The Naked Scientists Podcast

This week on the Naked Scientists, your questions go under the microscope. Do women have a superior memory? What is the evidence for climate change? Can plants get cancer? Why do we sometimes see stars? And has the universe been through multiple big bangs? Join Dr Chris as he puts an astrophysicist, a neuroscientist, a climate researcher and a plant scientist through their paces tackling the questions you've been sending in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you've followed environmental stories over the years, you'll know this tune. Scientists have long been singing off the same songbook when it comes to fossil fuels, deforestation and pollution. But drum not often banged is the dwindling supply of phosphorus. It's is an essential element for all life. It makes up our DNA and all organisms need it for energy. It cannot be replaced, there is no synthetic substitute. In other words, without phosphorus, there is no life. This week on the Naked Scientists, we investigate whether we're running out of phosphorus for fertiliser and what we can do... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've got science on trial! We look at real case studies, finding out how forensics can both help and hinder criminal investigations, including the insects who are first on the scene, how your phone can tell tales, and why DNA can lead you on a wild goose chase. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're taking a look at the industry that transports 90% of global trade but most of us know very little about - shipping! We're all at sea as we navigate our way through driverless ships of the future and how to make an industry that is currently producing the same amount of emissions as Germany, a little greener.Plus how testosterone hardens your arteries, are drones getting out of control, and can a spoon in the bottle stop your sparkling wine going flat? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've gathered a panel of pollies, pundits and professors to answer your science questions: from how prevalent was tooth decay in the neanderthals, to how Neil Armstrong got home from the moon! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would you care about conserving an animal if it threatened your job, your food supply or even your life? This week, we unpick the hidden conflicts and controversies inside conservation, including the tragic fight to save the mountain gorillas, how to tackle poaching smartly and the lions who live in harmony with people. Plus, news of how engineers solved a medical dilemma and a look back at one of the world's greatest mathematical geniuses. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Exam season is around the corner, so this week the Naked Scientists take a walk down memory lane to find out what's going on upstairs when you learn and remember things, and investigate if it's possible to boost your brain power. Plus, in the news, prosthetic fingers that can actually feel, the sacred art of origami gets a DNA update and Kat asks whether giant pandas really just don't fancy getting frisky. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With the recent rise of the machines and robots - could an artificially intelligent robot take your job any time soon? And could they then take over the world, terminator-style? Join Graihagh Jackson as she journies into the world of cyborgs to see if Skynet, Ex Machina and the realms of science fiction could turn into science fact and if so, when? And what can we do about it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week: you asked the questions, we have the answers. Our expert panel take on queries like: why don't whales get the bends, does chloroform work like it does in the movies, and would a spinning spaceship simulate gravity? Plus, the week's science news, including the controversial sugar tax, how ExoMars 2016 hunts for life on the red planet and why NASA plan to set fire to a space station. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week is a Cambridge Science Festival special with the Naked Scientists coming straight from the Cambridge Science Centre alongside a very lively audience!But that's not all, it's battle of brains as six of Cambridge's finest researchers strut their stuff in a competition of mind, matter and ultimate cool. From freeze-dried blood to turbo charged wheat who will come out on top? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With infectious diseases wiping out millions each year, we look at how we can predict pandemics, whether scientists should be allowed to engineer super viruses, and how war and politics could prevent us from winning the fight against polio. Plus, news of how laughing gas could prevent PTSD, a breakthrough in soft-robotics and why skipping sleep could give you the munchies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, the discovery rocking the world of physics: gravitational waves! But what are they, and why are they set to change how we see the Universe in the future? Plus we take a look at the week's leading science breakthroughs, including a new way to see heart attacks before they happen, fighting superbugs with door knobs, and is there such a thing as being right- or left-brained? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From why spicy isn't a taste, to how long it takes a comet to form, we've gone in search of the answers to the questions you've been sending in. We investigate whether the Internet is immune to a breakdown, if a person dreams under anaesthetic, why days are divided into 24 hours, and could an explosive stop a storm? Plus, news of a new cancer therapy that's got everyone talking, and how to recycle wasted energy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists have turned the lights down low for a stimulating odyssey through the science of dating and romance, including; which chat-up lines are most likely to get you talking, what statistics can tell us about our sex lives and lessons in love from the animal kingdom. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Caffeine is one of the only legal psychoactive stimulants but is it good or bad for our health? This week, the Naked Scientists are delving into the science to find out. Plus, the latest on Zika virus, bed bugs get their genomes sequenced, and will going out with wet hair give you pneumonia? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

By 2050 the global population is set to rise to more than 10 billion people. But right now, 1 in 10 people are suffering from chronic hunger. So how do we reconcile a rising population with an already hungry world? Plus in the news, why scientists are one step closer to understanding autism, and we take a moment to say goodbye to the Philae Lander... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's dark and so massive that not even light can escape its clutches? The answer is one of the most enigmatic phenomena known to physics: the black hole. And this week we explore the workings of these mysterious entities from how they distort time and what what would happen if you fell into one, to why black holes power the brightest lights in the Universe and how scientists are trying to image their interior. Plus, news of a dissolving brain implant, how ultrasound might be making some people sick, and why a real-life spider-man would have to be really, really small... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does midwinter make you want to eat all the food in your fridge, curl up in a duvet and sleep until spring? You're not alone, many plants and animals feel the same way, but you might not be so keen when we tell you just what it would do to your body! Snuggle down as we explore the world of hibernation and how it might be used to help humans. Plus, in the news: detoxing debunked and the miracle of the microbiome. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this week's podcast, we're taking on your questions! From how we make decisions to why do we go temporarily deaf when we yawn and if light wears out, these are some of the many conundrums you asked and we answered with the help of an expert panel. Plus, the top headlines in the world of science, including the four new elements discovered, why you can blame your neanderthal heritage for bad allergies and how Harry Potteresque screens could be the next big thing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With the New Year, there's often a resolution or two to make a new you. But what makes you, you? Given that we share over 99.9% of our genes with each other, there's a lot of variety in that 0.01%. Just look around you now - no two people are alike! Is it just your genes or is there something else at play? In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Graihagh Jackson goes in search of what makes a person, an individual beginning by asking why her brother got sixpack abs and she didn't... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists