The Naked Scientists Podcast

This week, we find out about survival in extreme environments. We find out how free divers descend hundreds of feet underwater without air, how life thrives beneath the ice in Antarctica, how fighter pilots combat G-forces to avoid blackouts, and how the body copes with exercising at the top of Everest. Also, discover the benefit of breaks between bouts of exercise, how geckos hold the key to underwater post-it notes, and a gene that lets you chat whilst listening to the radio. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, from iPod to iRod as a man's taste for music turns him into a human lightning conductor, why penguins are picky eaters, and better biopsies - why doctors are attracted to a new magnetic cancer detection system. Also a fuel made from fructose that packs a punch like petrol, we find out how to make hydrogen on demand using aluminium, and grow your own gas - do we have enough land to grow our energy in future? Plus, in Kitchen Science, we turn vegetable oil into biodiesel and ask a white van man to test it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week news that men talk as much as women, cosmetics from jellyfish, songbirds "greatest-tits", a breathtaking asthma breakthrough and a gene-screen for bowel cancer. We also uncover the cause of contagious yawns, probe the brain basis of epilepsy and manic depression, and uncover a brain region responsible for out of body experiences. Plus, in Kitchen Science, Ben and Dave find out why the raisins always rise to the top of the cereal box. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, playing bingo on an inflatable space station, a new way to attack the cause of Alzheimer's and mending a broken heart with stem cells. Also, using bananas to speed up fruit ripening, leeches out of water and chemical tricks to stop smoking and iron out wrinkles. Plus, in Kitchen Science we vibrate our way to a fountain in a cup! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week a rabies-based Trojan Horse that smuggles drugs across the blood-brain barrier, why first-borns are brighter, progress with Parkinson's and a lunar telescope more powerful than Hubble. Plus in this week's ARMAGEDDON-focused show we look at supervolcanes, earthquakes and arsenic, find out why curtains are absolutely lethal and why a meteorite impact probably didn't dispense with the dinosaurs after all. Also, in Kitchen Science, we test the claim that tapping the top of a fizzy drink before you open it stops it spraying all over you... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Under the microscope this week, the science of forensics. We find out how scientists have exploded the myth about old aged whales thanks to a piece of shrapnel, about a new rice-based vaccine for cholera, and 'whey' to go, how scientists have made edible food wrappers from milk. We investigate what your diet does to your hair, how science can finger forgers and flush out bodies from bogs, and why the key to identifying a torso that washed up in the Thames was rooted in plant science. Plus, in Kitchen Science, we arm Ben with a rifle to find out how fat you'd have to be to stop a speeding... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, why some people have green blood, how radiation-hungry fungi will feed astronauts of the future, and how a cider a day keeps the doctor at bay. We discuss corrupt chemists, what happens when galaxies collide, how Beaujolais benefits your breath and if a person can feel the cold in space. Plus, in Kitchen Science we iron out the crumbs in your cornflakes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, will a hot mint still taste cold? Also how skimmed milk could come straight from the cow in future, and why we walk upright without dragging our knuckles. Nicky Clayton discusses clever birds that use cigarettes to fumigate their feathers, Tim Clutton-Brock describes the family affairs of meerkats, and we find out from Andrew Smith why monkeys see what we see, but cats and cows can't. Plus, in Kitchen Science, we get jiggly with a jam jar full of rice. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, Drs Chris and Helen find out how your fingers can reveal whether you're mathematically minded, and bridge-building ants that quite literally let themselves be walked over. Also, Astronomer Carolin Crawford takes us on a foray into outer space to discover the shape of the universe, we meet a geyser so tall that it spurts into space, and we Join Maggie Turnbull as she searches for nearby planets that could sustain life. Plus, in Kitchen Science, how to measure the speed of light using a microwave oven! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, scientists recreate hair follicles, we uncover a means of making hydrogen in a hurry, hear about a stealthy way to destroy cancer and find out why a dose of herpes could be good for you. Also, John Grattan describes the biggest atmospheric pollution event in history, we discover with Rod Jones the role of water in the greenhouse effect, and Jonathan Shanklin tell us the 'hole' story of the ozone layer. Plus, in Kitchen Science, we make a cloud in a bottle! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, Dr Chris and Dr Helen explore the microscopic world, finding out why diarrhoea and projectile vomiting make cruise ships the perfect culture vessel for noroviruses, and asking why fungi are so important for great tasting chocolate. Also, we look at giving yeast a sense of smell, predict the weather for a planet 63 light years away, and size up the world's smallest scales, which are capable of weighing a single bacterium. Meanwhile, in Kitchen Science, we looked at toilet seats and kitchen surfaces to see which harboured the most bacteria, and came in for a nasty surprise! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week Drs Chris, Dave and Phil find out how a venomous spider has got scientists swollen with excitement because it's bite has Viagra-like properties, how maggots are fighting off MRSA from ulcers, and NASA are testing their next generation telescope aboard a jumbo jet. The docs also explore the science of getting geostationary satellites into space, the basis of bacterial intelligence, and how much water trees drink on a hot day. Plus, in kitchen science, Dave and Ben put their heads in a box...to find out how a pinhole camera works. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're exploring how populations come by their genes including the surprise finding of African DNA in a remote village in Yorkshire. Oxford University's Bruce Winney explains how studying rural populations in Britain is helping to uncover genes linked to different diseases, and Turi King, from Leicester University, discusses what your Y chromosome says about your surname. Plus we'll be hearing how Cambridge scientist Mike Majerus is putting evolution to the test with the help of the peppered moth, and in kitchen science, more jam tomorrow as Ben and Dave show you a trick with a... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week on the Naked Scientists an invitation to come and dive beneath the surface of the sea, to find out what is happening in the world's oceans. Your guides will be Marine Biologist Dr Annelise Hagan (University of Cambridge) and Ecology and Evolutionary Biologist Dr Stan Harpole (University of California, Irvine). Annelise will be talking about her project which monitors coral reefs and will explain why and how she does this, Stan will discuss his recent Nature paper on species loss resulting from reduced niche dimension and how nutrient pollution is responsible. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we look at new developments in the science of cancer with Fiona Watt and Andy Futreal, we will see how new gene technologies could be key to understanding cancer, and knowing the role of stem cells could be essential to find effective cures. Meanwhile, Dave tells you how to make your own electric slime. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we explore the science of Heart Disease. Dr Niall Campbell joins us to explain what heart attacks are and how theyre treated, Dr Anthony Mathur discusses how stem cells might hold the key to mending a broken heart, and Ben Valsler visits Brian Callingham to investigate how arteries behave when you give them various drugs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we explore the science of flight. Dr Graham Taylor from Oxford University talks about the aerodynamics of insect flight and how video camera back-packs allow him to see how eagles fly, and Jenny Goodman describes how future aircraft might be flying at six times the speed of sound while withstanding temperatures hot enough to melt stainless steel in 5 seconds! In Kitchen Science, Ben Valsler sticks with the flight theme and finds out how a hot air balloon works. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Every year the Cambridge Science Festival celebrates some of the best and most exciting science and engineering going on in the UK - and the Naked Scientists were there! Find out about the cool science of ice cream, the microscopic world of microbes, and the IgNobel awards for science at its most silly. Looking further afield, the University of Aucklands Peter Metcalf unlocks the secrets of a viral sarcophagus, and Mike Brown from the California Institute of Technology discusses the origin of some mysterious objects in the Kuiper Belt. To cool us down after all that excitement, Dave and Azi... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Contaminated petrol, astronauts in danger of lung diseases, a new way to put the brakes on car accident rates, gas sensors made from silicon replicas of marine algae and how pollution is causing droughts, plus a healthy digest of your science questions and emails top the bill in this weeks Naked Scientists. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we unwrap the secrets of ancient mummies from Peru with the help of London Universitys Lawrence Owens, find out where domestic animals and pets came from with Keith Dobney from the University of Durham, and in kitchen science Dave explores the science of fires and fuels by blowing up some custard. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Clean water is something that many of us take for granted, but Mark Booth describes how in many parts of the world dirty water can lead to life-threatening disease and parasitic infections. To talk about the current strategies in place to supply clean water we are joined by the World Heath Organisations Alex McKie, and Colin Humphreys explains how high-energy UV LEDs could help provide clean water in the future. In Kitchen Science, Helen Scales and Dave Ansell bring sweetness and light to a house in Cottenham... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dr Chris and Dr Helen answer all your burning science questions, including why frost can form even when the air temperature is above zero, why hair looks darker when it is wet, why sunlight looks red through your eyelids, and whether cracking your knuckles really causes arthritis. We also talk to Chemistry World editor Mark Peplow about venomous vipers, artificial kidneys, and how LSD might be switching on hallucinations, and in Kitchen Science Anna Lacey and Dave Ansell look at some slightly safer visual effects with the help of a sodium street light. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nuclear energy is always in the news, but how much do you know about nuclear fission and what happens to nuclear waste? To find out how it works, Anna Lacey and Dave Ansell visit Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, and studio guest Ian Farnan discusses nuclear waste disposal and why current methods might not contain the radiation for as long as we thought. But as clinical radiologist Anant Krishnan explains, radiation plays a crucial role in medicine, including allowing us to see broken bones and killing off tumours. Sticking with uses of radiation that save lives, Anna and Dave find out how... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The science of pain is our hot topic this week. David Julius reveals the molecular mechanisms of pain and what a chilli pepper has in common with a tarantula, Geoff Woods describes the genetic mutations that lead to people not feeling pain at all, and to explain the phenomenon of phantom limbs and ways in which we can deal with pain is pain consultant Cathy Stannard. In Kitchen Science Derek Thorne braves freezing weather to sniff out the science of sausages, and in the final part of our Science of Colour series, Anna Lacey discovers how colour could find you your perfect date. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we take a look at extreme environments and the organisms that live in them. Crispin Little talks about hydrothermal vents and the fastest fossilisation on the planet, Steve Scott explains why mining companies are interested in hydrothermal vents, and Lisa Pratt describes how bacteria find energy three kilometres beneath the surface of the earth and how similar strategies could be used by life on other planets. From the extremes of the Earth to the extremes of the kitchen, Derek Thorne and Hugh Hunt find out whats hot and whats not in the dishwasher... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Following this weeks crazy weather we have a look at Climate Change with Eric Wolff from theBritish Antarctic Survey, who will be talking about secrets about the climate locked away in ancient ice,Jon Gibbins from Imperial College tells us about ways we can store all that excess carbon dioxideunderground, Ali talks to Alison Hill from the British Wind Energy Association and Max Carcas from OceanPower Delivery about wind energy and wave energy, and Derek Thorne, Dave Ansell and Ali Webb try to discoverhow much power we could generate by hooking the countrys gyms to the electricity grid. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With a new year comes a whole new stack of science questions to challenge Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Kat. This week they explain where the sand in the Sahara comes from, whether mirrors can reflect x-rays, if it is dangerous to live near a phone mast, and whether splitting water could solve our energy problems. We are also joined by the editor of Chemistry World, Dr Mark Peplow, who talks about labs the size of a postage stamp, nanoparticles in exhaust fumes, and why putting milk in your tea might not be such a good idea, and sticking with chemistry, Dave Ansell discovers which household liquids... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the first show of 2007, Drs Chris, Dave and Helen find out why red wine is better for you than white wine or grape juice, and explore the science of healthy living with with London University researcher and author Roger Corder. We also discover the science behind another of the nations favourite drugs, caffeine, with the help of Bristol Universitys Peter Rogers, and University of St Louis researcher Jeffrey Gordon explains how the bugs living in your intestines help you to make the most out of mealtimes. They might also, he thinks, make some people fat. Plus, in kitchen science, Dave... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the final show of 2006, Chris, Dave and Kat answer all your science questions including why poppadoms curl upwards in the pan, how seedless grapes grow, and if lightning really does strike twice. To celebrate the coming of Christmas, Colin Humphries joins us to explain the astronomical phenomenon behind the Star of Bethlehem, and in Kitchen Science Derek Thorne and Alicia Webb knock back a few shots of vodka to find out how breathalysers catch drink-drivers. In the second part of the Science of Colour series, Anna Lacey finds out about the history of mauve and how hair dye conceals those... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shedding light on the deepest depths of the universe is Gerry Gilmore, who talks about the Big Bang and the mystery of dark matter. We also hear from Peter Muller and Giulio del Zanna about 3-D imaging of the surface of Mars and how solar flares contribute to everything from the Northern Lights to damaging communication systems. David Block describes how Andromeda, the galaxy closest to the Milky Way, was recently involved in a galactic collision, and in case you fancy seeing some collisions here on Earth, Derek and Dave are in the kitchen making meteorite craters. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Phil answer all your questions on science, technology and medicine, including why spiders do not run out of silk, what the universe is expanding into, what a flame looks like in space, and what happens when the brain is cut off from a supply of oxygen. We also talk to Dr Mark Peplow about polonium 210, how much was needed to kill former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, and where the perpetrators could have acquired it. Sticking with nasty substances, Derk and Dave make a mess with milk and vinegar in Kitchen Science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Repairing damage in the nervous system is incredibly challenging, but our guests this week have some promising solutions. Consultant ophthalmologist Robert MacLaren and colleagues at University College London have discovered a way to encourage the growth of photoreceptors in the retinas of blind mice, and Geoff Raisman will discuss his research into spinal cord repair. In Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne and Hugh Hunt take a closer look at the aerodynamics of a ping pong ball. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As winter approaches, we take a trip down south to look at some of the cool research going on in Antarctica. Jane Francis talks about six-foot penguins and a time when Antarctica was warm and ice-free, Kate Hendry describes what it is like to work in Antarctica today, and Derek and Dave bring a welcome injection of heat as they find out how hand warmers work. We then dive into the waters around Antarctica with Povl Abrahamsen, who uses automated subs to look under the ice sheets and find out how they are changing, and Mike Fedak describes how his team have attached data collection instruments... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we explore the science of sound including the mathematics of music and the geometry of jazz with mathematicians Tim Gowers, from Cambridge University, and Robin Wilson from the Open University. We also get to the bottom of why helium makes your voice go all squeaky, we nail a crook by using the sound of his voice in an audio line up, and Kirsty MacDougall explains where accents come from. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why scratch your head at science when Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Kat are here to answer all you questions?! In this weeks question and answer special, we discover why liquid washing tablets don't dissolve from the inside, why some genetic diseases only manifest in later life, is gravity constant, and why do men get hairy nostrils and ears when they hit sixty? There will also be a fireworks special in hounour of bonfire night including Dr Roy Lowry, who hold the record for firing the most rockets in five seconds, and Derek and Dave pull out an angle grinder for some sparkly Kitchen Science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we take a look at some super cool science, as Tim Jackson describes how superconductors work, what they are, and how superconductors are helping astronomers get a clearer view of the universe. Also on the show, Ed Tarte discusses applications of superconductors and SQUIDS in the non-invasive discovery of heart defects and observing brain activity in the unborn foetus, and Science Graduate of the Year Alex Mischenko talks about his new environmentally friendly cooling device. In Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne and Ted Forgan show superconductivity in action with a frying pan, some... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Helping us tune into the science of sound this week is Bob Carlyon, who explains how we hear, how we can concentrate on one voice in a noisy room, and what it sounds like to have a cochlea implant. From the hard of hearing to the most finely tuned ears on the planet, Ian Russell describes how the greater moustached bat catches prey in complete darkness while flying at 40 miles per hour, Trevor Cox turns the sound of breaking wind into a record breaker as he talks about the biggest ever whoopee cushion, and in Kitchen Science, Derek and Dave investigate the science of balance with the help of a... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Taking a look at the science of sight is consultant ophthalmologist Nick Sarkies, who will discuss eye diseases and how we can treat them, and Ron Douglas provides insight into colour vision and how the world appears though the eyes of animals. Sticking with our animal focus, Bob and Chelsea reveal that there may be three times as many poisonous fish as there are snakes, and in Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne stops himself bouncing off the walls long enough to discover how superballs spin. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Cancer biology goes under the microscope this week, as Gerard Evan talks about the causes of cancer and how cancer spreads around the body. Also on the show, and joining us live from the National Cancer Research Institute Conference, is Fran Balkwill who will be discussing cancer treatments and the development of targeted therapies, and Kat Arney, who will be talking about the latest news in cancer research. We also travel Stateside for a Sciencce Update from Bob and Chelsea, hear from Michael Halpern from the Union of Concerned Scientists about governments interfering with scientific... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Answering all your cosmic conundrums this week are Drs Chris, Dave and Phil who discuss why blood is red, the size of the ozone hole, how to make magnets, the best way to get rid of excess mucus, and sticking with the gooey theme, Adam Summers discusses how some tarantulas keep a firm hold on the ground by producing sticky silk from their feet. Moving much further away from terra firma, New Horizons scientist Hal Weaver talks about the mission to Pluto, what they hope to find there and why the Kuiper Belt objects are so intriguing, and in Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne and Hugh Hunt carry out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chemistry and lightning quick reactions are under discussion this week as Emma Schofield explains what a catalyst is, how catalytic converters work and how catalysts can help to clean up the atmosphere, and Fraser Armstrong discusses fuel cells, using hydrogen as a fuel and how enzymes naturally found in bacteria are making hydrogen a more realistic energy source for the future. In Kitchen Science, both guests are used as guinea pigs as Dave Ansell demonstrates the wonder of enzymes with nothing but a slice of bread... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Explaining how science can help us dig up the past is Lawrence Owens, who uses teeth and bones to uncover the life and sometimes gruesome death of mummies in Peru and Bolivia, and Harriet Allen describes how the pollen record and layers of lake sedimentation can reveal what the environment was like 10 000 years ago. Also on the show, Nick Brooks talks about how climate change in the Sahara may have given rise to complex human societies, and taking us back even further in human evolution is Clive Finlayson, who discusses how a new fossil discovery shows that Neanderthals were alive and kicking... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the hot seat this week is Beverley Glover, who will describe how flowers warm their nectar to entice passing pollinators, real life weatherman John Law discusses weather predictions and how to calculate temperature days in advance, and Marcel Visser explains how warming weather and earlier springs spell disaster for migrating birds. Also on the show, we will hear from Katey Walter about a new source of atmospheric methane, and in Kitchen Science, Derek and Dave get their hands wet in the name of discovering how the human body judges temperature. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are back to answer all your burning science questions. Dr Chris, Dave and Helen tackle hot flushes, why spiders love living in our houses, how many stars are in the Milky Way, and why cows in a field always face in the same direction... We will also be connecting direct to Norwich, the host of this years British Association Science Festival, to hear about a world record attempt at the most people in a bubble, and sticking with bubbles, Dave and Derek make lava lamps in Kitchen Science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In our last show before the summer, Dr Chris, Dave and Derek answer all your questions on science, technology and medicine including why paintings fade in sunlight, why body hair grows at different rates, whether UV light poses a danger at the disco, how weightlessness can be experienced on Earth, and sticking with space, Steve Miller explains the origin of Jupiter's giant red spot and its smaller relative red spot junior. We will also be repeating a famous experiment to see if people can accurately estimate physical attributes from the sound of someones voice, and in Kitchen Science, Derek... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

I predict a riot... or not. This week we're joined by crowd control experts Dr Clifford Stott, from Liverpool University, and Dr John Drury, from Sussex University, wholl be discussing why violence kicks off at football matches, how to spot a spat and the science of mass evacuation. Taking us on a flight of fancy, Dr Gay Gibson, from the University of Greenwich, who describes her research into the harmonious music of mosquitoes, and in Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne bangs out a tune from an oven shelf... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Marine biology and conservation specialist Dan Laffoley, from English Nature, and Chris Lynam, from the University of St Andrews join us to dissect the state of the worlds oceans and marine protected areas. From the conservation science institute in Alaska, Bruce Wright takes us on a tour of the world of salmon sharks, and in kitchen science we do battle against the atmosphere using a Magdeburg sphere. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory astrophysicist Chris Davis joins us to shed light on the structure and workings of the sun and the newly-launched STEREO mission, Cambridge University engineer Jeffery Lewins talks nuclear, and Anna Nicolaou asks why do some people burn whilst others turn brown? On a practical level, in kitchen science, Derek and Dave lift the lid on how suncream works. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In honour of the annual hoards if bleary-eyed hayfever sufferers, we are joined by Carrock Sewell who describes how the immune system works, what causes allergic reactions and how we might be able to cure them, and Mark Booth discusses parasites, how they suppress and evade the immune system and how the Matangini Project attempts to provide parasite-free water in Africa. Sticking with the African continent, Derek Thorne travels to Tanzania to learn how to make ugali in Kitchen Science. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Breaking things down to the building blocks of life this week is Mark Ross, who discusses the evolution of sex chromosomes, genetics and genomes, Michael Traugott describes a novel way of using genetics to find out who is eating whom in underground food webs, and Derek Thorne gets fruity with Lucy Wheatley extracting DNA from a kiwi... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists