastic eating worms...
2022-Oct-11 • 26 minutes
Can fracking calm the energy crisis?
Or is shale destined to fail?
2022-Oct-07 • 43 minutes
Nobel Prize Roundup
Plus the rest of this week's news...
2022-Oct-04 • 59 minutes
The Trieste Next science festival
Chris and James take on the Trieste Next science festival, and find out about some of the research going on.
2022-Sep-27 • 31 minutes
Sweeteners, seagrass, and sterilised plastic
How sweeteners could cause risk of cardiovascular disease, and a new antibiotic found in trees.
2022-Sep-20 • 59 minutes
Q&A: Deadly Lasers and Delicious Brains
How many calories are in a human brain? And what would happen if our planet stopped rotating?
2022-Sep-13 • 31 minutes
You can't teach an old dogma new tricks
The institutionalised falsities that still plague scientific study today.
2022-Sep-09 • 29 minutes
First known amputation uncovered in Borneo
And the rest of your weekly dose of science news and views...
2022-Sep-06 • 36 minutes
The Microbiome: Trust Your Gut?
How the bugs living inside us could contribute towards our health and disease
2022-Sep-02 • 29 minutes
COVID Vaccines and Coffee Cups in Hot Water
The Moderna vs Pfizer legal battle, why first impressions count and cancer risk in coffee drinkers explored
2022-Aug-30 • 32 minutes
All About Drought
How climate change will affect our future rainfall, and the technology that could help mitigate the effects.
2022-Aug-26 • 34 minutes
Bite-sized vaccines and familiar faces
Breakthroughs in malaria vaccines, sewage in our coastal waters, and if we share genes with our doppelgangers
2022-Aug-23 • 32 minutes
Spacewalk: the Scale of our Solar System
Take a tour of our planets faster than the speed of light
2022-Aug-19 • 31 minutes
Bivalent Covid Boosters and Unbalanced Bees
In the news this week, a leap forward in making kidney transplants more accessible
2022-Aug-16 • 25 minutes
Child's play: curtailing a health crisis
Sitting idle while the health of our children deteriorates is a dangerous game...
2022-Aug-12 • 28 minutes
Hitting back against heatwaves
In the news, why medical experts are worried about polio again...
2022-Aug-09 • 37 minutes
Reintroduction: Bringing Species Back
Saving species from the brink and adding them into existing environments to alter ecosystems
2022-Aug-05 • 30 minutes
Shorter Days and Binning Best Before Dates
Is the Earth spinning faster? And what impact could removing date labels from produce have on food waste?
2022-Aug-02 • 55 minutes
Vaping Health Impacts: No Smoke Without Fire?
What are the hidden health costs of vaping?
2022-Jul-26 • 57 minutes
A trip down the River Cam
You're invited aboard the Princess Charlotte on the River Cam for a Naked Scientists Summer Special
2022-Jul-19 • 55 minutes
The wine we drink and machines that can think
The best science news stories from the past month...
2022-Jul-12 • 60 minutes
Gene-Editing: Food of the Future?
As the UK looks to relax the growth and sale of gene-edited crops, how could this impact the food we eat?
2022-Jul-05 • 59 minutes
Ghost pond resurrection
Ponds have been on the decline for a century, but restoring those we've lost doesn't have to be hard work
2022-Jun-28 • 60 minutes
Emerging Viruses: Monkeypox on the up
Covid continues to rampage, monkeypox is spreading fast, and bird flu has seen its biggest season ever. Why?
2022-Jun-21 • 59 minutes
Venus, Volcanoes & Virtual Clothing
An in-depth look at some of the top science stories this month
2022-Jun-14 • 58 minutes
Storing Energy: Watt does the Future Hold?
Renewable energy is part of the solution, but efficiently storing and distributing electricity are priorities too...
2022-Jun-07 • 60 minutes
Winding up Wind Power
Is breeze energy blowing us all away? Or are we throwing caution to the wind?
2022-May-31 • 59 minutes
Turning the Tide on Hydro Power
Marine renewable technologies were comparable to those of wind in the 90s, but is the flow reversing?
2022-May-24 • 59 minutes
Is Solar the Solution?
Do-re-mi-fa-SO-LAR-ti-do.
2022-May-17 • 59 minutes
Forensics
How archeology and anthropology are pivotal in cases of wrongdoing, mystery and war crimes
2022-May-10 • 59 minutes
Primates, Pi and (unconscious) Ponderings
Expert spotlights and May-themed madness in our monthly panel show...
2022-May-03 • 60 minutes
Madvertising
The plethora of pop-ups jostling for our emotional engagement.
2022-Apr-26 • 58 minutes
The Coffee Conundrum
A race is afoot to find arabica's successor...
2022-Apr-19 • 58 minutes
Frankenfoods, Formula 1 & Fake news
Scientific insights from four incredible experts in our Easter panel show
2022-Apr-12 • 59 minutes
Contagious Cancers
Cancer is renown for spreading within a host, but some rare cases can jump from one individual to another
2022-Apr-05 • 60 minutes
Science of the Silver Screen
A novel take of the Oscars; a scientific critique with The Naked Scientists...
2022-Mar-29 • 58 minutes
Human Milk
From the transfer of stem cells to insights into cancer research, the science (and sales) of human milk
2022-Mar-28 • 31 minutes
Bonus Podcast: Naked Reflections Showcase
We share an episode of Naked Reflections, this one considering the sensitive subject of genocide...
2022-Mar-22 • 60 minutes
Energy in crisis: nuclear goes up the agenda
Confronting crippling power bills, there's renewed interest in nuclear energy...
2022-Mar-15 • 60 minutes
Behaviour
Exploring the science of changing behaviours and the brain-based systems which direct how we act...
2022-Mar-08 • 59 minutes
Cyberwarfare
As global conflict increasingly turns digital, we look at the tools, targets & implications of cyberwarfare...
2022-Mar-01 • 60 minutes
Q&A: Defining AI, Dark Energy & Dr NO
We're answering your questions on motion, cleanliness and the Disney robot WALL-E?
2022-Feb-22 • 59 minutes
Under the Microscope
Zooming in on how microscopes have opened our eyes to life beyond the naked eye.
2022-Feb-15 • 57 minutes
Xenotransplantation
The search for organ donors that aren't human...
2022-Feb-08 • 60 minutes
Q&A: Planets, Procrastination & Plastic Squid
We are answering your questions about space, mental health and our relationship with animals!
2022-Feb-01 • 61 minutes
Tracing the origins of COVID19
What can the virus tell us about where it came from?
2022-Jan-25 • 60 minutes
Tasteless
Bland, dry and depressing. How our sense of taste remains under researched and pivotal to wellbeing...
2022-Jan-18 • 56 minutes
A Robotic Reality
Think of a robot... Be honest, was your imagination swayed by something out of a sci-fi film?
2022-Jan-11 • 58 minutes
MRSA, The Metaverse & Medical Milestones
With the new year kicking off, join us for the science behind the latest headlines.
2022-Jan-04 • 58 minutes
Hidden clues and wombat poos: best of 2021
We're revisiting our favourite good news stories of 2021
2021-Dec-21 • 58 minutes
Christmas with The Naked Scientists
Presents missing, Santa AFK, how will the team save Christmas?
2021-Dec-14 • 58 minutes
Nanotechnology: sci-fi or sci-fact?
Nanotechnology sounds like just another buzzword, but it's all around us and it's here to stay
2021-Dec-07 • 57 minutes
Q&A: Reefs, Robots & Rubies 'Rap'-Up
This month we discover raining gemstones, query the creativity of robots, and make hot science music & raps.
2021-Nov-30 • 60 minutes
Plastics: climate friend or foe?
Plastics are a notorious waste hazard but what role do they have to play in the climate crisis?
2021-Nov-23 • 59 minutes
Would wood be good?
We think of wood as medieval stuff, but what if it turned out to be the sustainable material of the future?
2021-Nov-16 • 57 minutes
Q&A: Mars, malaria and monstrous ducks
This month, we swim in the Antarctic, boggle at Californian condors, live on Mars and peer into our lungs
2021-Nov-09 • 56 minutes
COPing With Climate Change: The COP26 lowdown
Will the climate crisis be averted, or will discussions in Glasgow generate more hot air?
2021-Nov-02 • 56 minutes
Spooky spiders: silk, sex and squirting venom
For Halloween, we're getting up close and personal with spiders, from their venom to their mating habits
2021-Oct-26 • 59 minutes
Q&A: Mars, Mental-Health and Managing Bitcoin
Landing sites on mars, social media under scrutiny and the crypto instigated financial meltdown...
2021-Oct-19 • 57 minutes
Risky research: making diseases more deadly
When scientists do risky research on viruses, who decides if it's too dangerous and how is it kept safe?
2021-Oct-12 • 57 minutes
Particle Problems and How to Solve Them
From neutrinos to dark matter, we're exploring what the Universe is made of
2021-Oct-05 • 57 minutes
Surprising Shortages and Shaky Supplies
From bananas to helium, we're uncovering the science behind some of our favourite at-risk resources
2021-Sep-28 • 60 minutes
Q&A: Moon Landings and Making Medicine
Why can't most of the universe be seen through a telescope and why can't we commercialise atmospheric CO2?
2021-Sep-21 • 58 minutes
Making sense of the menopause
What causes the symptoms of the menopause and how can we manage them so they don't interrupt our lives?
2021-Sep-14 • 56 minutes
Sepsis: From Infection To AI
Unpicking the science of this deadly syndrome in honour of World Sepsis Day
2021-Sep-07 • 54 minutes
COVID Immunity: The Road Ahead
What does it mean to be "immune" to COVID, and can we make even better vaccines?
2021-Aug-31 • 57 minutes
Capturing Carbon: Beyond Woodland
From peat bogs to seagrasses, how can nature help us reach net carbon zero?
2021-Aug-24 • 54 minutes
Q&A: Foxes, Physics, and Fluffy Insects
Do anti-glare phone screens actually work, and how can we prevent disease outbreaks in a crisis?
2021-Aug-17 • 56 minutes
Long COVID: What we now know
Unpicking the latest on who's at risk, what might be causing it, and how we might diagnose it in the future
2021-Aug-10 • 60 minutes
Environmental DNA: Seeing the Unseen
Using traces of DNA from soil, water and air to uncover animals from past and present...
2021-Aug-03 • 58 minutes
Electric vehicles: are we nearly there yet?
We're checking in on the UK's progress towards an all-electric future
2021-Jul-27 • 58 minutes
Going for Gold: Our Olympic Science Q&A
Will we break fewer records this year, and why are billionaires racing for space?
2021-Jul-20 • 56 minutes
The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Bees, body odour, and beaming pictures from space: we've gone behind the scenes of this year's digital fair
2021-Jul-13 • 58 minutes
Psychedelics In Medicine
Are you feeling it? We're taking a hallucinatory trip into the world of psychedelic drugs...
2021-Jul-06 • 60 minutes
Lyme Disease: Ticks, Trends, and Treatment
With Lyme disease on the rise we're exploring the science behind this complex condition
2021-Jun-29 • 55 minutes
Q&A: Diets, Duct Tape & Dark Matter
Does counting calories really work? Could the universe ever implode? And what makes duct tape so sticky?
2021-Jun-22 • 56 minutes
Secret Lives of Sharks
Sharks are more than just their teeth
2021-Jun-15 • 59 minutes
Vaccine Hesitancy
Why are some unsure about getting the COVID vaccine?
2021-Jun-08 • 60 minutes
The Sun and Us
Summer means longer days and more Sun. But what does that mean to us as a species?
2021-Jun-01 • 56 minutes
Oxygen Shortages, UFOs & Nuclear Waste
It's the science behind the latest headlines! Oxygen shortages, the man who found the Titanic, and more...
2021-May-25 • 56 minutes
The Science of Songbirds
From influencing eggs to practising in private, we're tuning in to birdsong science
2021-May-18 • 60 minutes
Unpacking ADHD
We take a close look at attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
2021-May-11 • 58 minutes
Fermented food: tasty myth or healthy option?
Are the claimed medical benefits rooted in reality, and what is the science of sauerkraut?
2021-May-04 • 55 minutes
Malaria Vaccine, Net Zero & Project Hail Mary
It's a look at the science behind the headlines! Health, climate, forensics, and a sci-fi thriller...
2021-Apr-27 • 54 minutes
Green Spring Clean: Greener Homes
We're looking at how to improve the green credentials of the homes we live in...
2021-Apr-20 • 56 minutes
How Does My Radio Work?
This week we go radio ga-ga, taking a look at the science in your radio!
2021-Apr-13 • 58 minutes
The Secret Life of Seeds
From ancient date seeds producing fruit to pesky plant parasites, we're digging into the world of seeds
2021-Apr-06 • 59 minutes
Bitcoin Decrypted: Cash, Code, Crime & Power
Meet the phenomenon worth trillions of dollars, that uses more power than Sweden, but that few understand...
2021-Mar-30 • 58 minutes
The Hospital of the Future
What should the hospital of the future look like?
2021-Mar-23 • 56 minutes
Earthquakes: Science on Shaky Ground
What's going on below when the ground starts to shake...
2021-Mar-16 • 59 minutes
Ancient Egyptian Mysteries
Using modern technology to unravel ancient secrets
2021-Mar-09 • 57 minutes
Flu Seasons to Solar Storms: Science Round Up
We take a look at the science behind some of the biggest stories of the moment
2021-Mar-02 • 55 minutes
The Future of Fertility
How is fertility faring in 2021, and will the pandemic have an impact?
2021-Feb-23 • 56 minutes
Learning In The Time Of COVID
We're tackling increasing education gaps, stressed out parents & teachers, and the changing world of work...
2021-Feb-16 • 58 minutes
COVID Vaccines Explained
From novel clinical trials to vaccine passports, we're answering the crucial vaccine questions
2021-Feb-09 • 57 minutes
Stories of Self-Experimentation
What happens when the scientist...becomes the subject? Meet the medical mavericks who test their own bodies...
2021-Feb-02 • 57 minutes
Do we Need Nuclear Power?
Is nuclear power a necessity, or something we could go without?
2021-Jan-26 • 58 minutes
X-ray to MRI: Unpacking Medical Imaging
How do medical imaging technologies actually work?
2021-Jan-19 • 57 minutes
Fabulous Fabrics and Nifty Knitting
From 27000-year-old thread to weaving with human cells, we're unpicking the science of textiles
2021-Jan-12 • 55 minutes
Vaccines & Space Voyages: 2021 In Science
A look ahead to the fabulous science coming in 2021. Space telescopes, storms... and an end to the pandemic?
2021-Jan-05 • 59 minutes
Animals, astronauts, and an ancient ice bird
Our favourite stories from our other science podcasts in 2020
2021-Jan-04 • 37 minutes
Showcasing Naked Astronomy: Dark Matter
Alan Duffy talks about the invisible stuff that makes up over 20% of the mass of the Universe...
2020-Dec-29 • 57 minutes
Cake, Cows, Climate Change: Best Of 2020
We look back on a year of Naked Science...
2020-Dec-22 • 55 minutes
Video Games on the Brain
From the music to the visuals, how can video games change how you think...
2020-Dec-21 • 30 minutes
Bonus episode: Highlighting Naked Reflections
Reflect on the issues of conflict in this episode...
2020-Dec-15 • 58 minutes
Scroll Over Beethoven: Machines Making Music
It's Beethoven's 250th birthday! He was up on the tech of his time; but does today's AI outpace him?
2020-Dec-08 • 56 minutes
HIV Under the Microscope
We take a close look at the pandemic pathogen
2020-Dec-07 • 45 minutes
Bonus episode: Showcasing Naked Gaming
A taste of our Naked Gaming podcast for you to try...
2020-Dec-01 • 60 minutes
Movement Science: Devotion to Motion
How did our early ancestors move across the world? How is Covid-19 impacting athletes?
2020-Nov-24 • 59 minutes
Cells On The Move
Exploring the tiny journeys of great importance
2020-Nov-17 • 56 minutes
People On The Move
From the ancient past to the changing climate of the future, us humans are a migratory bunch...
2020-Nov-10 • 54 minutes
Earth On The Move
The world around us is in motion, from the air we breathe to the water in the oceans...
2020-Nov-03 • 55 minutes
Animals on the Move
What's an ecological corridor? And what can be done about invasive species?
2020-Oct-27 • 60 minutes
Controlling Covid-19: lockdown, or let rip?
Do we allow the Covid-19 virus to spread, or try to suppress it with more interventions...
2020-Oct-20 • 53 minutes
Talking Trees: Science in the Forest
We take a walk in the woods, to understand the science of trees
2020-Oct-13 • 54 minutes
Trump's Treatments & Nobel Prizes
Chris is joined by palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger and BMJ editor Theo Bloom to dissect the latest science...
2020-Oct-06 • 56 minutes
Menstrual Science: periods, pills, poverty
What exactly is a period? And why, in 2020, is period poverty such a problem?
2020-Sep-29 • 54 minutes
Should You go Vegetarian?
What would a more plant based diet mean for us, and the planet?
2020-Sep-22 • 59 minutes
Big Data, Big Problems?
Do algorithms run the world? We explore the limits of automation, and whether we're losing our free will...
2020-Sep-15 • 57 minutes
Covid to Climate: Dissecting Science News
We're answering your questions, and picking apart the science behind the headlines...
2020-Sep-08 • 55 minutes
Telescopes Through Time
We take a look at the future of telescopes...
2020-Sep-01 • 58 minutes
Where Did COVID Come From?
We've unpacked the evidence - and the gaps in the evidence - surrounding the origin of the coronavirus...
2020-Aug-25 • 59 minutes
Gardens, Plants and Climate Change
How can gardeners garden sustainably as climate conditions change?
2020-Aug-18 • 53 minutes
Can You Understand Me?
How do we go about relating to another?
2020-Aug-11 • 57 minutes
Sick of COVID: The Long Haulers
Meet the COVID-19 patients who are still suffering the after-effects of the virus, months after catching it...
2020-Aug-04 • 55 minutes
Sizzling BBQ Science!
Let's tuck into a Naked Scientists' BBQ...
2020-Jul-28 • 59 minutes
Science Pub Quiz: From Cosmos To G&Ts
It's quiz time! Three fabulous listeners tackle everything from physics & space to the natural world...
2020-Jul-21 • 56 minutes
Rosalind Franklin: the hidden story of DNA
Celebrating the centenary of the DNA pioneer
2020-Jul-14 • 55 minutes
Meet the Neighbours: Venus and Mars
We're taking a closer look at our celestial neighbours.
2020-Jul-07 • 60 minutes
Covid Science: Test, Track, Trace
We're unpicking the science of covid testing, monitoring and tracing this week...
2020-Jun-30 • 59 minutes
Bail Out The Planet
How do you cut emissions, kill the coronavirus, and rescue the economy all at the same time?
2020-Jun-23 • 54 minutes
Let's Get Quizzical: Summer Science Pub Quiz
Puzzling problems and confounding conundrums in our science pub quiz
2020-Jun-16 • 60 minutes
Under Our Feet: What's Inside Earth?
We're digging into the science under our feet...
2020-Jun-09 • 59 minutes
The Fifth State of Matter
Meet the fifth state of matter, a strange quantum soup known as a Bose-Einstein condensate...
2020-Jun-02 • 54 minutes
COVID-19: How to Vaccinate a Planet
Protecting everyone from COVID-19
2020-May-26 • 59 minutes
Life in the New Normal
What could be the new normal of healthcare, education and transport?
2020-May-19 • 57 minutes
Publishing & Politics: How Science Gets Made
What's a paper? What's peer review? And what does it mean to be "following the science"?
2020-May-12 • 55 minutes
The Science of World War Two
From radar to rockets, we dive into the science of WW2
2020-May-05 • 54 minutes
Science Pub Quiz!
It's a QnA show with a difference this week - a Naked Scientists pub quiz!
2020-Apr-28 • 55 minutes
COVID-19: Beyond the Virus
We look at the ways coronavirus has impacted society
2020-Apr-21 • 57 minutes
Eyes on the Skies
From cloudspotting to birdwatching to stargazing, you're never going to look at the sky the same way again...
2020-Apr-14 • 56 minutes
Bubbles, Balloons and Blooms: April Q&A
This week, we're getting stuck in to some kitchen science experiments that you can do at home!
2020-Apr-07 • 59 minutes
The Rise of Radioactivity
We follow the history of radioactivity from its discovery to uses, good and bad.
2020-Mar-31 • 58 minutes
Boom! Naked Scientists LIVE!
Genetics, geoscience, chemistry and komodo dragons - check out our latest show!
2020-Mar-30 • 21 minutes
Audience Questions: Naked Scientists LIVE!
Here's a bit more from our recent show...
2020-Mar-24 • 58 minutes
Coronavirus Explained: How COVID-19 Works
We take a detailed look at the coronavirus - from how it affects the body, to developing a vaccine..
2020-Mar-17 • 55 minutes
Secrets of sustainable cities
We look at some clever solutions for sustaining cities into the future...
2020-Mar-10 • 60 minutes
Q&A: COVID-19, Solar Storms & Ancient Teeth
Time to sate that curious mind! Our panel answers questions on the coronavirus, solar storms, and much more...
2020-Mar-03 • 58 minutes
Electric Cars: Worth the Charge?
This week, we're talking electric cars!
2020-Feb-27 • 28 minutes
Artificial intelligence in medicine
How AI is revolutionising healthcare
2020-Feb-25 • 59 minutes
Time: It's all relative
We take some time, to look at the science of time
2020-Feb-18 • 60 minutes
Prostate Cancer: Detection and Diagnosis
This week we delve into the disease that accounts for a quarter of all cancer in men: prostate cancer...
2020-Feb-11 • 58 minutes
Eat, Sleep, Repeat: Body Clock Science
This week - tick tock! We're talking body clock science!
2020-Feb-04 • 58 minutes
Q&A: Soy, Slingshots and Cyanide
Our panel of experts answer your questions!
2020-Jan-28 • 58 minutes
A Burns Night Celebration of Science
We're celebrating a great Scottish holiday - with science! Haggis, history, ceilidhs and more...
2020-Jan-21 • 60 minutes
Food Waste: Slimmer Waste-line
Why does so much good food end up in the bin?
2020-Jan-14 • 55 minutes
Know When to Fold 'Em: Origami Science
We look at the science in origami, and the origami in science...
2020-Jan-07 • 58 minutes
Lottery Numbers and Banana Skins
Our panel of experts tackles your questions! From electric cars, to ozone holes, to dinosaur DNA...
2019-Dec-31 • 62 minutes
A Year of Naked Science!
We're celebrating a year of Naked science!
2019-Dec-23 • 60 minutes
Get Gaming: Naked Scientists Christmas 2019
Board games, Frozen the game, and Dr Chris Smith plays Surgeon Simulator!
2019-Dec-17 • 59 minutes
Fly Me to the Moon
This week, we're looking at the future of missions to the Moon...
2019-Dec-10 • 59 minutes
How to survive an avalanche
How do avalanches happen and how do you face one? We speak to a survivor...
2019-Dec-03 • 60 minutes
Why Do I Stress Eat?
Is fat worse than sugar? Can you die of a broken heart? Is the universe really expanding?
2019-Nov-26 • 62 minutes
Print me a new liver!
How far away are we from growing transplantable organs in the lab?
2019-Nov-19 • 57 minutes
Custard unflustered
The deadly serious science of custard, including sports bra technology and explosions...
2019-Nov-12 • 57 minutes
Phenomics: A Medical Revolution
We look at science that may change how we do medicine
2019-Nov-11 • 22 minutes
Computer Models: Welcome to the catwalk
We discover how computer modelling works, what can go wrong, and how computer scientists can help improve the recipe...
2019-Nov-05 • 59 minutes
Eggs, eyes and quantum - November QnA
What do blind people "see"? Who should colonise Mars? And why don't sleeping birds fall out of trees?
2019-Oct-29 • 60 minutes
Does recycling work?
Is our recycling system still working, and what does the future hold?
2019-Oct-22 • 57 minutes
Blood Under a Microscope
Just what goes on inside our veins?
2019-Oct-21 • 56 minutes
Sport Special
With the Rugby World Cup underway, and FIFA 20 being released... it has to be a sport special this month!
2019-Oct-15 • 61 minutes
Inclusive Computing
This week - how accessible is the tech we use everyday? And how can science help?
2019-Oct-14 • 30 minutes
Quadrillions: Sequencing the UK Biobank
This month on the show, the biggest whole-genome project ever. We're talking in the quadrillions...
2019-Oct-08 • 52 minutes
October Q&A
Is AI a threat to humanity? What's a panic attack? And why does being scared make your legs wobble?
2019-Oct-01 • 60 minutes
Getting to Grips with Gene Therapy
Researchers using gene therapy to prevent blindness, halt muscular dystrophy, and even potentially cure HIV...
2019-Sep-26 • 40 minutes
Astronauts, geese and realistic retinas
How geese make it over the Himalayas, life aboard the ISS and organoids recreate a retina in a dish...
2019-Sep-24 • 53 minutes
Crystal Clear About Glass
From staining glass to making it bulletproof, we take a look at all things glassy.
2019-Sep-17 • 57 minutes
Code Making and Breaking
We dive into the murky world of cryptography...
2019-Sep-10 • 61 minutes
Creepy crawlies, quarks and counting
How long can someone hold their breath? Who are fitter - footballers or rugby players?
2019-Sep-03 • 58 minutes
Stripping down STIs
Chlamydia, HIV and HPV - we're tackling sexually transmitted infections...
2019-Aug-27 • 54 minutes
Are You Safe Online?
How secure is the internet?
2019-Aug-20 • 60 minutes
Marvellous Materials in Medicine
The helpful materials that keep us healthy.
2019-Aug-13 • 59 minutes
QnA: Fridges and impossible food
We're tackling the science questions you've been sending in!
2019-Aug-06 • 60 minutes
A Spin Around the Electron
This week we're looking at the big impact of the tiny electron...
2019-Jul-30 • 56 minutes
Flying into the Future
Will flights get faster? Could electric planes exist? And can our own Naked Scientist land a plane?
2019-Jul-23 • 56 minutes
The Moon Landing: 50 Years Later
We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the Moon Landing
2019-Jul-16 • 60 minutes
Simulation Science: Living in The Matrix?
Could we be living in The Matrix?
2019-Jul-09 • 58 minutes
Alzheimers Disease: Facts and Fiction
We take a close look at Alzheimer's Disease
2019-Jul-02 • 60 minutes
Extremely High: Sky high science
This week, we're taking to the sky for some extremely high science!
2019-Jun-25 • 57 minutes
Extremely Deep: Mining for gold
Extremes month continues, and this week we're going extremely deep.
2019-Jun-18 • 55 minutes
Extremely Curious: QnA
This week we're tackling all your questions about the extreme!
2019-Jun-11 • 53 minutes
Extremely Cold: Cool Science
From ice cores to absolute zero, we're taking science to the extremes...
2019-Jun-04 • 57 minutes
Extremely Fast: The Science of Speed
From fast acting venom to vehicles, speedy space to tennis serves, we kick off a month of extreme science.
2019-May-28 • 56 minutes
Ultimate destination: building better roads
Safer, cleaner, and more efficient. That's the aim, but are we there yet?
2019-May-21 • 60 minutes
The Power of Vaccines
We look into the power and importance of vaccines
2019-May-14 • 58 minutes
Why does dark matter matter?
We're exploring the A-Z of dark matter...
2019-May-07 • 59 minutes
That May Q&A!
What is a weed? How do you remove bad smells from clothes? How old are the planets? And more...
2019-Apr-30 • 55 minutes
Vets Beyond Pets
This week; horse racing, equine flu, a hedgehog hospital and a trip to the local zoo - we're looking at how vets keep animals healthy and why that's good news for humans too. Plus, how a dose of caffeine perks up a solar panel, cell...
2019-Apr-23 • 56 minutes
Naked at Edinburgh Science Festival!
Chris Smith and Adam Murphy head to Edinburgh Science Festival to bring you the best - and the bizarre - from the wonderful world of science. Joining them are Chris Johnson, Head of Computer Science at Glasgow University, Sophie Goggins,...
2019-Apr-16 • 60 minutes
Cooking with a Conscience
This week a Naked Scientists exclusive: we're putting a brand new type of oven to the test - can it really, as the inventors claim - roast a raw chicken in 35 minutes? Plus, the brave scientists who've attached cameras to Great White...
2019-Apr-09 • 51 minutes
Q&A Space Surgery in Scotland
It's time for our Q&A, this time from Edinburgh! This week, what happens if you get pregant in space? How do chemists make new molecules? And how do antidepressants work? Chris Smith is joined by our panel of experts to answer your...
2019-Apr-02 • 59 minutes
Modelling and Microbes: Science of Birth
Spring has officially sprung! There are newborn lambs prancing around in the fields in the UK, and we've recently celebrated Mothering Sunday. To celebrate, we're taking a trip down the road of pregnancy and birth, stopping off along the...
2019-Mar-26 • 57 minutes
Say Hello to Tomorrows Tech
Bonjour! This week we've been to Paris; we've been attending Hello Tomorrow, the summit that showcases world-changing emerging technologies that are about to make it big. This week: A tiny microphone that lets you zoom in on individual v...
2019-Mar-19 • 56 minutes
A New Material World
This week, Chris Smith and Izzie Clarke are taking you to the cutting edge of materials science including how blacksmiths made incredibly tough swords to how defence scientists make bullet-proof armour today. Plus, news of a better way to...
2019-Mar-12 • 55 minutes
Q&A: Atoms, Avalanches & Armpits
This week, could we colonise a planet beyond our own galaxy? What's the greenest way to heat my home? And why do bright lights make some people sneeze? It's QA time! Chris Smith is joined by a panel of scientists to take on the questions...
2019-Mar-05 • 59 minutes
The Issue of Invasive Species
This week, we're being invaded! Izzie Clarke and Katie Haylor explore invasive species: how they sneak in, why they disrupt nature, and how to fight back! Plus, in the news, scientists turn carbon dioxide back into coal, researchers have...
2019-Feb-26 • 54 minutes
Born to Run: Sprinting Science
This week we get off the couch to talk about the science of running. What does it do for our bodies, and our minds? Why did we ever evolve to do it in the first place? Can a man outrun a horse? Plus in the news, a potential kill-switch for...
2019-Feb-19 • 55 minutes
Periodic Table: 150 Au Years
This week we're celebrating 150 years of the Periodic Table - we'll find out how scientists uncovered the elements in the first place and what other mysterious materials may be waiting to be discovered. Plus a way to power up the body's own...
2019-Feb-12 • 55 minutes
Zoo&A: Why cant dogs eat chocolate?
It's QnA time, or should we say ZOO and A? We're pondering about pets!
2019-Feb-05 • 57 minutes
How to hijack a brain
This week, how hypnosis works, the parasites that hijack brain and behaviour, why we're all being manipulated 24/7, and how to build remote-controlled rodents. Plus news that we're a step closer to reversible birth control for men, why...
2019-Jan-29 • 55 minutes
Cars of the Future: Are We Ready?
This week, we're getting revved up about the cars of the future! What needs to change for future car travel to be sustainable? And in the news, as Hitachi pulls the plug on a UK nuclear deal, could the answer to the country's energy crisis...
2019-Jan-22 • 55 minutes
Art: From colours to counterfeits
From finding forgeries to creating colours, we explore the science of art. Plus, in the news, turning cancer cells into fat, a threat to one of our favourite beverages, and is there really a Dark Side of the Moon?...
2019-Jan-15 • 58 minutes
Microbes: From Farm to Fork
We're making a meal out of microbes, Geogia Mills and Chris Smith meet the little helpers that get food onto the table. Plus, in the news, the intelligent material that help wounds to heal, scientists get to the bottom of how norovirus...
2019-Jan-08 • 58 minutes
Why is There Always Room for Dessert?
Do astronauts get WiFi in space? What is the speed of gravity? Why is there always room for dessert? Giles Yeo, Anne-Laura Van Harmelen, Richard Hollingham and Francesca Day gather round the microphones to answer your need-to-know questions...
2018-Dec-31 • 58 minutes
A Naked Year!
From talking whales to training astronauts, creating life to reversing life-threatening allergies, Georgia Mills, Izzie Clarke and few other familiar voices re-visit their favourite moments and the biggest scientific celebrations of the...
2018-Dec-23 • 57 minutes
The Science of Surviving Christmas
Here is The Naked Scientists' guide to surviving - and thriving - at Christmas, including our top scientifically-tested tips for cooking turkey and making the best roast potatoes. Plus, a healthy helping of crappy cracker jokes and advice...
2018-Dec-18 • 59 minutes
Regeneration: How the Body Heals
How do our bodies heal themselves, and can science help?
2018-Dec-18 • 59 minutes
Regeneration: Healing Revealed
This week, we are getting to grips with regeneration: how does your body heal itself, and what can science do to help? Plus, in the news, the tech set to change our lives in 2019, the hidden perils of AI, and does a crossword a day...
2018-Dec-11 • 57 minutes
Space Talk: Missions Through Time
Izzie Clarke and Katie Haylor are blasting through a brief history of space exploration and find out how humanity's quest towards the stars has inspired their guests; space journalist Dr Stuart Clark, band members of Big Big Train, Greg...
2018-Dec-04 • 57 minutes
QnA: Earthworms and wormholes!
This week: Is everything in the universe spinning? How do lazy dogs keep fit? And is it safe to heat our dinner in plastic tubs? We've recruited 4 experts to tackle your science questions - astronomer Carolin Crawford, animal behaviour...
2018-Nov-27 • 59 minutes
Teeth: Brushing up on Dentistry
This week, Chris Smith and Izzie Clarke are filling the gaps in their knowledge of teeth; we also meet the microbes in our mouths and test the battle of the toothbrushes. Plus, in the news, researchers grow new spinal discs in a dish, we...
2018-Nov-20 • 59 minutes
Can Science Create Superhumans?
This week - Humanity 2.0! Can we use genetics, drugs and technology to become superhuman? We speak to experts on the science that can push us to our extremes, and meet the world's first cyborg. Plus, in the news, do men and women really...
2018-Nov-13 • 60 minutes
The Great British Make Off
This week, from posters to pancakes - how do the objects we see around us every day actually get made? We're uncovering the science of manufacturing - from the very big, to the very small and the very complex. Plus in the news, why being a...
2018-Nov-06 • 56 minutes
QnA: Temperature, Tech and Testicles
This week, we've assembled a panel of experts to tackle your science questions, including: Are there plastics in the fish we eat? Can electrical devices affect your fertility? And how does Earth's tilt give us our seasons?...
2018-Oct-30 • 53 minutes
Scientific Shimmy: Why we Dance
This week the Naked Scientists are hitting the dance floor with a look at the science of the shimmy. Why do we do it, what makes a dance look good, and how can it be used to help people? Plus, in the news; how glowing lungs can fight...
2018-Oct-23 • 58 minutes
Catalysts: Our Tiny Chemists
From brewing beer to cleaning up car emissions and even making less polluting fuels. We're asking - what exactly are catalysts, and how do they work? Plus, in the news, scientists discover the mechanism behind the majority of Alzheimer's...
2018-Oct-16 • 52 minutes
Meet the Neolithic
This week we go back thousands of years to meet our Neolithic ancestors, and discover how their innovations paved the way for all life as we know it. Explore the origin of farming and wine making, and find out how the Neolithic wielded the...
2018-Oct-09 • 56 minutes
QnA: Sperm Races and Monkey Business
This week, can science help us to quit our vices? Do any animals have accents? And how big can a planet get? Joining Chris Smith to tackle your sci-curious questions was physicist Jess Wade, planetary geologist David Rothery, neuroscientist...
2018-Oct-02 • 58 minutes
How Do I Look?
This week - from skin care to going under the knife, we're lifting the lid on the science of looking good. Plus in the news, a DNA repair kit that can fix genetic diseases and a UK project launches to clean up 7000 tonnes of space junk. ...
2018-Sep-25 • 56 minutes
Flu Do You Think You Are?
In 1918, Spanish flu wiped out more people than World War 1. Now, a century on, we're asking why this pandemic packed such a punch, where flu came from in the first place, and how flu vaccines are made. Plus, fossilised fats from the...
2018-Sep-18 • 59 minutes
On the Flip Side - Earth's Magnetic Field
This week we're looking at the magnetic field keeping our planet safe, finding out how it's generated and whether some animals can actually see it. Plus, news of a technique to read out the time of our body clocks, the people making the...
2018-Sep-11 • 59 minutes
QnA: Diabetes, Driving and Dodgems
It's Question and Answer time! The Naked Scientists tackle the medical musings and chemical queries you've been sending in. Joining Chris Smith in studio was Astrophysicist Matt Bothwell, Chemist Peter Wothers, Psychologist Helen Keyes and...
2018-Sep-04 • 55 minutes
Biomimicry: Borrowing from Biology
This week, we explore the field of biomimicry and how nature can help inspire technologies of the future, including the crickets that are showing scientists how to make better hearing aids, dragonfly-inspired wind turbines and the aircraft...
2018-Aug-28 • 57 minutes
Naked on a Punt!
Join the Naked Scientists for a leisurely ride on a punt, past Cambridge's picturesque riverside colleges. At each stop the boat picks up some of the brightest brains from the University and hear about their cutting edge ideas, from...
2018-Aug-21 • 53 minutes
Music Science: from Mozart to Marketing
Mozart or Motown, most of us love music. We're digging into the science behind this much-loved pass time, be it listening to your favourite tunes, or playing them for yourself. Plus in the news - the discovery of an orphan planet,...
2018-Aug-14 • 59 minutes
Waterloo Uncovered: Veterans Excavate Old Conflicts
This week we're on the historical Waterloo battlefield where veterans of modern wars - often with disabilities, PTSD and other mental scars - are joining archaeologists to excavate remains of one of the most important conflicts in European...
2018-Aug-07 • 59 minutes
Medicinal Cannabis: Weeding Out The Hype
This week, medical uses of cannabis. What's the hype and what's the reality? We hear from the people who grow it, and the people who want to use it. Plus in the news, scientists grow replacement lungs in a lab, why a knock on the head can...
2018-Jul-31 • 57 minutes
Life in the year 2100
We follow a day in the life in 2100, exploring the cities, transport, workplaces and health of the future. Plus, astronomers find water on Mars, a magnetic wire which could screen for cancer and why your cat's poo could change your brain......
2018-Jul-24 • 55 minutes
The First Test Tube Baby at 40
On 25th July 1978, 40 years ago, the first baby conceived using in vitro fertilisation - IVF - techniques developed to help people who couldn't have children naturally, was born. Her name was Louise Brown, and she owes her existence to the...
2018-Jul-17 • 59 minutes
Fighter Flight: The Skys The Limit
We hope you've got your boarding passes at the ready! To celebrate 50 years of the jumbo jet, 100 years of the Royal Air Force and the recent arrival of the brand new F35 fighter jet in the UK, The Naked Scientists are taking a flight...
2018-Jul-10 • 55 minutes
QnA - Should you wee on a jellyfish sting?
This week, The Naked Scientists are swinging into summer! Guests Jane Sterling, Jim Bacon, Laurence Kemp and Howard Griffiths take on your holiday themed questions, including: Why do we get heat waves; how do you treat a jellyfish sting and...
2018-Jul-03 • 58 minutes
The A-Z of addiction
This week, addiction! Why do we get hooked on things? Are video games addictive? And evidence that the gambling industry use artificial intelligence to make you more likely to keep playing. Plus, in the news, scientists discover how to turn...
2018-Jun-26 • 60 minutes
Venting About Volcanoes
This week - we're exploding the science of volcanoes. Why do they erupt? What threat do they pose to aeroplanes? And what impact do they have on us and our environment? Plus, news that marriage cuts your mortality rate, what 800 million...
2018-Jun-19 • 60 minutes
Beating Heart Disease
The Naked Scientists are delving into the science of heart disease; we've been to the UK's leading heart conference in Manchester. Hear from the researchers trying to discover the causes and new treatments for one of the world's most...
2018-Jun-12 • 56 minutes
Q and A: Disney, Dark Matter, and Deja Vu
What is dj vu? Why do I get angry when I'm hungry? Why do I remember every Disney lyric, but can't remember how to set my oven? Materials physicist Jess Wade, neuroscientist Philipe Bujold, animal behaviour expert Eleanor Drinkwater, and...
2018-Jun-05 • 55 minutes
Football Under the Microscope
This week we're taking a look at the science of football, from physics to psychology. And in the news, can being social stave off dementia and what new features have been found on the surface of Pluto?...
2018-May-29 • 56 minutes
Planet B: Can We Colonise Space?
This week we're leaving planet earth in search of a new home. Is there a Planet B? How could we get there? And presenter Izzie Clarke takes a spin at astronaut training....
2018-May-22 • 55 minutes
Allergy Science: from antibodies to anaphylaxis
Hayfever causing you havoc? Is asthma proving to be an annoyance? This week, we're talking allergies. What causes them, and can we reverse them? We talk to one specialist who's making great strides in doing just that. Plus, in the news, a...
2018-May-15 • 54 minutes
Q&A: Martian sunsets and submerged sloths
Why don't we get invisible animals on land? What's at the centre of a gas giant? Did we really land on the moon? Astronomer Matt Bothwell, marine biologist Kate Feller, palaeontologist Jason Head and geneticist Diana Alexander join Chris...
2018-May-08 • 57 minutes
Water: Drips, Drains and Droughts
This week, The Naked Scientists are dipping their toes into water; where does it come from, could we ever run out, and we take a stroll through a local sewage plant. Plus, in the news, scientists look for Malaria's achilles heel, why our...
2018-May-01 • 54 minutes
Senses Month: Tackling Touch
This week, The Naked Scientists' senses month comes to a close as we tackle touch: how we develop a sense of touch, getting tactile when shopping and the secret to the perfect hug. Plus, making greener concrete and why bird populations are...
2018-Apr-24 • 58 minutes
Senses Month: Scents and Scent Ability
This week, The Naked Scientists get right up your nose! We find out how smells work, explore if stenches could help people give up smoking and sniff out the scent of nightmares. Plus, the science of running a marathon, a secret use for...
2018-Apr-17 • 59 minutes
Senses Month: A Taste of Science
This month we're exploring the science of our senses. So far we've heard how our ears work, looked the visual system in the eye, and this week, we're getting our teeth into the science of taste. Plus news of a discovery that could re-write...
2018-Apr-10 • 53 minutes
Senses Month: The Science of Sight
From ancient fossils to cutting edge surgery, we're bringing you the lowdown on the science of vision. Plus in the news, a drug that might aid stroke recovery, and what you can learn from taking a DNA test......
2018-Apr-03 • 57 minutes
Senses Month: Can you Hear Me?
Are we headed for a hearing-loss epidemic, and can science step in when the world starts to go quiet? This week, The Naked Scientists go on an odyssey into the science of hearing, listen in to find out the strange ways our ears decode...
2018-Mar-27 • 58 minutes
Q&A: Greedy Guts & Useless Numbers
It's QnA Time! The Naked Scientists gathered a panel of experts to tackle your sci-curious questions; geneticist and food neuroscientist Giles Yeo, biologist and insect expert Chris Pull, material scientist Rachel Oliver and mathematician...
2018-Mar-20 • 58 minutes
A Brief History of Stephen Hawking
On Wednesday March the 14th, the world was shaken by the death of one of our greatest scientists, Professor Stephen Hawking. Joined by some of his Cambridge colleagues and the new generation of scientists he inspired, this week we celebrate...
2018-Mar-13 • 54 minutes
What's Inside Your Computer?
This week - we use them everyday - at work, at home, to chat to our friends or listen to music - but how do computers actually work, what's inside them, and what will the computers of tomorrow look like? We'll be navigating through the...
2018-Mar-06 • 60 minutes
Before they're Gone: Fighting the Illegal Wildlife Trade
It's one of the largest criminal industries in the world, worth billions and responsible for thousands of murders, but can we win the fight against the illegal wildlife trade? We speak to the foot soldiers of this battle: a scientist whose...
2018-Feb-27 • 57 minutes
What The Heck Is Xenobiology?
The Naked Scientists meet the biologists who are inventing a new form of genetic information: this strange science is called xenobiology. Plus, in the news, a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer, the video game that tackles fake news...
2018-Feb-20 • 57 minutes
How High Can We Build?
This week, we put your questions to our expert panel of scientists - What's the tallest possible building? Do female animals flirt? And what can we do if an asteroid ends up heading for earth?...
2018-Feb-13 • 57 minutes
The Art of Science
The Naked Scientists ditch the lab coats for artistic overalls. From coding musical compositions to the jeans that remove air-pollution, we take a look at how art has helped science. Plus, in the news, the most powerful rocket ever built...
2018-Feb-06 • 55 minutes
Turning the Tide on Plastics
This week, The Naked Scientists probe the plastic problem: can science help turn the tide on our rising consumption? Plus, the killer whale that can talk, and some groundbreaking research reveals why the USA is experiencing shakeups. Find...
2018-Jan-30 • 55 minutes
Why Bother Being Nice?
This week, we're asking would you risk your life to save someone else? Plenty of people do, and so do other animals and even bacteria. But why? And how did altruistic actions like this evolve? Plus in the news, scientists clone monkeys, the...
2018-Jan-23 • 56 minutes
James Webb: Gazing at Early Galaxies
This week, how astronomers are planning to see the beginning of our Universe: we talk to the team behind the telescope that's about to be blasted into deep space to make it happen. Plus, scientists announce a blood test to detect the most...
2018-Jan-16 • 53 minutes
Why does snoring exist?
Is it possible to stop snoring? Is there a difference between running outside and on a treadmill? Which food group really is the worst for us? Chris Smith is joined by exercise expert Dan Gordon, sleep specialist Nick Oscroft, dietician...
2018-Jan-09 • 57 minutes
Criminal Chemistry: What's the Perfect Poison?
This week - from adrenaline to arsenic, The Naked Scientists delve into the sinister science of poisons! Plus, what space tech is on the horizon in 2018, and the science of New Year's resolutions....
2018-Jan-02 • 58 minutes
The Science of 2017
This week, The Naked Scientists raise a glass to 2017 as they look back at their favourite science moments of the year, including: bees playing football, ghost busting, and removing farts from a car....
2017-Dec-22 • 57 minutes
A Very Naked Christmas
This week, The Naked Scientists are spreading festive cheer as they get ready for Christmas, all in one hour! Joined by psychologist Philipe Bujold, tech expert Alex Farell, vibrations engineer Hugh Hunt and Plant development researcher...
2017-Dec-19 • 59 minutes
The Science of Social Media
Social media use is more common than ever, with over 2 billion of us signed up, but do we know what it's doing to our brains? We're exploring how this exploding trend is influencing our opinions and our wellbeing, and also how it could be...
2017-Dec-12 • 56 minutes
Star Wars: The Science Strikes Back
This week we delve into physics in a galaxy far far away as we probe the science of Star Wars! Plus in the news, evidence that London air is stunting the growth of developing babies, and scientists use AI to decode what dolphins are...
2017-Dec-05 • 59 minutes
Can a Shrimp Punch Through Glass?
Are black holes really holes? Is there such thing as a genetic love match? Why do clouds move? The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Kate Feller, astrophysicist Matt Middleton, geneticist Patrick Short, and chemist Phillip...
2017-Nov-28 • 54 minutes
Forever Young: Can Science Reverse Ageing?
Is ageing inevitable, or can science help stop or even reverse the process? From young blood to diet fads, and stem cells to dancing, we explore what the experts think will keep us healthier for longer....
2017-Nov-21 • 55 minutes
Tomorrow's Tech: Biomedical Breakthroughs
This week, new ways to spot cancers much sooner, repair nerve injuries and fix hip arthritis: we're looking at four major medical breakthroughs waiting to happen. Plus in the news, how advertisers can profile your personality online to...
2017-Nov-14 • 59 minutes
Palaeo Ponderings: Can You Dig It?
Did dinosaurs live in herds? Why are mountains pointy? And what's the best preserved mummy? Plus we had a giant snake, a few skulls, a couple of "feet" and one of the oldest rocks on Earth in the studio. Scientists Lee Berger, Meghan...
2017-Nov-07 • 59 minutes
Are we Working Ourselves to Death?
We devote up to 50 years of our life to it, yet it might just be getting us down. This week The Naked Scientists programme examines work, hearing how our behaviour and our buildings can change to boost our health and productivity. Plus,...
2017-Oct-31 • 58 minutes
The paranormal: Why do we believe?
This week, The Naked Scientists delve into the paranormal. We'll be asking why so many of us have supernatural beliefs, exploring the scientific origins behind our favourite monster legends, and bravely embarking on a ghost hunt... Plus in...
2017-Oct-24 • 54 minutes
Under Your Skin
This week, The Naked Scientists get under the skin of skin. Hear about the new method to treat burn victims, the electronic tattoo that can tell if you've got flu and how to keep your skin in good shape. Plus, in the news this week, the...
2017-Oct-17 • 54 minutes
The Countdown to Artificial Intelligence
The Naked Scientists are joined by an expert panel to discuss the seven most significant questions people are asking about AI. We explore the risks and positive outcomes of AI, and Chris finds out an artificial podcast presenter may be...
2017-Oct-10 • 56 minutes
DNA Decoded: Past, Present and Sausage
This week we delve into DNA and what it can tell us about our past, present and future. And, what happened when we decided to read the DNA sequence of a local sausage. Plus, in the news, what won Nobel Prizes, the world's largest HIV...
2017-Oct-03 • 50 minutes
What makes the best breakfast?
Can your intestines grow back? How can you measure your own stress levels? How do electric eels work? Scientists David Rothery, Sarah Madden and Gareth Corbett team up to answer an eclectic and electric selection of questions. ...
2017-Sep-26 • 56 minutes
Is The Future Bionic?
This week a look at enhancements for future humans: wearable robots, an artificial pancreas, and a replacement retina, as well as limb and head transplants. Plus, in the news, a new hope for global warming, a new therapy to halt MS, what a...
2017-Sep-19 • 56 minutes
Memories: Making Them & Faking Them
This week, we take a trip down memory lane. How scientists can implant false memories, wipe memory away, and the link between head injuries and Alzheimer's disease. Plus, in the news, farewell to Cassini, the science of hurricanes, and how...
2017-Sep-12 • 57 minutes
Drug Discovery: The Future of Pharma
This week; from Big Pharma to Little Pharma, we look at how new drugs are discovered. Plus, in the news - what powers the Northern Lights on Jupiter, why cuckoos have the last laugh, and 3 decades of a telescope that's changed our view...
2017-Sep-05 • 53 minutes
Fidget Spinners in Space?
In the latest Q and A show from The Naked Scientists, we answer your questions with the help of an expert panel - plant scientist Beverley Glover, mathematician James Grime, physicist Jess Wade and Angel investor Peter Cowley. What makes...
2017-Aug-29 • 58 minutes
Can Science Mavericks Save the World?
This week, we're exploring the end of the world. From robotic AI takeovers to global floods, when it comes to the extinction of our species, is science really set up to predict or prevent such events? Plus, how gutbugs might be key to...
2017-Aug-22 • 58 minutes
Diet: Can we be healthy and sustainable?
This week, food is on the menu! Do any of the diets that you hear about actually work? What's best to eat for the health of the planet? And will the steak of the future grow in a test tube? Plus, scientists fix cells with the wrong numbers...
2017-Aug-15 • 59 minutes
Black Holes in Sight
This week we're exploring the cosmos through your senses. How scientists are attempting to see a black hole for the first time, what Saturn sounds like, and what will the surface of Mars feel like. Plus how to make the immune system attack...
2017-Aug-08 • 59 minutes
Will Machines Take Over the World?
The science questions that you've been sending in get scrutinised by Sarah Harrison, Simon White, Olivia Remes and Peter Clarke...
2017-Aug-08 • 59 minutes
Whats the Best Way to be Happy?
The science questions that you've been sending in get scrutinised and analysed by biologist Sarah Harrison, statistician Simon White, mental health expert Olivia Remes and machine learning guru Peter Clarke. Find out why smaller dogs live...
2017-Aug-01 • 56 minutes
Can Nature Clean up Nuclear Contamination?
Chernobyl was 31 years ago, but as nuclear power is one of the few reliable and low carbon energy supplies, how long before it happens again? We meet the scientists who are are preparing for when the worst happens, looking for ways to use...
2017-Jul-25 • 54 minutes
Marine Month: In too Deep
This week we round off Marine Month with a trip to the bottom of the ocean, meeting underwater robots and using maths to hunt for sunken treasure ships. Plus, a way to predict organ failure in hospital, and why size really does matter when...
2017-Jul-18 • 55 minutes
Marine Month: All at Sea
Our marine month continues as we swim out from the reef into the open ocean, where we'll be meeting one of the deadliest creatures on Earth. Plus, some good news about the Zika virus, how the cordless drill intended for space found its way...
2017-Jul-11 • 59 minutes
Marine Month: Making Waves
Marine month continues with the Naked Scientists as we move out from the beach to the coastal waters in search of the world's biggest fish and the corals that glow in the dark to survive. Plus, in the news this week a new personalised...
2017-Jul-04 • 57 minutes
Marine Month: Lifes A Beach
Here at The Naked Scientists HQ, it's marine month! Throughout four programmes in July, come dip your toes into all things aquatic as we work our way down to the bottom of the deepest ocean. From building superior sandcastles to the Mexican...
2017-Jun-28 • 55 minutes
Would You Trust a Robot?
Would you trust a robot to grow your food, to operate on you, to fight a war on your behalf, or to save your life in an emergency? We look at how robots are on course to alter our lives. Plus, new insights into how the Sun works, and...
2017-Jun-20 • 50 minutes
Hearts in the Extreme
The Naked Scientists report back from the British Cardiovascular Society's annual conference, finding out how our tickers deal with extreme exercise and environments, from deep under the sea right into outer space....
2017-Jun-13 • 54 minutes
Can we talk to dolphins?
The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Danielle Green, physicist Stuart Higgins, psychologist Duncan Astle and astrophysicist Carolin Crawford, to tackle your questions. This week, find out whether you can hear screams in...
2017-Jun-06 • 55 minutes
Cyber Security: When Crime Goes Online
As life moves increasingly online, so do crime and fraud. This week, we uncover some personal secrets from a supposedly blank hard drive, find out how hackers can use baby monitors to spy on people and hear about the next generation of...
2017-May-30 • 55 minutes
Biology's Biggest Mystery: The Origin of Life
Journey back 3.7 billion years to the young earth, as we try to find out how life first began. Was it in a soup of colliding chemistry, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent or did life rain down on the earth from the cosmos? Plus, the microbial...
2017-May-23 • 54 minutes
Why Bother Going to the Moon?
The Naked Scientists are joined by biologist Kate Feller, physicist Jess Wade, biochemist Andy Holding and Space Boffin Richard Hollingham, to field your science questions. This week, find out what happens to muscles in space, how to rid a...
2017-May-16 • 56 minutes
Would Aliens Understand Maths?
Love it or loathe it maths is everywhere... from counting bees to interstellar trade with aliens, we explore how maths earned the title of the language of the universe. Plus, getting to know our new ancestor Homo naledi, how a good nights...
2017-May-09 • 55 minutes
How language affects the brain
This week, The Naked Scientists go global as we explore language - can speaking more than one exercise our brain?; and is our ability to save money purely down to the way we talk? Plus, the rodents that provide new information for stroke...
2017-May-02 • 56 minutes
Zooming in on Cancer
Cancer is a devastating disease, and one of the largest killers in the Western world. This week, in a special show, Kat Arney investigates how scientists are fighting back, from building tumours in the lab to a Google Earth for cancer....
2017-Apr-25 • 55 minutes
Gut Bugs: Friend or Foe?
The Naked Scientists go on a tour of the intestine, from top to bottom, in search of the good and bad germs that lurk there and what they mean for our health. Plus, why touchscreens may be harming toddlers' sleep and why scientists all over...
2017-Apr-18 • 57 minutes
Should I Sequence My Genes?
What surprises might you find lurking in your DNA, and can that information be used against you? ...
2017-Apr-11 • 58 minutes
How to Grow a Human
We speak to scientists turning embryonic cells into nerve cells to treat Parkinson's disease and growing an entire system of organs in the lab. Plus, how antibiotics taken during pregnancy may affect your child's behaviour and why climate...
2017-Apr-04 • 56 minutes
Do Those Pollution Masks Really Work?
How do venus fly traps work? Can psychologists read your mind? Why is herbivore poo so diverse?
2017-Mar-28 • 59 minutes
Inside the Atom
100 years since Rutherford split the atom, we investigate the secrets of the building blocks of our Universe. How can we harness the energy locked inside these particles, how have scientists been engineering brand new elements, and are we...
2017-Mar-21 • 57 minutes
Is Modern Life Affecting Fertility?
Are trends in modern living helping or harming our ability to reproduce?
2017-Mar-14 • 55 minutes
A Crash Course in Space Junk
There is a floating museum above our heads: millions of fragments from past space missions are hurtling round the earth and could destroy our current satellites. We find out how spacecraft are coping now, and how we might be able to clean...
2017-Mar-07 • 60 minutes
What is the cause of Brain Freeze?
Why are we looking for earth-sized planets? Can I unshrink a woollen jumper? What does a black hole actually look like? Chris Smith is joined by David Rothery, Anna Ploszajski, Aimee Eckert and Michael Conterio to answer your science...
2017-Feb-28 • 55 minutes
Conversations about Climate Change
This week, a crash course in climate change: we meet one strange fish already feeling the pinch, ask if humans are wired to ignore the threat, and look at one way we could all reduce our carbon footprint. Plus, why alcohol consumption...
2017-Feb-21 • 59 minutes
Preventing HIV with PrEP
This week, we investigate the HIV preventative measure PrEP, which could be turning the tide on new infection rates - but is it safe to buy online? Plus, the toughest ever spider's web, a journey back through the history of language and the...
2017-Feb-14 • 60 minutes
Meteorites: Space Invaders
What's the difference between a meteorite, meteoroid, a comet and an asteroid? We tell you how to find your own space rock here on Earth, and hear from a scientists tracking where space rocks come down in the Australian outback. Plus, why...
2017-Feb-07 • 56 minutes
Can we Create Artificial Gravity?
Do giraffes get struck by lightning? What's the highest number a person could count to? How do animals have sex underwater? Chris Smith teams up with Tim Revell, Richard Hollingham, Chris Basu and Danielle Green to tackle your science...
2017-Jan-31 • 57 minutes
Optogenetics: Lighting up the Brain
Could a light in your brain cure epilepsy, or send you to sleep? The Naked Scientists investigate the mysterious field of optogenetics, and the treatments it promises to bring. Plus, news of a cancer-detecting artificial intelligence and ...
2017-Jan-24 • 55 minutes
The LED Lighting Revolution
The light bulb is a hundred-year-old technology whose time is finally up. This week, we shine a little light on its replacement to find out what makes it such a compelling alternative and look to the next revolution in lighting. Plus, how...
2017-Jan-17 • 57 minutes
The Science of Laughter
This week, The Naked Scientists take a look at the science of laughter, asking why we like to laugh, hearing what babies find funny and meeting a joke-building robot. Plus, news of a gene editing technique taking on a deadly disease and a...
2017-Jan-10 • 54 minutes
Are more crimes committed during a full moon?
Does being angry increase your risk of a heart attack? What's a psychopath? And how much does a single cell weigh? This week, Chris Smith answers your questions with Stuart Higgins, Maud Borensztein, Kyle Treiber and James Rudd....
2017-Jan-03 • 57 minutes
2016: A Year in Science
The Naked Scientists celebrate the dawn of 2017 with a look at their best bits from 2016, including: the science breakthrough of the year, how to use psychology to get a date and why it pays to look on the bright side....
2016-Dec-27 • 53 minutes
Our Search for Extraterrestrials
This week: is there anybody out there or are we alone in the Universe? Graihagh Jackson ponders one of the fundamental questions of humanity, from flying saucers and UFOs to why we haven't found any evidence and what it would mean to find...
2016-Dec-20 • 53 minutes
The 12 Scientific Days of Christmas
The Naked Scientists celebrate the holidays with the 12 scientific days of Christmas. From why 9 ladies like to dance to making those 6 geese eggs into bouncy balls...
2016-Dec-13 • 57 minutes
What's the Healthiest Way to Eat an Entire Cake?
From quantum entanglement to cakes and mascara: your science questions answered..
2016-Dec-06 • 60 minutes
When The Drugs Don't Work...
How frontline scientists are combating the grim prospect of antibiotic resistance...
2016-Nov-29 • 60 minutes
Is DNA the Basis for all Life in the Universe?
Life here on Earth uses DNA. But why, and would aliens be made of the same stuff?
2016-Nov-22 • 56 minutes
Navigating the Future
Driverless cars, self-tracking trousers and "super" GPS: what's next for navigation?
2016-Nov-15 • 54 minutes
What's between my internal organs?
Could I survive being eaten by a snake? Why do ants steal my toenail clippings?
2016-Nov-08 • 56 minutes
The History of Hominins: Are Humans Special?
How did we get here and are we really all that special?
2016-Nov-01 • 53 minutes
Your Brain on Horror
What's the science behind the scares in horror films?
2016-Oct-25 • 58 minutes
The End of Night
80% of Europeans and Northern Americans now can't see the Milky Way. But does this matter?
2016-Oct-18 • 55 minutes
Hospital Health Check
Hospitals: past, present and future.
2016-Oct-11 • 58 minutes
Will We Beat Alzheimer's Disease?
It was discovered over 100 years ago but are we any closer to defeating the disease?
2016-Oct-04 • 56 minutes
Why do Cats Have Vertical Pupils?
We put your questions to a selection of superstar scientists...
2016-Sep-27 • 55 minutes
A Little Light Relief
Illuminating the new light based technologies looking to provide a brighter future.
2016-Sep-20 • 60 minutes
Mapping the Milky Way
This week we explore the Milky Way as the first batch of data is returned from Gaia.
2016-Sep-13 • 56 minutes
Moulding the Minds of Tomorrow
This week, we don our uniforms for a lesson in the science of education.
2016-Sep-06 • 54 minutes
How Old is the Average Atom?
How old is an atom? What's the fastest way to die in space? Why's it colder at altitude?
2016-Aug-30 • 57 minutes
Scrutinizing Science
It's our 15th birthday and we're celebrating by putting science under the microscope...
2016-Aug-23 • 58 minutes
Animation: The Reel Deal
Explore the physics and psychology that brings animations to the big screen!
2016-Aug-16 • 57 minutes
Drugs: Time for a Change?
Addiction, decriminalisation and potential good: the science behind the drugs debate.
2016-Aug-09 • 58 minutes
Do Fish Fart?
From farting fish to the link between diet and cancer, we take on your questions...
2016-Aug-02 • 54 minutes
The Science Too Hot To Handle
From the Olympics to jet engines, this week we're turning up the temperature.
2016-Jul-26 • 54 minutes
Fuels Of The Future
As transport changes and we become more sustainable, what is the future of fuels?
2016-Jul-19 • 58 minutes
A Dog's Life: Intelligence and Inbreeding
What can we learn from our canine companions, and have we taken breeding too far?
2016-Jul-12 • 54 minutes
Concrete Jungles
Is there space for nature in our increasingly urbanised world?
2016-Jul-05 • 52 minutes
Can toads predict earthquakes?
Answering your queries, from how do tattoos work to what's the best position to sleep in
2016-Jun-28 • 58 minutes
Science meets MasterChef!
From the physics of chocolate emulsions to the psychology of the right cutlery.
2016-Jun-21 • 56 minutes
Autopsy: A Matter of Life and Death
Chris observes a post mortem and askes how this once common practice is still saving lives
2016-Jun-14 • 64 minutes
How to Keep your Heart Healthy
With heart disease as the leading killer in the west, how can we keep our hearts healthy?
2016-Jun-07 • 58 minutes
Your Home in 2050
Can we reduce carbon emissions whilst meeting the demands of a global housing shortage?
2016-May-31 • 58 minutes
Stressed? You're not the only one...
Why we're all stressed out; what the consequences are and what we can do to be happier.
2016-May-24 • 59 minutes
The War on Salt
How we can try to prevent salt from killing our crops and harming our health.
2016-May-17 • 54 minutes
Does Telepathy Exist?
Is a woman's memory superior? What's the evidence for climate change? You ask: we answer!
2016-May-10 • 58 minutes
Phosphorus: Essential to All Life But Are We Running Out?
Peak phosphorus could be as little a decade away. We need to act now but what can we do?
2016-May-03 • 54 minutes
Can Science Prove Whodunnit?
Does forensic science really have all the answers, or are we letting it mislead us?
2016-Apr-26 • 60 minutes
The Secret World of Shipping
What do you know about the shipping industry and how important is it for everyday life?
2016-Apr-19 • 55 minutes
What happened to Tutankhamun's heart?
Plus when in did humans develop tooth decay and how did Neil Armstrong get home?
2016-Apr-12 • 55 minutes
Conflict in Conservation
Defending gorillas from poaching, living next door to lions and the illegal ivory trade.
2016-Apr-05 • 54 minutes
Can You Boost Your Memory?
This week it's the science of memory: what is memory and can it be improved?
2016-Mar-29 • 60 minutes
Will an artificially intelligent robot steal your job?
...and then take over the world? Graihagh investigates...
2016-Mar-22 • 50 minutes
Do you burn more calories when thinking?
Can you survive purely on avocados? Can a spinning spaceship simulate gravity?
2016-Mar-15 • 58 minutes
Cambridge Science Festival: Battle of the Brains
This week we ask six Cambridge scientists to battle it out for science supremacy.
2016-Mar-08 • 60 minutes
The A - Zika of viruses: Preventing Pandemics
Where do new diseases come from, and how can we fight them?
2016-Mar-01 • 59 minutes
Gravitational Waves: Discovery of the Decade?
100 years after Einstein predicted them, gravitational waves rock the world of physics...
2016-Feb-23 • 54 minutes
Could The Internet Die?
This week we get to grips with your burning questions.
2016-Feb-16 • 56 minutes
Rules of Attraction: The Science of Sex
Science approved pick-up lines, your brain in love and how tech has changed dating...
2016-Feb-09 • 57 minutes
Caffeine: Friend or Foe?
It's one of the only legal psychoactive stimulants but is it good or bad for our health?
2016-Feb-02 • 60 minutes
Food Security: Insects for Dinner?
How will we feed the world in the face of a booming population and climate change?
2016-Jan-26 • 54 minutes
Black holes: the inside story...
This week we shed some light on the Universe's most enigmatic objects: black holes...
2016-Jan-19 • 49 minutes
The Hidden World of Hibernation
In winter the idea of hibernating sounds pretty tempting, but what's actually happening?
2016-Jan-12 • 53 minutes
Why do we have pubic hair?
How do we make decisions? Why do we go deaf when we yawn and does light wear out?
2016-Jan-05 • 57 minutes
Do You Have Skinny Genes?
Graihagh hunts for her missing sixpack. Is it doable or is it just not in her DNA destiny?
2015-Dec-29 • 60 minutes
Top Scientific Moments of 2015
It's the end of another great year for the Naked Scientists, what was your best bit?
2015-Dec-22 • 54 minutes
Cracking the science of Christmas
The psychology of gift-giving, chocolate equations and how to avoid a festive hangover.
2015-Dec-15 • 56 minutes
Dishing the Dirt on our Soils
We're losing a football pitch of soil every 5 seconds but why? And how can we stop it?
2015-Dec-08 • 55 minutes
Music Technology: Do or Die?
How is technology changing music and is it a blessing or a curse?
2015-Dec-01 • 56 minutes
Fighting Floods: Who Gets Hit?
In a rapidly changing climate, what do we really know about how to spot or prevent floods?
2015-Nov-24 • 54 minutes
Sugar Tax: Answer to Obesity?
Some say it's fuelling an obesity epidemic, but is sugar really to blame?
2015-Nov-17 • 54 minutes
Big Data, Big Deal?
Big Data is everywhere but what is it, how is it used and how does it impact our privacy?
2015-Nov-10 • 49 minutes
Do squirrels ever forget where they hid their nuts?
The Naked Scientists tackle your science questions head on.
2015-Nov-03 • 55 minutes
Electric Cars: Pollution Solution?
We dish the dirt on pollution and see if electric cars can compete with petrol motors...
2015-Oct-27 • 54 minutes
Should I Stay, or Should I go... to Mars?
In this special debate we ask our experts the BIG question, and why?
2015-Oct-20 • 54 minutes
Could We Ever Colonise Mars?
We look at science from around our world, which could help us build a home on another.
2015-Oct-13 • 51 minutes
Mars: Are we nearly there yet?
They say it's the journey, not the destination. For Mars, it's going to be one bumpy ride.
2015-Oct-06 • 55 minutes
Could you be an astronaut?
Would you survive the vomit comet, tolerate 9 Gs and manage to live with 4 strangers?
2015-Sep-29 • 50 minutes
Why don't spiders get stuck on their webs?
Do spiders get stuck in their webs? Will we ever find dark matter? Can dogs feel guilt?
2015-Sep-22 • 54 minutes
How to Save a Life
From the emergency call to recovery process: meet the people ready to save your life.
2015-Sep-15 • 58 minutes
Climate Change: Making Waves?
Past changes in climate had dramatic effects on our oceans - what can theseteach us?
2015-Sep-08 • 54 minutes
Hands-on, Minds Open: The Changing Face of Science
How teens are publishing papers and why the battle against the STEM shortage may be over.
2015-Sep-01 • 58 minutes
Pluto, at Long Last...
21 years in the making, scientists finally get intimate with Pluto and what lies beyond...
2015-Aug-23 • 57 minutes
Truth and Beauty: The Hidden World of Symmetry
Why symmetry is more than just a pretty face...
2015-Aug-18 • 58 minutes
The Yuck Factor: Why We Find Things So Disgusting
Why are some things so repulsive and how is science using disgust to better humanity?
2015-Aug-11 • 59 minutes
Graphene
What actually is graphene, and what is it doing for us?
2015-Aug-04 • 57 minutes
Meet your Sex Hormones
How hormones run the show when it comes to sex, and how this has societal-wide impacts...
2015-Jul-28 • 53 minutes
Why do Scientists say "So"?
From why scientists often say "so", to the feasibility of charging a human by USB...
2015-Jul-21 • 53 minutes
The Seven Million Dollar Maths Mystery
What will it take to solve a Millennium Problem, and how will it revolutionise our world?
2015-Jul-14 • 58 minutes
Make it Digital!
A journey into the Matrix: we explore the wonders and woes of our digital age!
2015-Jul-07 • 58 minutes
BOOM! The Bang behind the bomb, and how to stop it
Things get a little dangerous as we uncover the science behind war and explosions...
2015-Jun-30 • 53 minutes
Caesium: The Element that Redefined Time
60 years since the discovery of atomic time, we ask what is time and when did it begin?
2015-Jun-23 • 53 minutes
Bring out your Dead: Plague and Fire
A scorcher of a show investigating the Black Death and the Great Fire of London.
2015-Jun-16 • 53 minutes
What does Falling into a Black Hole Feel Like?
What's the point of mosquitoes? Do your eyes pop out if left open when sneezing?
2015-Jun-09 • 55 minutes
Behind Blood donation
We dip into the history of blood, get stuck into blood donation, and explore its future...
2015-Jun-02 • 54 minutes
Dark Matter: A Massive Mystery
Are we on the verge of solving one of the longest standing puzzles in physics?
2015-May-26 • 60 minutes
How many geckos to hold up a human?
Bat v caterpillar, mole v gecko, snake v stickleback - which is the most amazing animal?
2015-May-19 • 56 minutes
Can astronauts shower in space?
The Naked Scientists and guests join forces to answer some of your best science questions.
2015-May-12 • 53 minutes
Safety at 40,000 Feet
Crashes, contagion and climate change. Do we have anything to fear from planes?
2015-May-05 • 59 minutes
Violent Volcanoes
How volcanoes blow their tops, and the after-shocks of an eruption...
2015-Apr-28 • 59 minutes
Game on! The Science of Video Gaming
We step inside the multidimensional world of the computer games industry...
2015-Apr-21 • 47 minutes
Could Earth be Knocked Out of Orbit?
Why do humans have rhythm? Do you sneeze in your sleep? Why do crabs walk sideways?
2015-Apr-14 • 54 minutes
Defying Death...
Can we live forever? We look at the latest breakthroughs that could make us immortal...
2015-Apr-07 • 54 minutes
Egg-cellent Easter Science
Eggs, chickens and chocolate abound in this Easter special.
2015-Mar-31 • 60 minutes
Whodunnit? Fascinating Forensics
From crime scene to court room, how is science used to solve crimes?
2015-Mar-24 • 55 minutes
Brain on fire
Are psychosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression down to abnormal immune responses?
2015-Mar-17 • 54 minutes
Chasing Rainbows: The Quest to Understand Light
Why Newton stuck a needle in his eye, how the brain sees and echoes of the Big Bang...
2015-Mar-10 • 56 minutes
The Life Parasitic
What parasites are living in and on you, and the tricks these invaders play on their hosts
2015-Mar-03 • 59 minutes
Eureka Streaker: Experiments that Changed the World
Archimedes shouting Eureka, Isaac Newton's apples, Volta's piles and singing planets...
2015-Feb-24 • 58 minutes
Marijuana: Risk or Remedy?
Unrolling the sometimes conflicting stories about the dangers and benefits of cannabis.
2015-Feb-17 • 55 minutes
Your Smartphone: What's it Saying to Cyber-Criminals?
How and where your phone is leaking your personal information to and how to stop it...
2015-Feb-10 • 57 minutes
Meet the Doctors of Love!
We hack online dating, maximise first date potential and use maths to minimise divorce...
2015-Feb-03 • 56 minutes
Outnumbered: Are your bacteria controlling you?
How does our microbiome keep us healthy?
2015-Jan-27 • 57 minutes
Lifting the lid on Plastic
What are plastics, why they don't break down and how to grow plastics on trees...
2015-Jan-20 • 55 minutes
The Secrets of Sleep
Why we sleep talk, how to lucid dream and what happens when sleep goes wrong...
2015-Jan-13 • 59 minutes
Fighting Fat with Science
Why are humans so prone to gaining weight and can science help us out of this mess?
2015-Jan-06 • 50 minutes
Dissolving teaspoons: Naked in Wellington
Dissolving teaspoons, plants sunbathing, halting multiple sclerosis and Antarctic warming.
2014-Dec-30 • 53 minutes
Voices in the Dark
What's it like to hear voices that no one else hears?
2014-Dec-23 • 55 minutes
The Science of Christmas
The psychology behind the best roast, how to cure your hangover and the science of singing
2014-Dec-16 • 59 minutes
Total wipe out: Mass Extinction
What wiped out the dinosaurs and are we next?
2014-Dec-09 • 59 minutes
Good Vibrations
What exactly is sound, and how do we hear it?
2014-Dec-02 • 57 minutes
The Internet: the good, the bad and the ugly
We untangle the good, the bad and the ugly side of the Internet...
2014-Nov-23 • 54 minutes
Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer?
We build bombs, put sniffer dogs to the test and see if 'robocops' will patrol airports..
2014-Nov-18 • 58 minutes
Inside the Ebola Epidemic
Where did Ebola come from, and why now? We talk to the people on the ground to find out...
2014-Nov-11 • 57 minutes
Combating Cancer
Cancer blood tests, genetic tricks trigger tumour death, and laser particle accelerators.
2014-Nov-04 • 59 minutes
Supernatural Science
Join us for a spooky look at the science of the supernatural.
2014-Oct-28 • 53 minutes
Transport of Tomorrow
Driverless cars, pizza-delivering drones, transparent airliners and holidays in space...
2014-Oct-21 • 58 minutes
The Cities of Tomorrow
Crime-combating lamp-posts, ply-scrapers and super-sewers, staples of tomorrow's towns...
2014-Oct-14 • 54 minutes
Will Climate Change Cost the Earth?
What does climate change have in store for our futures?
2014-Oct-07 • 59 minutes
Powering the Future
Where will our energy come from in the future: wind, solar, or even piezoelectric power?
2014-Sep-28 • 53 minutes
Alien Hunters: The Search for ET
Is there anybody out there? We search for life beyond Earth...
2014-Sep-21 • 53 minutes
Can you 3D-print me a new kidney?
3D printed organs, drugs, jet engines and even fruit! We take a look at our 3D futures...
2014-Sep-16 • 59 minutes
Hack Attack!
Are you under attack from cybercriminals? We look at the latest threats online...
2014-Sep-09 • 54 minutes
Does nature do it better?
This week we're looking to nature to solve some of today's biggest problems - from climate change to water shortages. We hear how spiders hold the key to making the strongest material known to man and how insect ears have inspired the...
2014-Sep-02 • 55 minutes
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fusion has been promising us clean energy for years, what's it all about?
2014-Aug-26 • 54 minutes
The Naked Scientists in New Zealand
A special episode of the Naked Scientists, showcasing New Zealand's cutting edge research.
2014-Aug-19 • 54 minutes
Personalised Medicine
This week, we delve into how your genes will determine thehealth care you receive.
2014-Aug-12 • 54 minutes
Food for Thought!
This week we're cooking up a storm, dissecting the science behind food and flavour.
2014-Aug-05 • 58 minutes
The brightest light in the Universe
How bright lights are changing the face of paleontology, medicine and airplanes.
2014-Jul-29 • 63 minutes
A trip to the seaside
Grab your sunhats and beach towels ready for this special show all about marine animals...
2014-Jul-22 • 55 minutes
The End of Extinction?
Does technology mean extinction may not be the end for some species?
2014-Jul-15 • 54 minutes
Returning to the Moon - A giant leap for mankind?
We celebrate the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11 by asking, should we return to the Moon?
2014-Jul-08 • 60 minutes
Saddle Up: The Science of Cycling
Chimp gestures, people prefer shocks to thoughts, and saddle up for the science of cycling
2014-Jul-01 • 59 minutes
Engineering the Impossible
Human levitation, climate-altering balloons, earthquake-proof buildings and super steels
2014-Jun-24 • 54 minutes
Ready for Kick Off...
We examine the beatuiful game to find out how much World Cup action comes down to science
2014-Jun-17 • 62 minutes
Untangling Alzheimer's Disease
Fruit flies, arm hair and video games tackle the most significant threat to our generation
2014-Jun-10 • 55 minutes
Freeze Dried Blood!
We investigate how scientists are designing new ways to preserve vaccines, probiotic bacteria, enzymes in washing powder and even blood.
2014-Jun-03 • 60 minutes
Learning to Learn
Making brainwaves: how the baby brain develops, how the teenage mind differs and ways to improve your memory...
2014-May-27 • 54 minutes
The Cost of a Life
In a special ethics show, we discuss how we decide which drugs our health services can afford and what are the limits on 'designer babies'?
2014-May-20 • 54 minutes
Natural born cleaners
Can nature's recyclers, bacteria and fungi, help us clean up man-made environmental problems from oil spills to mining slag heaps?
2014-May-13 • 54 minutes
Powering up the National Grid
How will power grids be transformed? We look at technology to reduce our energy prices and new ways to include wind and solar power...
2014-May-06 • 60 minutes
Fascinating Fossils
In front of a live audience at the Cambridge Science Centre, Chris Smith is joined by three paleontologists to discuss fascinating fossils!
2014-Apr-29 • 54 minutes
Building the Future
With the demand for new homes ever increasing, we ask what will the buildings of the future be like?
2014-Apr-22 • 53 minutes
Huntingtons Disease
In a special show from Cambridge and New Zealand, Hannah Critchlow investigates the research into Huntington's Disease
2014-Apr-15 • 52 minutes
Why do we laugh when tickled?
In this Q & A special the Naked Scientists get stuck into your queries, like why are planets round? and why do we laugh when tickled?
2014-Apr-08 • 54 minutes
Power to your Elbow: Better Batteries
Bigger, better and longer lasting: this week we go in search of the battery technology that will power the future...
2014-Apr-01 • 52 minutes
Right Hand, Left Hand
How handedness spans the scientific world, from the smallest particles in the Universe to drugs that cure disease...
2014-Mar-25 • 54 minutes
Devouring Raspberry Pi
2014 is the Year of Code, but why has coding, and getting kids into computer science become so important?
2014-Mar-18 • 53 minutes
Pit your Wits...
...against the combined brain power of the Naked Scientists, in this National Science Week Question and Answer Special...
2014-Mar-11 • 55 minutes
Turning the tide on flooding
With climate change expected to bring drought and floods, we look at the management strategies which could tackle this looming water crisis.
2014-Mar-04 • 60 minutes
AUTOMATE: The World of Robots
The team discuss robots including the ExoMars Rover, lab robots and voice recognition systems like Siri...
2014-Feb-25 • 54 minutes
The Noro Show
Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, affects 1 million people each year in the UK. But what is it, and how can you best protect yourself?
2014-Feb-24 • 55 minutes
Brainy Babies!
Should you raise your baby to be bilingual? Are video games rotting or rejuvenating children's brains? We find out!
2014-Feb-20 • 34 minutes
David Willetts AAAS Audio Blog
UK Science Minister David Willetts visits Chicago to attend the AAAS meeting and make new scientific connections for Britain.
2014-Feb-14 • 56 minutes
NAKED at the AAAS
Do scientists resort to propaganda to defend climate change? How do we deal with evolution unbelievers? How do we decide what to fund?
2014-Feb-11 • 55 minutes
Green Food
We're chewing over the topic of food footprints: How green is your lunchbox? What's the environmental impact of your weekly food shop?
2014-Feb-04 • 54 minutes
Nanosized Science
How are objects smaller than the wavelength of light making such large waves in the fields of health, optics, and electronics?
2014-Jan-28 • 60 minutes
Exorcist, or Exercise: what's healthier?
Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre, the team answer questions like, is watching the Exorcist a replacement for exercise?
2014-Jan-21 • 56 minutes
And now for the weather, in space...
Why is the UK investing in space weather forecasts, does the Sun cause climate change and how can solar storms affect us?
2014-Jan-14 • 59 minutes
Are old habits hard to break?
Have you stuck to your New Year's Resolutions? We investigate the psychology of willpower and how long it takes to form a habit.
2014-Jan-07 • 60 minutes
Why don't microwaves spark off themselves?
Why don't microwave spark off themselves?
2013-Dec-24 • 54 minutes
Hydrogen-powered Party Poppers
Home-made ice cream, fruit-fuelled flamethrowers, candle chemistry, LED fairy lights, brain basis of bargains and hydrogen party poppers...
2013-Dec-17 • 56 minutes
Super-shape me!
How balls of cells assemble into a baby, cell shape and cancer, getting a handle on limb formation, and dopes Mozart make you brainy?
2013-Dec-10 • 54 minutes
Diving into Ocean Conservation
Ancient human ancestor DNA, male contraceptive pill, pain-free injection, world's biggest marine reserve and threatened Caribbean corals...
2013-Dec-03 • 60 minutes
Life, The Universe and Everything
Live from Cambridge, the search for planets around other stars, mapping the Milky Way and the prospects of life in outer space.
2013-Nov-26 • 54 minutes
Sniff! Sniff!
We discover more about our sense of smell - how it works, why it's so subjective, and what life would be like without it...
2013-Nov-19 • 54 minutes
Restore, repair, retain!
Repair and restore! Everything from self-healing concrete to Dr Who episodes and to the human heart...
2013-Nov-12 • 58 minutes
Stopping Multiple Sclerosis
What is multiple sclerosis (MS), what causes it, why do some people suffer from it, and how can we stop it? Plus, news of meteors and prozac
2013-Nov-05 • 55 minutes
Cutting Edge in Cancer
New breakthroughs in cancer, tracking tumours from DNA in blood, what dogs' wags mean, Earth-sized exoplanets and electronic computer blood
2013-Oct-29 • 60 minutes
Extreme Geology
In another live special from the Cambridge Science Centre the team discuss volcanoes and earthquakes and answer questions from the audience
2013-Oct-20 • 54 minutes
Stopping Superbugs
How did antibiotic-resistant superbugs arise, and how can new drugs be designed to combat them? Plus, blood from a fossilised mosquito...
2013-Oct-15 • 54 minutes
Tunnelling Under London
What weighs 1000 tonnes, is 150 metres long and moves 200 metres a day? Meet the new tunnel-boring machines burrowing below London...
2013-Oct-08 • 55 minutes
Science Centre Showoff
Live on location at the Cambridge Science Centre: Atmospheric chemistry, human papilloma viruses, jet engines and DIY rubber-band fridges...
2013-Oct-01 • 57 minutes
Science of Sleep
Why do we need sleep and why do some people fall asleep at the wrong times? We explore the science of snoozing and how it can go wrong...
2013-Sep-24 • 58 minutes
Citizen Science: Research You can Do
We look at some of the best projects which let you get involved in scientific research from home, from hunting spiders to mapping happiness
2013-Sep-17 • 54 minutes
Shedding Light on the Brain
We expose how electricity powers the nervous system, how ion channels could tackle diabetes and how algae could shed light on the brain...
2013-Sep-12 • 55 minutes
Get the Frack Out of Here...
Will fracking bring down energy prices and keep our lights on, or could it be an environmental disaster?
2013-Sep-05 • 54 minutes
Can you dehydrate in a bath?
In another question and answer edition of the show, the team get to grips with your questions - including can you dehydrate in a bath?
2013-Aug-29 • 54 minutes
Shark Camouflage in Australia
In the final show from Australia, we find out how a wetsuit might protect surfers from sharks and a new development in muscular dystrophy.
2013-Aug-22 • 54 minutes
Australia's First BBQ
How can DNA sequencing technology tell us what was put on Australia's first BBQ?
2013-Aug-15 • 54 minutes
Naked in Australia
In the first of 3 shows from down under Chris Smith and Victoria Gill find out about the enviroment of one of the world's most remote cities
2013-Aug-08 • 60 minutes
Mapping out the Milky Way
We hear from the astronomers who are mapping out the Milky Way to work out where its stars came from.
2013-Aug-01 • 54 minutes
Questions and Answers
A special question and answer edition of the show where the team get to grips with your queries, including, do hairs know they've been cut?
2013-Jul-25 • 55 minutes
The Science in Sport
How has new technology changed the face of sport?
2013-Jul-18 • 56 minutes
The Science of Schizophrenia
What do sufferers of schizophrenia experience, and why? Might the immune system be to blame? And could an avatar be the answer to treatment?
2013-Jul-11 • 60 minutes
Souping up Solar
The latest in solar technology, nerves controlling cancers, wobbles in the Earth's core changing time, and can turmeric combat cancer?
2013-Jul-04 • 61 minutes
The Last Organism Alive on Earth
What will be the last organism living on Earth when the Sun swells, a replacement liver grown from stem cells, and the threat posed by H7N9
2013-Jun-27 • 54 minutes
Modelling Diseases in Dishes
Miniature lungs, breasts and other organs can be grown in dishes to reproduce how the tissue develops and how they succumb to disease.
2013-Jun-20 • 54 minutes
Fascinating Fungi
Fungi, close up: why plants can't grow without them, the personal account of a toadstool poisoning victim and mushroom-powered packaging...
2013-Jun-13 • 56 minutes
Extreme Physiology: Everest to Ocean Floor
Extreme Physiology: Everest to the Ocean Floor
2013-Jun-06 • 56 minutes
Can GPS systems be Spoofed?
Fooling GPS devices to report the wrong locations, pinpointing people in buildings, tracking volcanic dust, and nuclear tests and the brain
2013-May-30 • 54 minutes
Shedding light on LEDs
New LEDs and how LED lighting affects health, a new way to fight flu, treating schizophrenia with avatars and 400 year old plants revived...
2013-May-23 • 54 minutes
Do plants get jetlag?
This week, how plants keep track of time, viruses spread by sapsuckers, smoke makes fire-sensitive seeds germinate, and how tornadoes form
2013-May-16 • 57 minutes
Will it rain tomorrow?
How are weather forecasts made? Are they accurate, and if not why not? And how do we know when extreme weather is on its way?
2013-May-09 • 54 minutes
Gone Viral: Germs under surveillance
How new flu viruses, including H7N9, arise, and the threat from extensively resistant tuberculosis
2013-May-02 • 54 minutes
Art & Antiquities: Conservation and Preservation
We find out how scientists and art conservationists work together to develop new techniques to preserve our cultural heritage.
2013-Apr-25 • 54 minutes
Testing Legal Highs
What are legal highs, and how do scientists, doctors and law-makers keep up with new drugs entering the market?
2013-Apr-18 • 54 minutes
Stem Cells and Gene Therapy
From the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy conference 2013, the latest therapies for cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer.
2013-Apr-11 • 59 minutes
Meet the ancestors
Fossilised dinosaur egg embryos, fish fats on ancient pots, arsenic in beer and the site where Australopithecus sediba was discovered...
2013-Apr-04 • 59 minutes
The SKA and Radio Astronomy
We take a tour of the Australian precursors to the Square Kilometre Array, and find out how new sensors will improve observations in future.
2013-Mar-28 • 31 minutes
Naked Genetics Special Episode
The genetic basis of autism goes under the microscope in this special Easter edition of Naked Genetics, from Kat Arney.
2013-Mar-21 • 59 minutes
The Future of Digital Storage
What the future holds for digital data storage, what the Planck probe has revealed, giant squid and what Curiosity's found on Mars...
2013-Mar-17 • 60 minutes
BANG! Naked Science Festival
Breasts, bazookas, bosons and bombs: The Naked Scientists take to the stage for the Cambridge Science Festival 2013
2013-Mar-14 • 59 minutes
John Snow and Cholera
We celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the epidemiologist John Snow by looking at the historic and modern fight against Cholera.
2013-Mar-07 • 58 minutes
Dining Out on Food Security
Internet searches give clues to drug side effects, sink holes, flame-retardant DNA and feeding the planet in future...
2013-Feb-28 • 59 minutes
Extreme Engineering
Research at the extremes: We find out how the Halley VI station was engineered to enable great science and withstand Antarctic conditions...
2013-Feb-21 • 59 minutes
Supersenses: Extraordinary Animals
New drugs for flu, bees read electrical fields, why moles are sensitive to seismic vibrations and how good is a sharks sense of smell...?
2013-Feb-14 • 59 minutes
What is Love?
Love is... neurochemistry? This week, we look at love from a scientific perspective...
2013-Feb-07 • 58 minutes
Analysing Asteroids
Earth is due a very near miss next week, so we Analyse Asteroids! We'll meet the companies looking to go prospecting in outer space...
2013-Jan-31 • 58 minutes
I'm a Tasmanian Devil, Get Me Out Of Here!
New research reveals why an infectious cancer that's spreading amongst Tasmanian Devils isn't attacked by their immune system...
2013-Jan-24 • 59 minutes
We're Back! Transparent Electronics
WE'RE BACK! With news dung beetles navigate by starlight, how dogs evolved, transparent electronics, and do sonic mosquito repellants work?
2012-Dec-30 • 51 minutes
What's Living in Your Loo?
What's living in you and on you? Here we look at good and bad bugs and ask how we keep healthy.
2012-Dec-23 • 54 minutes
Does a Frozen Body Shatter?
Can a frozen body be shattered with a hammer, how can speedbumps diagnose appendictis and why are reindeers' noses red?
2012-Dec-16 • 60 minutes
The Science Behind Broadcasting
How does radio reach out of the studio? We explore the science and technology of broadcasting from its beginnings to the digital age...
2012-Dec-09 • 58 minutes
Unravelling Epigenetics
Epigenetics controls the activity of genes inside cells and holds the key to new treatments for old diseases...
2012-Dec-02 • 60 minutes
Protecting Our Oceans
How should we protect marine ecosystems? We explore the science behind Marine Protected Areas. Plus, news of a bacterial system in ice...
2012-Nov-25 • 59 minutes
Investigating ISIS - The Neutron Source
We take you on a tour of ISIS, the neutron source, to discover how neutrons can probe the properties of matter and improve electronics...
2012-Nov-18 • 60 minutes
Can Gravity Leak from Alternate Universes?
Why does biro ink smell? How can you reset your tolerance to caffiene? Why can't my sat nav and my speedometer agree?
2012-Nov-11 • 57 minutes
Bed Bug Biology
Bed bugs are mounting a silent attack, sneaking in and making a home in our beds. We tackle the itchy subject of Bed Bug Biology...
2012-Nov-04 • 59 minutes
The Cutting Edge of Cancer Research
How does cancer spread? How can we target our immune system to take out tumours? This week we explore the cutting edge of cancer research.
2012-Oct-28 • 59 minutes
Ugly Animals Need Love Too
Why we should protect bacteria, fungi and even parasites.
2012-Oct-21 • 60 minutes
Is there a Googol of anything in the Universe?
Are vegetables intelligent? Is Pi a "normal" number? Are humans the only picky eaters? We take on your science questions, including why women generally don't go bald and how fingers can feel cold even though they're warm to the touch. ...
2012-Oct-14 • 60 minutes
Listen Up! The Science of Hearing
Now hear this! This week we explore the workings of the auditory system, discover the causes of deafness, hear how hearing aids work and probe the origins of tinnitus. Plus, news of a novel therapy for eczema, a meteorite containing samples...
2012-Oct-07 • 60 minutes
Tricks of the Mind
The tricks your mind plays on you are up for analysis this week as we explore the science of taste including why noise diminishes food flavour aboard an aeroplane and how much affects your choice of wine. We also speak to a synaesthete who,...
2012-Sep-30 • 60 minutes
Dodging Death: Growing Old in Good Health
How can we stay sharp as a senior citizen? This week, we explore the different biological approaches to understanding healthy ageing, discover a protein that may prevents age-related nerve degeneration and find out how to preserve...
2012-Sep-23 • 58 minutes
What shape web does a spider spin in space?
Can spiders weave webs in microgravity? Can shampooing cause hair loss? How much brain do we use at once? Can a person survive on raw food alone? This week we're answering your science questions, plus news of the IgNobel prize for research...
2012-Sep-16 • 59 minutes
Silicon Sailors - Robots take to the waves
Would you set sail with a robotic skipper? This week, the World Robotic Sailing Championships grace the waters of Cardiff Bay, and we meet the teams to find out how this could lead to a sea change in robot science. Plus, we find out how...
2012-Sep-09 • 60 minutes
Is there life under Antarctica?
Will we find life in a lake trapped under 3 kilometres of ice? How can living above an abandoned mine cut your heating bills? What is the future for diet foods? This week, we bring you the best from the British Science Festival in Aberdeen....
2012-Sep-02 • 60 minutes
Cybersecurity: how safe are we online?
How is data sent safely online, and how can we keep prying eyes away? This week we investigate the basis of cybersecurity, ask if chip and pin is safe and talk to a team of hackers who attempt to penetrate websites legitimately. We also...
2012-Aug-26 • 56 minutes
The Brain Uncovered: Naked Neuroscience
How nerve cells make decisions, how genes control behaviour, using light to interrogate neuronal circuits, anxiety attacks, deep brain stimulation to bust addiction, how the immune system can cause psychosis, the genetics of behavioural...
2012-Aug-19 • 34 minutes
The Hydrogen Economy: Fuelling the Future
Is hydrogen the fuel of our future? As fossil fuel reserves run out, this week we ask whether hydrogen can fill the energy void? We look at work to harness bacteria to transform everyday waste into biohydrogen, hear how scientists are...
2012-Aug-12 • 59 minutes
Do Dogs Understand People?
What happens if you're exposed to the vacuum of space? Is using a mobile phone on a flight safe? Which is more contagious - a cough or a sneeze? This week we answer your sticky science questions, such as what makes Jam set? And how does...
2012-Aug-05 • 60 minutes
Curious about Mars...
Publishing early in recognition of the arrival on the red planet of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover, this week we talk to members of the mission team, revisit some previous successful planetary explorations and hear how...
2012-Jul-29 • 60 minutes
How Science Goes for Gold
How can science, technology and engineering aid the world's elite athletes? In this special edition of the Naked Scientists, we discover how physiology, psychology and technology help get us across the finish line. We'll be exploring the...
2012-Jul-22 • 60 minutes
How Powered Flight got off the Ground
From the first flight to supersonic air-travel was achieved in under 50 years. To discover what made it all possible we look at the advances in technology, engineering and materials that were needed, and the social and political pressures...
2012-Jul-15 • 59 minutes
Better to blow up an Earth-bound Asteroid?
Should we blow up objects on a collision course with Earth? Or will they do less damage left intact? More importantly, is there a gene for hating marmite? And what makes copper such a good conductor? How would a caveman cope in modern...
2012-Jul-08 • 60 minutes
Super Bainite: Super Strong Steel
Super bainite, a surprisingly-strong steel, is the subject of this week's Naked Scientists. We discover how it's made in the metallurgical equivalent of a pizza oven, why it makes the best bearings and how, even when it's full of holes, it...
2012-Jul-01 • 59 minutes
An Olympic Effort - Keeping Crowds Safe
Later this month, the 2012 Olympics kicks off in London. With hundreds of thousands of people expected from overseas, is this the perfect trigger for a pandemic? This week we're looking at the public health implications of events like...
2012-Jun-24 • 59 minutes
Exposing Explosives
Science and technology can catch criminals and tackle terrorism. This week, we're exploring two ways to sniff out concealed explosives and a new technique to lift fingerprints from surfaces that have been cleaned or burned. In the news, a...
2012-Jun-17 • 59 minutes
Why Do I See Stars when I Stand?
Why does a head injury, or standing up too quickly, make us "see stars"? Are slug pellets painful? How do flies fly in an elevator? We take on your science questions this week, and find out why we should let food ferment, what makes...
2012-Jun-10 • 59 minutes
SETI, Aliens and the Origins of Life
How do we look for life beyond Earth? And how did it first get started down here? To help us take on these big questions, we explore the science of SETI and the chemistry of creating life. Plus, science gets cinematic as we meet the...
2012-Jun-03 • 30 minutes
Getting Inside your Genes
This week, we're introducing the new Naked Genetics podcast - This time, Kat Arney takes a look at the world of top models - not the kind that won't get out of bed for less than ten grand, but the model organisms used by researchers all...
2012-May-27 • 60 minutes
Making a Meal out of Microbes
This week, we explore the role of microbes in drug development, food production and soil fertility. We investigate how bacteria such as Streptomyces are used and improved to make antibiotics, discover how gut microbes in cattle can be...
2012-May-20 • 60 minutes
From PC to Plane - Making New Metals
How do you make a new metal? This week, we follow a novel alloy from PC to plane, finding out how computer modelling and design can help us create new metals with exciting new properties. We also discover how these newly-designed metals are...
2012-May-13 • 60 minutes
Cracking Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sufferers describe symptoms of severe exhaustion, weakness, muscle pain and fatigue. But why, and what is science revealing about the underlying causes of the condition? We talk to a researcher who is probing...
2012-May-06 • 58 minutes
Naked in Norway
We get naked in Norway this week, as we visit Oslo University to reveal the remains of ancient plesiosaurs and investigate their migration, discuss a new concept for more efficient solar cells and discover the fatal effects of climate...
2012-Apr-29 • 59 minutes
Is there such a thing as a "girls' throw"?
Does exercise lead to a more muscular heart? Why can an unfit cyclist cycle faster than an olympic runner runs? How do kinetic watches work? We answer your questions in this week's Naked Scientists Podcast, and find out why so many dead...
2012-Apr-22 • 59 minutes
Clock This! - The Science of the Circadian Rhythm
The body clock goes under the Naked Scientists' spotlight this week. We unpick the mechanisms that enable human cells, plants and even bacteria to track the time of day and alter their activities accordingly, and we hear the evidence that...
2012-Apr-15 • 59 minutes
Saving Submariners and Studying Deep Sea Species
How can we save the occupants of stricken submarines? What species survive in the deepest depths of ocean trenches? Recognising the centenary of the Titanic tragedy, we're diving deep to meet the Rolls-Royce NATO Submarine Rescue System, we...
2012-Apr-08 • 23 minutes
Naked Oceans - From Plastics to Poo
This week we bring you a special look at marine pollution from the Naked Oceans team, going from plastics to poo to explore some of the many ways we pollute the seas. We find out the truth behind the Pacific Garbage Patch, discover how...
2012-Apr-01 • 60 minutes
Why did my Dishcloth Detonate?
Why does sunlight make me sneeze? What causes air turbulence? Why do energy-saving lights take time to warm up?
2012-Mar-25 • 59 minutes
Going Nuclear
This week we're exploring the future of nuclear energy, including meeting the makers of a new design of nuclear reactor that can consume the fuels that other plants can't burn. We also delve into ways to unclog pipes inside reactors without...
2012-Mar-18 • 59 minutes
Why Viruses Don't Infect the Same Cell Twice
Immune-manipulating parasites, bacterial genomes married to disease processes and viruses that bounce off already-infected cells make for an infectious episode of the Naked Scientists this week. Also up for analysis, why the eyes vote no to...
2012-Mar-11 • 59 minutes
Sensors and Sensibility
Smart sensors can open a window into the environment. In this week's Naked Scientists Podcast we find out how networks of sensors around Heathrow airport can study how planes alter the atmosphere, and how a similar network can monitor an...
2012-Mar-04 • 60 minutes
Wattage from Waste and Watching Our Water
How can we extract energy from waste? In this week's Naked Scientists we explore the technology that turns muck into methane and consider the fertile issue of nutrient overload resulting from returning the finished products to farmland. And...
2012-Feb-26 • 60 minutes
Can a Mobile Phone Compromise your Sperm Count?
What's the point of earwax? Does WiFi damage the brain? Can a mobile phone in a trouser pocket dent a man's fertility? In this week's science Q and A show we also brush up on how they get the stripes in toothpaste, discover whether dropped...
2012-Feb-19 • 60 minutes
ZAP! Lasers on trial...
A new liquid crystal laser that can dial-up any wavelength of light you need, a laser-powered projector technology that turns any surface into a touch-screen, and a laser that fires salvoes of X-rays to make light work of unlocking the...
2012-Feb-12 • 60 minutes
Reclaiming Wasted Watts - Thermoelectric Generators
Over two-thirds of the energy in the fuel you put into your car is wasted, most of it in the form of heat that exits along the exhaust pipe. The same is true of large-scale power stations, which are only 50% efficient at best. But now...
2012-Feb-05 • 60 minutes
Do Diet Foods Make You Fat?
Could diet foods be making you fatter? How do we learn to like the foods we eat? This week, we indulge in the science of appetite, diet and diabetes. We'll find out how our early experiences of food can alter our diets for life, and ask...
2012-Jan-29 • 59 minutes
Are any viruses good for you?
Has all the air in the world been breathed before? Are any viruses beneficial to health? Can naked farts transmit diseases? You set the agenda in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show in which we also discover how Inuit cope...
2012-Jan-22 • 59 minutes
Vitamin D: Shedding light on diabetes, MS and cancer
Could a ray of sunshine hold the key to preventing MS, diabetes and even bowel cancer? Vitamin D - made naturally in skin exposed to strong sunlight - appears to reduce the risk of developing these, and a rash of other diseases. We examine...
2012-Jan-15 • 61 minutes
Mind Meets Machine
Where do you stand on becoming part person, part machine? This week we hook up with three pioneers in the field of cybernetics including walking cyborg Kevin Warwick, who volunteered his own nervous system to test out a new way to connect...
2012-Jan-08 • 62 minutes
What's Inside Your Nappy?
Do stars form outside galaxies? What causes ringing in the ears? How fast does force propagate? Why do spectacles still work when worn backwards? Is the expanding universe tearing galaxies apart? And is any new water being created on Earth?...
2011-Dec-18 • 68 minutes
What Colour is a Dead Chameleon?
Are candles environmentally unfriendly? Why does tinfoil touching a filling set my teeth on edge? What colour does a dead chameleon go? Does antiperspirant deodorant make you sweat more elsewhere? Could we tether the moon on a string to...
2011-Dec-11 • 59 minutes
Monitoring Moods with Mobiles
Can new technologies probe human thoughts and feelings without us even realising? This week we talk to a researcher who's using mobile phones to tap into peoples' emotions to provide new insights into human behaviour and even spot the...
2011-Dec-04 • 59 minutes
Underwater Archaeology and Underwater Welding
How do archaeologists locate, conserve and recover historical treasures from old shipwrecks? What is erosion revealing on the foreshores of the River Thames? And how do you weld up an oil or gas pipeline one kilometre underwater?
2011-Nov-27 • 59 minutes
Imaging the Invisible
This week, how immune cells can be caught on camera as they exit blood vessels, a new design of lensless microscope that sees cells in 3D, sound and heat can be used to find faults in materials, and how something as small as an atom can be...
2011-Nov-20 • 58 minutes
Is Technology Altering Your Brain?
Is modern technology changing your brain?  How fast does flu fly?  Can you build a lightsaber?  Your questions are the stars on the Naked Scientists this week, as we discuss the implications of faster-than-light...
2011-Nov-13 • 59 minutes
Flu Vaccines from Tobacco?
In a show not to be sneezed at, we look at the evidence that coughs and sneezes are linked to heart attacks.  We also probe the Flu Survey, a new citizen science initiative to gather data on the incidence of influenza-like...
2011-Nov-06 • 57 minutes
NCRI Cancer Conference
This week Kat Arney joins us live from the National Cancer Research Institute's conference in Liverpool. We find out how mistakes in cell signalling can cause cancers and why DNA repair pathways offer targets to treat tumours. ...
2011-Oct-30 • 66 minutes
Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy
This week's podcast is live from the British Society for Gene Therapy (BSGT) conference in Brighton, UK.  Some of the world's top gene and stem cell therapists explain how we can manipulate genes to treat a variety of disorders,...
2011-Oct-23 • 61 minutes
Why Is Ice Slippery?
Can moonlight and a magnifying glass be used to start a fire? Why do bananas go brown and does it happen faster in the fridge or the fruitbowl? Why are ice and snow slippery? And how does flyspray work? Alongside your quality science...
2011-Oct-16 • 69 minutes
Plant Pests and Plant Pathology
This week, Plant Pests and Plant Pathology - we find out what happens when plants get ill, how to understand and prevent the spread of plant disease, and how they can call up an insect army to defend them if they're...
2011-Oct-09 • 63 minutes
Outpacing Petrol - Biofuels and Hydrogen
This week, we're investigating alternatives to petrol.  We'll board a biofuel powered bus to meet the plant scientists who are using algae to make biodiesel.  We'll find out how to turn household waste into hydrogen, and...
2011-Oct-02 • 68 minutes
Would a Siphon Work in Space?
Could a Siphon be used in orbit? Why do leaves change colour in Autumn? How is immunity passed from mother to baby through breastfeeding? Why do earthquakes happen away from plate boundaries? How do microwaves heat up food? We storm through...
2011-Sep-25 • 70 minutes
Cheese Making and Cake Baking: The Chemistry of Cookery
We've whipped up an appetising take on the science of food and cooking for you this week. With a main course of cookery in the kitchen served up by a cake-baking physicist followed by a microbiological look at the cheese board and then the...
2011-Sep-18 • 63 minutes
Chilling Out - The Science of Cryogenics
This week, we're chilling out in the world of cryogenics, the science of the super-cold. We'll find out what happens to living tissue when it freezes, and how we can use low temperatures to keep organs, and maybe even one day whole bodies,...
2011-Sep-11 • 58 minutes
Supercomputers & Super Computing
This week, we seek the science of supercomputers!  We find out how they work, and how they can answer some of the biggest questions in science.  We also hear about the World Community Grid, which offers scientists computer...
2011-Sep-08 • 37 minutes
Australopithecus Sediba Special
Reader in evolution at Wits University, Lee Berger, made a life-changing discovery when he uncovered the remains of a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, in South Africa. Here, Chris Smith gets to meet the newest...
2011-Sep-04 • 67 minutes
Why do some animals dump indiscriminately?
Why do some animals poo wherever the fancy takes them, whilst others are more fussy about the locations of their lavatory actions? What triggers pins and needles? How do some fish survive in both fresh and saltwater? And how are new nerve...
2011-Aug-28 • 59 minutes
Science in Scotland
This week, Chris explores some of the cutting edge research taking place in Aberdeen.  We meet a scientist making new cannabis-like chemicals that lack the side effects of the real thing, talk to a man exploring the deepest part of...
2011-Aug-21 • 62 minutes
Do planes trigger rains?
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the "plane"... or so the saying goes. But new research has confirmed that aeroplanes do cause clouds to dump their contents prematurely, often around airports, and in this week's show we explore this...
2011-Aug-14 • 55 minutes
Chemistry By Design
Are designer molecules poised to take us into a new chemical dimension?  This week, we explore how, long before the bunsen burner gets lit, computer aided chemistry can enable us to create in silico imaginary new molecules,...
2011-Aug-07 • 54 minutes
Do bubbles help washing up?
Do bubbles help or hinder when doing the dishes? Can we find evidence of material from Earth on the Moon? Can camera lenses cause fires? And is fluoride in drinking water safe? In this Question and Answer show, we tackle your science...
2011-Jul-31 • 59 minutes
The Year in Ocean Science
This week, we take a dive beneath the waves to look back at the last year in Ocean science.  We call in on deep sea microbes, spawning corals and even a seahorse surgery.  Plus we hear how the Census of Marine Life all got...
2011-Jul-24 • 59 minutes
The Year in Astronomy
This week, we look back over the last few months of space science.  We'll hear how scientists search for planets in the glare of their parent star, why a simulated mission to Mars will help us to understand how astronauts will cope...
2011-Jul-17 • 59 minutes
Digging up the Year in Archaeology
This week we take a look back at a year's-worth of Naked Archaeology including a dig through some Pomepiian poo for clues about the Pompeiian lifestyle, the art of spear throwing with an atlatl and exposing the most recent neanderthals of...
2011-Jul-10 • 59 minutes
Bouncing Bombs and Blacksmiths
This week, we bring you the best bits of technology from the world of engineering including a guiding light into the workings of a retroreflector, the dual life of bi-stable structures, and a new way to harness energy from our rivers. Plus,...
2011-Jun-26 • 62 minutes
Pushing Back the Pain Barrier
This week, we explore the problem of persistent pain. We find out how chronic pain is currently treated, and look to our DNA for the genetic clues that could lead to future painkillers.  In the news, a new TB vaccination that...
2011-Jun-19 • 56 minutes
Coal Gasification and Carbon Capture
This week, we find out how to get useful gas from useless coal, and make money from waste carbon dioxide!  Underground coal gasification could allow us to access huge amounts of energy in inaccessible coal seams. We find out how it...
2011-Jun-12 • 63 minutes
Passengers in a Bacterial Body
The good side of microbes goes under the microscope this week as we explore how the 100 trillion bacteria that thrive on us and in us, and even outnumber our own cells ten times over, work with the body to maintain good health. We also hear...
2011-Jun-05 • 63 minutes
Do My Eyes have Anti-Shake Vision?
What would we see at the edge of the universe? Are there long term health effects of eating spicy food? Why doesn't diesel need a spark to ignite? It's another Naked Scientists science question and answer show, where we take on your...
2011-May-29 • 58 minutes
Metallurgy - Metals at the Molecular Scale
What happens when a blacksmith meets a metallurgist? This week we explore what's happening at the molecular scale when the smithy works a piece of iron, we meet the superalloys that survive temperatures way above their melting points inside...
2011-May-22 • 60 minutes
Scratch 'n Sneeze - Science of Allergies
This week's Naked Scientists is not to be sneezed at - we're looking at the science of allergies! We explore what happens to cause your body to overreact to harmless things, and find out how potentially fatal peanut allergy can be cured. ...
2011-May-15 • 56 minutes
Wet But Not Wild - Farming Fish
We cast our nets wide this week to catch the science of aquaculture or fish farming! We'll find out how farming marine life can reduce reliance on disappearing wild stocks, and explore the effect on the local environment. Also, how...
2011-May-08 • 62 minutes
Should I Lie Down to Tan?
Is standing or reclining best for the perfect suntan? Can we see atoms? Why add pennies to Big Ben's pendulum? It's a question and answer show so we shoulder your scientific conundra! We'll find out how web companies keep up with...
2011-May-01 • 59 minutes
Brains, Batteries and Nuclear Fusion
Computers that can lip-read, a robot that follows your brain waves, prosthetic arms controlled by thinking about fingers that have been amputated, the future of nuclear fusion, Bandaids for batteries, why oral cancer rates are up 200% on 20...
2011-Apr-24 • 34 minutes
Diamond Light Source Special
For Easter this week, we explore how synchrotron radiation can be used to probe and find answers to a variety of scientific questions as we bring you a special programme of highlights from the Diamond Light Source podcast. We hear how...
2011-Apr-17 • 55 minutes
DNA-away Disease: Gene Therapy at Work
Two pioneers in the field of gene therapy join us to discuss how they're developing modified viruses to deliver healthy copies of genes to save patients afflicted by lethal genetic diseases. We also hear how energy can be harvested from...
2011-Apr-10 • 63 minutes
Are Dogs Ticklish?
Do dogs get ticklish? What wakes up mosquitoes at meal times? Do animals use weapons? In this fast-paced Question and Answer show we also focus on the nuclear threat from Fukushima and hear how gut bugs raise the risk of heart disease, why...
2011-Apr-03 • 59 minutes
Keeping the Conversation Flowing
This week, we go wireless to explore the science of mobile phones. We hear how new error-correction techniques are promising to put an end to poor quality communications, we meet a new system that lets you borrow the antennae of other...
2011-Mar-27 • 57 minutes
Life Where the Sun Don't Shine...
Life in inaccessible places - including in caves sealed off from the Sun and around deep-sea vents - is the subject of this week's Naked Scientists. In these intriguing environments, bacteria replace plants as the primary producers,...
2011-Mar-20 • 56 minutes
Beyond the Universe - Multiverses and More
This week, we find out what lies beyond the limits of our Universe as we discuss multiverses, higher dimensions, string theory and supersymmetry. We find out how these ideas develop from basic principles and how the LHC can help to confirm,...
2011-Mar-13 • 62 minutes
Why did a Laser Make My Nuts Glow?
Can you electrocute weeds? Why do teeth go wobbly? And which cells last a lifetime? In this bumper edition of the Naked Scientists, we tackle your pressing science questions and find out how the shuttle manoeuvres in space, what makes...
2011-Mar-06 • 56 minutes
Aspirin's Anniversary
From anti-ague to anti-Alzheimer's agent: over the 112 years since it was first trademarked, Aspirin has evolved from popular painkiller to powerful preventative against heart attacks, strokes and even cancer. In this week's show we trace...
2011-Feb-27 • 59 minutes
Boosting Your Bones
Just the bare bones this week as we find out how exercise strengthens the skeleton and how new scanning techniques can help to pick up osteoporosis earlier and inform its management. We also try out a new gadget for measuring the force...
2011-Feb-20 • 57 minutes
Checking the Atmosphere and Changing the Climate
We look to the skies in this week's Naked Scientists show, to uncover ways to monitor and change the chemistry of the atmosphere. We join researchers on board an air-sampling aeroplane to discover how atmospheric chemistry changes once the...
2011-Feb-13 • 67 minutes
What Makes Mucus Green?
How do magnets multiply? What keeps an aeroplane in the air? How do wild animals avoid incest? It's open season on science questions in this week's Naked Scientists. We'll find out if oil extraction leaves a cavity, can cranberry juice...
2011-Feb-06 • 57 minutes
Low Energy, High-Power Processing
This week we're getting inside the workings of the next generation of chips that are set to pack a bigger computing-punch but at a fraction of the energy-expenditure of todays' models: CTO Mike Muller joins us to explain the revolutionary...
2011-Jan-30 • 54 minutes
Leprosy: The Low Down
Leprosy goes under the microscope this week as we uncover the origins of one of the oldest known human diseases, recognised this week on World Leprosy Day. A quarter of a million new cases are diagnosed every year, but how is the illness...
2011-Jan-23 • 56 minutes
Analysing Antimatter
We're analysing the matter of antimatter this week to find out what is antimatter, how is it made and why's it so rare in the Universe? We talk to researchers at CERN who are capturing anti-hydrogen so scientists can study it properly for...
2011-Jan-16 • 62 minutes
Do Metal Spinal Implants Lure Lightning?
Does a metal implant turn a person into a living lightning-conductor or radio receiver, is eye-size important, why is frost bad for freezers, where did the first organic molecules come from, what happens to sparkling drinks in space and why...
2011-Jan-09 • 58 minutes
Would you donate your body to science?
We're discussing human dissection in this week's Naked Scientists. Chris visits the dissection room to find out how trainee doctors benefit from dissecting real bodies, and why many medical schools are increasingly turning to alternatives....
2011-Jan-02 • 50 minutes
National Pathology Week 2010
In this special podcast we focus on the highlights of this year's National Pathology Week. We'll be going behind closed doors for a tour of the pathology labs at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and we'll explore the role of veterinary...
2010-Dec-26 • 17 minutes
Back in the Saddle: Getting Paralysed Patients Riding and Rowing
In this special episode of the Naked Scientists podcast, we explore the world of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), a technology allowing people paralysed from the waist down to row and cycle by using external electrodes to stimulate...
2010-Dec-19 • 57 minutes
Blowing out Candles Round Corners
In this festive episode, can you get drunk through your feet, the chemistry of cocktails, twelve marine critters of Christmas, the best food and drink combos to eschew indigestion, does a carbon fibre bike go faster, why are snowflakes...
2010-Dec-12 • 59 minutes
Why's Graphene Great?
Graphene is the focus of this week's Naked Scientists, including how it holds the key to the super-flexible touch screen displays of tomorrow, super-light composites and the next generation of computer chips. In the news, a breakthrough in...
2010-Dec-05 • 61 minutes
Electrifying the Future
Current breakthroughs in electricity generation and distribution go under the spotlight in this week's sizzling edition of the Naked Scientists. We talk to the team with the electrical equivalent of cold-storage that can put power "on ice"...
2010-Nov-28 • 60 minutes
Why do Men's Bits Shrink in the Cold?
How heavy is the Earth? How do snakes digest huge meals? Should I fear falling bullets? We take on these questions and more in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show! We'll discuss the ideal hair for head lice, the mechanics of...
2010-Nov-21 • 59 minutes
Smart Pills: Drugs to Boost Brain Power
IQ-elevating agents that can boost brain power are being used by over 10% of university students. But how do these cognitive-equivalents of anabolic steroids for the brain actually work, what are their effects and are they safe? Moreover,...
2010-Nov-14 • 56 minutes
The Science of Sustainable Shipping
We set sail to discover the science of sustainable shipping in this week's Naked Scientists. We visit an enormous wave tank to find out how the sea swell can impact on damaged ships, and look at the problems caused by sulphur-rich shipping...
2010-Nov-07 • 57 minutes
Cancer - Hallmarks and Hit and Run Viruses
We catch up with cancer research this week including evidence that cancers subvert stem cells to suppress the immune system, and how covert "hit and run" viral infections may be triggering a lot more tumours than we first thought. Also,...
2010-Oct-31 • 60 minutes
Where does Phlegm come from?
It's National Pathology Week 2010 and to celebrate the launch we're joined by pathologist Dr Suzy Lishman to take on your science questions! We'll find out where phlegm comes from, how petroleum jelly helps healing and the weight of red...
2010-Oct-24 • 57 minutes
AIDS to conquering HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) goes under the microscope this week. We find out how the virus hijacks cells to construct new HIV particles and hear how close scientists are to developing a vaccine to block infection. In the news, we...
2010-Oct-17 • 64 minutes
The Science of Turbulence
It's a bumpy ride on this week's Naked Scientists, as we explore the science of turbulence. We'll find out what turbulence is and why it needs some of the most powerful computers in the world to study it. We'll discover how puffs of water...
2010-Oct-10 • 57 minutes
Neuromarketing - The Brain Basis of Buying Behaviour
How do advertisers get inside your head? This week we explore the field of neuromarketing - how a knowledge of your brain and behaviour can help marketers to manipulate your buying habits. We'll find out how the brain choses what stimuli to...
2010-Oct-03 • 56 minutes
Would an Antimatter Magnet Attract a Normal Matter Magnet?
Why do you see flashes and patterns when you press your eyeballs? Would an antimatter magnet attract normal matter magnets? What is the hardest human bone to break? We take on your science questions this week, as well as explore the bed of...
2010-Sep-26 • 60 minutes
Neuroimaging
This week we delve deep into the secrets of the brain. We'll find out how MRIs could be used to read your mind, and how they could help unlock what is going on in the brain of a person suffering from delusions or hallucinations. In the news...
2010-Sep-19 • 64 minutes
The British Science Festival
We explore the history of Pi, examine rheumatoid arthritis and seek the science of sleep in this roundup of the British Science Festival. In the news, we hear how to read the history of the solar system on the surface of the moon, and...
2010-Sep-12 • 58 minutes
What Happens to a Tankful of Fish in Orbit?
Why are there two high tides a day when there's only one moon? Would a planet made of glass be transparent? Does dreaming about exercise burn more calories? And what would happen to a tankful of fish launched into Earth's orbit? To find...
2010-Sep-05 • 57 minutes
Science Down Under 2010
This week, we go back down under to explore the latest science from the land of kangaroos, bandicoots and the world's largest radio telescope - the square kilometre array. Chris goes on a tour of the universe from the comfort of the...
2010-Aug-22 • 59 minutes
Diving into Naked Oceans!
To celebrate the launch of the brand new Naked Oceans podcast, we venture beneath the waves to investigate the impacts of oil spills on the marine environment. We hunt down the hidden world of microbes in the Louisiana wetlands, trace the...
2010-Aug-15 • 59 minutes
Digging in the Dirt and Looking at the Stars
This week, we've got a roundup of recent news and interviews from the Naked Astronomy and Naked Archaeology Podcasts. Digging into Archaeology, Diana O'Carroll will be looking into Bronze Age burial practices, meeting some of our oldest...
2010-Aug-08 • 60 minutes
The Tour de France
The Tour de France is the subject of this week's summer special as we look into the science and engineering of professional road bikes, training the human physique to endure thousands of kilometres on the saddle and eating the right food to...
2010-Aug-01 • 59 minutes
The Science of Glastonbury
The science of the Glastonbury Festival is the unusual subject of this week's special summer edition of the Naked Scientists. Ben Valsler joins in the fun to find out what it takes to turn a farm into a city (and back again) every year,...
2010-Jul-25 • 56 minutes
How do Ants Count?
How do we know that ants count their footsteps? We'll find out in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show, as well as ask if rubber soles really protect you from electric shocks, if hair will clean itself when you don't, and why a...
2010-Jul-18 • 56 minutes
Going Nuclear
We go nuclear this week to investigate the future of atomic energy, the issues surrounding nuclear waste management and how a proposed new breed of hybrid fission-fusion reactors might help to boost nuclear fuel efficiency and minimise...
2010-Jul-11 • 59 minutes
Lasers in Medicine
The role of lasers in biomedicine goes under the spotlight this week as we explore the workings of photodynamic cancer therapy, find out how laser tweezers can be used to force-feed bugs to white blood cells and hear how a new technique...
2010-Jul-04 • 58 minutes
How do you Weigh a Volcano?
We explore the explosive science of volcanoes this week! We find out what you can learn from drilling into a restless volcano, how gravity is used to "weigh" volcanoes and watch them fill with magma, and we explore the theories behind...
2010-Jun-27 • 66 minutes
What's the point of eyebrows?
Why do we have eyebrows? Can we taste food if we can't smell it? What's a cold sore? This week, we take on your science questions, as well as explore the world of social gaming, and find out how much it costs to fly an England flag from...
2010-Jun-20 • 59 minutes
Seriously Small Structures
Seriously small structures are the focus of this week's Naked Scientists, as we look at nanostructures and their role in future energy technologies. We find out how nanostructures could hold the key to safe storage and retrieval of hydrogen...
2010-Jun-13 • 60 minutes
50 years of Lasers
We celebrate 50 years of Lasers on the Naked Scientists this week, by looking into the history, and future, of laser science. We'll hear how lasers have revolutionised manufacturing and could be the answer to our clean energy concerns. ...
2010-Jun-06 • 56 minutes
Creatures in Colonies
The science of social species goes under the microscope this week. We hear what radio-tagging individual ants is revealing about the way they organise their nests to decide who goes hunting and who stays at home. Meera explores the growth...
2010-May-30 • 68 minutes
Do Bacteria Grow on Bars of Soap?
In this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show, we find out if bacteria will grow on a bar of soap, why bird poo is white and whether or not a moon can have its own moon. Also, do sweeteners alter your metabolism and can we re-stock the...
2010-May-22 • 58 minutes
Transmissible Tumours
Cancers you can catch go under the Naked Scientists microscope this week. We find out how a transmissible facial tumour is devastating devil populations in Tasmania and also hear how the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causes cancer. Also,...
2010-May-16 • 56 minutes
Synthetic Biology
We explore synthetic biology in this Naked Scientists Show, finding out how to learn from, and improve on, the structures and systems we find in nature. We'll meet the team of students who designed a biological sensor to win the...
2010-May-09 • 62 minutes
Does Beer Kill Brain Cells?
Is there a cure for spots? Why do we cry? Does alcohol really kill brain cells? It's a Question and Answer Extravaganza on this week's Naked Scientists! We find out what makes a Chameleon change colour, why birds fly into windows and...
2010-May-02 • 57 minutes
GPS - Where in the World Are We?
Where in the world am I? We're looking at the science of the Global Positioning System, or GPS, this week. We find out how satellites can tell you your location, as well as communicate with the bossy little box that tells you which way to...
2010-Apr-25 • 55 minutes
Archaeogenetics - The Past in Our Genes
We explore the marriage of archaeology and genetics in this week's Naked Scientists, finding out how modern genetic techniques are helping to reveal more about our past. We ask what archaeogenetics can tell us about human origins and...
2010-Apr-18 • 60 minutes
The National Astronomy Meeting
In this special Naked Scientists Show, we bring you the highlights from the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting. We discover the top priorities for the next generation of space exploration, find out what the echoes of...
2010-Apr-11 • 54 minutes
What do worms do in the rain?
What makes bruises disappear, how do you date a fossil, how can orchids make themselves smell like bees and how do they work out the number of calories in a chocolate bar? We tackle your science questions this week as well catch up with the...
2010-Mar-28 • 55 minutes
Can you Steer a Hurricane...?
Can you steer a hurricane? In this week's weather-focused Naked Scientists, we find out how aeroplanes are creating clouds, get the low-down on how insurance companies size up storm risks and hear how a hurricane works and whether it's...
2010-Mar-21 • 56 minutes
The Science of Farming
We dig into the science of farming this week with a look at how agriculture can adapt to a changing climate, how scientists are striving to produce a perfect pea and a new initiative to turn native African fruit trees into the next...
2010-Mar-14 • 60 minutes
How Do Jellyfish Reproduce?
How do odour-killing insoles stamp on smelly feet? Do submariners' ears pop? How do Portuguese Man o'War jellyfish reproduce? We take on your science questions this week as well as hearing the highlights from the Cambridge Science Festival...
2010-Mar-07 • 54 minutes
The Science of Solar: Photovoltaics
Shedding some light on new advances in solar technology, this week's Naked Scientists explores how nanotechnology can boost solar cell efficiency and how flexible photovoltaics can be rolled up - and rolled out - to help power military...
2010-Feb-28 • 59 minutes
The Science of Water Security
We dive into the science of water security this week. We find out how building a dam alters the local weather, and how simple interventions can help bring safe water and sanitation to the millions that still need it. We find out how new...
2010-Feb-21 • 62 minutes
Winds, Wings, Whale Fins and Wind Power
How can we make the most of the wind? In this week's Naked Scientists, we find out how Humpback whales have inspired a new, more efficient design for turbine blades and stall-resistant aeroplane wings and how an inflatable wind generator...
2010-Feb-14 • 59 minutes
Do animals use toilet paper?
We investigate the toilet habits of the animal kingdom this week as well as taking a pot shot at which way a dirty golf ball swings in mid air, answering whether warmer waters attract more sharks and if there's a genetic basis to...
2010-Feb-07 • 60 minutes
Pollution & Plastics
Could plastics be polluting your body? This week, we hear how hormone-mimicking chemicals leaching from plastics can cause coronaries, strokes and diabetes. Even the plastic mineral water bottle isn't safe - snails grown in them produce...
2010-Jan-31 • 61 minutes
Augmenting Reality
The high-tech scanners that can home in on chemicals produced by cancers, how bats and dolphins share genes for echolocation and why barefoot runners have a smoother track record. Also this week, augment your reality: find out how new...
2010-Jan-24 • 60 minutes
Explosive Science!
On this explosive Naked Scientists, explore the science of explosions, looking at what happens when a landmine explodes and how to study shockwaves. Plus, how to make safer 'insensitive' munitions, and the 'ecology' of insurgency. Plus,...
2010-Jan-17 • 66 minutes
Does Farting make you Weigh Less?
Can sea water keep roads frost-free? Why does the LHC need to be so cold? How does antifreeze work and what's the freezing point of beer? This week we run the risk of frostbite to tackle the coolest science questions as well as warming up...
2010-Jan-10 • 60 minutes
Listen Here! The Science of Sound and Hearing
We open our ears to the science of sound and hearing this week with a look at the genetic causes of deafness and how a deaf person's brain decodes sign language. We also hear how auditory illusions can fool you into hearing things that...
2010-Jan-05 • 53 minutes
Launching Naked Astronomy
Thrusting space science into the audio dimension, this week the Naked Scientists unveil a new series for 2010 - Naked Astronomy. Hosted by Ben Valsler together with Cambridge space scientists Carolin Crawford, Andrew Pontzen, Dominic Ford...
2009-Dec-20 • 56 minutes
Dissecting Christmas Dinner
In a festive mood, this week the Naked Scientists meet their meat and dissect Christmas Dinner, but not with a carving knife! We also hear how scientists are able to re-create the acoustics of long-gone churches and cathedrals to appreciate...
2009-Dec-13 • 56 minutes
Was Swine 'Flu Man-Made?
Where did the 2009 H1N1 swine influenza pandemic come from? This week we hear the evidence that this new 'flu may have escaped from a laboratory. We also explore rising rates of resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, hear how 'flu...
2009-Dec-06 • 60 minutes
Understanding Hepatitis C
We explore the Hepatitis C Virus, finding out how it evades the immune system, and what it does to the body. The virus affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, so we find out how our blood transfusions are kept clean and possible...
2009-Nov-29 • 66 minutes
What if a Meteorite Destroyed the Moon?
How wide is the universe? What makes steak tough? Why does beetroot give me red urine? These tricky questions get stripped down in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show. We'll be hearing about the camouflaged plant that doesn't...
2009-Nov-22 • 60 minutes
Science Down Under
This week, we head down under to explore the latest Australasian science - we'll discover the new, state-of-the-art facility where high-tech lasers and cameras breed the best plants; explore a new remedy for wine ruined by bush fires and...
2009-Nov-15 • 58 minutes
Producing Planets
On this week's Naked Scientists, we seek the start of the solar system. We'll be finding out how clouds of gas and dust can clump and diversify to become stars, asteroids and the planets we know so well. Plus, we find out what happens to...
2009-Nov-08 • 64 minutes
Investigating Infertility
This week, we investigate infertility and In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). We find out how a new high resolution temperature monitor conceived in Cambridge can help couples get pregnant, and explore new ways to improve the success of fertility...
2009-Nov-01 • 66 minutes
Where do lost socks go?
The most distant object ever discovered as well as the events of National Pathology week feature in this week's show as we take on your science questions! We investigate why socks go missing in the wash, if light from the Sun is a...
2009-Oct-29 • 27 minutes
Introducing - The Diamond Light Source Podcast
This week we're showcasing a new bimonthly programme strand which we're making in collaboration with the folks at Diamond, the UK's Synchrotron Light Source. In this episode, we dig deep into the world of archaeology to learn how...
2009-Oct-25 • 61 minutes
The Diseased Brain
We explore the basis of brain diseases on this week's Naked Scientists. We find out what happens to the brain in Huntington's disease, discover the genes behind Alzheimers and a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases like Multiple...
2009-Oct-18 • 59 minutes
High Altitude Adventures
We reach for the skies on this week's Naked Scientists, with High Altitude Adventures. We find out how the body reacts to the low oxygen at high altitudes and join Laura Soul testing the theories on a trek up to Everest base camp. Plus,...
2009-Oct-11 • 66 minutes
Why does Water Expand when it Freezes?
The Nobel prizes feature on the Naked Scientists this week alongside a bumper crop of your science questions! We find out why water expands when it freezes, whether animals have regional accents, and how many rockets you would need to crash...
2009-Oct-04 • 58 minutes
Catching Up with Cancer Research
This week, we catch up with the latest from the front line of cancer research. Kat Arney reports from the National Cancer Research Institute's annual conference, we find out how proton therapy is promising for targeting tumours and look at...
2009-Sep-27 • 60 minutes
Researchers Revealed!
We bring you the highlights from European Researchers Night 2009, which filled the Great North Museum with explosions, music and laughter. We meet Brainiac's Jon Tickle to discuss the physics of custard, find out why My Little Ponies...
2009-Sep-20 • 57 minutes
Life in the Branches
Join us in a peek at the secret lives of birds. We find out just how a cuckoo convinces others to care for it's young, and the tragic outcome for the cuckoo chick when the rouse is discovered. We meet the clever corvids, capable of...
2009-Sep-13 • 58 minutes
Building Bodies and Mending Broken Hearts
This week we find out about bionic bodies. We discover whether it's possible to mend a broken heart with stem cells as well as investigate if soft nanobots could soon be delivering drugs around our bodies. We also bring you the highlights...
2009-Sep-06 • 62 minutes
Can you run faster on the moon?
This week we're taking on the questions you've waited all summer to find the answers to. We find out whether humans can run faster on the moon than here on Earth, if tea tastes better in china cups, and if talking to plants can help them...
2009-Aug-30 • 59 minutes
Diana and Meera's Best Bits
Diana and Meera select their favourite bits of Naked Science, including parajetting over the Himalayas, digging up Greek brothels and making the perfect cup of tea scientifically. Plus, Dr Hal blows up an ostrich egg and blasts a 'barking...
2009-Aug-23 • 61 minutes
Ben and Dave's Best Bits
Ben and Dave select their favourite bits of Naked Science this week. From taking an MRI of outer space to orange fruit fireballs and sticky chocolate teapots, we explore the boys' most memorable Naked capers.
2009-Aug-15 • 60 minutes
Helen's Best Bits
It's big, it's blue, it's where life began and life certainly wouldn't be the same without it: yes, that's right, it's the sea. This week Helen Scales is taking the show underwater to explore her favourite realm. Among the marine menagerie...
2009-Aug-09 • 59 minutes
Kat's Best Bits
This week, Kat Arney has been through the archives and picked out her personal Naked highlights, including making experimental jelly, sneezing at computer screens, stabbing potatoes and Ben dancing (badly) in the studio. She looks back on...
2009-Aug-02 • 59 minutes
Peeing on an Electric Fence
What happens if you urinate on an electric fence? We find out the answer to this and some of your other science questions on this week's Naked Scientists, including why chilli peppers are red, how does squinting help you see further and...
2009-Jul-26 • 59 minutes
Rubbish!
The UK population has chucked out almost 7 million tonnes of rubbish since our last podcast so we're on the case to find out what happens to it. We find out about the life cycle of rubbish, how to derive liquid fuels from waste and even how...
2009-Jul-19 • 59 minutes
Making Babies - Pregnancy and Fertility
The latest in the science of fertility, IVF and pregnancy... We find out how pre-implantation tests could improve the success of IVF and how stress during pregnancy affects foetal development. Plus, why knowledge is its own reward, how a...
2009-Jul-16 • 60 minutes
The Rap Guide to Evolution - Darwinian Hip Hop
Award winning Canadian hip hop artist Baba Brinkman brings us his Rap Guide to Evolution, an hour of clever, witty and scientifically accurate rhymes that will have you seeing Darwin from a whole new perspective.
2009-Jul-12 • 58 minutes
Here's Looking at You - the Science of Vision
We seek the Science of Sight on this week's Naked Scientists, discovering how deep sea fish use clever bioluminescence and biological mirrors to cope with the darkness of the deep. We hear how our brains choose what sights to pay attention...
2009-Jul-05 • 58 minutes
Why Does Toothpaste Make Food Taste Funny?
This week, we're taking on your science brainteasers! We find out why toothpaste ruins other flavours, whether humans have a mating season and why food goes in multicoloured, but comes out brown... Plus, fighting Fido's fleas with fungus,...
2009-Jun-28 • 55 minutes
Driving into the Future
This week, we look into new ways of putting a tiger in your tank! We find out how pond life could help make eco-friendly biodiesel and how new types of batteries can power electric cars for further than ever before without running out of...
2009-Jun-21 • 60 minutes
The Future of our Food
This week we dig into into the science of farming and food production. We find out how transgenic plants can help us dispense with the need for chemical pesticides and how giant greenhouses at the shoreline can be home to super-efficient...
2009-Jun-14 • 62 minutes
Your Science Questions
On this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show, we discover how storms create slow earthquakes and how a local star, Betelgeuse, could explode very soon. We also hear of an accurate way to date pottery and explore the physics of...
2009-Jun-07 • 58 minutes
The Science of Architecture
This week, we seek the science of Architecture. We find out how rapid prototyping technology could help us print out entire houses, and how natural light and ventilation could cut our energy bills. Plus, giggling gorillas tell us how...
2009-May-31 • 55 minutes
Bioengineering
How does nature inspire technology and engineering? We find out how bamboo may make effective wind turbines and how the protein that enables bees to flap their wings can soothe your bad back. Also this week we explore the explosive...
2009-May-24 • 66 minutes
Getting Under Your Skin
Science gets under your skin on this week's Naked Scientists, where we find out how human skin colour evolved to make the best of our sunlight. We explain why albino people have no skin pigment at all and how to heal wounds without leaving...
2009-May-17 • 60 minutes
Science Questions and Answers
We're open to your questions on the Naked Scientists this week, finding out how photosynthesis works underwater, exploring the sex lives of barnacles and discussing if rockets punch holes in the ozone layer. Plus, a viral cause of...
2009-May-10 • 57 minutes
Clean Water and Alien Invasions
This week, we're diving into the science of clean water, finding out why rivers and ponds are essential for wildlife, and how alien invaders are colonising our waterways. Plus, how a diet of glycerol makes yeast live longer, how microbes...
2009-May-03 • 59 minutes
Tackling Transport
On this week's Naked Scientists, we explore the engineering and materials science that will give rise to the future of transport! We find out how jet engine parts grown as a single crystal of superalloy will make flights more efficient,...
2009-Apr-26 • 57 minutes
Cleaner City Air
In this week's atmospheric Naked Scientists, we're putting the air that we breathe under the microscope. We find out how air quality is monitored, how new technology could help you plan the least polluted walk to work and why seaweed might...
2009-Apr-19 • 57 minutes
Questions and Answers
This week, we find out how a giant parachute could help avoid satellite collisions, why the schizophrenic brain can't see a popular optical illusion and discover that all octopodes (or octopuses?) are poisonous! Plus, we take on your...
2009-Apr-05 • 59 minutes
SciFest Africa
This special Naked Scientists comes to you from the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town, South Africa, with some of the highlights of SciFest Africa. Meera goes on safari to find out how the Born Free Foundation re-home mistreated lions while...
2009-Mar-29 • 56 minutes
History of Medicine
This week we hark back to the days before NHS patient records and find out how illnesses in ancient Rome, Victorian London and 17th century Italy were treated...
2009-Mar-22 • 60 minutes
Computer Science
This week, we'll strip computer science down to its components and find out what we should expect to see in the next 5 years. We find out about the thinking behind artificial intelligence, what the future holds for Second Life and how...
2009-Mar-15 • 58 minutes
The Cambridge Science Festival
Get festive with the Naked Scientists at the Cambridge Science Festival! We sniff out the sizzling science of our food, explore the workings of a mobile phone and hear the songs of the Cavendish Society for the first time since the 1930s. ...
2009-Mar-08 • 58 minutes
Your Questions and the Science of Sword Swallowing
We get to the point of cutting edge Naked Science this week, answering your questions and exploring the science of sword swallowing. We find out how the Amazon rainforest could become a carbon criminal and celebrate the passing of DD45 -...
2009-Mar-01 • 57 minutes
Inspired by Science
This week we're seeking the science of laughter and music. We're speaking to comedian Robin Ince about how geneticists and astronomers can inspire stand up comedy, listening to the music of the world's first online science music festival,...
2009-Feb-22 • 60 minutes
The International Year of Astronomy
On this week's stellar Naked Scientists we're staring out into space. We find out how technology developed to see inside your body can give a whole new dimension to pictures of deep space, we celebrate the launch of the International Year...
2009-Feb-15 • 56 minutes
The Science of Love
On this week's Naked Science Love-in, we explore the science of love, bonding and sexual attraction. We discover the molecules which mediate monogamy, how women advertise their fertility in the way they talk and why symmetry is so sexy. ...
2009-Feb-08 • 57 minutes
Stripping Down your Questions
On this week's snow-bound Naked Scientists, we're taking on your science questions! We discover the caterpillar that tricks it's ant hosts into treating it like royalty, find out why fish get lost in acidic seas and why the gravitational...
2009-Feb-01 • 56 minutes
The Science of the Seriously Small
This week, we're studying the science of the seriously small - nanotechnology. We'll find out how tiny, flexible electronics could be implanted under the skin to restore lost sensation, and how tiny protein covered silicon "diving boards"...
2009-Jan-25 • 55 minutes
Material, Heal Thyself
We get Smart on this week's Naked Scientists with the science of self-healing, self-sensing and self-cleaning materials. We hear how carbon fibre polymers could lead to self-healing spacecraft, why a titanium coating keeps windows clean...
2009-Jan-18 • 57 minutes
Obesity in your Genes
Is obesity in your genes? This week we find out how hormones, genetics and even your mother's diet contribute to your chances of becoming obese and succumbing to obesity-related diseases. We also take a look into the surgical way to lose...
2009-Jan-13 • 56 minutes
New Year, New Naked Science
Happy New Year! For our first show of 2009, we take on your science questions. We find out how earthworms can get airborne, why people get cramp and why Dr Chris' hypnic jerk frightens people on the bus. We also listen to the flirtatious...
2009-Jan-06 • 29 minutes
Why not "Ask the Naked Scientists?"
There's no Naked Scientists show this week, so why not try "Ask the Naked Scientists" - our weekly phone in show with Sue Marchant. This week, we ask:Why do we have Adam's Apples? Do other primates have them? When we find new species are...
2008-Dec-30 • 26 minutes
Introducing - Naked Archaeology
There's no Naked Scientists Show this week, but we're proud to introduce a new series of podcasts, starring our own Diana O'Carroll: Naked Archaeology This episode features the tale of TB's earliest victims, the science of archaeology...
2008-Dec-22 • 59 minutes
Merry Naked Christmas!
Look what Santa has brought - a bulging sack of your science questions! If you've ever wondered about the aerodynamics of reindeer, how fast Santa would have to travel to reach every house in just one night, or the calorie content of a...
2008-Dec-14 • 62 minutes
Emerging Diseases
New and Emerging diseases go under the microscope in this week's Naked Scientists, as we discover how new diseases arise, cross species barriers and spread throughout the population. We hear about the origins of HIV, the conditions that...
2008-Dec-07 • 56 minutes
The Science of Sight
The science of sight submits to the scrutiny of the Naked Scientists this week as we look at lens replacement surgery, the genetics of degenerative eye diseases such as macular degeneration, and find out whether gene therapy and stem cells...
2008-Dec-02 • 58 minutes
The Naked Scientists in LA
The Naked Scientists hit Hollywood for a special show all the way from California. We meet the cream of Californian scientists from the University of California at LA and at San Diego to find out why designing ocean-going robots is like...
2008-Nov-23 • 56 minutes
Would a Helium Balloon Float on the Moon?
This week we hear how lasers might replace X-rays as a way to see inside the body, we delve into the genetic code of the extinct woolly mammoth and hear about a government competition to exploit the power of the web to help people to find...
2008-Nov-16 • 59 minutes
Archaeology
We dig into the world of archaeology this week to uncover what DNA is revealing about how humans domesticated plants and livestock. We also delve into the story of Stonehenge and hear how scientists are using new isotope techniques to find...
2008-Nov-09 • 57 minutes
National Pathology Week
This week's Pathological programme brings you a glimpse into the world of the pathologist. We attend a real autopsy to discover how a pathologist uncovers a cause of death, and hear how Cambridge scientists have found a new way to stop...
2008-Nov-02 • 58 minutes
Should we fill Tyres with Nitrogen?
It's been cold in the UK this week! So what better way to spend your time than to stay in the warm and find the answers to all of your nagging science questions... So if you've ever wondered how fireworks have so many pretty colours, why...
2008-Oct-26 • 58 minutes
The Psychology of Drinking and Dancing
Disco Psychology - the science of drinking and dancing feature in this week's Naked Scientists. We find out what your dance moves say about your genes and why drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes makes faces seem more attractive. Also, we...
2008-Oct-19 • 57 minutes
Fusion - The Real Solar Power
We discover the source of solar energy this week - Nuclear fusion. But how can the process that keeps the Sun burning be harnessed here on Earth? We shed light on the physics of fusion, pay a visit to JET, the Joint European Torus, and...
2008-Oct-12 • 59 minutes
How Does a One-way Mirror Work?
New techniques to test for Down's Syndrome and oesophageal cancer feature in this week's Naked Scientists, along with the nanotechnology that may let you climb walls like spider man! We also take on your science questions and find out if...
2008-Oct-05 • 58 minutes
Catching Up with Cancer
We catch up with the latest on cancer this week including an update from the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham. We hear how computers are helping doctors to read mammograms, how researchers are re-programming the...
2008-Sep-28 • 57 minutes
Young at Heart - Healthy Ageing
This week, how to live longer and look younger with the science of ageing! We discover how repairing damage to DNA could prevent the diseases associated with old age, and find out how to keep your skin looking younger for longer. Also,...
2008-Sep-21 • 56 minutes
Superbugs - MRSA and C. diff
Superbugs and hospital acquired infections go under the microscope on this weeks Naked Scientists. We find out why Clostridium difficile has become such a problem, how to keep bacteria away from surfaces and see if there's a vaccine for...
2008-Sep-14 • 57 minutes
Why do we Stop Noticing Smells?
There's a bulging mailbag of science questions for the Naked Scientists this week, as we find out why we stop smelling smells, whether we can use viruses to kill cancer and why crisp and sweet packets make so much noise? Also, how unmanned...
2008-Sep-07 • 56 minutes
The Large Hadron Collider
The biggest science experiment in the world - The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, will start on September 10th. So this week we peer inside a proton and discover how the LHC works to help scientists in the search for antimatter and the...
2008-Aug-31 • 59 minutes
The Science of the Sea
In a round up of interviews from around the world, we seek the science of the sea. We find out how human actions affect the oceans, how a coral calendar could tell us millions of years of climate history, and how female hormones in the...
2008-Aug-17 • 59 minutes
The Sounds of Science
The hunt for Bigfoot, how a beer or two can boost attractiveness and the brain basis of imagination go under the lens this week when Ben and Diana also meet the chemist-turned-rapper behind the contraceptive pill and the "Superheroes of...
2008-Aug-10 • 57 minutes
The Final Frontier
Diana and Ben take the bridge this week for a journey around the world and out into space, with a selection of the best science from the Naked Scientists worldwide travels. We find out how planets form from stardust in just tens on...
2008-Aug-03 • 59 minutes
A Punt down the Cam
Science on the River - A Punt Down the Cam. The river Cam runs through Cambridge, past the colleges that have been home to influential scientists for hundreds of years. This week, we drift down the river, picking up key scientists as we...
2008-Jul-27 • 57 minutes
Can you Flavour Breast Milk?
It's an Extravaganza of Questions and Answers on the Naked Scientists this week as we take on your questions, including whether dogs can sniff out a seizure, what is fire made of, and how do glow in the dark objects work? Also, we hear...
2008-Jul-20 • 56 minutes
Discovering Drugs
Drug Discovery: On this week's Naked Scientists, drug development goes under the microscope as we explore two new ways to find the treatments of tomorrow. We find out why size is important when it comes to chemicals that can kill superbugs,...
2008-Jul-13 • 60 minutes
Olympic Science
We're going for gold on this week's Olympian Naked Scientists, by discovering the sporty science of performance enhancement. We find out how drugs can help boost an athlete's performance, and how the testing labs are hot on their heels! ...
2008-Jul-06 • 57 minutes
Body Clocks and Circadian Rhythms
Give yourself the time to listen to this week's Naked Scientists Show, where we find out about the Body Clock! We discover the constant chemical cascade that keeps your clock in check, and how not seeing the sun leads to S.A.D. We probe...
2008-Jul-01 • 55 minutes
Naked Evolution
It's 150 years since Darwin's theory of Evolution was presented to the Linnean Society, and so we've Naturally Selected the Science of Evolution! We find out why scientists have revisited a textbook example of natural selection in action,...
2008-Jun-22 • 57 minutes
How do Atoms make Colours?
Mirrors, Magnets and Meteorites make an appearance in this week's Naked Scientists Question and Answer Show. We find out how the immune system could be convinced to fight skin cancer, how future MRI scans could be in colour, and why...
2008-Jun-15 • 57 minutes
Fire and Mud
Get Red Hot and Dirty with the Naked Scientists as we explore the science of volcanoes. We discover how the heat from hot rocks can be used to work out what gases are emerging, how likely a volcano is to erupt and whether it will go with a...
2008-Jun-08 • 57 minutes
The Secrets of Odysseus
Ancient Greece is on the naked scientists' menu this week as we travel back in time to 1200 BC to discover how modern science and a 3000 year old poem have solved an ancient riddle. A team of classicists, geologists and archaeologists claim...
2008-Jun-01 • 57 minutes
Questions and Answers
Footballs in space, mind-controlled machines and long-lasting bubbles join your questions on this week's Naked Scientists Question and Answer show. We discover the feminine side of prostate cancer and the robot that can walk up walls, and...
2008-May-25 • 56 minutes
Life on Mars
Hours before NASA's phoenix mission was due to land on Mars, the Naked Scientists took our own tour of the Martian landscape. We discuss how looking in valleys could tell us what shaped the Martian surface, and how probing Martian mud...
2008-May-18 • 58 minutes
Your Bacterial Body
Come with us on a tour of your body to discover how the bacteria that live on and in you play an important role! Bad breath bacteria, good gut bugs and the ones that escape through the other end all make an appearance, as we find out how...
2008-May-11 • 64 minutes
Repelling Pests - Mosquitoes, Moths and Weeds
Using nature's own tricks, we find out how to avoid mosquito bites, grow more crops and keep the weeds away in this week's Naked Scientists. We find out why mosquitoes prefer some people to others, and how to use pheromones to turn an...
2008-May-04 • 57 minutes
Clothed Questions, Naked Answers
Black holes, bright birds and ice evaporating in the freezer all come under scrutiny in this week's Naked Science Question and Answer Show. We also find out why space is so cold, what happens when a neutron star collapses and where...
2008-Apr-27 • 57 minutes
Diamonds and Gemstones
Stunning sapphires and dazzling diamonds abound in this week's sparkling edition of the Naked Scientists in which we find out how gemstones are formed, what makes them so beautiful and why they're so rare. We also reveal the tricks used by...
2008-Apr-20 • 57 minutes
Houses of the Future
Sustainable Solar power in Sydney, home-generated electricity and green-housing developments go under the microscope this week as we explore the science of sustainable living. Meanwhile Dave goes for gold in water recycling by purifying and...
2008-Apr-13 • 57 minutes
The Science of the Sun
Solar Flares and the Sun's influence on our climate are the burning issues of this week's show. We discover an explosion on the Sun so large that it cut global communications all over the world and rendered compasses useless. Also, we'll...
2008-Apr-06 • 57 minutes
Q&A and the Edinburgh Science Festival
Can cold water cause weight loss, is my mother-in-law turning into a reptile and why doesn't a mobile phone interfere with itself are all answered in this week's Naked Science Question and Answer Extravaganza. We also find out about a new...
2008-Mar-30 • 59 minutes
TB and Magnetic Bacteria
This week we visit Edinburgh to put Scottish science under the microscope! We discover the incredible magnetic bacteria and find out how their bio-nano-magnets could help treat cancer. We find out how satellite images can help predict...
2008-Mar-16 • 59 minutes
The Cambridge Science Festival
This week, we catch up with the action from this year's Cambridge Science Festival. We find out what you could learn from a plasticine brain and how your next holiday could be literally out-of-this-world! We explore the science of Dr...
2008-Mar-09 • 60 minutes
Naked Science Q&A Show
On this week's Naked Scientists, we tackle your questions. We find out what creates a 'Moonbow', how much water there was on Earth over one million years ago and what happens to milk in the freezer. Also, how butterflies could remember...
2008-Mar-02 • 59 minutes
Science of Music
This week we're exploring the science of sound and music. We sound out the human voice, hear why we all talk differently, and probe the origins of accents and the means by which impersonators mimic their victims. Also, we discover how a...
2008-Feb-24 • 57 minutes
Virtual Life
This week the Naked Scientists go virtual with a new computer system to gauge your age from a mugshot, we meet the painting fool, a computer that can read - and then paint - your emotions, and we find out what's still lurking on your hard...
2008-Feb-17 • 56 minutes
Boston T-ransplant Party
On this weeks Pan-Continental Naked Scientists we bring you the latest science news from the AAAS conference in Boston. We hear about why cholesterol-lowering drugs are good for us but bad for bacteria, see the map that shows mankind's...
2008-Feb-10 • 57 minutes
Naked Science Q&A Show
This week on the Naked Scientists we discover novel drugs in carnivorous plants, genes pointing to prostate cancer and a way to capture waste wattage whilst walking. We hear about the future of 3D TV, the bio fuel carbon debt and how...
2008-Feb-03 • 59 minutes
Wet and Wild
Get Wet and Wild with the Naked Scientists! We don our wellies and wade into the science of wetlands, discovering the species you might see and why wetlands are vital for wildlife on land and at sea. We'll also find out how wetlands protect...
2008-Jan-27 • 57 minutes
Viruses and Vaccines
In this week's not-to-be-sniffed-at infectious episode of the naked scientists, we find out the facts of flu, including how the virus hijacks your cells, how new strains of the virus emerge to trigger epidemics and pandemics, and how...
2008-Jan-20 • 57 minutes
Combating Climate Change
What can we do about the excess carbon already in the atmosphere? We consider some of the options for carbon capture and storage, like injecting CO2 into lava flows, or seeding the ocean to grow more plankton...
2008-Jan-13 • 57 minutes
Naked Science Q&A Show
This week, we uncover an ideal anti-freeze for ice-cream, find out how scientists grew a new heart in a dish and hear how four simple lifestyle changes could make you live fourteen years longer. Also, we find out about the technology of...
2008-Jan-06 • 60 minutes
Addiction and Dieting
Hooked on the Naked Scientists? This week we're looking into the science of addiction, finding out how smoking alters the teenage brain, why a mixture of brain chemistry and psychological habits make drugs hard to kick, and how addiction...
2007-Dec-30 • 46 minutes
Climate Change and more Ask the Naked Scientists
Happy New Year! We celebrate the arrival of 2008 with a second special edition of our new podcast, Ask The Naked Scientists, followed by a 25 minute round up of the top climate change stories featured on the Naked Scientists over the last...
2007-Dec-26 • 24 minutes
Ask the Naked Scientists
Happy Christmas! To keep you entertained while we're off tucking into Turkey, this week and next we've got special editions of a new series of programmes we're launching in 2008 called Ask The Naked Scientists, our new live interactive...
2007-Dec-16 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Christmas Party
Ho Ho Ho! This week's show is a festive Christmas Special! This week on the Naked Scientists we're celebrating the festive season in style, with a party right here in the studio. From magic tricks to Brussels sprouts, we'll be looking at...
2007-Dec-09 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Q & A Show
This week, we take on your science questions, tackling the sticky subject of how glue works, the explosive potential of underground uranium and the problems with performance enhancing-football shirts. We look into gastroenteritis and find...
2007-Dec-02 • 61 minutes
Alzheimer's, the Brain and Memory
This week we learn about Alzheimer's disease, how it changes the brain and may be caused by the virus which causes cold sores. We probe your grey matter to find out how memory works, what goes wrong to give us false memories, and the...
2007-Nov-25 • 59 minutes
Science in South Africa Special
This week, we bring you the highlights of the Naked Scientists trip to South Africa. We explore what life is like in the poor regions of Johannesburg, and how the frightening reality of HIV and AIDS offers a silver lining in prevention...
2007-Nov-18 • 57 minutes
The South Africa Space Special
This week on the Naked Scientists we cross hemispheres to explore galaxies far far away. Chris presents live from Johannesburg to discuss the South African Large Telescope whilst back in the studio we explore the effects of space travel on...
2007-Nov-11 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Q & A Show
This week on the Naked Scientists we seek solutions to your science questions. From finding the site of the big bang to repairing the retina, mirages on the motorway to fruit fireworks in your microwave. We also find out why staying in...
2007-Nov-04 • 58 minutes
Human Origins and Migration
How did the human race spread across the planet? We managed to make it to almost every corner of the globe, but what cut us off from each other? Also, when did man discover fire and how did this change the way we lived?
2007-Oct-28 • 58 minutes
Stem Cells and Cloning
This week on the Award Winning Naked Scientists we find out about stem cells and cloning. We discuss the elusive 'stemness' that allows cells to specialise, and learn about cloning in the post-Dolly the sheep era. We also find out how...
2007-Oct-21 • 58 minutes
Particle Physics Show
What's inside an atom? We're looking into the smallest things we know about and finding out how the Large Hadron Collider will let us see even smaller!
2007-Oct-14 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Q&A Show
This week, we're taking on your science questions. We find out how ants avoid the heat in a microwave oven, how to protect yourself from lightning and why a light box can save you from a SAD winter. Also, a table decoration inspired,...
2007-Oct-07 • 58 minutes
Beer & Brewing
We're quenching our thirst for knowledge with the science of Beer and Brewing! We learn about how beer is made and why professors of brewing think they have the best job in the world. We discuss the age old argument of what came first,...
2007-Sep-30 • 58 minutes
Smart Materials
This week, we look at new materials, from artificial bone to super-non stick coatings. We look at potato based plastics and find out why you may only ever need one newspaper, for the rest of your life!
2007-Sep-23 • 59 minutes
Robots and Artificial Intelligence
This week, robots have taken over the Naked Scientists! Okay, not really but we are looking into the world of robotics to find robots that can clean your floor, disarm bombs and wage war on our behalf. We find out about 'Curious George', a...
2007-Sep-16 • 58 minutes
The Best of the BA Festival
Throughout this week, the Naked Scientists have been at the BA Festival of Science in York. For this week's show we will being you all of the latest news and best bits fresh from the festival. Chris has been speaking to the scientists...
2007-Sep-09 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Q&A & the BA Festival
This week, Chris and Dave are tackling even more of your questions, while Meera finds out about 'green' racing cars (I wonder if they paint them 'racing green'?) Also, we discuss the upcoming BA festival of science in York, and Dave will...
2007-Sep-02 • 59 minutes
Naked Science Q&A
This week, Chris and Co are back from their holidays! So they're tackling their bulging mailbag of your questions. We discuss how scientists have been given the green light to cross human DNA with animal cells all in the name of medicine,...
2007-Aug-26 • 56 minutes
The Best of the Naked Scientists 2
The next in our revue marking the end of the present series. Even more of the best bits we just couldn't cram into one show!
2007-Aug-19 • 57 minutes
The Best of the Naked Scientists
This week, we look back at some of the juiciest bits of Naked Science from the last series. We find out how an iPod became an iRod to conduct lightning, discover an electrifying bikini and find out why teenagers feel so misunderstood, not...
2007-Aug-12 • 57 minutes
Summer Special Q&A Show
This week, do diet foods make children fat? Could a space screw save us from catastrophic collisions? Have we seen the last of the Yangtze river dolphin? And should we look to the Simpsons for our science? Writer Al Jean explains that,...
2007-Aug-05 • 61 minutes
Venoms and Toxins - Natures Arsenal
This week, mind reading children, scientists find a new gene in the lung cancer cocktail, and satnav or map-nav - what's greener? Plus we become biological weapons inspectors and explore nature's arsenal of venoms, poisons and toxins,...
2007-Jul-29 • 59 minutes
Naked Science Q&A Show
This week, clean coal technology - how to get the energy from coal without digging it up, why GM goats are helping to combat nerve gas attacks, and how scientists have found the 'itch' gene. We also find out why smog causes heart disease,...
2007-Jul-22 • 61 minutes
Extreme Survival Show
This week, we find out about survival in extreme environments. We find out how free divers descend hundreds of feet underwater without air, how life thrives beneath the ice in Antarctica, how fighter pilots combat G-forces to avoid...
2007-Jul-15 • 59 minutes
Fuels of the Future
This week, from iPod to iRod as a man's taste for music turns him into a human lightning conductor, why penguins are picky eaters, and better biopsies - why doctors are attracted to a new magnetic cancer detection system. Also a fuel made...
2007-Jul-08 • 59 minutes
The Brain, Epilepsy and Out of Body Experiences
This week news that men talk as much as women, cosmetics from jellyfish, songbirds "greatest-tits", a breathtaking asthma breakthrough and a gene-screen for bowel cancer. We also uncover the cause of contagious yawns, probe the brain basis...
2007-Jul-01 • 59 minutes
Question and Answer Show
This week, playing bingo on an inflatable space station, a new way to attack the cause of Alzheimer's and mending a broken heart with stem cells. Also, using bananas to speed up fruit ripening, leeches out of water and chemical tricks to...
2007-Jun-24 • 57 minutes
ARMAGEDDON - Super Volcanoes, Meteorites and Earthquakes
This week, we're looking at what causes earthquakes, how to clean contaminated land, meteorite strikes, hazardous curtains and volcanic eruptions so huge they could wipe out life as we know it!
2007-Jun-17 • 58 minutes
Forensic Science Show
We find out about old aged whales thanks to a piece of shrapnel, a new rice-based vaccine for cholera, and how scientists have made edible food wrappers from milk. We investigate what your diet does to your hair, how science can finger...
2007-Jun-10 • 56 minutes
Question and Answer Show
Want to know how fat you'd need to be to stop a speeding bullet?
2007-Jun-03 • 57 minutes
Animal Behaviour - Feathered Einsteins, Mischievious Meerkats and Monkey Vision
This week, will a hot mint still taste cold? Also how skimmed milk could come straight from the cow in future, and why we walk upright without dragging our knuckles. Nicky Clayton discusses clever birds that use cigarettes to fumigate...
2007-May-27 • 57 minutes
Planets and Cosmology
This week on the Naked Scientists we will be venturing into space on an inter galactic mission to learn more about the biggest galaxies in space and the search for life on other planets. Running the mission we will have Dr Carolin Crawford...
2007-May-20 • 60 minutes
Volcanic pollution, the Ozone Hole and the Greenhouse Effect - The Atmosphere Show
Coming up this week on the Naked Scientists radio show and podcast we have some airy experts; Jonathan Shanklin will be telling us how he discovered the hole in the ozone layer and how it is looking today and John Grattan will discuss his...
2007-May-13 • 56 minutes
Germs, Fungi and Viruses - The Microscopic World
This week on the Naked Scientists we have a whole host of experts in bacteria, fungi and viruses. We'll have Dr Tim Wreghitt discussing noroviruses, Dr Ali Ashby discussing fungi and in kitchen science with the help of Dr Gillian Fraser...
2007-May-06 • 56 minutes
Naked Scientists Question and Answer Show
This week Drs Chris, Dave and Phil find out how a venomous spider's bite has Viagra-like properties, how maggots are fighting off MRSA from ulcers, and NASA ahave built a telescope aboard a jumbo jet. We also explore the science of getting...
2007-Apr-29 • 54 minutes
Migrating Genes, Surnames and Y Chromosomes
Bruce Winney explains how rural populations in Britain help to uncover genes linked to diseases, Turi King discusses what your Y chromosome says about your surname. We'll be hearing how Mike Majerus is putting evolution to the test with the...
2007-Apr-22 • 53 minutes
Oceans and Marine Conservation
Corals are falling prey to global warming. Annelise Hagan joins us to explain how she uses a spotter plane to home in on damage hotspots. Also Stan Harpole describes how adding fertilisers to fields destroys diversity both on land and in...
2007-Apr-15 • 52 minutes
New Ideas in Cancer
This week new research into cancers, how tumours arise, and new ways to combat cancer. Fiona Watt explains how cancer stem cells can cause tumours to regrow and how healthly cells can unwittingly aid and abet their cancerous counterparts....
2007-Apr-01 • 55 minutes
Heart Disease and Repairing the Damaged Heart
We look at the science behind one of the biggest killers in the western world - heart disease including what is a heart attack, how do heart attacks occur, how can they be treated and prevented. We'll also be exploring the health-promoting...
2007-Mar-25 • 55 minutes
The Science of Flight
This week on the Naked Scientists Radio Show and podcast we will be looking at flight - in terms of both animals and how they fly and the machines that people fly in. Cameras attached to eagles to show aerodynamics and flight control and...
2007-Mar-18 • 55 minutes
National Science and Engineering Week
This week, all the fun of the Cambridge Science Festival as we find out about the cool science of ice cream, the world of microbes, the IgNobel awards, how homing pigeons navigate and the University of Auckland's Peter Metcalf unlocks the...
2007-Mar-11 • 56 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer
The naked scientists try and answer all of your questions, no matter how strange or wacky
2007-Mar-04 • 56 minutes
Peruvian Mummies and Animal Domestication
Dr Chris and Dr Kat chat to archaeologist Lawrence Owens about his latest excavations of Peruvian Mummies and Keith Dobney about his research into the domestication of animals. Anna and Holly Barclay look at mussels and Dave and Derek start...
2007-Feb-25 • 58 minutes
Parasites and Clean Water Supplies
Dr Chris and Dr Helen answer all your burning science questions, including why hair looks darker when it's wet, and whether cracking your knuckles really causes arthritis. We also talk to Chemistry World editor Mark Peplow about venomous...
2007-Feb-18 • 57 minutes
Naked Question and Answer and Venomous Vipers
Dr Chris and Dr Helen answer all your burning science questions, including why hair looks darker when it's wet, and whether cracking your knuckles really causes arthritis. We also talk to Chemistry World editor Mark Peplow about venomous...
2007-Feb-11 • 53 minutes
Nuclear Power and Radiation in Medicine
Anna Lacey and Dave Ansell visit Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, and Ian Farnan discusses nuclear waste disposal. But as clinical radiologist Anant Krishnan explains, radiation plays a crucial role in medicine, Anna and Dave find out...
2007-Feb-04 • 55 minutes
Science of Pain and Phantom Limbs
Health effects of pollution, David Julius reveals the molecular mechanisms of pain and what chillies have in common with tarantulas, Geoff Woods explains why some people can't feel pain, and to talk about phantom limbs and ways...
2007-Jan-28 • 56 minutes
Extreme Organisms and Hydrothermal Vents
This week we take a look at extreme environments and the organisms that live in them. Dr Crispin Little talks about hydrothermal vents and the fastest fossilisation on the planet, Steve Scott explains why mining companies...
2007-Jan-21 • 54 minutes
Climate Change and Renewable Energy
Dr Chris and Dr Helen have a look at Climate Change. Eric Wolff tells us what
2007-Jan-14 • 54 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer and the World of Chemistry
This week Chris, Dave and Kat explain where the sand in the Sahara comes from, if mirrors can reflect x-rays, if it is dangerous to live near a phone mast, and whether splitting water could solve our energy problems. We are also joined by...
2007-Jan-07 • 63 minutes
Red Wine, Caffeine and Bugs in Your Guts
Drs Chris, Dave and Helen find out why red wine is better for you than white or grape juice, and explore the science of healthy living with with Roger Corder. We also discover the science behind caffeine, with the help of Bristol...
2006-Dec-17 • 65 minutes
Christmas Question and Answer and the Star of Bethlehem
In the final show of 2006, Chris, Dave and Kat answer all your science questions including why poppadoms curl upwards in the pan, how seedless grapes grow, and if lightning really does strike twice. Colin Humphries explains what could be...
2006-Dec-10 • 62 minutes
Dark Matter, Northern Lights and Mars in 3D
Jan Peter Muller will be talks about life on Mars, Gerry Gilmore explains his latest findings regarding the stuff that is dark matter and David Block tells us about what happens when two galaxies collide.
2006-Dec-03 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer and Polonium Poisoning
Answers to all your questions on science, technology and medicine, including why spiders don't run out of silk, what is the universe expanding into, what a flame looks like in space, We also talk to Dr Mark Peplow from Chemistry World about...
2006-Nov-26 • 55 minutes
Repairing the Retina and Spinal Cord
Repairing the nervous system is incredibly challenging, but our guests this week have some promising solutions. Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Robert MacLaren and colleagues have discovered
2006-Nov-19 • 56 minutes
Science in Antarctica
As winter approaches, we take a trip down south to look at some of the cool research going on in Antarctica. Jane Francis talks about six-foot penguins and a time when Antarctica was warm and ice-free, Kate Hendry describes what it is...
2006-Nov-12 • 57 minutes
The Sound of Music
This week we explore the science of sound including the mathematics of music and the geometry of jazz with mathematicians Tim Gowers, from Cambridge University, and Robin Wilson from the Open University. We also get to the bottom of why...
2006-Nov-05 • 55 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer and Record Breaking Fireworks
Why scratch your head at science when Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Kat are here to answer all you questions?! In this weeks question and answer special, we discover why liquid washing tablets don't dissolve from the inside, why some genetic...
2006-Oct-29 • 56 minutes
Superconductivity and Cooling Devices
This week we take a look at some super cool science, as Tim Jackson describes how superconductors work, what they are, and how superconductors are helping astronomers get a clearer view of the universe. Also on the show, Ed Tarte discusses...
2006-Oct-22 • 61 minutes
How We Hear, Echolocation and Giant Whoopee Cushions
Helping us tune into the science of sound this week is Bob Carlyon, who explains how we hear, how we can concentrate on one voice in a noisy room, and what it sounds like to have a cochlea implant. From the hard of hearing to the most...
2006-Oct-15 • 55 minutes
Science of Sight, Eye Diseases and Animal Vision
Taking a look at the science of sight is consultant ophthalmologist Nick Sarkies, who will discuss eye diseases and how we can treat them, and Ron Douglas provides insight into colour vision and how the world appears though the eyes of...
2006-Oct-08 • 55 minutes
How Cancers Form, Cancer Biology and Future Therapies
Cancer biology goes under the microscope this week, as Gerard Evan talks about the causes of cancer and how cancer spreads around the body. Also on the show, and joining us live from the National Cancer Research Institute Conference, is...
2006-Oct-01 • 57 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer and New Horizons
Answering all your cosmic conundrums this week are Drs Chris, Dave and Phil who discuss why blood is red, the size of the ozone hole, how to make magnets, the best way to get rid of excess mucus, and sticking with the gooey theme, Adam...
2006-Sep-24 • 58 minutes
Catalysts for Cleaner Environments and Future Energy
Chemistry and lightning quick reactions are under discussion this week as Emma Schofield explains what a catalyst is, how catalytic converters work and how catalysts can help to clean up the atmosphere, and Fraser Armstrong discusses...
2006-Sep-17 • 56 minutes
Peruvian Mummies, Ancient Environments and the Sahara
Explaining how science can help us dig up the past is Lawrence Owens, who uses teeth and bones to uncover the life and sometimes gruesome death of mummies in Peru and Bolivia, and Harriet Allen describes how the pollen record and layers...
2006-Sep-10 • 59 minutes
Hot Nectar, Warming Weather and Birds Missing the Spring
In the hot seat this week is Beverley Glover, who will describe how flowers warm their nectar to entice passing pollinators, real life weatherman John Law discusses weather predictions and how to calculate temperature days in advance, and...
2006-Sep-03 • 55 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer
The Naked Scientists are back to answer all your burning science questions. Dr Chris, Dave and Helen tackle hot flushes, why spiders love living in our houses, how many stars are in the Milky Way, and why cows in a field always face in...
2006-Aug-06 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer
Dr Chris, Dave and Derek answer all your questions including: why paintings fade in sunlight, why hairs on different parts of the body grow at different rates, whether UV light poses a danger at the disco, Steve Miller from University...
2006-Jul-30 • 57 minutes
Crowd Control, Football Hooligans and Singing Mosquitoes
I predict a riot... or not. This week we're joined by crowd control experts Dr Clifford Stott, from Liverpool University, and Dr John Drury, from Sussex University, who'll be discussing why violence kicks off at football matches, how to...
2006-Jul-23 • 58 minutes
Exploding Jellyfish, Marine Conservation and Sharks-3D
Marine biology and conservation specialist Dan Laffoley, from English Nature, and Chris Lynam, from the University of St Andrews join us to dissect the state of the worlds oceans and marine protected areas. From the conservation science...
2006-Jul-16 • 56 minutes
The Science of the Sun, Sun Tanning, Nuclear Fusion and Fission Power
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory astrophysicist Chris Davis joins us to shed light on the structure and workings of the sun and the newly-launched STEREO mission, Cambridge University engineer Jeffery Lewins talks nuclear, and Anna...
2006-Jul-09 • 56 minutes
Allergies, the Immune System and Parasites
In honour of the annual hoards if bleary-eyed hayfever sufferers, we are joined by Carrock Sewell who describes how the immune system works, what causes allergic reactions and how we might be able to cure them, and Mark Booth discusses...
2006-Jul-02 • 57 minutes
Sex Chromosomes, Genetics and Food Webs
Breaking things down to the building blocks of life this week is Mark Ross, who discusses the evolution of sex chromosomes, genetics and genomes, Michael Traugott describes a novel way of using genetics to find out who is eating whom in...
2006-Jun-25 • 58 minutes
Naked Question and Answer and The Life of Benjamin Franklin
Answering all your questions on science, technology and medicine this week are Drs Chris, Dave and Kat, who will be revealing why spicy foods make you sweat, the highest possible temperature, the cause of labyrinthitis and why tissues...
2006-Jun-18 • 61 minutes
Social Insects and Locust-Inspired Car Safety
Scratching the itch of curiosity this week is William Foster, who will be talking about the evolution of social insects and his quest for social beetles in Thailand, Claire Rind flies in the face of current car safety technologies by...
2006-Jun-11 • 56 minutes
Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi
This week we focus on the science of the very small - the microbial world of bacteria, viruses and fungi with Nottingham Universitys Liz Sockett and Cambridge Universitys Stacey Efstathiou and Ali Ashby. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Derek...
2006-Jun-04 • 56 minutes
Oil, Fuel Cells and Alternative Energy
Powering the generators for the show this week is Nicky White who describes how oil is formed, how we find and extract oil and how long oil supplies will last, Lynne Macaskie discusses how fuel cells can be run on hydrogen gas created by...
2006-May-28 • 56 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer and the Science of Happiness - Naked Scientists 06.05.28
Answering all your science questions this week are Chris, Kat and Dave, including why some people are so prone to static electric shocks, whether humans will exceed the speed of light, how pain killers know where the pain is, and why cows...
2006-May-21 • 57 minutes
Music Technology and the Science of Sound
Bringing music to our ears this week is Hugh Hunt who discusses the science of sound, how harmonics work and how to play music in a tea cup, Jez Wells describes the frontiers of music technology including recreating the sounds of a long...
2006-May-14 • 57 minutes
BSE, Cervical Cancer and Toxoplasmosis
As the ten-year ban on British beef is lifted, Tony Minson joins us to discuss what causes BSE, how it is spread and why it is such a problem, and with another example of how animal diseases pass to humans is Joanne Webster, who describes...
2006-May-07 • 55 minutes
Dinosaurs and Fossils - Jurassic Science set in Stone
We return to the lost world of the dinosaurs. Palaeontologists Leslie Noe and Matt Wilkinson discuss the origins, land demise of the dinosaurs including how they mastered flight. Mary Schweitzer describes the discovery of original dinosaur...
2006-Apr-30 • 58 minutes
Naked Science Question and Answer
Brightening up the darker corners of your science knowledge this week are Chris, Phil and Kat, who look at colour-blindness in dogs, harnessing heat energy from the centre of the Earth, how glow in the dark motorbikes could save lives, and...
2006-Apr-23 • 64 minutes
Coral Reefs and Creatures of the Deep Sea
Delving into the dark depths of science this week is Ron Douglas who describes the fascinating world of deep sea fish, bioluminescence and the sights from a deep sea sub, Jason Hall-Spencer talks about cold water corals and the threats...
2006-Apr-09 • 60 minutes
Forecasting Weather and Climate
Bringing a ray of sunshine to the studio this week is Alex Hill from the London Met Office, who will be describing how meteorologists predict the weather on a daily basis, Tim Palmer reveals how understanding seasonal weather patterns...
2006-Apr-02 • 56 minutes
Brainwashing and the Science of Pain
Picking apart the inner workings of our brains this week are Irene Tracey, who discusses the neurological origin of pain and how we can reduce pain, Philip Shaw reveals why having a bigger brain does not make you more intelligent, Kathleen...
2006-Mar-26 • 57 minutes
Naked Science Questions and Answers
Answering all your burning science, technology and medicine questions this week are Drs Chris, Dave and Phil, who will be looking at why purifying seawater is not the answer to water shortages, how 3D glasses work and whether a man on a...
2006-Mar-19 • 57 minutes
Invasive Species, Conservation and the Last Giant Tortoise
Conservation and saving species go under the spotlight this week as Henry Nicholls draws attention ot the plight of Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise of his kind, David Aldridge discusses the problem of invasive species and how he...
2006-Mar-12 • 57 minutes
Body Clocks, Circadian Rhythms and Time
Time is very much the essence of this weeks show, as Russell Foster discusses the human body clock, where the body clock is and how it gives our bodies a daily rhythm, Karl-Arne Stokkan describes how reindeer body clocks adapt to twenty...
2006-Mar-05 • 58 minutes
Recycling, Water Use and Problem Plastic
The recycling revolution and the whereabouts of our waste are hot topics this week as David Butler describes a new technique for recycling water, Rebecca Weymouth lifts the lid on what happens to our domestic waste, Peter Barham reveals...
2006-Feb-26 • 58 minutes
The Science of Nanotechnology
Picking apart some miniature morsels of science this week are David Carey, who provides the big picture on the world of nanotechnology, Donald Fitzmaurice describes how DNA may be used as scaffolding for the next generation of computer...
2006-Feb-19 • 58 minutes
Chinese Medicine and the Healing Power of Plants
Unlocking Natures medicine chest are doctors orders this week as Monique Simmonds reveals the research behind old herbal remedies, Tai-Ping Fan describes how Chinese medicine is being used for illnesses from gout to endometriosis, Jack...
2006-Feb-12 • 58 minutes
Science of Seduction, Pheromones and the Food of Love
Love, seduction and sexual attraction are in the air this week as Peter Brennan woos Chris and Kat with a discussion of pheromones and the science of smell, Charles Wysocki suggests how farmers can love thy neighbour by masking the...
2006-Feb-05 • 59 minutes
Your Questions, Infectious Cancer and Louisiana Wetlands
This week we hand the show over to you, as Chris, Kat and Phil answer all your burning questions on science, technology and medicine. Anne-Maree Pearse joins us to describe the hellish plight of the Tasmanian Devil as it succumbs to an...
2006-Jan-29 • 57 minutes
Meteorites, Satellites and Avoiding Asteroids
This week we look to the solar system as Ian Sanders discusses where meteorites come from and how we can find them, astronaut Dr Stan Love describes how to avoid Armageddon asteroids, Maggie Aderin talks about satellites that monitor wind...
2006-Jan-22 • 58 minutes
Geology of Natural Disasters, Volcanoes and Earthquakes
This week we shake up the world of science as Janet Sumner describes the dynamics of volcanic eruptions and the strutcure of the Earth, Tamsin Mather talks about how the gases from volcanoes affect our atmosphere and environment, Tiziana...
2006-Jan-15 • 58 minutes
Plant Science, Composting and Mosquito Repellents
This week we go green as Alison Smith discusses how algae get their vitamin B12, Tim Upson reveals the science behind composting, Heather Gorringe and Richard Fishbourne dish the dirt on what worms get up to in your compost heap, and...
2006-Jan-08 • 58 minutes
Obesity, Appetite, Exercise and Weight Loss
With the indulgences of Christmas behind us, Steve ORahilly sheds some light on shedding a few pounds as he discusses the science of appetite, obesity and weight loss, Len Almond describes the role of exercise in losing weight, John...
2005-Dec-18 • 57 minutes
The Coriolis Effect and Christmas Questions for Dr Chris Smith
This week we put our heads in a spin as listeners across the world test whether it is possible to detect the Coriolis Effect from your bath tub, Karl Kruszelnicki provides the answer to the Coriolis quandry from a bathroom Down Under,...
2005-Dec-11 • 58 minutes
Animal Communication, Sexual Signalling and Emotions
This week we learn about animal communication straight from the horses mouth. Dr Gillian Forrester, from the University of Sussex, describes how gorillas use tactile signals to communicate, Dr Katie Slocombe, from the University of St....
2005-Dec-04 • 58 minutes
Forensics, DNA Fingerprinting and Human Origins
This week we take a foray into forensics, as DI Alan Cook talks about how DNA is used to solve crime, Alec Jeffreys helps us brush up on how DNA fingerprinting works, Tamsin OConnell describes how DNA can help track down human origins,...
2005-Nov-27 • 60 minutes
Stars, Cosmology and the Beginning of the Universe
This week we dive into deep time as cosmologist Mike Hobson explains how we measure the universe, the distance of the nearest galaxy, how scientists calculate the life span of the sun, and the definition of a light year, Chris Voigt...
2005-Nov-20 • 56 minutes
Naked Scientists - 05.11.20 - Genetics, DNA Extraction and the Human Genome Project
This week we unravel the secrets of DNA as Darren Grafham discusses the importance of sequencing genomes and how the Human Genome Project has improved medicine, Mike Majerus reveals why we look different from worms despite sharing...
2005-Nov-13 • 58 minutes
Parasites, Hookworms and Allergies
This week Prof. David Pritchard gets to the bottom of why parasites may help to get rid of allergies, Elizabeth Bernays describes how caterpillars acquire a taste for plants containing toxic chemicals when they have parasites, Chris...
2005-Nov-06 • 61 minutes
Fireworks, Explosions and Chemistry
In this explosions extravaganza, John Emsley and Jacqueline Akhavan describe the chemistry behind the bangs on bonfire night, George Pendle talks about Jack Parsons and the history of rocketry, Mark Schrope comes back down to earth to...
2005-Oct-30 • 58 minutes
UFOs, Mars and Space Science
This week we delve into the unexplained as Nick Pope discusses Britains biggest UFO case, the Rendlesham Forest Incident, Anna Lacey visits Rendlesham Forest to talk to Vince Thurkettle and Brenda Butler about their involvement in the...
2005-Oct-23 • 58 minutes
Social Insects, Biting Bugs and a Potted History of Honey
This week we get bitten by the bug as Ian Burgess talks about the nasties that nibble us in the night, William Foster discusses social insects and how individuals in colonies communicate, Bee Wilson describes the useful properties of...
2005-Oct-16 • 60 minutes
Avian Flu, How Flu Spreads, Anti-Flu Drugs, and how to avoid Influenza
As the flu season and the threat of avian flu comes closer, Professor John Oxford from the Royal London Hospital discusses what the flu is, where flu comes from and whether drugs and vaccines can prevent human and avian influenza....
2005-Oct-09 • 58 minutes
Stem Cells, Brain Repair and Tricks of Light
Stretching our grey matter this week is developmental biologist Dr Adrian Pini, who describes how our brain grows, how our brain works, and how it can become damaged, and Dr Huseyin Mehmet, who discusses the potential application of stem...