Naked Scientists Podcast

Helen Scales

Chris Smith

Shedding light on the deepest depths of the universe is Professor Gerry Gilmore from Cambridge University, who talks about the Big Bang and the mystery of dark matter. We also hear from Professor Peter Muller and Dr Giulio del Zanna from the Mullard Space Laboratory about 3-D imaging of the surface of Mars and how solar flares contribute to everything from the Northern Lights to damaging communication systems. Professor David Block from the University of Witwatersrand describes how Andromeda, the galaxy closest to the Milky Way, was recently involved in a galactic collision, and in case you fancy seeing some collisions here on Earth, Derek and Dave are in the kitchen making meteorite craters.

Phil Rosenberg

Chris Smith

Dave Ansell

Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Phil answer all your questions on science, technology and medicine, including why spiders don't run out of silk, what is the universe expanding into, what a flame looks like in space, and what happens when the brain is cut off from a supply of oxygen. We also talk to Dr Mark Peplow from Chemistry World about polonium 210, how much was needed to kill former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, and where the perpetrators could have acquired it. Sticking with nasty substances, Derek Thorne and Dave Ansell make a mess with milk and vinegar in the name of Kitchen Science.

Chris Smith

Kat Arney

Repairing damage in the nervous system is incredibly challenging, but our guests this week have some promising solutions. Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Robert MacLaren from Moorfields Eye Hospital and colleagues at University College London have discovered a way to encourage the growth of photoreceptors in the retinas of blind mice, and Professor Geoff Raisman from University College London will discuss his research into spinal cord repair. In Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne and Hugh Hunt take a closer look at the aerodynamics of a ping pong ball.

Helen Scales

Chris Smith

As winter approaches, we take a trip down south to look at some of the cool research going on in Antarctica. Dr Jane Francis from Leeds University talks about six-foot penguins and a time when Antarctica was warm and ice-free, Kate Hendry from the University of Oxford describes what it's like to work in Antarctica today, and Derek and Dave bring a welcome injection of heat as they find out how hand warmers work. We then dive into the waters around Antarctica with Dr Povl Abrahamsen from the British Antarctic Survey, who uses automated subs to look under the ice sheets and find out how they're changing, and Dr Mike Fedak from the University of St. Andrews describes how his team have attached data collection instruments to the fur of elephant seals to explore completely unchartered depths of the Southern Ocean.

Chris Smith

Kat Arney

This week we explore the science of sound including the mathematics of music and the geometry of jazz with mathematicians Professor Tim Gowers from Cambridge University, and Professor Robin Wilson from the Open University. We also get to the bottom of why helium makes your voice go all squeaky, we nail a crook by using the sound of his voice in an audio line up, and Dr Kirsty McDougall from Cambridge University explains where accents come from.

Dave Ansell

Kat Arney

Chris Smith

Why scratch your head at science when Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Kat are here to answer all your questions?! In this week's Naked Science question and answer special, we discover why liquid washing tablets don't dissolve from the inside, why some genetic diseases only manifest in later life, is gravity constant, and why do men get hairy nostrils and ears when they hit sixty? There will also be a fireworks special in honour of bonfire night, including Dr Roy Lowry from the University of Plymouth who holds the record for firing the most rockets in five seconds, and Derek Thorne and Dave Ansell pull out an angle grinder for some sparkly Kitchen Science.

Kat Arney

Chris Smith

This week we take a look at some supercool science, as Dr Tim Jackson from Birmingham University describes how superconductors work, what they are, and how superconductors are helping astronomers get a clearer view of the universe. Also on the show, Dr Ed Tarte from Birmingham University will discuss applications of superconductors and SQUIDS in the non-invasive discovery of heart defects and observing brain activity in the unborn foetus, and Science Graduate of the Year Alex Mischenko talks about his new environmentally friendly cooling device. In Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne and Professor Ted Forgan show superconductivity in action with a frying pan, some liquid nitrogen and a very strong magnet...

Helping us tune into the science of sound this week is Dr Bob Carlyon from the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, who explains how we hear, how we can concentrate on one voice in a noisy room, and what it sounds like to have a cochlea implant. From the hard of hearing to the most finely tuned ears on the planet, Professor Ian Russell from the University of Sussex describes how the greater moustached bat catches prey in complete darkness while flying at 40 miles per hour, Professor Trevor Cox from the University of Salford turns the sound of breaking wind into a record breaker, as he talks about the world's largest whoopee cushion, and in Kitchen Science, Derek and Dave investigate the science of balance with the help of a humble office chair and some unsuspecting volunteers...

Taking a look at the science of sight is consultant ophthalmologist Dr Nick Sarkies from Addenbrooke's Hospital, who will discuss eye diseases and how we can treat them, and Professor Ron Douglas from City University provides insight into colour vision and how the world appears through the eyes of animals. Sticking with our animal focus, Bob and Chelsea reveal that there may be three times as many poisonous fish as there are snakes, and in Kitchen Science, Derek Thorne stops himself bouncing off the walls long enough to discover how superballs spin.

Phil Rosenberg

Chris Smith

Cancer biology goes under the microscope this week, as Professor Gerard Evan from the University of California San Francisco talks about the causes of cancer and how cancer spreads around the body. Also on the show, and joining us live from the National Cancer Research Institute Conference, is Professor Fran Balkwill from Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, who will be discussing cancer treatments and the development of targeted therapies, and Dr Kat Arney, who will be talking about the latest news in cancer research. We also travel Stateside for a Science Update from Bob and Chelsea, hear from Dr Michael Halpern from the Union of Concerned Scientists about governments interfering with scientific research, and experience the deep freeze with a couple of balloons and some liquid nitrogen in Kitchen Science.