The Naked Scientists Podcast

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

The science questions that you've been sending in get scrutinised and analysed by biologist Sarah Harrison, statistician Simon White, mental health expert Olivia Remes and machine learning guru Peter Clarke. Find out why smaller dogs live longer than bigger breeds, why some people are more susceptible to hayfever than others, whether machines are destined to take control of the world, and what science says will make you happy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The science questions that you've been sending in get scrutinised and analysed by biologist Sarah Harrison, statistician Simon White, mental health expert Olivia Remes and machine learning guru Peter Clarke. Find out why smaller dogs live longer than bigger breeds, why some people are more susceptible to hayfever, whether machines are destined to take control of the world, and what science says will make you happy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chernobyl was 31 years ago, but as nuclear power is one of the few reliable and low carbon energy supplies, how long before it happens again? We meet the scientists who are are preparing for when the worst happens, looking for ways to use nature to clean up nuclear spills. Plus, news of a slug-inspired glue and the science behind the fastest bicycles. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we round off Marine Month with a trip to the bottom of the ocean, meeting underwater robots and using maths to hunt for sunken treasure ships. Plus, a way to predict organ failure in hospital, and why size really does matter when it comes to speed. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Our marine month continues as we swim out from the reef into the open ocean, where we'll be meeting one of the deadliest creatures on Earth. Plus, some good news about the Zika virus, how the cordless drill intended for space found its way down to earth, and the real-life spidermen of Cambridge University! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine month continues with the Naked Scientists as we move out from the beach to the coastal waters in search of the world's biggest fish and the corals that glow in the dark to survive. Plus, in the news this week a new personalised cancer vaccine, how to programme human morals into self-driving cars and we investigate the science at work on the courts of Wimbledon... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Here at The Naked Scientists HQ, it's marine month! Throughout four programmes in July, come dip your toes into all things aquatic as we work our way down to the bottom of the deepest ocean. From building superior sandcastles to the Mexican clam that's invading Europe, we kick things off with a trip to the beach. Plus, how scientists have created the brightest light on Earth, new news on fake news and a drumming bird, nicknamed Ringo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would you trust a robot to grow your food, to operate on you, to fight a war on your behalf, or to save your life in an emergency? We look at how robots are on course to alter our lives. Plus, new insights into how the Sun works, and climate change: why we need to wake up and smell the coffee: scientists are saying that warmer weather will affect the flavour of the world's favourite beverage. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists report back from the British Cardiovascular Society's annual conference, finding out how our tickers deal with extreme exercise and environments, from deep under the sea right into outer space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are joined by marine biologist Danielle Green, physicist Stuart Higgins, psychologist Duncan Astle and astrophysicist Carolin Crawford, to tackle your questions. This week, find out whether you can hear screams in space, how to clean a beach, and just how giant is a Giant Squid? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As life moves increasingly online, so do crime and fraud. This week, we uncover some personal secrets from a supposedly blank hard drive, find out how hackers can use baby monitors to spy on people and hear about the next generation of passwords. Plus, news of how Zika virus could be used to combat brain cancer and plans to build a bigger, stronger particle accelerator. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Journey back 3.7 billion years to the young earth, as we try to find out how life first began. Was it in a soup of colliding chemistry, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent or did life rain down on the earth from the cosmos? Plus, the microbial meal that changed the world. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are joined by biologist Kate Feller, physicist Jess Wade, biochemist Andy Holding and Space Boffin Richard Hollingham, to field your science questions. This week, find out what happens to muscles in space, how to rid a car of flatulence, and whether any animals can become invisible. Plus, cyber security expert Paul Harris talks to Chris Smith about the recent cyber attacks - what happened, and how we can protect ourselves. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Love it or loathe it maths is everywhere... from counting bees to interstellar trade with aliens, we explore how maths earned the title of the language of the universe. Plus, getting to know our new ancestor Homo naledi, how a good nights sleep can help to ease your pain and do cats really like milk? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, The Naked Scientists go global as we explore language - can speaking more than one exercise our brain?; and is our ability to save money purely down to the way we talk? Plus, the rodents that provide new information for stroke therapy and how very hungry caterpillars could solve our plastic problem... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cancer is a devastating disease, and one of the largest killers in the Western world. This week, in a special show, Kat Arney investigates how scientists are fighting back, from building tumours in the lab to a Google Earth for cancer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists go on a tour of the intestine, from top to bottom, in search of the good and bad germs that lurk there and what they mean for our health. Plus, why touchscreens may be harming toddlers' sleep and why scientists all over the world are putting down their pipettes and picking up placards. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What surprises might you find lurking in your DNA, and can that information be used against you? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We speak to scientists turning embryonic cells into nerve cells to treat Parkinson's disease and growing an entire system of organs in the lab. Plus, how antibiotics taken during pregnancy may affect your child's behaviour and why climate change will lead to bumpier flights. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists