The Naked Scientists Podcast

What's a white hole? Why don't we use brain scans to diagnose mental health and why was cyanide Agatha Christie's poison of choice? All this and more as our panel of experts answer your questions. Joining Chris Smith this time are: Astronomy specialist Matt Bothwell, forensic toxicologist Lorna Nisbet, neuroscientist Camilla Nord and physiologist Sam Virtue... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're donning our kilts and raising our whisky bottles to celebrate Burns Night! The two-century-old Scottish holiday honours the memory of the great poet Robbie Burns, and in this episode we're hosting our very own Burns Supper - but with a special twist of science. We've got haggis, history, and a live science ceilidh! Plus in the news, an update on China's virus outbreak, the Earth's oldest meteor crater, and scientists recreate the voice of a 3000-year-old Egyptian Mummy.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week: food waste. Worldwide, a third of the food we buy ends up in the bin. Why? And what can science do to help? Plus - will 2020 be another climate record-breaker, and what are the climate-change consequences for future food production here? A new way to treat type 1 diabetes. And why, nutritionally-speaking, packed lunches for many children leave a lot to be desired... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're unraveling the science behind the ancient art of origami - paper folding - and how scientists are even doing it now with DNA. The new virus that's appeared in China, news of the Australian bush fires, and why running a marathon can take years off the age of your arteries... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's Q&A time! We've picked a selection of the best science questions from listeners, like: are lottery numbers really random? Is there still a hole in the ozone layer? And crucially - why do some bananas peel into three sections and some into four? Here to answer them is our expert panel: tech journalist Tim Revell, geneticist Hannah Thompson, climate scientist Ella Gilbert, and physicist Jess Wade... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this week's special episode, Katie Haylor, Adam Murphy and Phil Sansom take a trip down memory lane, month by month, reflecting on some of our favourite moments from a whole year's worth of sensational science sought out by The Naked Scientists office in 2019... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Merry Christmas! In this special edition of the show, discover how many presents are really coming your way on the 12th day, hear which medical specialists are most likely to get caught speeding, and help us track down the real Santa using stats! Plus, Naked Gamers Chris Berrow and Leigh Milner bring us up to date with what's hot in the gaming world this Christmas... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

NASA have stated that they are heading back to the Moon in 2024. This week we're finding out why, and what's in store for us as we head up there. Plus, in the news, cave paintings dated to 40,000 years ago, the strange magnetic fields found around the Sun, and the 3-D printed rabbit with its own DNA... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're exploring a terrifying force of nature: avalanches. Why do they happen? How do you avoid them? And if you encounter one, how could you survive it? We speak to Lawrence Jones, who 20 years ago was caught in an avalanche - and lived to tell the tale. Plus, in the news: measles cases triple, we ask whether physicists have really discovered a new fundamental force, and the scientifically-proven solution to hangovers (sort of) - we've tested the recipe... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week: Is fat worse than sugar? Can you die of a broken heart? Is the universe really expanding? We've assembled a panel of experts to take on your science questions: diet and genetics guru Giles Yeo, immunologist and wine expert Clare Bryant, physicist Francesca Chadha-Day, and cardiologist James Rudd. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, artificial organs! How close are we to growing life-saving hearts, kidneys and livers in the lab? Plus in the news, how hospital computer systems can save lives by spotting subtle signs doctors haven't picked up on yet; also the nano-coating to keep your toilet squeaky clean, and most importantly using half the amount of water! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, the deadly serious science of custard, including the chemistry of eggs, sports bra tehcnology, custard powder explosions, and that most important question of them all: is custard better hot or cold? Plus, in the news, a revolution in solar panel science, did hiccups evolve to help babies learn, 3d TV coming to a screen near you, and sex in the city: why urban living means dad might not be dad at all... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're looking at the future of medicine, phenomics! Including the toilet that analyses what you put down it! And in the news, sending wine to space, new insights into the origin of life, and why a lack of sleep gives you food cravings! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Computer models are everywhere and we use them to gain an understanding of the world and make predictions about the future, such as the spread of diseases, whether a rocket will get into orbit, and even whether it will rain tomorrow. In this special documentary, Adam Murphy discovers what a model is and why we need them, how scientists develop models in the first place, and how computer scientists can help to strip out the bugs to make them work better, faster and more efficiently... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - How do glow worms glow, and can they do so indefinitely? Why don't birds fall out of trees when they sleep? And space tourism: when can I book my ticket to orbit? We've assembled an expert panel to answer your science questions - Richard Hollingham, space and science journalist; Keziah Latham, optometrist; Peter Cowley, tech investor, and Sophie Mowles, behavioural ecologist. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're diving into the bins and sorting through the rubbish to figure out: what's going on with recycling? Many countries like the UK produce far more recyclable waste than they can deal with, and ever since China stopped importing most types of rubbish last year, we've seen crisp packets and margarine tubs piling up in illegal dumps abroad. So is our recycling system still working, and what does the future hold? Plus, in the news, a new drug that tricks the flu, and the artificial leaf that can turn carbon dioxide into fuel... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're taking a look at blood, from regenerating blood vessels, to one of our team going to their first blood donation! Plus in the news, concerns that Ebola might be back with a vengeance in future: 60% more often and with 4 times the impact; plus NASA's first all-female spacewalk: we hear from one of the astronauts involved... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Rugby World Cup is taking place in Japan, and FIFA 20 has just been released, so this month it's a sport special! Including Virtual Reality Go Karting... yes really. And we meet the author who was inspired to write poetry by playing Super Mario! New reviews include Mario Kart Tour, Trine 4 and Untitled Goose Game. For Retro Revival it's Darksiders 2 on the Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade. With Chris Berrow and Leigh Milner. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, computers are supposedly there to help us - but how easy are they to use and programme if you're disabled? We're looking at how to make computing as inclusive as it can be. Plus, news of the Nobel Prizes announced this week, a new test to find out whether chemotherapy will work for your individual cancer, and the whales that whisper to their young! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Half a million genomes. That's how many the UK Biobank has, stored as blood samples in freezers up in Manchester. And in September 2019 they announced a project to sequence every single one of them. It's the obvious next step for the UK Biobank, the research study that began in 2006 and now consists of an enormous biological database: the personal and medical information of its 500,000 volunteers. That data is available to any researcher who applies to use it. But how is this, the biggest whole-genome sequencing project ever, going to work? Who's coughing up the hundreds of millions of pounds... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists