The Naked Scientists Podcast

On 25th July 1978, 40 years ago, the first baby conceived using in vitro fertilisation - IVF - techniques developed to help people who couldn't have children naturally, was born. Her name was Louise Brown, and she owes her existence to the pioneering efforts of Cambridge embryologist Bob Edwards, research nurse Jean Purdy, and Manchester-based gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe. Together, this team laid the foundations of the techniques that are now used all over the world to help people to conceive, and we're looking at the science of fertility treatment, telling their story and talking to some of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We hope you've got your boarding passes at the ready! To celebrate 50 years of the jumbo jet, 100 years of the Royal Air Force and the recent arrival of the brand new F35 fighter jet in the UK, The Naked Scientists are taking a flight through the history and science of fighter aircraft. Plus, in the news, a new way to fight cancer by giving people cancer, how virtual reality can combat a fear of heights, and we shed some light on the hearing aid of the future. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists are swinging into summer! Guests Jane Sterling, Jim Bacon, Laurence Kemp and Howard Griffiths take on your holiday themed questions, including: Why do we get heat waves; how do you treat a jellyfish sting and why does the sun bring out freckles? Plus, can you separate fact from fiction in our fiendish summer-themed quiz?Find transcripts and more programmes at www.nakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, addiction! Why do we get hooked on things? Are video games addictive? And evidence that the gambling industry use artificial intelligence to make you more likely to keep playing. Plus, in the news, scientists discover how to turn insulin injections into a pill, a revolution in making biofuels much faster, and we find out about the science of why things roar! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - we're exploding the science of volcanoes. Why do they erupt? What threat do they pose to aeroplanes? And what impact do they have on us and our environment? Plus, news that marriage cuts your mortality rate, what 800 million tweets have revealed about human moods, and the science behind the sound of a dripping tap... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are delving into the science of heart disease; we've been to the UK's leading heart conference in Manchester. Hear from the researchers trying to discover the causes and new treatments for one of the world's most important diseases; why air pollution and heart attacks are linked, about the role of salt in high blood pressure and learn about a new vaccine for heart disease. With special thanks to the British Heart Foundation and the British Cardiovascular Society. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is dj vu? Why do I get angry when I'm hungry? Why do I remember every Disney lyric, but can't remember how to set my oven? Materials physicist Jess Wade, neuroscientist Philipe Bujold, animal behaviour expert Eleanor Drinkwater, and physicist Francesca Day join Chris Smith, to answer a brilliant barrage of scientific questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're taking a look at the science of football, from physics to psychology. And in the news, can being social stave off dementia and what new features have been found on the surface of Pluto? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're leaving planet earth in search of a new home. Is there a Planet B? How could we get there? And presenter Izzie Clarke takes a spin at astronaut training. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Hayfever causing you havoc? Is asthma proving to be an annoyance? This week, we're talking allergies. What causes them, and can we reverse them? We talk to one specialist who's making great strides in doing just that. Plus, in the news, a possible cure for the common cold, and are longer legs really more attractive? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why don't we get invisible animals on land? What's at the centre of a gas giant? Did we really land on the moon? Astronomer Matt Bothwell, marine biologist Kate Feller, palaeontologist Jason Head and geneticist Diana Alexander join Chris Smith to shoot the scientific breeze in this month's question and answer spectacular. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists are dipping their toes into water; where does it come from, could we ever run out, and we take a stroll through a local sewage plant. Plus, in the news, scientists look for Malaria's achilles heel, why our coral reefs are being silenced and a microscopic laser which can sit on the human eye. For full transcripts, paper references and more, head to thenakedscientists.com With thanks to music from Bensound.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists' senses month comes to a close as we tackle touch: how we develop a sense of touch, getting tactile when shopping and the secret to the perfect hug. Plus, making greener concrete and why bird populations are dropping in the South of England... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists get right up your nose! We find out how smells work, explore if stenches could help people give up smoking and sniff out the scent of nightmares. Plus, the science of running a marathon, a secret use for spleens and we go bananas over some dodgy science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month we're exploring the science of our senses. So far we've heard how our ears work, looked the visual system in the eye, and this week, we're getting our teeth into the science of taste. Plus news of a discovery that could re-write the story of human origins, how some antibiotics can also block viruses, and how ants keep infections at bay in their colonies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From ancient fossils to cutting edge surgery, we're bringing you the lowdown on the science of vision. Plus in the news, a drug that might aid stroke recovery, and what you can learn from taking a DNA test... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are we headed for a hearing-loss epidemic, and can science step in when the world starts to go quiet? This week, The Naked Scientists go on an odyssey into the science of hearing, listen in to find out the strange ways our ears decode sounds, get baffled by some auditory illusions and meet someone who can see with their ears. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's QnA Time! The Naked Scientists gathered a panel of experts to tackle your sci-curious questions; geneticist and food neuroscientist Giles Yeo, biologist and insect expert Chris Pull, material scientist Rachel Oliver and mathematician Bobby Seagull. So if you have any foodie thoughts, mathematical musings or an insect-ious thirst for knowledge, then this is the show for you. For full transcript visit thenakedscientists.comMusic from AudioNautix.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On Wednesday March the 14th, the world was shaken by the death of one of our greatest scientists, Professor Stephen Hawking. Joined by some of his Cambridge colleagues and the new generation of scientists he inspired, this week we celebrate his life, his science and his legacy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - we use them everyday - at work, at home, to chat to our friends or listen to music - but how do computers actually work, what's inside them, and what will the computers of tomorrow look like? We'll be navigating through the past, present and future of computing, and lifting the lid - literally - on a PC to peek inside and see how it works. You can find transcripts and more information at www.nakedscientists.com and the music this week is from www.bensound.com. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's one of the largest criminal industries in the world, worth billions and responsible for thousands of murders, but can we win the fight against the illegal wildlife trade? We speak to the foot soldiers of this battle: a scientist whose new techniques led to the capture of some dangerous criminals, a member of Border Force who intercepts ivory as it enters the country and the man with a gun facing off directly with the poachers. We also hear about the animals at risk, and why time is running out. Plus, a revelation from the early Universe which might change how we do physics today, why... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists meet the biologists who are inventing a new form of genetic information: this strange science is called xenobiology. Plus, in the news, a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer, the video game that tackles fake news and scientists make progress with Parkinson's.With music from JukeDeck and Free Sounds. For more information, interview transcripts and references, visit www.thenakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we put your questions to our expert panel of scientists - What's the tallest possible building? Do female animals flirt? And what can we do if an asteroid ends up heading for earth? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists ditch the lab coats for artistic overalls. From coding musical compositions to the jeans that remove air-pollution, we take a look at how art has helped science. Plus, in the news, the most powerful rocket ever built takes to the skies, we breakdown Bitcoin and there's evidence that vaping could give you a chest infection. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists probe the plastic problem: can science help turn the tide on our rising consumption? Plus, the killer whale that can talk, and some groundbreaking research reveals why the USA is experiencing shakeups. Find transcripts and more information at www.nakedscientists.comMusic this week from audionautix.com and jukedeck.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're asking would you risk your life to save someone else? Plenty of people do, and so do other animals and even bacteria. But why? And how did altruistic actions like this evolve? Plus in the news, scientists clone monkeys, the modified cold virus that selectively attacks pancreatic cancer, and why bees might be bad for other pollinators. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, how astronomers are planning to see the beginning of our Universe: we talk to the team behind the telescope that's about to be blasted into deep space to make it happen. Plus, scientists announce a blood test to detect the most common cancers, a round-up of flu past, present and future, and the mini drug-factories produced by 3d printing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it possible to stop snoring? Is there a difference between running outside and on a treadmill? Which food group really is the worst for us? Chris Smith is joined by exercise expert Dan Gordon, sleep specialist Nick Oscroft, dietician Sian Porter and wellness guru Tom Mole to answer all the health-related queries and quandaries people have been sending in. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - from adrenaline to arsenic, The Naked Scientists delve into the sinister science of poisons! Plus, what space tech is on the horizon in 2018, and the science of New Year's resolutions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists raise a glass to 2017 as they look back at their favourite science moments of the year, including: bees playing football, ghost busting, and removing farts from a car. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists are spreading festive cheer as they get ready for Christmas, all in one hour! Joined by psychologist Philipe Bujold, tech expert Alex Farell, vibrations engineer Hugh Hunt and Plant development researcher David Hanke, Chris Smith and Georgia Mills tackle the physics of carol singing, firing up the christmas snacks - literally - and, whether you like them or loathe them, the biology of brussel sprouts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Social media use is more common than ever, with over 2 billion of us signed up, but do we know what it's doing to our brains? We're exploring how this exploding trend is influencing our opinions and our wellbeing, and also how it could be used as a tool to diagnose mental illness. Plus, news of a breakthrough in Huntington's Disease research and a celebration of 50 years since the spooky radio signals that changed astronomy forever.Find more episodes and transcripts at www.nakedscientists.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we delve into physics in a galaxy far far away as we probe the science of Star Wars! Plus in the news, evidence that London air is stunting the growth of developing babies, and scientists use AI to decode what dolphins are saying. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are black holes really holes? Is there such thing as a genetic love match? Why do clouds move? The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Kate Feller, astrophysicist Matt Middleton, geneticist Patrick Short, and chemist Phillip Broadwith to tackle the science questions sent in by you. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is ageing inevitable, or can science help stop or even reverse the process? From young blood to diet fads, and stem cells to dancing, we explore what the experts think will keep us healthier for longer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, new ways to spot cancers much sooner, repair nerve injuries and fix hip arthritis: we're looking at four major medical breakthroughs waiting to happen. Plus in the news, how advertisers can profile your personality online to boost their sales, and scientists dig up evidence of winemaking from 8000 years ago. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Did dinosaurs live in herds? Why are mountains pointy? And what's the best preserved mummy? Plus we had a giant snake, a few skulls, a couple of "feet" and one of the oldest rocks on Earth in the studio. Scientists Lee Berger, Meghan Strong, Jason Head, and Owen Weller team up for an Early Earth QA show Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We devote up to 50 years of our life to it, yet it might just be getting us down. This week The Naked Scientists programme examines work, hearing how our behaviour and our buildings can change to boost our health and productivity. Plus, news of how gut bacteria can control our response to cancer treatment and how a rare opportunity allowed scientists to 'get inside' the human mind. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists delve into the paranormal. We'll be asking why so many of us have supernatural beliefs, exploring the scientific origins behind our favourite monster legends, and bravely embarking on a ghost hunt... Plus in the news, what dinosaurs and zorro have in common, why swearing could do you some good, and how sugarcane ethanol could help cut global carbon emissions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists get under the skin of skin. Hear about the new method to treat burn victims, the electronic tattoo that can tell if you've got flu and how to keep your skin in good shape. Plus, in the news this week, the diabetes drug that's treating leukaemia, how bird feeders are affecting beak length, and how the challenge of landing space probes now keep your crisps crunchy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are joined by an expert panel to discuss the seven most significant questions people are asking about AI. We explore the risks and positive outcomes of AI, and Chris finds out an artificial podcast presenter may be after his job. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we delve into DNA and what it can tell us about our past, present and future. And, what happened when we decided to read the DNA sequence of a local sausage. Plus, in the news, what won Nobel Prizes, the world's largest HIV survey, and why doing exercise you don't like makes you more likely to binge on junk food. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can your intestines grow back? How can you measure your own stress levels? How do electric eels work? Scientists David Rothery, Sarah Madden and Gareth Corbett team up to answer an eclectic and electric selection of questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week a look at enhancements for future humans: wearable robots, an artificial pancreas, and a replacement retina, as well as limb and head transplants. Plus, in the news, a new hope for global warming, a new therapy to halt MS, what a shock from an electric eel feels like, and how much alcohol remains in food after cooking... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we take a trip down memory lane. How scientists can implant false memories, wipe memory away, and the link between head injuries and Alzheimer's disease. Plus, in the news, farewell to Cassini, the science of hurricanes, and how scientists are now able to see what's in the atmospheres of remote planets hundreds of light years away. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week; from Big Pharma to Little Pharma, we look at how new drugs are discovered. Plus, in the news - what powers the Northern Lights on Jupiter, why cuckoos have the last laugh, and 3 decades of a telescope that's changed our view of the Universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the latest Q and A show from The Naked Scientists, we answer your questions with the help of an expert panel - plant scientist Beverley Glover, mathematician James Grime, physicist Jess Wade and Angel investor Peter Cowley. What makes plants carnivorous, what's the highest prime number we know of, and how do WWII coding machines work? Plus, how long would a fidget spinner spin for in space, what's the best way to water a plant, and what happened to Google Glass? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're exploring the end of the world. From robotic AI takeovers to global floods, when it comes to the extinction of our species, is science really set up to predict or prevent such events? Plus, how gutbugs might be key to keeping healthy for longer, a holodeck for flies and why Pythagoras was beaten to his own theorem. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, food is on the menu! Do any of the diets that you hear about actually work? What's best to eat for the health of the planet? And will the steak of the future grow in a test tube? Plus, scientists fix cells with the wrong numbers of chromosomes and how birds use magnetic fields to navigate. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're exploring the cosmos through your senses. How scientists are attempting to see a black hole for the first time, what Saturn sounds like, and what will the surface of Mars feel like. Plus how to make the immune system attack cancer, artificial intelligence invents a magic trick, and how goldfish swap oxygen for alcohol to get through the winter. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists