The Naked Scientists Podcast

From strange-looking sperm to cancers that spread, we're looking at the light, and dark, sides of cell movement. Plus, a second Covid vaccine approaches the finishing line, but who are the also-rans? We'll look at who's most likely to get the vaccine first and whether we've got that pecking order right; and how microscopic plants are helping scientists grow replacement human organs... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

From ancient past to global present, us humans are a migratory bunch. But with climate change redrawing maps of the world, what does the future hold? Plus, the science behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine announcement, and what they're not yet telling us; the mink farms that are spreading a new variant of COVID-19; and the UK scientists trying to extract oxygen from the moon... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, will mass COVID testing in Liverpool get us out of lockdown? Antibodies to defend the brain; and why we've evolved to laugh! Plus we look at the Earth on the move: from our journey through space, to how tectonic plates rearrange themselves, ocean currents bring us warm weather, and how massive storms appear... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month (November 2020), we're theming our shows around movement. From cells moving at one extreme, to planetary movements at the other! And this week we're kick-starting the series by talking animal movement: migration, monitoring, and when to intervene in how animals move. Plus in the news - What do falling levels of coronavirus antibodies in those infected say about the likely success of a vaccine? Why might we want to dose ourselves with vitamin D? And why the Moon's wetter than we first thought! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, news of the people catching coronavirus on purpose; those waiting-out the pandemic in an old nuclear bunker, and the good news that lullabies send babies to sleep regardless of what language they're in! Plus, "lockdown, or let rip?" what's the best way to control the coronavirus pandemic? Opinions are divided, and we're joined by four leading experts to debate the best solution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're talking trees! From how they grow, to the oldest ones on Earth, to how they die, and what trees can do for our cities. Plus in the news, can you catch COVID twice? How microwaving an insecticide makes it 12 times more powerful, and the asteroid that might actually be an old Moon rocket... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week Chris is joined by top palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger and BMJ executive editor Theo Bloom to dissect the science behind the headlines. As Donald Trump recovers from his coronavirus infection, what experimental treatments has he received, and what have we learned about managing COVID since the pandemic started? The Nobel Prizes are out: who's won what? And David Attenborough's new film has launched; we talk to the executive producer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - we're pondering periods. With about 800 million people menstruating each day around the globe, we're re-visiting the biology, musing over menstruation and mental wellbeing, and asking why, in 2020, period poverty is such a problem. Plus in the news - Lockdown, or let rip? Are our efforts to try to stop the spread of coronavirus taking us in the wrong direction? An update on England and Wales' NHS Covid app. And with England's ban on some single use plastics now in force, why do we have so much of it in the first place? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With an eye on World Vegetarian Day we're looking at the feasibility of a reduced meat diet: What can cutting down calories from meat do for our health, and the health of the planet? Plus, in the news, a new 20 minute test for COVID, why hybrid cars turn out to be worse for the environment than their official performance figures claim, and after hundreds of elephants mysteriously died in Botswana, researchers now think they know why... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do algorithms run the world? Nowadays we measure the amount of data we generate in zettabytes - that's 1 followed by 21 zeroes. This data, in turn, powers algorithms that are getting more and more sophisticated at predicting our behaviour, and are making ever more decisions for us. What does this mean for our society, privacy, and even our inner selves? Plus, in the news, the science - or lack of it - behind the latest COVID "rule of six" guidelines; the Arctic ice shelf that's lost a Manchester-sized chunk of itself; and the whales that ended up tens of kilometres up an inland river... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week - a show with a difference! Space journalist Richard Hollingham and space scientist Katie Mack join Chris to probe the science behind the headlines, talk to other guests along the way, and answer questions that you've been sending in. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, the story of how humankind has gazed into space, from the first basic telescopes to what gravitational waves are now revealing about the workings of black holes. Plus, in the news, evidence that people are catching COVID again, what's the risk of coronavirus infection on an aeroplane, and bee venom to treat breast cancer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Where did the coronavirus come from? The story we've been told is that it started off in bats, and then jumped into humans some time late last year at a seafood market in the city of Wuhan. It's a neat tale - but the problem is, nobody actually knows whether it's completely accurate. In this programme, we're exploring the possibilities, the evidence, and the gaps in the evidence... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, with our climate changing, will the traditional "English country garden" become a thing of the past? Will pests and diseases surge? And how will flowers and food crops, and the pollinators that make them productive, be affected? Plus, news of how dust and dandruff can spread flu and other viruses. The chemical fingerprint that COVID-19 leaves on the body; and self-driving cars look set to take to the road... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, How do we understand each other, from infants to adults how do we go about relating to one another. Plus, in the news, A Russian COVID vaccine, the perks of prosecco, and stopping swarming locusts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Meet the COVID-19 patients who are still suffering the after-effects of the disease, months after catching the virus. They weren't ill enough to be hospitalised, and thought they'd recover after a fortnight. Now, though, they're on a rollercoaster of bizarre symptoms. They're calling it 'long COVID' - but what is it? Plus, in the news: children seem to harbour more coronavirus than adults; a new space mission to Mars gets under way, and the science of cows licking each other... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're getting stuck into some sizzling science! It's BBQ time, and we're going to explain the chemistry of cookery, the science of tastes and flavours and we're also going to try to cook something you wouldn't think was possible on the barbie. Plus news of the UK government's plan to battle the nation's bulge, but will it work? Why leaves on the line really is a reasonable excuse for late trains. And what happens when cats and dogs catch coronavirus? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's quiz time! Three fabulous listeners take on our questions - on everything from physics & space to the natural world. Who will emerge victorious and be crowned Big Brain of the Month? Plus, do grab a drink and play along at home! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we're celebrating the hundredth birthday of DNA pioneer Rosalind Franklin and how her work helped to unravel the DNA helix. Plus, in the news: COVID causes heart damage, water shortages in England thanks to climate change, and magic bullets to make shellfish more nutritious... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we're meeting the neighbours. Our planetary neighbours that is, to take a look at Mars and Venus, and the new missions heading their way. Plus, in the news, COVID as an airborne disease, the mass elephant dieoff in Botswana, and why sampling sewage might be a sensitive way to search for coronavirus outbreaks. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists