2006 Series

The Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science Podcasts

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2nd Apr 2006

Brainwashing and the Science of Pain

Chris Smith

Helen Scales

Phil Rosenberg

Picking apart the inner workings of our brains this week are Dr Irene Tracey from Oxford University, who discusses the origin of pain at the neurological level and how we can reduce pain, Dr Philip Shaw from the US National Institute of Mental Health reveals why having a bigger brain does not make you more intelligent, Dr Kathleen Taylor from Oxford University talks about her new book 'Brainwashing: the science of thought control', including whether brainwashing is a real phenomenon and how we can avoid it, and from brainwashing to the bathtub, Derek Thorne scrubs up on density in this week's Kitchen Science.

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News

Wearable Boredom Detector

Researchers at the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab are developing a mobile boredom detector designed to clip onto a pair of glasses and warn the wearer if they are annoying, or even boring the pants off the people they meet. The device is the brai...

Saturn's Lop-sided Satellite

An underground ocean may have caused one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, to topple over by destabilising its spin. Using data from the Cassini spacecraft, Robert Pappalardo and Francis Nimmo from the University of California in Los Angeles discovered the ocean through t...

Questions

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What are the islets of Langerhans? Why are these areas more richly supplied with blood vessels?

How bad does meningitis affect the brain? I had it when I was younger and think it might have affected my ability to remember things.

We all know that music can affect mood. Why does it change our mood?

Why is it that when you pinch the excess skin on your elbow you don't feel the pain even if you pinch really quite hard?

Why is it if you see somebody get punched in the nose, you go ouch?

Is there any way we can minimise brainwashing?

In your Christmas special you talked about why you can't tickle yourself because the brain switches it off while you perform the conscious tickle. Why can't you do the same with pain? If I stick a pin in my finger after telling myself it's not going to hurt, it still hurts?

Kitchen Science

Mixing two fluids of different densities

Make some pretty patterns by mixing different fluids.

Fact or Fiction

Hot bubble baths were invented by Mr Jacuzzi

Osteoporosis is a disease of cartilage


Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS)	Pain and Painkillers, and Chemistry of everyday life	Pain relief - the contributions of genes, spider venom and chillies
What a Pain (and what to do about it) !	What is pain, how does the body signal pain and how can we treat pain	Pain, and Pain-relief (analgesia)
Deadly Cone Snails (Conus) Harbour Painkillers of the Future	Temperature sensitive paint	The Battle of the Sexes - Reloaded
The Science of Pain	Dealing with Pain	In your Christmas special you talked about why you can't tickle yourself because the brai...

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