

The Naked Scientists Podcast
The Naked Scientists
The Naked Scientists flagship science show brings you a lighthearted look at the latest scientific breakthroughs, interviews with the world's top scientists, answers to your science questions and science experiments to try at home.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 25, 2024 • 33min
Titans of Science: Geoff Hinton
This episode of The Naked Scientists marks the return of a brand news series of Titans of Science, where some of the movers and shakers of the scientific and technological world help us to unpick a big problem. Kicking us off is the AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, with a fascinating insight into artificial intelligence, how it actually works and what we need to be wary of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 21, 2024 • 30min
E. coli outbreaks, and sniffing the air for DNA
This episode of The Naked Scientists: How scientists are getting to grips with the UK's E. coli outbreak. Lettuce leaves look like the source, but how? Also, how atomic bomb tests have helped us build a better picture of how much carbon plants can lock away - and the news is both good and bad. And, how scientists near Norwich are sniffing the air... for DNA. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 18, 2024 • 30min
The trials and tribulations of trees
This week on The Naked Scientists, we're taking a look at trees. We look at how they communicate, the diseases they are fighting, and how beneficial to the climate planting trees really is... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 14, 2024 • 35min
Lab-grown Crohn's mini-guts, and is the Universe a doughnut?
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Could lab-grown 'mini-guts' help us crack Crohn's disease? Also, is the Universe organised like a bagel? I talk to one cosmologist trying to figure it out. And we hear from the engineers who have recreated a 115-year-old cricketing contraption that bowled out an Australian legend back in the day! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 11, 2024 • 30min
Gambling addiction: Hidden harms
This time, we're looking at gambling addiction and the associated harms. We hear from Bianca, a recovering gambling addict, about the deceit which characterised her experiences with betting, and why this is shared by many like here. Then, with Barbara Sahakian from the University of Cambridge, we learn about the biological and environmental factors which may lead to problem gambling, and hear from the perspective of the industry with Dan Waugh of Regulus. Finally, what treatments are out there for gambling addiction? Emma Ryan from the UK's first Primary Care Gambling Service tells us. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 7, 2024 • 33min
Motor neurone disease, and a gut microbe-brewery
In this enlightening discussion, John Ealing from the Manchester MND Care Centre delves into motor neurone disease, honoring rugby legend Rob Burrow and the ongoing quest for better treatments. Alexander Forse unveils a revolutionary carbon sponge designed to efficiently capture CO2 from the air, presenting hope for environmental challenges. Inga Kamp shares insights on hydrocarbons in young star disks, linking them to planet formation. The episode also humorously addresses a rare condition where a woman gets drunk without drinking, highlighting the intriguing effects of gut microbes.

Jun 4, 2024 • 32min
Dark matter and dark energy: mapping the dark universe
This week on The Naked Scientists, we are looking at attempts to map the dark universe. As the new space telescope Euclid seeks to unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, we ask why their secrets have eluded us for so long... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 31, 2024 • 36min
GM mosquitoes fight malaria, and robot digit gets thumbs up
This episode of The Naked Scientists: The genetically engineered mosquitoes released to fight malaria in Africa; how fake news skews public opinion, and who is behind it; and, finding out what it's like to own an extra thumb! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 28, 2024 • 29min
The UK infected blood scandal
This episode of The Naked Scientists, as infected blood victims are finally promised compensation following the UK government's cover up of the scandal, we trace the story back to the very beginning, and hear from some of the victims who now have justice... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 24, 2024 • 30min
Breakthrough in low carbon cement, and static sensitive bugs
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: How science can help cut the carbon footprint of concrete; designer antibodies to introduce cancers to immune assassins; and the caterpillars that sense static charge on wasp wings to beat a hasty retreat... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists