The Naked Scientists Podcast

This week: is there anybody out there or are we alone in the Universe? Graihagh Jackson ponders one of the fundamental questions of humanity, from flying saucers and UFOs to why we haven't found any evidence and what it would mean to find ET. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Supported by an all-star scientific cast of luminaries and willing volunteers the Naked Scientists celebrate the holidays with the 12 scientific days of Christmas. From why 9 ladies like to dance to making those 6 geese eggs into bouncy balls... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chris is joined by Giles Yeo, Roger Buckley, Andrew Pontzen and Kerstin Goepfrich, and they enjoy a mince pie or two while answering listener questions, including: why isn't love blinding; are glasses or contacts better for your eyes and what would happen if you brought a thimble of neutron star to earth? Plus, the team discuss the supposed benefits of the Mediterranean diet and debate the worst science movie mistakes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Antibiotics are chemicals that kill bacteria but leave us unharmed. However, bacteria are evolving so that our drugs no longer kill them. If this trend continues, the treatable are going to become untreatable... How serious would this scenario be, though? We'll be putting the problem under the microscope this week. Plus in the news, the UK's new Snooper's Charter, the man modelling vascular diseases in a dish, and what happens in your brain when you talk to God... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week: alien hunting! Life here on Earth uses DNA, but why, and would aliens be made of the same stuff? Plus, news of how your gut microbes are controlling your genes, a new way to fight phobias, and we get a sneak peek at where the first human colonists of Mars might live... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week the show comes to you from the Royal Institute of Navigation's annual International Conference, with a look at the future of navigation. From the trousers that can track your every move to the spacecraft charting their way through the Universe. Plus, how does GPS work, and are we ready for driverless cars? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week on the Naked Scientists, we've gathered the bright and the brainy to answer your science questions, from why ants are stealing your toenail clippings to what's between your internal organs and could you survive being eaten by a snake? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week on the Naked Scientists we're exploring our human story, from the use of tools and fire, to ritualistic behaviour. Where did we come from and what makes us special? Chris Smith is joined by some of the world's best fossil experts including one man who's discovered two of our caveman ancestors, and a scientist who can get the original tissues out of remains that are millions of years old. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Have you ever wondered why some people enjoy being absolutely petrified by horror films? This week, The Naked Scientists investigate the spooky science of the genre: what does fear look like in the brain, how do you compose the most terrifying soundtrack and can we use psychology to engineer the perfect scare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Kat and Chris are turning the lights down low in search of darkness. 80% of Europeans and Northern Americans now can't see the Milky Way. But does this extra light pollution matter? It doesn't harm anyone, or does it? Plus in the news, with the US presidential elections fast approaching, we see what we can learn from animals when it comes to picking a leader. And, do you really lose most of your heat through your head? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we step out of the lab and into the hospital to celebrate one of our most treasured institutions. We find out about the technology that could be changing the future of healthcare and Connie tries her hand as a medical student. Plus, a potential treatment for Sickle Cell disease and do ice baths really soothe sore muscles? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Alzheimer's: A third of the population may be destined to develop this form of dementia, which robs people of their memories and independence. So what causes it, and what can we do about it? Plus in the news, NICE approves a new drug for an aggressive form of lung cancer, we've got the lowdown on the Nobel prizes, and how a computer code has been released online that could be using your devices to launch cyber attacks. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do cats have vertical pupils? Do clouds defy gravity? What is the brain basis of road rage? The Naked Scientists team tackle these and many more science questions, with help from an all-star guest panel. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're in for a little light relief, as we explore how light-based technologies are delivering a brighter future, in medicine and beyond. Plus, in the news, a new gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, scientists make sonic holograms, and the most accurate reconstruction of a dinosaur yet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - Cambridge's key role in the mission to map the milky way! We learn how the Gaia space telescope is pinpointing the positions of a billion stars in our galaxy.Plus, news of a net which will leave mozzies dead or infertile, the DNA double-double helix discovery, and can the moon cause earthquakes? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we don our uniforms for a lesson in the science of education: what's the best way to mould the minds of the future? Plus, a new drug that could cure malaria with a single dose and we find out what happened to the ice bucket challenge. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we see the lunar landing sites with a telescope? Why is it cooler at altitude despite being closer to the Sun? Why is there no salt in sea ice? Was it windier when the Earth turned faster? What will end life on Earth sooner, the cooling core or the Sun becoming a red giant? Is modern medicine damaging the gene pool? How old is the average atom? This week David Rothery, Caroline Steel, Andrew Holding and Adam Townsend join Kat Arney to answering the science questions that you've been sending in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists are celebrating their 15th birthday and so Graihagh Jackson puts science under the microscope and questions its importance in today's world. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we find out how science can help you get from script to screen in animated movies, from the physics of balancing a giraffe on a tightrope to the researcher putting voice actors in a brain scanner. Plus, news of why we're more prone to viral infections when we're jet-lagged, how a common technique to prevent premature birth could actually cause it and did campfires kill the Neanderthals? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

100 years since the first UK drug law, we explore the controversial and confusing science behind the drugs debate. From the brain basis of addiction to how ecstasy could treat anxiety, what are the implications of the world's war on drugs? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists