

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

Aug 24, 2021 • 54min
Q&A: Foxes, Physics, and Fluffy Insects
It's Q and A time! Can animals really sense impending dangers like storms and earthquakes? What is the universe expanding into? And how can we prevent the insect apocalypse? We've assembled a panel of experts to answer your science questions: physicist Jess Wade, infectious disease historian Kyle Harper, animal expert Jo Wimpenny, and insect lover Dave Goulson... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 17, 2021 • 56min
Long COVID: What we now know
This week, long COVID: we're 18 months into the pandemic and there are thousands of people with long-term health consequences of having caught the infection. We're asking the experts to find out who is most at risk, what could be causing this to happen, and what research needs to be done in trying to treat it. Plus, in the news, an even gloomier outlook on climate change as the latest IPCC report confirms we need to drastically reduce emissions; also a new carnivorous plant discovery - the first for 20 years - and we're asking why COVID vaccine uptake is lagging among the under 30s in the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 10, 2021 • 60min
Environmental DNA: Seeing the Unseen
This week, we'll be delving into the world of environmental DNA: what did researchers find when they went looking for the Loch Ness monster? Plus, in the news, with an autumn "booster" on the cards, we look at how much antibody you need to be protected against Covid 19, and how sea level change can affect volcanic eruptions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 3, 2021 • 58min
Electric vehicles: are we nearly there yet?
From collecting cobalt to installing infrastructure, what's the latest on how we're getting ready for the electric vehicle revolution? Plus, in the news, with numbers of COVID cases falling across the UK despite the country opening up we're asking, why? Also, the bottom line on how ventilation can help us keep the pandemic at bay; and how farmers can benefit by giving bees a dose of caffeine... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 27, 2021 • 58min
Going for Gold: Our Olympic Science Q&A
Why are billionaires racing for space? What is the UK's Covid-19 strategy since freedom day? And how will Covid-19 affect the Olympics? This week it's QnA time, and with us to explore where weightlessness begins, whether animals other than mammals suckle their young, if recent findings of methane mean life on Mars, and why the UK isn't vaccinating kids against Covid, are Richard Hollingham, Linda Bauld, Eleanor Drinkwater and Dan Gordon. Plus, an Olympic-themed quiz to boot! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 20, 2021 • 56min
The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
It's the Royal Society's annual Summer Science Exhibition, but with a digital difference. We go behind the scenes to hear whether bees have favourite flowers, and discover smelly science of your armpit microbiome...Plus, in the news, the data on masks is mixed; might it be that most people aren't using them properly? Also, are "ice berg basements" why Brian May's home flooded in London? And an app that can spot anaemia from a selfie... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 13, 2021 • 58min
Psychedelics In Medicine
Are you feeling it? We're taking a hallucinatory trip into the world of psychedelic drugs. These substances are going through a medical renaissance - we'll learn how they work and how they might help to treat even the most serious psychiatric disorders. Plus, why an eye of fire appeared in the ocean off the coast of Mexico; astronomers pin down the birth of the first ever stars; and how some COVID tests can be tricked with orange juice! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 6, 2021 • 60min
Lyme Disease: Ticks, Trends, and Treatment
This week we're exploring Lyme disease, looking at the science behind the ticks that carry it, the bacteria that cause it, how we treat it, and why the condition is on the rise in the UK. Plus, in the news, can we mix and match COVID vaccines? We've got the results of the latest trial. Also, a new family of beetles discovered fossilised in dinosaur poo, and a pacemaker that dissolves when you're done with it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 29, 2021 • 55min
Q&A: Diets, Duct Tape & Dark Matter
It's Q and A time! Does counting calories really work? Could the universe ever implode? And what makes duct tape so sticky? We've assembled a panel of powerful people to answer your science questions: brain and bodyweight expert Giles Yeo, astrophysicist Katie Mack, chemist Kate Biberdorf, and microbiome geneticist Rob Finn... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 22, 2021 • 56min
Secret Lives of Sharks
This week, fetch your swimmers, or maybe not, because we're diving into the secret lives of sharks, including hearing how some of them live for hundreds of years. Plus, in the news, antibody treatments for Covid-19, plastic made from peas, and crayfish on antidepressants... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists