The Naked Scientists Podcast

We're diving into the science behind the latest headlines - including the oxygen shortages occurring in the wake of COVID outbreaks; the nuclear waste deep inside the wrecked Chernobyl reactor threatening to reignite; and we're meeting the man who found the Titanic, to talk about his new mission. Plus, a dive into science fiction with author Max Brooks, author of World War Z and the new novel Devolution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're tuning in to the science of birdsong, including parents who talk to their eggs to warn them of high temperatures, and how traffic noise means young birds are taking longer to learn their songs. Plus, in the news, scientists grow beating hearts in a laboratory culture dish; why the plastic you recycle isn't going where you think it is; and why a long working week might be the death of you. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're discussing ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It can lead to difficulty concentrating and focusing on tasks, and many adults don't actually realise they have it. So what is it, and what can we do to help people who have it? Plus, news of the Indian variant of Covid-19, new discoveries from the 40 year old Voyager 1 probe, and bats made from bamboo - but is that cricket? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we get our teeth into the science of fermented foods: are they a tasty health myth, or are the claimed medical benefits rooted in reality? From DIY sauerkraut and artisan cheeses, to the impact of fermented foods on the microbiome and how meat substitutes like Quorn are made in fermenters, it's a scientific feast. Plus, the latest Covid-19 news including government plans to vaccinate children over 12, why quantum physics just got "weirder", and an artificial intelligence that can predict when mums will go into labour... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's a look at the science behind the headlines! Including the latest on COVID-19; a successful vaccine for malaria; the abuses of forensic science to send down the wrong people, and is 'net zero' fact - or climate change fantasy? Also, talking about the new book he's got coming out, best-selling author of 'The Martian' Andy Weir... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As the UK announces the world's most ambitious target for cutting carbon and enshrines it in law, we're looking at how to improve the green credentials of one of the country's largest carbon contributors: the homes we live in. Plus, as India sees covid cases hit more than 300,000 a day, is the emergence of a variant there - and its detection here - cause for concern? And, the coffee species lost for 70 years and now rediscovered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How is it that you can listen to signals on your radio? We delve into the science of radio. From how one is made, to listening out for alien broadcasts. Plus in the news, we look at the potential for the third wave of Covid, how the vaccine fairs in pregnant people, and some muons behaving badly? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, with the northern hemisphere firmly in Spring and new growth bursting out all around us, we're talking about the science of seeds. Plus, in the news: the latest on the Astrazeneca COVID vaccine and blood clots, why UK plans to Covid test the population twice a week are flawed, and why beating their chests can save gorillas from fighting. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet the digital phenomenon that's worth in the trillions of dollars, that uses more power than the nation of Sweden, but that very few people - including those involved - even understand. Cryptocurrencies are notoriously complicated, the best way to understand how they work is to understand where they came from. In this programme: the history, the technology, the economics, and the psychology. Plus, latest news from the crypto-world: NFTs and multi-million art sales, 'stablecoins' and financial misconduct, and finally - will the whole thing come crashing down? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As England embarks on a multi-billion pound healthcare redevelopment initiative, we're asking, "what should the hospital of the future look like?". Plus, we reflect on the recent UK Covid lockdown anniversary, and unpick a chromosomal conundrum in Question of the Week... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, 10 years on from the earthquake that caused the Fukushima disaster, we're looking at the science of earthquakes, new techniques to protect ancient buildings from quake damage, and are we any closer to predicting these awesome forces of nature? Plus in the news: Why countries across the EU stopped, and then restarted, using the AstraZeneca vaccine, how lightning helped life on the early Earth, and do we owe our fine sense of touch to our fingerprints? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, solving the mysteries of ancient Egypt: we delve into the discovery of secret chambers hidden inside pyramids, and if glowing bones reveal antibiotic use was going on thousands of years ago... Plus, in the news, the fireball that shot across the UK night sky; a new device protects women from HIV; and the carbon footprint of cultivating cannabis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're looking at the science behind the headlines. From the latest with COVID-19, to weather in space, we'll be taking a closer look behind some of the biggest stories of the moment. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, the good news on vaccines for Covid-19, the helicopter taking to the sky on Mars, and the birds that make alarm sounds to scare females into mating with them. Plus, is the world facing a fertility crisis? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What has happened to learning in the era of COVID-19? In this episode: the people living through the psychological consequences of future mass unemployment and what the government and higher education are going to do about it. Plus, will reopening schools cause another coronavirus outbreak? What did the WHO learn when they went to Wuhan? And the carnage from the last time the Earth's magnetic poles reversed... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As the UK surpasses its goal of vaccinating 15 million people by the 15th of February, we're taking an in-depth look at COVID vaccines: how they work, what efficacy really means, and will they protect us against viral variants? Plus, in the news, updates to the list of COVID symptoms to watch out for; Chris Packham on the animal Einsteins giving humans a run for their money; and how scientists are using whale songs to explore the ocean floor... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What happens when the scientist... becomes the subject? We're examining the strange world of self-experimentation, from the history of martyr medics and kooky romantics, to the modern biologists dosing themselves with DIY COVID vaccines in the months after the pandemic began. Plus, is mixing vaccines the best way to fight coronavirus? Scientists capture an elusive element, number 99... and the physics behind why wombats poo in cubes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're looking at nuclear power and asking, in today's world, whether we really need nuclear power? Are the alternatives really practical alternatives, or are we just kidding ourselves? Plus in the news, is the UK right to lengthen the gap between Covid vaccines? Evidence that coronavirus infection dents male fertility, and a very strange rodent, with a very strange accent! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're unpacking ultrasound, imagining MRI and pondering PET scans, as we ask - how does medical imaging actually work? And what future innovations are waiting in the wings? Plus, we hear from the group that's tracking mutant coronaviruses...how do they find new variants? And a new battery for electric vehicles that can charge in 10 minutes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, looking for a new hobby? We're exploring the science of handicrafts, including why knitting boosts wellbeing, the first textiles from 27,000 years ago, and the project that's knitting human tissue to make replacement blood vessels. Plus, in the news, novel insights into who gets severe COVID and what might cause Long COVID, the WHO arrive in China to probe for the origins of the pandemic, and the snakes that tie themselves in knots to climb trees... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists