The recent invention of powerful precision tools for editing the human genome - known as CRISPR, has opened up new worlds of possibilities for researchers seeking to understand how our genes work - and also those who want to permanently change the human genome for generations to come. But are we on the road to designer babies? Plus, we unpack the latest cancer breakthrough, and our gene of the month is making a terrible racket. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Mar 14, 2016•32 min•Ep. 49
It's the hottest new biotechnology technique to hit the headlines since well, since ever. CRISPR is a precision set of genome editing tools enabling scientists to cut and paste together DNA in any organism, exactly how they want - and the implications for human health, and even humanity, are huge. Plus, linking genetics to lifestyle, and our gene of the month is black and white and very cute. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Feb 14, 2016•30 min•Ep. 48
This month we bring you a bumper edition, packed full of all our favourite bits from the past four years. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jan 14, 2016•58 min•Ep. 47
Synthetic biology - engineering life - is set to revolutionise the world, but how? We'll be hearing about some of the most exciting applications for synthetic biology, and how it's being commercialised. Plus, our gene of the month has got itself all in a twist. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Dec 14, 2015•30 min•Ep. 46
Animals like elephants and whales are made up of many more cells than a human, or a mouse, and they live far longer. Yet they hardly ever get cancer - and the big question is why? Plus, revolutions in genetics, and a magical gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Nov 14, 2015•30 min•Ep. 45
Imagine designing bacteria that can do whatever you want - from cleaning up oil spills to churning out the latest cancer treatments - ordering the biological parts online and building it in a couple of weeks. This is no longer the stuff of dreams, but the reality of synthetic biology. Plus, tracing European genes, how parasites manipulate our immune systems, I take part in a research project to find out if sociability is in my genes, and our gene of the month is looking for wedded bliss. Like th...
Oct 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 44
When it comes to figuring out which genes and genetic variations are linked to particular traits and diseases, there's only one way to do it, and that's to go large, with cohort studies involving hundreds or even thousands of volunteers. We meet the Born In Bradford bunch, a Canadian cohort, and more than a few pairs of twins. Plus, oh my God, they killed our gene of the month! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Sep 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 43
There's more to life than the four letters of DNA, and our cells use a chemical tag known as DNA methylation to mark out certain parts of the genome, helping cells to remember what they're doing. And, as you might expect, it's pretty important. Plus, how your GCSE success could be encoded in your genes, an important molecular cause of autism identified, and an illuminating gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Aug 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 42
Genes are the instructions that tell our cells what to do, but how do different types of cells know which genes to switch on or off at the right time? The solution lies in epigenetics - the molecular bells and whistles that act on top of our DNA to control gene activity. Plus, a new gene involved in severe obesity, and a mythical gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jul 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 41
For centuries, breeders have been selecting plants and animals with desirable genetic traits. So how have some of these changes come about, and where will new genetic technologies take our food in the future? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 40
You may not realise it, but all the food you eat has been genetically altered over time by plant and animal breeders, capturing advantageous traits to grow more nutritious and easy-to-farm foods as efficiently and healthily as possible. Maize, or corn as it's often know, is a prime example of this change. Plus, is attractiveness to mosquitoes in your genes? And our gene of the month is small but significant. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
May 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 39
There are few things in life as important as the food we eat, but making sure that we guard the genes in our crops for the future is just as important. Plus, we take a look at some of the intellectual property issues surrounding our food, learn squid's surprising secret, and our gene of the month might be a mayor. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Apr 13, 2015•30 min•Ep. 38
Over the past year the Government has unveiled an audacious programme under the banner of Genomics England, aiming to sequence the genomes of 100,000 people affected by cancer and rare genetic diseases. We take a look at some of the practical and ethical issues around the project. Plus, our gene of the month comes from the land of the forever young. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Mar 14, 2015•30 min•Ep. 37
Genetically modified, or GM, crops are a hot topic. Some people are deeply suspicious of the technology while others see it as an effective and efficient way of generating bountiful, healthier harvests. Plus, purple tomatoes, a giant of a gene involved in heart disease, and what's in a name? We take a look at the naming of genes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Feb 14, 2015•30 min•Ep. 36
How do we learn complex tasks like playing the piano? Why can we remember things better after a good night's sleep? And why do people - and fruit flies - drink again after the hangover from hell? The answers are all in your genes. Plus, why large-scale searches for so-called "genes for schizophrenia" and other psychiatric diseases are turning out to be trickier than we thought, and a gene of the month with a touch of Scottish - or maybe Hollywood - spirit. Like this podcast? Please help us by su...
Jan 14, 2015•30 min•Ep. 35
For many years scientists have been searching for the mysterious engram - the place in the brain where memories are kept. And thanks to advances in genetics and neurobiology, it looks like they're now getting close to finding it. Plus, contagious cancers in dogs and devils, and our gene of the month prefers the cold. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Dec 14, 2014•30 min•Ep. 34
Every year in the UK more than 330,000 people are diagnosed with cancer. The good news is that more and more are surviving, and there's hope that the new generation of genetic research and targeted therapies will bring more cures in the future. But is cancer a cleverer enemy than we thought? Plus sealion genital cancers, and an over-excited gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Nov 14, 2014•30 min•Ep. 33
Could we one day be popping pills that tweak our metabolism and make us live longer? It's not as far off as you might think. Plus, the cow genome goes large, bat flu flies into focus, and an untidy gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Oct 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 32
Every day we get older, and whether you're desperately resisting the march of time, or embracing the ageing process, most of us would agree we want to live as long, healthy lives as possible. We'll be finding out how genetics research can help. Plus, making fingers with Alan Turing, growing lizard tails, and a long-lived gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Sep 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 31
From the beauty of a sunset or the ugliness of war to the smile on a loved one's face, our eyes bring us all kinds of information about the world around us. now researchers are working to develop new therapies for people who have lost this precious sense. Plus, smelling elephants, marmoset twins, and an all-seeing gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Aug 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 30
Whether we like it or not, we're heading further along the road of genetic testing, not just for single genes but for complex diseases and even ancestry. But can the results of gene tests change our behaviour? Plus colouring crows, electric eels, gluing chromosomes and a sketchy gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jul 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 29
Twenty years ago, gene therapy was a great hope for the future of medicine - directly tinkering with faulty genes to cure diseases, but progress has been slow. Now, things seem to be changing. Plus, silencing crickets, evolving brain and brawn, and a flowery gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 28
The more we understand about the genetic variations that affect our brains, the more questions are raised - for example, are we a product of nature or nurture, and what should we test for? Plus, why Y loss is bad for men, the usefulness of junk DNA, and a crunchy gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
May 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 27
Around one in four adults in the UK experiences mental health problems in any year, and mental illness is a major problem for sufferers, their loved ones, and society. It's becoming clear that genes are involved, but what do we actually know? Plus, artificial chromosomes, autism in the womb, and a toddling little gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Apr 13, 2014•30 min•Ep. 26
Every second your DNA is under assault - not just from chemicals in our environment or food, but from the hurly-burly of life within our own cells. We'll be finding out how DNA gets damaged and repaired, and how researchers are exploiting this to find better treatments for cancer. Plus, liver from skin cells, DNA from ancient teeth, and a scary little gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Mar 14, 2014•30 min•Ep. 25
Smell is probably the oldest sense, hardwired right into our brains and closely linked to memory. Now researchers are trying to unravel the complex genetics that underpin it. Plus, contagious dog genital cancers, gene therapy for blindness, and a rather slimy gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Feb 14, 2014•30 min•Ep. 24
Hearing loss is distressing, whether it occurs later in life or in childhood. Now researchers are starting to unpick the genetic causes behind some of these problems. Plus, mice on drugs, stress and death, and a wobbly gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jan 14, 2014•30 min•Ep. 23
Across the natural world, cells organise themselves into a wonderful array of shapes and structures. But how do they do this? Plus, building bones, plant sex in space, and a rather plump gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Dec 14, 2013•30 min•Ep. 22
All living cells are made up of protein molecules - but how do they organise themselves into structures? Plus bee sex, tough mice, and a happily married gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Nov 14, 2013•30 min•Ep. 21
The heart is a vital biological pump, beating around a billion times in a lifetime. But faulty genes can cause big problems. Plus, taming the tiger genome, solving citrus sickness, and our gene of the month is for all you hopeless romantics out there. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Oct 13, 2013•30 min•Ep. 20
