The Naked Scientists Podcast - Stripping Down Science

Muscles in microgravity, and probing the placebo effect

On the Naked Scientists news podcast, 'muscles on chips' provide microgravity researchers new opportunities to study ageing. Also in the show, the machine learning models overhauling weather forecasting, and scientists unpick how the placebo effect reduces pain by discovering the brain network responsible. Then, we speak to a doctor on…

25 Jul 29 min

Sporting extremes: The science of Olympic success

To mark the start of the Olympics, we're hosting our own science themed opening ceremony, centred on sporting extremes. We'll learn about potentially dangerously high temperatures at this year's Games and how athletes are reckoning with them. Then, we'll find out whether (really) cold therapy is the key to recovery,…

23 Jul 27 min

Cervical screening self swabs, and jelly-based batteries

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Self-test kits to help doctors bear down on cervical cancer; the 'jelly' batteries that could be used in wearable tech devices; and why seagulls keep trying to steal your chips, and how to stop them: science has the solution! Like this podcast? Please…

18 Jul 31 min

Titans of Science: Susan Solomon

Today's Titans interview is with the key figure in one of science's modern triumphs. Susan Solomon and her team were the first to theorise and prove what was causing the hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic, and why it was growing: chlorofluorocarbon pollutants humans were emitting. What followed…

16 Jul 31 min

Covid insights, Hurricane Beryl, and AI creativity cost

On the Naked Scientists news pod: data released from the UK's Covid tracing app provides intriguing insights on how the virus spread. Then, we hear whether extreme weather is the new normal, and we profile Patrick Vallance, the UK's new science minister. Also, what does having AI assistance do to…

12 Jul 34 min

Titans of Science: Dan Fallows

In this edition of Titans of Science, we hear from some of the biggest names in the business. Today, it's the turn of the British Formula One engineer Dan Fallows. He's currently technical director at Aston Martin and I went to meet him at their base in Silverstone to find…

9 Jul 33 min

Mosquito bloodlust hormones & inflammation drives long Covid

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Body scans give us new insights into long COVID; scientists discover the switch that triggers a mosquito's blood lust; and we'll take you on a whistle-stop tour of Royal Society's summer science exhibition... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked…

4 Jul 33 min

Titans of Science: Nicky Clayton

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How clever are birds really? Titans of Science continues, as we sit down with Cambridge University psychologist, and expert in animal comparative cognition, Nicky Clayton. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

1 Jul 31 min

Remembering Voyager's mastermind, and lizard clean-up crews

In this episode of The Naked Scientists: Edward Stone, the man who led the Voyager probe missions, which are still working half a century on, has died at the age of 88. We reflect on his legacy. Also, scientists discover what they think is the first Neanderthal with Down's Syndrome,…

27 Jun 30 min

Titans of Science: Geoff Hinton

This episode of The Naked Scientists marks the return of a brand news series of Titans of Science, where some of the movers and shakers of the scientific and technological world help us to unpick a big problem. Kicking us off is the AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, with a fascinating…

24 Jun 33 min

E. coli outbreaks, and sniffing the air for DNA

This episode of The Naked Scientists: How scientists are getting to grips with the UK's E. coli outbreak. Lettuce leaves look like the source, but how? Also, how atomic bomb tests have helped us build a better picture of how much carbon plants can lock away - and the news…

20 Jun 30 min

The trials and tribulations of trees

This week on The Naked Scientists, we're taking a look at trees. We look at how they communicate, the diseases they are fighting, and how beneficial to the climate planting trees really is... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

17 Jun 30 min

Lab-grown Crohn's mini-guts, and is the Universe a doughnut?

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Could lab-grown 'mini-guts' help us crack Crohn's disease? Also, is the Universe organised like a bagel? I talk to one cosmologist trying to figure it out. And we hear from the engineers who have recreated a 115-year-old cricketing contraption that bowled out an…

13 Jun 36 min

Gambling addiction: Hidden harms

This time, we're looking at gambling addiction and the associated harms. We hear from Bianca, a recovering gambling addict, about the deceit which characterised her experiences with betting, and why this is shared by many like here. Then, with Barbara Sahakian from the University of Cambridge, we learn about the…

11 Jun 31 min

Motor neurone disease, and a gut microbe-brewery

In the news this week, after the death of rugby legend Rob Burrow, we explore the mechanisms of motor neurone disease with John Ealing from the Manchester MND Care Centre. Also, we hear from Alexander Forse at the University of Cambridge who has helped to develop a carbon sponge which…

6 Jun 34 min

Dark matter and dark energy: mapping the dark universe

This week on The Naked Scientists, we are looking at attempts to map the dark universe. As the new space telescope Euclid seeks to unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, we ask why their secrets have eluded us for so long... Like this podcast? Please help us…

3 Jun 31 min

GM mosquitoes fight malaria, and robot digit gets thumbs up

This episode of The Naked Scientists: The genetically engineered mosquitoes released to fight malaria in Africa; how fake news skews public opinion, and who is behind it; and, finding out what it's like to own an extra thumb! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

30 May 36 min

The UK infected blood scandal

This episode of The Naked Scientists, as infected blood victims are finally promised compensation following the UK government's cover up of the scandal, we trace the story back to the very beginning, and hear from some of the victims who now have justice... Like this podcast? Please help us by…

28 May 29 min

Breakthrough in low carbon cement, and static sensitive bugs

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How science can help cut the carbon footprint of concrete; designer antibodies to introduce cancers to immune assassins; and the caterpillars that sense static charge on wasp wings to beat a hasty retreat... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked…

23 May 30 min

What does the future hold for AI?

We're coming back to the topic of generative artificial intelligence, asking how this potentially gamechanging technology is going to be integrated into our society. We'll hear an explanation of neural networks from Geoff Hinton, one of the founding fathers of AI, and some of the most promising avenues for maximising…

21 May 37 min