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The Naked Scientists Podcast

BBC

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.

Location:

Barrington, United Kingdom

Networks:

BBC

Description:

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.

Language:

English

Contact:

Dr. Chris Smith The Naked Scientists 36 West Green Barrington Cambridgeshire CB2 5SA +44 (0) 7092 01 96 9


Episodes
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Antibiotics affect babies' vaccinations, and space miso

4/3/2025
In today's news podcast, a study shows a reduced effectiveness of vaccinations in babies who have antibiotics treatments early in life. Also, the world's smallest, light-powered pacemaker, and we learn the secrets of the broadclub cuttlefish's crab-catching colour display. Then, we follow the journey of miso paste up to the ISS and back to Earth again, and hear what it tastes like! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:35:01

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How bad is the air we breathe?

3/31/2025
Take a deep breath. Yes, literally. And ask yourself: what's in the air I just inhaled? It's almost certain, with our modern lives and built, busy environments, that it contains a range of harmful particles. Whether it stems from city traffic or wildfires, air pollution has many sources, it affects all of us, and it has the potential to become much worse. So today, we're examining what constitutes a bad air day, the biggest producers of pollution, how we monitor the problem, and what can be done to improve matters. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:31:17

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Pig liver transplant breakthrough, and weird early galaxies

3/28/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the first transplant of a gene-modified pig liver into a human; also, the James Webb Space Telescope sees one of the first galaxies ever to exist, and it's very strange indeed; and scientists explain why we can't recall our early years... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:35:45

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AMR unleashed: the silent pandemic

3/24/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, Antimicrobial Resistance, or AMR, is going under our microscope. What is it, how does it happen, what's the scale of the threat, and how can we fight back? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:32:22

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Stranded astronauts return, and the whale pee funnel

3/20/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Stranded Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams come down to Earth with a splash and some awesome drone footage; also, Cambridge scientists are mapping where to find the world's rarest minerals; and the massively under-appreciated role that whales play transporting nutrients thousands of miles...using their urine. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:33:07

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The mounting misgivings over microplastics

3/17/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, what threat do microplastics pose to our health, and the health of the planet? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:30:29

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North Sea ship crash, and super spuds

3/13/2025
On this edition of the Naked Scientists Podcast, what are the potential environmental impacts of the ship crash in the North Sea? Also, we find out what's being done to reduce the risk from engineered pandemics, and reveal what's going on inside the best electric vehicle batteries on the market. Then, it's off to Lincolnshire to profile the bruise-resistant, quicker-cooking potatoes of the future... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:40:33

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CRISPR, and the ethics of gene editing

3/11/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we take a closer look at CRISPR gene editing. What is it? And what are the ethics involved in rewriting the human genome? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:30:34

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New part of the immune system, and greedier labradors

3/6/2025
In the news pod, scientists in Israel discover a new part of the immune system. We'll find out why it matters. Also, the Blue Ghost mission that just landed on the Moon and could change the way we conduct Lunar exploration. And greedy labradors: we find out why dogs (and their owners) are prone to putting on weight. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:34:01

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Incoming: what happens when the next asteroid hits Earth?

3/3/2025
This week, we're examining NEOs - near-Earth objects - asking whether any of them might be on a collision course with our biggest cities... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:31:11

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Glucose monitor misinformation, and AI dairy farms

2/28/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Continuous Glucose Monitors are increasingly popular. But are they feeding us dietary misinformation? Also ahead: the "sexome": scientists describe the genital microbiome, and how it might help with forensic investigations. And, we go to Wales to find out how artificial intelligence is helping dairy farmers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:35:20

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What is mirror life?

2/25/2025
We're taking you through the looking glass to explore 'mirror life': could we be about to flip biology on its head? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:32:44

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Game-changing prostate cancer test, and magnetic turtles

2/20/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A new screening test for prostate cancer that can, the inventors claim, accurately catch 96% of cases, and early. Also, why you might want to eschew artificial sweeteners: a new study suggests they can accelerate arterial disease. And, scientists show that turtles can sense magnetic fields to find their way around... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:33:05

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Halting the progress of multiple sclerosis

2/17/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we're looking into multiple sclerosis, following the progression of the condition from relapses to neurodegeneration, asking, can we halt the disease in its tracks? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:27:42

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Record-breaking neutrinos, and quantum train travel

2/13/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: A particle with a record-breaking energy is discovered: but where did it come from? Also, damaged hearts healed using stem cell "patches" of tissue: human clinical trials are about to kick off. And, the project using quantum mechanics to revolutionise the London Underground... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:36:31

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From Russia with Love: The Science of Hybrid Warfare

2/10/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we'll find out how Putin and his cadre in the Kremlin play a neverending game of technological cat and mouse... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:31:36

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Mantis shrimp's punch, and low-methane rice

2/7/2025
In this week's Naked Scientists Podcast: Uncovering the secret behind the mantis shrimp's giant punch. Also, developing a new strain of rice that produces a fraction of the methane, and shaking virus particles to hear their song. Plus, we profile NASA's new chief, Jared Isaacman... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:32:08

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Can you grow a building?

2/4/2025
This week on The Naked Scientists, we've teamed up with Cambridge University Press and specifically the team behind Research Directions, their suite of new, open access journals that are all about publishing research in a novel and exciting way.Science is, of course, all about asking questions and developing experiments to test hypotheses. But only rarely does a topic have a single facet. Instead, one key question invariably leads to many others; and the answers to these can, as the Research Directions team put it, "assemble into chains of collaborative work".They're asking really important... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:33:57

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Asteroid Bennu's brine, and DeepSeek shocks Silicon Valley

1/30/2025
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Samples back from space reveal tantalising insights into where the life-linked chemicals that kick-started biology on Earth could have come from. Also, the impact of China's DeepSeek AI model on society, finance, and the global tech market. And why imported olive trees turn out to be the perfect cover for stowaway snakes and insects... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:35:25

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Titans of Science: Charlie Swanton

1/27/2025
It's our final Titans of Science offering of this series, with world-leading cancer expert Charlie Swanton. We'll hear how the latest developments in our understanding of cancer's mechanisms are shaping treatments and preventative measures... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Duration:00:31:35