Naked Scientists Special Editions Podcast

Progress in vaccine trials, the longevity of immune responses to Covid-19 and coronavirus vaccines, animal models of Covid-19, genetic stability of SARS-CoV-2, is hydroxychloroquine a good gamble, coronaviruses on clothes, why do death rates vary, and how is Sweden faring? Kim Hill talks to Chris Smith to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A special Covid-19 news update: Have you had a test for COVID-19? Some results from the symptom tracker app. Also, how blood plasma from Covid-recoverees is being used to treat patients acutely ill with the virus. Do hospital and office aircon systems need a rethink to prevent disease spread in future? What happens if you catch coronavirus during pregnancy? And what are the future impacts of Covid-19 on transport? Chris Smith, Katie Haylor, Phil Sansom and Eva Higginbotham report... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will SARS-CoV-2, the cause of Covid-19, continue to circulate for years to come? What's the story with infection in children, and how is Kawasaki Disease involved? Are separate strains of the virus spreading in different countries and accounting for differences in severity? And will the virus mutate to sidestep a vaccine? Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill talks to Chris Smith to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If, before a date, you like to spritz yourself to smell great for that special someone, you could be in good company, as this week, scientists in Japan have published a paper looking at ring-tailed lemurs who might be doing a similar thing. There's much debate about whether sex pheramones actually exist in humans - that is, whether we exude chemicals to stimulate some sort of sexual behavioural response in someone else. But could this be what's happening in our distant primate cousins? And what could this mean for us? Primate expert Jacob Dunn, who wasn't involved in the study and is from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sometimes scientists try to study one thing and end up accidentally discovering something else. Cancer researcher Cathy Wilson from the University of Cambridge recently experienced such good fortune. While trying to understand the function of cancer gene 'myc' in mice, a gene that goes haywire in almost all human cancers, she accidentally ended up achieving the holy grail of heart disease research - making heart cells start dividing to make more cells. Eva Higginbotham spoke to her about the happy accident... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Scientists discover why Covid-19 causes some people to lose their sense of smell and taste, that patients probably don't catch coronavirus for a second time soon after their first encounter, why children probably are equally infectious, and remdesivir - does it make a difference? Dr Chris Smith joins Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill for another coronavirus conversation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Across the world, universities have been closed, researchers sent home and many classes are either not taking place or they've shifted online; so how does that impact the way universities are operating, and what's been the financial and scientific impact. Chris Smith spoke with Stephen Toope, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Researchers have discovered a link between certain chemicals found in plastics and the premature births. The chemicals are from a class called phthalates, and they're used in a wide variety of household products as well as in food processing lines. However, when they get into people's bodies, there's evidence that they can disrupt human hormone systems. And now American scientists have found that women whose bodies had high levels of a particular phthalate just before they conceived ended up significantly more likely to give birth too soon. Carmen Messerlian, an epidemiologist at the T.H. Chan... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We're all spending more time at home right now, and being cooped up indoors can feel rather challenging. And with spring very much sprung here in the UK, what better time than to get those fingers green with growing stuff! So, a few weeks ago, novice gardener Katie Haylor spoke horticultural learning coordinator Sandie Cain from Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As human trials of Covid-19 vaccines kick off in the UK, what kind of protection might we expect, and when will we know. Also, the thorny issue of facemasks - do they help contain the contagion, or not? Also, children as active 'super spreaders' of the disease, strange blood clotting effects, and a distinctive form of pneumonia caused by Covid. Dr Chris Smith joins Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill for an update on what this week has revealed about SARS-CoV-2... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Recorded back in early March for our Cambridge Science Festival event, before the current lockdown measures were put in place, Cambridge University physicist and science stand up comedian Fran Chadha-Day treated us to one of her sets. So, grab a cuppa and take a seat. Becuase, without further ado, here's Fran Chadha-Day! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus be forthcoming, and what other measures are effective at fighting Covid-19? We're setting great store by social distancing, but is 2 metres going far enough? Chris Smith joins Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill to discuss the latest developments in the evolving coronavirus situation, including the UK lockdown extension, and other therapeutic strategies to aid people stricken by the virus... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's close-call with Covid-19, reversing the lockdown, how contact tracing can control outbreaks, changing public practices around face masks, and can the exhalations of a passing jogger infect me? Chris Smith joins Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill for another coronavirus update... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The risk of bringing home coronavirus on your groceries is very low, but what's the best way to minimise the threat? Chris Smith explains... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As our high streets are becoming increasingly deserted by humans, it's becoming apparent that we aren't the only creatures roaming our cities. Birds are still chirping away out there. A city is not a natural place for a bird, but some species manage to thrive. Intelligence was once thought to be the deciding factor, but maybe that's not the whole story, as put forward by new research in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Melanie Jans-Singh found out more from UCL's Alexander Pigot... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As the lockdown tightens and a quarter of the world's population are forced to stay at home, Chris Smith and RNZ's Kim Hill link up to talk about the latest coronavirus facts. They explore whether facemasks protect you or just lead to a false sense of security, herd immunity and our lockdown exit strategy, why some people suffer more severe infections than others, and if antibodies from recovered Covid-19 victims can help those dying from the disease... Also, the brilliant Coronavirus Rhapsody sung by Adrian Grimes with lyrics by Dana Jay Bein and music by Queen. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space-grown lettuce may sound like something from science-fiction, but astronauts on the International Space Station, or ISS, have been enjoying their leafy greens since mid 2015, thanks to NASA's Veggie plant growth system. Megan McGregor spoke to Gioia Massa, project scientist at Kennedy Space Centre, and Howard Griffiths from the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As the UK goes into lock-down and the government announces unprecedented spending to support businesses and workers, Chris Smith rejoins Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill to discuss the scientific basis for these tactics, and how the story will end... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last year scientists from the University of Exeter discovered that staring at seagulls can discourage them from stealing your food. Not content with saving the chips of many a seaside tourist, they have now discovered that herring gulls are more likely to interact with food after it has been touched by humans. But how exactly do you test a seagull's preferred snack? Megan McGregor spoke to the study's lead author, Madeleine Goumas, to find out more... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Every household across the world produces wastewater. While usually we think of it as waste that has to be treated, a new study by the UN Institute for Water, in the National Resources Forum, conceives of wastewater as a largely untapped resource. The scientists, led by Manzoor Qadir, have estimated the total amount of wastewater in the world. This is the first comprehensive study that includes places with little recorded data. According to its result, the total amount of wastewater produced per year globally could cover the entire land in the world (minus Antarctica) by 1 metre. Melanie... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists