The Naked Scientists Podcast - Stripping Down Science

Amazing animals: bats on treadmills, and showering elephants

In this animal-themed edition of the news: What prompted scientists to put vampire bats on a treadmill? Also ahead: why medicinal leeches are returning to the UK's waterways. Plus, the spiders that know what kind of food will satisfy their dietary needs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…

21 Nov 33 min

Are we on track to end new infections of HIV?

On today's programme, we are going to examine attempts to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by the end of the decade.The AIDS pandemic is unarguably the worst health threat to confront the population in the modern era. We believe close to 100 million people have died of the…

19 Nov 36 min

The stakes at COP29, and the rogue Skynet satellite

This episode of The Naked Scientists: what's at stake at this year's UN climate summit in Azerbaijan? Also, the 80 million-year-old fossil revealing how birds came by their big brains; and why the UK's oldest satellite has wandered off over the Americas... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…

14 Nov 32 min

Can weight loss jabs tackle the obesity pandemic?

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, could weight loss jabs help shrink the size of the global obesity crisis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

11 Nov 33 min

Pompeii DNA, and a black hole feeding faster than it should

New NICE guidance urges HRT as a first-line treatment for menopause symptoms, the enormous black hole that doesn't obey our existing laws of physics, and what DNA analysis is revealing about the people who inhabited Pompeii... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

7 Nov 32 min

How do we reduce harms to children from smartphones?

Initially, the upside to children having access to a supercomputer in their pockets seemed obvious: immediate access to the reams of educational information on the internet, seamless communications with their friends, a source of constant entertainment. But as mental ill health amongst our youngsters continues to rise, many are pointing…

4 Nov 32 min

Monkeypox in the UK, and the lost Mayan city

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The UK detects its first case of the new Mpox variant, but some are saying what took us so long; also the discovery of a lost city beneath the jungle canopy in Mexico; and the robots helping Cambridge scientists understand the evolution of…

31 Oct 37 min

Could technology swing the race for the White House?

The US election between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump is going down to the wire. Indeed, this has been described by many as the closest presidential election ever seen. Inevitably, with tensions so high on either side, the cry of electoral interference is a common one…

29 Oct 32 min

Chris Hoy's cancer diagnosis, and AI finds us common ground

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Sir Chris Hoy goes public with his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis; the World Health Organization has declared Egypt malaria-free; also, it's time to change the clocks in some countries. But what impact does it have on our perception of time? Like this podcast?…

24 Oct 33 min

Searching for signs of life on Europa

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, as NASA's Europa Clipper mission successfully blasts off towards Jupiter's moon, we look at how it leads the search for life in our solar system... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

22 Oct 32 min

Modifying insulin, and the melting Sphinx

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The new form of insulin that switches itself off before blood sugar falls too low; also, scientists suss out the origins of most of the meteors that fall to Earth; and why the longest lived patch of snow in the Scottish Highlands finally…

17 Oct 28 min

Is a vegan diet a healthy one?

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, what science has to say about whether a vegan diet is a healthy diet... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

15 Oct 34 min

Electrical stitches show potential, and Nobel prizes

In the news pod, how electrically conductive stitches can speed up wound healing. Scientists find the DNA of human victims embedded in the teeth of two African lions shot in the 1800's. And the Nobel Prizes explained: who's won what, and what for? Like this podcast? Please help us by…

10 Oct 33 min

Rules of engagement: Nullifying neurotrauma

Today, we're going in depth on traumatic brain injuries. James Tytko speaks with Dawn Astle, daughter of former England striker Jeff Astle, about the finding that his death was linked to head trauma sustained during his playing career. Also, Prof Peter Hutchinson gives an overview of head injuries, and Adel…

7 Oct 32 min

Diabetes cured with stem cells, and US bans Chinese tech

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Diabetes fixed with stem cells: scientists reprogramme a patient's fat cells to produce insulin; also why some security specialists are worried Chinese-made electric cars could pose a threat; and our interview with world-famous stargazer and physicist Brian Cox... Like this podcast? Please help…

3 Oct 31 min

Lockdown legacies: how Covid continues to shape the world

Four and a half years ago many countries told their inhabitants they had to stay at home for weeks at a time to control the coronavirus pandemic. Many countries had never resorted to any such measure - which deprived citizens of their civil liberties to such an extent - in…

30 Sep 36 min

Fruity vapes paralyse lungs, and world's oldest cheese

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Signs that fruity vapes paralyse the immune system in your lungs; the world's oldest cheese: but why was the nearly 4000 year old dairy product smeared all over an ancient Chinese mummy? And, why it might be a giant leap to suggest that…

26 Sep 31 min

Cancer vaccines: Empowering the immune system

Recently, doctors announced some extremely encouraging news about a jab for people with advanced forms of several types of malignancy, including melanoma, lung cancer and other solid organ tumours. The vaccine is called mRNA-4359 and has been developed by the pharmaceutical company Moderna, of Covid vaccine fame. The trials have…

23 Sep 34 min

Pager attacks in Lebanon, and resurrecting ancient seeds

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: what do we know about the pagers and walkie-talkies used to attack Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon? Also the landmark study on the impact of pregnancy on the human brain. And how scientists in Israel have grown a one thousand-year-old seed that might fill…

19 Sep 34 min

Engineers vs climate change

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how engineers are using novel concepts and ideas to attempt to tackle the climate crisis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

16 Sep 38 min