The Naked Scientists Podcast

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The Naked Scientists flagship science show, includes the latest science news, interviews with top scientists, hands-on science experiments and answers to your science questions.

The Naked Scientists


    • Jun 27, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 50m AVG DURATION
    • 1,170 EPISODES

    4.6 from 532 ratings Listeners of The Naked Scientists Podcast that love the show mention: best science podcasts, chris smith, chris and dr, one of the best science, naked, cattle, british accents, favorite science podcast, fun science, questions from listeners, science show, great science podcast, carbon, scientific topics, science news, scientists, experiments, discoveries, billion, astronomy.


    Ivy Insights

    The Naked Scientists Podcast is a remarkable podcast that offers a diverse range of topics and a consolidated view of scientific areas. Each episode covers different subjects, allowing listeners to explore various aspects of science in an accessible and engaging manner. The podcast stands out for its ability to present complex scientific concepts in a way that is understandable for everyone, making it a valuable resource for individuals who are interested in expanding their knowledge about the world of science. One of the best aspects of this podcast is the quality of the content and the delivery. The hosts provide fascinating discussions about scientific discoveries and present information in an engaging and informative manner. They have a knack for selecting interesting topics and finding authentic guests who genuinely care about being positive forces in the world through their contributions to science. This dedication shines through in every episode, making it a truly mind-blowing experience to listen to the insights they bring to bear. Furthermore, each episode offers something new and valuable, ensuring that listeners gain knowledge from every episode they listen to. The length of each episode, which is just under 60 minutes, is perfect as it does not feel overwhelming or too short. The analysis provided is objective and dives into the right depth necessary for understanding complex scientific concepts without overwhelming the audience. Overall, The Naked Scientists Podcast impresses with its commitment to providing high-quality content on a wide range of scientific topics.

    While there are many positives about The Naked Scientists Podcast, one minor drawback could be its emphasis on COVID-related material. While it is an essential topic, some listeners may feel overwhelmed or tired with constant coverage of COVID-related material due to its omnipresence in today's world. However, this critique can be subjective as it depends on individual preferences and circumstances.

    In conclusion, The Naked Scientists Podcast is an excellent podcast that delivers fascinating discussions on various scientific topics while maintaining accessibility for all audiences. It consistently provides valuable insights into significant discoveries and developments within the field of science. Listeners are guaranteed to learn something new from each episode, making it a must-listen for anyone who wants to stay up-to-date with scientific advances. The outstanding delivery, intelligent analysis, and engaging presentation ensure that this podcast remains one of the top choices in the realm of science podcasts.



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    Latest episodes from The Naked Scientists Podcast

    Weight loss jab concerns, and crafty bribing caterpillars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2025 35:31


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, weight loss jabs being prescribed by GPs in England, but do we know enough about the side effects? Also, a new simple test to replace endoscopies for patients with Barrett's oesophagus. And we hear from one of the engineers at the Vera Rubin Observatory, which is shedding new light on the cosmos... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    On thin ice: The race to save Antarctica

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2025 32:31


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we speak to the Cambridge scientists who have made it their mission to understand climate change in one of the world's most inhospitable regions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    HPV vaccine uptake wanes, and boozeless beer health concerns

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025 33:25


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: HPV vaccination rates are waning. We examine the importance of the jab. Also ahead: why Africa is key to understanding the evolution of early humans. Plus, the reasons alcohol-free booze might actually not be all that good for us... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Sharon Peacock

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2025 30:56


    In the final installment of this season of Titans of Science, Chris Smith speaks with Sharon Peacock, one of the UK's leading voices in infectious disease research. She is best known for her work on whole genome sequencing of pathogens such as MRSA and SARS CoV-2, and studies of antimicrobial resistance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Naked Scientists SOS

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025 3:30


    Cambridge University have informed us that, for cost cutting reasons, they intend to make Dr Chris Smith redundant. Naturally, this jeopardises the Naked Scientists programme, which is produced under his role. He will also lose his medical job. We regard this as a terrible decision and we intend to protest. Please listen to this short podcast to hear how you can help. Together we hope we can turn around this terrible decision... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    UK commits to new nuclear plant, and robot surgery

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 31:24


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the UK commits to building a new nuclear power station. But is it worth the hefty price tag? Also, how robots are revolutionising surgery. We'll ask what they can and can't do. And, how NASA's top scientists track rogue near-Earth objects with remarkable precision... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    How can we improve young people's mental health?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2025 27:35


    The mental health of the young is reaching breaking point, globally. A recent analysis by a panel of leading researchers, young people, and policy experts, has warned that, without targeted action, by 2030, 42 million years of healthy life could be lost to mental illness or suicide; that's two million more than ten years ago. So today we're asking, why are so many young people suddenly afflicted by a decline in their mental health and wellbeing, and what are the solutions? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Africa's cholera surge, and colliding galaxies

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 35:30


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: African leaders hold emergency talks about deadly outbreaks of cholera on the continent. But why is this happening, and what can be done to curb the threat? The James Webb Space Telescope breaks another cosmic record spotting the oldest galaxy ever seen, dating from just 280 million years after the Big Bang. We explore the hidden workings of our natural history museums: what did they decide not to display, and why? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Prostate cancer: When should we intervene?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 37:15


    Today's programme is all about prostate cancer; exploring what the disease is, who gets it, and how it can be treated. We'll explore the game-changing test from a Cambridge based firm, and question whether sometimes the best approach is to leave the cancer alone... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    UK invests in 'cyber army', and turning lead into gold

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 32:24


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The UK announces a 1 billion pound budget for a cyber army: but what will these keyboard warriors be doing? Also, a vaccine for norovirus that is just one pill. And, physicists at CERN turn lead into gold, albeit briefly! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Simon Baron-Cohen

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 32:59


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Titans of Science continues with Autism research pioneer, Simon Baron-Cohen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Curing mosquitoes' malaria, and the history of our units

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 33:36


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: The new drug that cures mosquitoes of malaria. Intrigued? You'll see why scientists have done this, in just a minute. Also, the Microsoft AI system set to revolutionise weather forecasting, so you can plan that barbecue with impunity in future! And, 150 years of the metre, kilo and second: how science finally agreed on a definition for some of our most important units... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    The rising tide of fungal diseases

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 35:16


    This episode of The Naked Scientists was brought to you in partnership with the health foundation Wellcome.In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we return to the world of fungi and why this is one of the most serious health threats you haven't heard of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    DNA frees man after 38 years, and breast cancer breakthrough

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 36:46


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: New DNA evidence helps free a British man after 38 years in prison. Also, Cambridge scientists push up breast cancer survival rates and cut side effects with a new treatment regimen. And, why the near and the far side of the Moon are world's apart in appearance: it's all down to temperature differences inside, scientists say... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Sarah Parcak

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 30:32


    Sarah Parcak was born in Bangor, Maine on the 23rd of November 1978. She attended Bangor High School before reading Egyptology and Archaeology at Yale University. She then studied here in Cambridge under the supervision of the world-renowned Egyptologist Barry Kemp. After that, she was a teacher at Swansea University and then also at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.She pioneered the use of tech to advance archaeology, including the use of detailed satellite images, which has earned her the nickname "The Space Archaeologist". Sarah's discovered literally thousands of forgotten... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Tough climate future ahead, and self-inflicted snake bites

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 37:52


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A landmark report that outlines the generational impact of climate change; also, the man bitten by snakes and even injected with venom hundreds of times has provided the key to a powerful new antivenom; and a breakthrough in oven technology that's helping to cook up a revolution in industrial baking... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    How fungi shape our world

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 33:50


    This episode of The Naked Scientists was brought to you in partnership with the health foundation Wellcome. This week, the first in a two-part series on the hidden world of fungi. What we do - and don't - know about them, and how the fungal landscape is set to shift as our climate changes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Indus River in Kashmir crossfire, and gene-stealing cancers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 35:13


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Will - and could - India switch off the water supply to Pakistan amid mounting tensions over Kashmir? Also, how a transmissible canine cancer from 8000 years ago is shedding fresh light on tumour biology - and how cancers can steal foreign genes, today. And, testing out a virtual reality tool designed to help us confront our fears of speaking in public... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Andrew Pollard

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 32:04


    Today's Titan is former chair of the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and a key figure in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which rolled out during the Covid pandemic. Andrew Pollard tells Chris Smith how vaccines work, how public health bodies decide what to protect us against, and how current technology will shape the future of immunisation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Malaria fight in jeopardy, and bone collecting caterpillars

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 36:15


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: World Malaria Day, and why overseas aid cuts in the US are threatening to cause a crisis; the carnivorous caterpillar dubbed the "bone collector" that steals from spiders; and the biotechnologist attempting to feed astronauts better in space... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Sara Russell

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 31:36


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Titans of Science continues with planetary scientist charged with analysing rock samples brought in from outer space, Sara Russell... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Martian carbon cycles, and magnetic flip fried Neanderthals

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 36:46


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Evidence of a carbon cycle on Mars has been unearthed by the Curiosity rover. What does it mean for the red planet's past habitability? Also, the cannabis-based painkiller as powerful as an opioid, but without the side effects. And, could fashion sense and a primitive sunscreen have been the deciding 'factor 50' which allowed us humans to outlast the Neanderthals... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Titans of Science: Richard Thompson

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 30:50


    Titans of Science series is back for another run. And to kick us off, marine biologist Richard Thompson, who first brought to the world's attention 20 years ago the problem that is micro - and now nano - plastic pollution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Womb transplant baby, and ancient seafarers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 36:48


    In the News podcast: the first baby is born in the UK to a woman with a transplanted uterus, and we speak to the surgeons responsible. Also, the best evidence yet the shingles vaccine can help reduce the risk of developing dementia; a drug that could make human blood deadly to mosquitoes. Then, we travel back in time 8,500 years to hear about the sea voyage of hunter gatherers to the Mediterranean island of Malta... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Why are measles cases surging?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 30:42


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, what's behind a sharp rise in measles cases? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Antibiotics affect babies' vaccinations, and space miso

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 35:01


    In today's news podcast, a study shows a reduced effectiveness of vaccinations in babies who have antibiotics treatments early in life. Also, the world's smallest, light-powered pacemaker, and we learn the secrets of the broadclub cuttlefish's crab-catching colour display. Then, we follow the journey of miso paste up to the ISS and back to Earth again, and hear what it tastes like! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    How bad is the air we breathe?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 31:17


    Take a deep breath. Yes, literally. And ask yourself: what's in the air I just inhaled? It's almost certain, with our modern lives and built, busy environments, that it contains a range of harmful particles. Whether it stems from city traffic or wildfires, air pollution has many sources, it affects all of us, and it has the potential to become much worse. So today, we're examining what constitutes a bad air day, the biggest producers of pollution, how we monitor the problem, and what can be done to improve matters. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Pig liver transplant breakthrough, and weird early galaxies

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 35:45


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the first transplant of a gene-modified pig liver into a human; also, the James Webb Space Telescope sees one of the first galaxies ever to exist, and it's very strange indeed; and scientists explain why we can't recall our early years... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    AMR unleashed: the silent pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 32:22


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Antimicrobial Resistance, or AMR, is going under our microscope. What is it, how does it happen, what's the scale of the threat, and how can we fight back? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Stranded astronauts return, and the whale pee funnel

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 33:07


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Stranded Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams come down to Earth with a splash and some awesome drone footage; also, Cambridge scientists are mapping where to find the world's rarest minerals; and the massively under-appreciated role that whales play transporting nutrients thousands of miles...using their urine. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    The mounting misgivings over microplastics

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 30:29


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, what threat do microplastics pose to our health, and the health of the planet? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    North Sea ship crash, and super spuds

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 40:33


    On this edition of the Naked Scientists Podcast, what are the potential environmental impacts of the ship crash in the North Sea? Also, we find out what's being done to reduce the risk from engineered pandemics, and reveal what's going on inside the best electric vehicle batteries on the market. Then, it's off to Lincolnshire to profile the bruise-resistant, quicker-cooking potatoes of the future... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    CRISPR, and the ethics of gene editing

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 30:34


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we take a closer look at CRISPR gene editing. What is it? And what are the ethics involved in rewriting the human genome? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    New part of the immune system, and greedier labradors

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 34:01


    In the news pod, scientists in Israel discover a new part of the immune system. We'll find out why it matters. Also, the Blue Ghost mission that just landed on the Moon and could change the way we conduct Lunar exploration. And greedy labradors: we find out why dogs (and their owners) are prone to putting on weight. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Incoming: what happens when the next asteroid hits Earth?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 31:11


    This week, we're examining NEOs - near-Earth objects - asking whether any of them might be on a collision course with our biggest cities... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Glucose monitor misinformation, and AI dairy farms

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 35:20


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Continuous Glucose Monitors are increasingly popular. But are they feeding us dietary misinformation? Also ahead: the "sexome": scientists describe the genital microbiome, and how it might help with forensic investigations. And, we go to Wales to find out how artificial intelligence is helping dairy farmers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    What is mirror life?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 32:44


    We're taking you through the looking glass to explore 'mirror life': could we be about to flip biology on its head? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Game-changing prostate cancer test, and magnetic turtles

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 33:05


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A new screening test for prostate cancer that can, the inventors claim, accurately catch 96% of cases, and early. Also, why you might want to eschew artificial sweeteners: a new study suggests they can accelerate arterial disease. And, scientists show that turtles can sense magnetic fields to find their way around... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Halting the progress of multiple sclerosis

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 27:42


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we're looking into multiple sclerosis, following the progression of the condition from relapses to neurodegeneration, asking, can we halt the disease in its tracks? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Record-breaking neutrinos, and quantum train travel

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025 36:31


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A particle with a record-breaking energy is discovered: but where did it come from? Also, damaged hearts healed using stem cell "patches" of tissue: human clinical trials are about to kick off. And, the project using quantum mechanics to revolutionise the London Underground... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    From Russia with Love: The Science of Hybrid Warfare

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2025 31:36


    In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we'll find out how Putin and his cadre in the Kremlin play a neverending game of technological cat and mouse... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

    Mantis shrimp's punch, and low-methane rice

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025 32:08


    In this week's Naked Scientists Podcast: Uncovering the secret behind the mantis shrimp's giant punch. Also, developing a new strain of rice that produces a fraction of the methane, and shaking virus particles to hear their song. Plus, we profile NASA's new chief, Jared Isaacman... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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