Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. Including the news that the US has recorded their first human death from bird flu, and should we be concerned? Plus a new drug to treat drug resistant prostate cancer, and new research on how the Roman Empire was responsible for widespread lead pollution in Europe. In Part 2, Titans of Science returns with Marc Abrahams, the originator of the Ig Nobel Prize and the master of making science fu...
Jan 12, 2025•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look at the year ahead, and asking leading experts from the world of science what we can expect to hear about in 2025. Plus, a conversation with the 2024 chemistry Nobel laureate David Baker, about his pioneering working on proteins.
Jan 05, 2025•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look back at the year in science, and ask leading experts in the fields of health, AI, space, marine science, and archaeology for their standout moments that defined 2024. Plus, Titans of Science returns with a look at pioneering astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
Dec 29, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look back at some of 2024's top science stories, and in part 2 hand over to our Naked Gamers… Chris Berrow and Leigh Milner for a gaming special, featuring: A world record... the game that took 22 years to make has finally been released! Video games without the video… we’ll check out an audio-only release. And what does 2025 have in store for gamers?
Dec 22, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. Including a chat with Dr Chris Van Tulleken about why he's tackling obesity in his Christmas lectures this year, and what are the dark comets that space scientists are now documenting? Plus, an in-depth look at why some people have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and how we can help them.
Dec 15, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. Including a new AI system set to transform weather forecasting, and new research on whether crabs and lobsters can feel pain. Plus, an in-depth look at whether nuclear power could help meet our future energy needs.
Dec 08, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's science news: the first new treatment for asthma attacks in over half a century, and why the International Space Station has sprung a leak And it is World AIDS Day and in today's programme we examine the ambition of doctors to eliminate HIV transmission eliminated from many countries including the UK within 5 years. How are they planning to do it?
Dec 01, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, with an animal-themed special. Including what prompted scientists to put vampire bats on a treadmill, why medicinal leeches are returning to the UK, and the spiders that know which foods will satisfy their dietary needs.
Nov 24, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including a look at what is at stake at this year's UN Climate Summit, and the 80 million year old fossil revealing how birds developed their big brains. Plus, an in-depth look at whether weight loss jabs could solve the obesity crisis.
Nov 17, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look at the latest science news. Including an enormous black hole defying our existing laws of physics, and what DNA analysis is revealing about the inhabitants of Pompeii. Plus, an in-depth look at whether smartphones can harm children's' development.
Nov 10, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look at the latest science news. Including the news that the UK has detected its first case of a new Mpox variant, and the discovery of a lost city in Mexico. Plus, an in-depth look at how technology could swing the outcome of the US presidential elections.
Nov 03, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team look at the latest science news. Including the news that Chris Hoy has revealed his diagnosis with terminal prostate cancer, the WHO has declared that Egypt is malaria-free, and the impact clock changes have on our perception of time. Plus, an in-depth look at the Europa Clipper, the NASA spacecraft which has begun a voyage to look for the conditions for life on one of Jupiter's moons. For support on topics covered in this programme, you can get detail...
Oct 27, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including a new form of insulin that can switch itself off before blood sugar levels fall too low, and how scientists have discovered the origins of the meteors that most commonly fall to Earth. Plus, an in-depth look at whether vegan diets are really good for us. For support on topics covered in this programme, you can get details of organisations within the UK by visiting the BBC Action Line website - bbc.co.uk/action...
Oct 20, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including how scientists found the DNA of human victims in the teeth of a lion, how electrically conductive stitches can be used to speed up healing, and this year's Nobel Prize Winners explained. Plus, an in-depth look at what scientists are doing to tackle brain injuries.
Oct 13, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news. Including whether electric cars may pose a potential security threat, how stem cells are being used to develop new treatments for diabetes, and an interview with Professor Brian Cox. Plus, an in-depth look at the lasting impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Oct 06, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week we look into signs that fruity vapes paralyze the immune system in the lungs, why the world's oldest cheese was smeared over an ancient Chinese mummy, and why we might be getting an extra moon. Plus an in-depth look into how vaccines are revolutionising the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Sep 29, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: What do we know about the pagers and walkie-talkies that have been used to attack Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon? Plus the landmark study on the impact of pregnancy on the female brain, and how scientists in Israel have grown a 1,000-year-old seed that might fill in a missing link in the Bible. We also take an in-depth look at the work of engineers who are finding fresh solutions to...
Sep 22, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's episode….how COVID -19 lockdowns affected the brain development of teenagers. Also, how best to dispose of dangerous nuclear waste and why the UK's puffin population is thriving, despite a rise in avian flu. Plus, why the appendix might be a lot more useful than we previously thought. Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.
Sep 15, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: Scientists uncover a way to help amputees to toughen up their skin in order to make prostheses more comfortable. COVID MRNA jab pharmaceutical company Moderna turn their attention to vaccines for Mpox. Plus the astronomer Royle Martin Rees on whether ET is really out there. And we're going underground to find out how disused mines are now being used to solve some of science's great...
Sep 08, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's episode: How the UK looks set to take the world’s toughest line on smoking, and why are those astronauts still stranded on the International Space Station? Plus, we’ll be putting Mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, under the microscope. How is it treated, and what threat might it pose for us here in the UK?
Sep 01, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: The regulator says the Alzheimer's drug Lecanemab is safe, but NICE say we can't afford it. The UK Ministry Of Defence launches its first Earth imaging satellite. And the BBC's Frank Gardner on why the UK's butterflies need our help. Plus is there a link between some cosmetics and cosmetic trends and cancer? We examine this in more detail in the second part of the programme....
Aug 25, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: we discuss the spread of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, after the WHO declares a public health emergency of international concern. How a laser has unlocked the secret of the origin of Stonehenge's famous altar stone, and why researchers think horses might be cleverer than we've previously given them credit for. Plus our summer series of Titans of Science concludes with circadia...
Aug 18, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: scientists think they've revealed what makes ketamine an effective antidepressant, the astonishing navigational capabilities of bees, and a brief guide to aliens with astronomer Adam Frank. And Titans of Science continues with the renowned astrophysicist discoverer of the accelerating expansion of the universe and the man who gave us dark energy, Brian Schmidt.
Aug 11, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's episode…. Scientists show that when two people talk, their brains really do sync up. Bird flu is now spreading among cattle via their milk. So what are the implications of that? A new scientific twist for better, more efficient fog harvesting to keep arid areas better watered. Plus our Titan of Science this week explains dark matter and how we know it's out there. Get the podca...
Aug 04, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: New muscles on a chip technology goes into orbit to find new drugs to block the ravages of weightlessness and ageing, how artificial intelligence looks set to revolutionise how we forecast the weather, and scientists track down the brain pathway that controls the placebo effect. Plus an in-depth look at how athletes compete at the highest level as the Olympic Games get underway....
Jul 28, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's episode…. we discuss self test kits to help doctors bear down on cervical cancer - We find out how successful they are. The jelly batteries that could be used in wearable tech devices, including implanted in your own brain and why seagulls keep trying to steal your chips and how to stop them. Plus Titans of Science continues this week with Susan Solomon who is one of the first ...
Jul 21, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week we discover what the Covid app has told us about how diseases spread across the UK We look at what the appointment of Sir Patrick Vallance as Minister for Science means for the scientific community. And whilst generative AI can boost productivity for writers, it can also produce very similar stories. So are we willing to trade boring for productive? Plus in our Titans of Science ser...
Jul 14, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs, In this week's episode…. body scans give us new insights into long Covid. Scientists discover the switch that triggers a mosquito's bloodlust, but can we turn it off? And we'll take you on a whistlestop tour of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition. Plus... as the British Grand Prix prepares to get underway, one of the best in the business tells us what makes a Formula One car purr. G...
Jul 07, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. And our series Titans of Science returns, as we speak with the artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton. In this week's news: Edward Stone, the man who led the Voyager probe missions, which are still working half a century on, has died at the age of 88. We reflect on his legacy. Also, scientists discover what they think is the first Neanderthal with Down’s Syndrome, clearly cared for b...
Jun 30, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: how scientists are getting to grips with the UK's E. coli outbreak. Lettuce leaves look likely to be the source, but how? We find out how atomic bomb tests have helped us to build a better picture of how much carbon plants can actually lock away. And why are scientists near Norwich sniffing the air for DNA? Plus we get to the root of how our changing climate is affecting trees....
Jun 23, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
