The Naked Scientists Podcast

This week, defence analyst, Michael Clarke, explains the significance of the MI6 agency's scientific shift. Will it help counter Russia's technological threat? Plus, the University of Glasgow's Naveed Sattar tells us why weight loss medicine could be a silver bullet for global obesity, Ellie Diamant at Bard College on beaky birds during COVID, and the Institute of Astronomy's Matt Bothwell on NASA's new space telescope... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation, we are asking whether it will snow on the 25th of December. It's frequently called a white Christmas and - at this time of year - weather forecasters and the bookies are busy weighing up the odds. So we've set out to explore how weather predictions are made, what constitutes snow, the role of technology in making forecasts, and whether parts of the UK will witness a white Christmas for 2025... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On this week's news podcast, Emory University's Boghuma Titanji on the discovery of a new strain of monkeypox in the UK, and efforts to curb the virus with a breakthrough vaccine. Plus, the drone damage to the shield preventing radiation leaking from the Chernobyl nuclear site, evidence from southern England that Neanderthals deliberately made fire 400,000 years ago, and we ask how we can overcome the so-called winter blues... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Titans of Science is all about showcasing science superstars making huge breakthroughs and giant leaps foward in their scientific realms. In this episode, we turn the telescope around around to consider the extremely strange effects that kick in when physics shrinks down to the atomic scale. We are, of course, taking a tour through the world of quantum mechanics, and our guide is the physicist, writer and broadcaster Paul Davies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, we explore the UK's plans to rollout facial recognition technology. Is it a bold move to catch violent criminals, or scientific and ethical overreach? Also, why volcanic eruptions may have aided the spread of the second wave of the Black Death in Europe, what caused damage to Russia's space launchpad in Kazakhstan, and whether bacteria can help us build habitats on Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists welcome the return of a new series of Titans of Science, where the world's scientific, medical, and technological pioneers tell us about the significance of their work. Today's episode features Georgina Long, the director of the Melanoma Institute Australia, who has used groundbreaking techniques to overcome the disease. Melanoma is a type of cancer that is particularly common in Georgina's homeland, and she has been telling Chris Smith how her work has made her one of Australia's most recognisable scientists... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On this week's news podcast, the former UK prime minister, David Cameron, calls for prostate cancer screening following his diagnosis. But does it really help to know you have the disease? Also, we find out about the DNA composition of the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu, the underlying cause of Santorini's recent earthquakes, and scientists discover where domestic cats came from... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, synthetic bacteriophages, a breakthrough vaccine for TB, and how unpicking the pathways used to make antibiotics are helping scientists to combat rising rates of antimicrobial resistance around the world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news, why the UK appears to be betting big on small modular nuclear reactors. Also, Iran seeds the skies in bid to end its worst drought in decades. And moss grows fat on a rolling stone - but a new study claims it can survive in space. We'll explore the significance. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we're analysing the COP30 conference in Brazil, asking whether the will to tackle climate change is drying up. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news show, flu season starts early in the Northern hemisphere due to pesky new strains, so will vaccines be effective? Also, the baby 'swim cap' which promises less invasive brain monitoring, and the European Space Agency's GPS powered satellites which are surveying the water cycle. Then, we find out the best way to shout at seagulls to stop them stealing our snacks... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we go nuclear, and explore the science and politics of weapons of mass destruction... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Among British people vapers now outnumber smokers for the first time. From Big Bang to Big Crunch - the new theory showing the expansion of the Universe might be slowing down. And, evidence that our early ancestors, three million years ago, may have excelled at DIY!Linda - So these are the annual population survey statistics from the Office for National Statistics that look at smoking, it was the main focus, so smoking in the UK but also vaping behaviour. And we see that for the first time the proportion of people aged 16 and older who vape is higher... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we go behind the scenes at the National Physical Laboratory as it celebrates 125 years at the forefront of science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How the latest science helped the Caribbean prepare for Hurricane Melissa. Also ahead, the alcohol-free beers providing a 'buzz' without the hangover. And, why a German warehouse is simulating a European Moon landing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, in association with Proteomics International, we're hearing about a new era in medicine where we can tell people not what diseases they've got, but what ones they will have in ten years' time, giving them a chance to turn things around... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news podcast, a new retinal implant - just two millimetres wide - that is helping restore sight to blind people; a 'pristine' star that gives us a glimpse of the workings of the early Universe; and we'll be finding out how wild rooks can master human commands. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew celebrate the 25th Birthday of the Millenium Seed Bank in Sussex, James Tytko ventures into its giant underground vaults to learn why they are a crucial part of global plant conservation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Whether talc-based products - like baby powder - can cause ovarian cancer. Also ahead, the "Sword Dragon of Dorset" found on England's Jurassic Coast. Plus, we'll be finding out about the 'double comet' visible in the night sky... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, why we lose our hearing and what we can do about it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Is elite level sport linked with Motor Neurone Disease? We examine the evidence as another top player announces his diagnosis. Also, cages that can sieve out molecules, the immune system peacekeepers; and the quantum realm: we look at this year's Nobel Prizes for science. And, how did birds react to the Great American Eclipse last year? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

You've probably heard of Omicron, but what about Nimbus and Stratus? These are the latest COVID strains spreading around the world, and for most people they'll amount to a heavy cold at worst, lasting just a few days. Or will they? Are these coronaviruses doing more to our immune systems than meets the eye? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: US scientists have turned skin cells into human embryos for the very first time. We unpack the significance. Also ahead, the legacy of the primatologist and conservationist, Jane Goodall, who has died at the age of 91. Plus, we hear from a chemist who believes he has cracked the mystery of ghostly lights we call will-o'-the-wisps... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we're picking up a brush, and probing the science of paint. Where does chemistry stop, and the art take over? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On today's show:, scientists successfully treat Huntington's disease for the first time, slowing the disease by at least 75%: we hear how they've done it. Also, the High Seas Treaty takes a step closer to protecting the world's oceans. And the Earth-sized planet not that far away that might have conditions suitable for life. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Lung cancer is one of the world's biggest killers. Today, we explore why, and how medical research into this disease is seeing the development of better diagnostic tools, cancer treatments and even a vaccine to prevent tumours from taking hold in the first place... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news podcast, the US and the UK have forged a long-term nuclear alliance - but what will it really deliver? We also examine a new study on whether smoking cannabis makes it harder to get pregnant. And we'll be hearing from a forensic scientist who is using detective work to rid our oceans of plastic. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

To celebrate 10 years since they were first detected, we're examining gravitational waves. What are they? And how do we find them? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, the strongest hint yet of life on Mars. Should we get excited? Or is it another red herring? Also ahead: The first new UK-wide study of babies in 25 years. We'll find out why it matters. Plus, an ancient lizard-like fossil is discovered on the coast of Devon. We'll uncover the significance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What does it take to build a society in space? Today on the Naked Scientists, we explore efforts to make microgravity amenable to humans; including how to harvest energy, make fresh food, and even birth the next generation of space explorers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A new test to detect Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms first appear. Also, the study showing Earth can sequester only a tenth of the carbon we thought it could. And, how drones, traps and sniffer dogs are protecting the UK's timber industry from beetle attack... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, from bogus scientific papers and misleading made-up "facts", to potentially curtailing our critical thinking, we look at the effect that mass adoption of AI might be having on the way we think, the decisions we make and the information we learn and act on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today on the Naked Scientists: a pig lung is transplanted into a man in China, but what was the outcome? Also, scientists have a theory for the origins of Dark Energy - and it makes sense that a black hole might be the source! And, why the dawn chorus is starting earlier and finishing later these days: what's getting into wildlife? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we look at the science of hair, why we suffer hair loss, treatments that can slow hair loss, whether wigs are any good, and what happens during a hair transplant? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Apple locked horns with the UK government who were demanding a security back door through the company's encryption. What was the outcome? Also, scientists discover the secret to the tastiest chocolate - it's all down to microbes. And, archaeologists uncover the earliest evidence yet of our ancestors using stone tools... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, why we need to pay closer attention to antimicrobial resistance in some of the world's poorest nations... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the scientists who think they can decode the thoughts we hear in our heads. Also ahead: do ultra-processed foods make it much harder to lose weight? Plus, we hear from the PhD student who is aiding the search for life on Mars... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

James Tytko explores the science behind 'three-parent' embryos: the incredible medical procedure that prevents children from inheriting incurable mitochondrial diseases. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news, why a dose of bacteria might be the solution to combating kidney stones. What tooth enamel tells us about the lives and diets of dinosaurs. And what the world's most abundant insects can teach robots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we are on the hunt for dinosaurs as we explore how cutting edge tech, chisels, and canoes go hand in hand when changing the way we view our prehistoric past... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the news, an old drug heralds a new treatment for the gut parasite Cryptosporidium; the bionic-knee that anticipates where amputees want to go to make movements much more natural; and why we're spotting more Near-Earth Objects, and whether one may hit us. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how is science helping to shape the future of warfare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists