The Naked Scientists Podcast - Stripping Down Science

COVID variant vaccines, and sinking antimatter

In this episode of The Naked Scientists, A future proof covid jab that combats variants that don't even exist yet. Reassuringly for theoretical physics, signs that antimatter does obey the rules of gravity, and why one doomsday scenario is predicting we'll all be wiped out in 250 million years time,…

28 Sep 28 min

Titans of Science: Robert Winston

This week's guest is a pioneer of IVF, award-winning broadcaster, and member of the House of Lords, Robert Winston. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Sep 32 min

Spinal injury repair, and embryo editing ethics

This week on The Naked Scientists: A breakthrough in treating spinal cord injuries, worrying news about red fire ants in Sicily, we look at what it means for us in the UK. Plus, NASA is sending a sample of an asteroid back to Earth - it arrives this weekend; find…

21 Sep 31 min

Titans of Science: Anthony Fauci

Time for the next installment in Titans of Science! This week's very special guest is the former chief medical advisor to the White House during the pandemic, Dr Anthony Fauci. He tells Chris Smith his fascinating story, from a boyhood flair on the basketball court, his rise to prominence handling…

18 Sep 31 min

Ban on cheap vapes, and farewell to Dolly's 'father'

On the news pod, we ask whether an outright ban is the best way to deal with the health and environmental cost of sweet shop style vapes. Also on the programme; a new device for detecting Covid on patients' breath, the search for life elsewhere in the universe intensifies, and…

14 Sep 31 min

Titans of Science: Helen Sharman - part 2

Part 2 of the extraordinary story of the first Briton in space. What was life like on a space station? How do you get back down? and what do you do afterwards? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

11 Sep 30 min

Concrete concerns, and pharaoh de toilette

In this edition, can civil engineers help rescue the UK's crumbling schools and hospitals? Also, new initiative that is hoping to improve the treatment of sepsis, and how the scent of ancient Egypt has been replicated in a Danish museum... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked…

7 Sep 31 min

Titans of science: Helen Sharman - part 1

Today's guest is Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space. Our conversation ranges from her early beginnings working in a chocolate factory - Mars, would you believe - to her run in with the then leader of the Soviet Union... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked…

5 Sep 30 min

London ULEZ emissions tax, and uterus transplants

This week, London's latest ULEZ expansion - will it make much difference to air quality? The concerning impacts of poaching, and not just to endangered species, and the curious case of a woman with a worm in her brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

1 Sep 30 min

Return to the Moon: Why now?

This week, we're casting our eyes towards the brightest and largest object in our night sky: the Moon. As India becomes the 4th nation to achieve a successful soft landing on our only natural sateillite, we saw a fantastic opportunity to chart the history of how the Moon was formed…

28 Aug 28 min

Serial killers, and sails on supertankers

In the news this week, how can we understand the motivations of serial killers? Also, we ask a dermatologist to outline the early signs of melanoma, and find out about the initiative to reduce carbon emissions from the shipping industry using aeroplane wings. Plus, water voles are being reintroduced in…

24 Aug 30 min

The perfect plate of food: seasonal and well seasoned

Eating. We all have to do it 3 times a day and there's a lot to consider every time we do: is what I'm eating good for me? Is it sustainable for the planet? Can I afford the time or the expense to prepare it? In this episode, we address…

21 Aug 29 min

Elections in an AI age & smokers start with less grey matter

In the news this week, we start by asking whether we should start preparing to combat election interference in the wake of the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. A study is out this week linking lower levels of grey matter in the brain's frontel cortex with an increased likelihood of taking…

17 Aug 27 min

The past, present and future of nukes

This week, we'll explore the origins of nuclear weapons and how they have changed modern warfare. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

14 Aug 35 min

Prepping for pandemics, and pursuing Perseids

This week, we'll find out about preparations for the next pandemic and "disease X"; the link between a noticeably enlarged part of the human brain and obesity; and how honey sweetened the deal for an injured cricketer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

10 Aug 28 min

Hydrogen: fuel or folly?

This week, we're turning to the subject of hydrogen and its potential to play a role as a cleaner fuel in future. Could hydrogen be the answer to our energy conundrum? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

31 Jul 29 min

Global boiling, and crashed crafts on Mars

Sweltering temperatures wreak havoc across Europe and North America, so what needs to be done to bring them down? We hear from the Cambridge scientist who wants to create the largest ever DNA and health research programme for children and young people. And, did aliens crash-land on Mars? Strange pictures…

28 Jul 27 min

How AI will actually change the world

It's been quite the ride in the realm of artifical intelligence over the past year or so. As impressive as advancements in machine learning have been, however, few experts are worried about bots taking our jobs and threatening our safety as a species. The truth is, tools like ChatGPT are…

24 Jul 30 min

Alzheimer's drug, and algae vegan vitamins

A new drug in the fight against Alzheimer's disease: how does it work? Plus, we'll also have the latest on measles cases in London, look at the calls to reset the lunar clock, and could algae help people who are seeking to increase vitamin B12 in their diet? Like this…

20 Jul 27 min

Antidepressants: the ongoing debate

We'll be exploring depression, what causes it, and whether antidepressants or other treatments hold the key to solving it. Amongst our guests is psychologist Gordon Harold, speaking on how depression manifests in patients, and we'll also hear from psychiatrists on both sides of the antidepressant debate: Hamish McAllister Williams and…

17 Jul 29 min