
5 Live Science Podcast
5 Live's science podcast, featuring Dr Chris and Naked Scientists with the hottest science news stories and analysis.
Latest episodes

Nov 3, 2024 • 52min
Election interference, Mpox, and A lost city
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look at the latest science news. Including the news that the UK has detected its first case of a new Mpox variant, and the discovery of a lost city in Mexico.Plus, an in-depth look at how technology could swing the outcome of the US presidential elections.

Oct 27, 2024 • 52min
Cancer, Clock changes, Life on Jupiter?
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look at the latest science news. Including the news that Chris Hoy has revealed his diagnosis with terminal prostate cancer, the WHO has declared that Egypt is malaria-free, and the impact clock changes have on our perception of time.Plus, an in-depth look at the Europa Clipper, the NASA spacecraft which has begun a voyage to look for the conditions for life on one of Jupiter's moons.For support on topics covered in this programme, you can get details of organisations within the UK by visiting the BBC Action Line website - bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Oct 20, 2024 • 51min
Vegan diets, New forms of insulin, and Meteor origins
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including a new form of insulin that can switch itself off before blood sugar levels fall too low, and how scientists have discovered the origins of the meteors that most commonly fall to Earth.Plus, an in-depth look at whether vegan diets are really good for us.For support on topics covered in this programme, you can get details of organisations within the UK by visiting the BBC Action Line website - bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Oct 13, 2024 • 52min
Brain injuries, Man-eating lions, and the Nobel Prize
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including how scientists found the DNA of human victims in the teeth of a lion, how electrically conductive stitches can be used to speed up healing, and this year's Nobel Prize Winners explained. Plus, an in-depth look at what scientists are doing to tackle brain injuries.

Oct 6, 2024 • 51min
Lockdown legacy, Brian Cox, Electric car espionage?
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including whether electric cars may pose a potential security threat, how stem cells are being used to develop new treatments for diabetes, and an interview with Professor Brian Cox.Plus, an in-depth look at the lasting impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Sep 29, 2024 • 52min
Fruity vapes, Ancient cheese, and Cancer vaccines
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.This week we look into signs that fruity vapes paralyze the immune system in the lungs, why the world's oldest cheese was smeared over an ancient Chinese mummy, and why we might be getting an extra moon.Plus an in-depth look into how vaccines are revolutionising the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Sep 22, 2024 • 52min
Engineering new solutions to climate change
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.This week: What do we know about the pagers and walkie-talkies that have been used to attack Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon? Plus the landmark study on the impact of pregnancy on the female brain, and how scientists in Israel have grown a 1,000-year-old seed that might fill in a missing link in the Bible.We also take an in-depth look at the work of engineers who are finding fresh solutions to the problem of climate change.

Sep 15, 2024 • 52min
COVID-19 lockdowns, nuclear waste and puffins
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.In this week's episode….how COVID -19 lockdowns affected the brain development of teenagers. Also, how best to dispose of dangerous nuclear waste and why the UK's puffin population is thriving, despite a rise in avian flu. Plus, why the appendix might be a lot more useful than we previously thought.Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Sep 8, 2024 • 52min
Digging up new uses for old mines
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.This week: Scientists uncover a way to help amputees to toughen up their skin in order to make prostheses more comfortable. COVID MRNA jab pharmaceutical company Moderna turn their attention to vaccines for Mpox. Plus the astronomer Royle Martin Rees on whether ET is really out there.And we're going underground to find out how disused mines are now being used to solve some of science's greatest mysteries, and to help keep the lights on by storing electricity as 'gravity batteries'.Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Sep 1, 2024 • 52min
Mpox, smoking and the ISS
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.
In this week's episode: How the UK looks set to take the world’s toughest line on smoking, and why are those astronauts still stranded on the International Space Station?
Plus, we’ll be putting Mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, under the microscope. How is it treated, and what threat might it pose for us here in the UK?