

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

Apr 6, 2021 • 59min
Bitcoin Decrypted: Cash, Code, Crime & Power
Meet the digital phenomenon that's worth in the trillions of dollars, that uses more power than the nation of Sweden, but that very few people - including those involved - even understand. Cryptocurrencies are notoriously complicated, the best way to understand how they work is to understand where they came from. In this programme: the history, the technology, the economics, and the psychology. Plus, latest news from the crypto-world: NFTs and multi-million art sales, 'stablecoins' and financial misconduct, and finally - will the whole thing come crashing down? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 30, 2021 • 58min
The Hospital of the Future
As England embarks on a multi-billion pound healthcare redevelopment initiative, we're asking, "what should the hospital of the future look like?". Plus, we reflect on the recent UK Covid lockdown anniversary, and unpick a chromosomal conundrum in Question of the Week... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 23, 2021 • 56min
Earthquakes: Science on Shaky Ground
This week, 10 years on from the earthquake that caused the Fukushima disaster, we're looking at the science of earthquakes, new techniques to protect ancient buildings from quake damage, and are we any closer to predicting these awesome forces of nature? Plus in the news: Why countries across the EU stopped, and then restarted, using the AstraZeneca vaccine, how lightning helped life on the early Earth, and do we owe our fine sense of touch to our fingerprints? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 16, 2021 • 59min
Ancient Egyptian Mysteries
This week, solving the mysteries of ancient Egypt: we delve into the discovery of secret chambers hidden inside pyramids, and if glowing bones reveal antibiotic use was going on thousands of years ago... Plus, in the news, the fireball that shot across the UK night sky; a new device protects women from HIV; and the carbon footprint of cultivating cannabis... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 9, 2021 • 57min
Flu Seasons to Solar Storms: Science Round Up
This week, we're looking at the science behind the headlines. From the latest with COVID-19, to weather in space, we'll be taking a closer look behind some of the biggest stories of the moment. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 2, 2021 • 55min
The Future of Fertility
This week, the good news on vaccines for Covid-19, the helicopter taking to the sky on Mars, and the birds that make alarm sounds to scare females into mating with them. Plus, is the world facing a fertility crisis? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 23, 2021 • 56min
Learning In The Time Of COVID
What has happened to learning in the era of COVID-19? In this episode: the people living through the psychological consequences of future mass unemployment and what the government and higher education are going to do about it. Plus, will reopening schools cause another coronavirus outbreak? What did the WHO learn when they went to Wuhan? And the carnage from the last time the Earth's magnetic poles reversed... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 16, 2021 • 58min
COVID Vaccines Explained
As the UK surpasses its goal of vaccinating 15 million people by the 15th of February, we're taking an in-depth look at COVID vaccines: how they work, what efficacy really means, and will they protect us against viral variants? Plus, in the news, updates to the list of COVID symptoms to watch out for; Chris Packham on the animal Einsteins giving humans a run for their money; and how scientists are using whale songs to explore the ocean floor... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 9, 2021 • 57min
Stories of Self-Experimentation
What happens when the scientist... becomes the subject? We're examining the strange world of self-experimentation, from the history of martyr medics and kooky romantics, to the modern biologists dosing themselves with DIY COVID vaccines in the months after the pandemic began. Plus, is mixing vaccines the best way to fight coronavirus? Scientists capture an elusive element, number 99... and the physics behind why wombats poo in cubes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 2, 2021 • 57min
Do we Need Nuclear Power?
This week, we're looking at nuclear power and asking, in today's world, whether we really need nuclear power? Are the alternatives really practical alternatives, or are we just kidding ourselves? Plus in the news, is the UK right to lengthen the gap between Covid vaccines? Evidence that coronavirus infection dents male fertility, and a very strange rodent, with a very strange accent! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists