Naked Scientists Special Editions Podcast

Rutherford Appleton Central Laser Facility scientist Dr Ceri Brenner enlightens Ginny Smith about the world of lasers at the British Science Festival, 2013. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today marks the first day of the fourth test in the Ashes and while England have already retained the urn, they're hoping that their spin bowlers, including the likes of Monty Panesar can help secure a series win.Dominic Ford wanted to find out the science behind spin bowling so he visited the Australian 'spin doctor', Professor Hugh Hunt to bounce some balls around in his office at Trinity College Cambridge Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Diamonds are the new best friends of laser scientists.A new world of lasers is now being created through research which is harnessing the exceptional qualities of diamonds. It will open up new possibilities in the way that lasers can be used in areas such as medicine.Jane Reck from the EPSRC has been finding out more.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Enceladus, the tiny Saturnian satellite, regularly issues jets of salty water from its south pole that reaches kilometres in height above the moon's surface. But what drives this process? Gravitational tidal forces caused by an eccentric orbit, it seems. Cornell scientist Matt Hedman has analysed where in the Enceladus orbit the plumes are most pronounced... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We are often encouraged to relax during our lunch break, but research suggests that this can do interesting things to our minds. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Scientists at the University of South Australia have shown that regular exercise can dramatically reduce your risk of having a stroke in later life. Priya Crosby spoke to first author on the paper, Dr. Michelle McDonnell to find out more. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How can you make sure you are safe when you cycle? It might be more difficult that you think to ensure cars spot you... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last week, a group at the University of California, Davis, released a paper which highlights the potential for the use of MRI brain scans in the diagnosis of autism in children. Priya Crosby spoke to first author of the paper, Mark Shen, to find out more. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Cambridge Botanic Gardens play host to a giant water lily, with leaves a small child can stand on, and a flower that undergos an overnight sex change. Ginny Smith went to talk to Alex Summers about this incredible plant. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dark matter has long been needed by cosmologists to explain how structures like galaxies remain so strongly bound together. Catherine Peymans from the University of Edinburgh tells me about the latest models of dark matter, meanwhile Benoit Famaey and Hongsheng Zhao tell me how they believe that cosmological models can be constructed that don't have any dark matter at all. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last week marked the 101st birthday of the code-breaker and computer scientist Alan Turing, so Ginny Smith met up with James Grime, from the Enigma Project, to find out more about the German code machine that Turing and his colleagues at Bletchley Park worked so hard to crack... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What will the last remaining lifeforms on the Earth look like as the Sun swells to become a red giant star? And why might future robotic explorers of the Moon find themselves engulfed in dust? Both of these questions were discussed at the National Astronomy Meeting today, meanwhile I also had a chance to catch up with some of the amateur astronomers at the conference. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

I find out how the British Geological Survey is investigating the threat that solar storms pose to the world's electricity grids. David Southwood, President of the RAS, tells me that astronomy is about much more than just understanding the Universe: it also has a huge economical impact. And, how is the Dark Energy Survey pinning down the make up of the Universe? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

David Southwood, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, tells me why NAM is so important to him. I hear about plans to double the size of the Liverpool Telescope, the sparkles in the Sun which have only recently come to light, and how gravitational lenses can produce magnified images of distant quasars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Technological advances in racquets and balls are changing the way tennis is played, including allowing us to reach incredible 163mph serves. To find out how, Ginny Smith visited a tennis court in Fulbourn to speak to Dr Alison Cook from the sports engineering consultants Cook Associates... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Clinical Neuropsychologist Barbara Sahakian explains why some people find it difficult to make decisions that are beneficial to them, and how drugs could help. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Catalysts Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Ginny Smith talked to scientists performing at Chetenham Science Festival, as well as trying out some hands- on activities. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We were discussing on the radio today how random numbers are generated, and how could it be proved - to the satisfaction of a mathematician - that the number really is random? Evan Stanbury explains... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A campaign has been launched to stop science toys being sold by some stores as "toys for boys". But what does science say on the matter? Introduced here by BBC 5 Live's Dotun Adebayo, Ginny Smith has been investigating... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists