Naked Science Articles

Once a Knight is Not Enough

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:46:22 +0100

Sure, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and has received a number of other honours, but has Sir Tim Berners-Lee yet received his due? Douglas Richards argues that for a man who brought into being a tool - the hypertext language around which the Internet is based - that will have as profound an impact on human civilization as the wheel or electricity, the answer is an emphatic no...

To sit or not to sit

Sun, 17 May 2009 22:29:21 +0100

Is urine bad? Yes, when it ends up on the bathroom floor. What can be done to avoid these unaesthetic accidents? As with many of the challenges confronted by humanity over the millennia, scientific insight might save the day, but the solution will demand a paradigm shift in our excretory habits, as John Gamel explains...

Banana medicine

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

What will the vaccines of tomorrow look like? Recent advances in crop technology mean that we are able to produce vaccines in plants. But would you eat a vaccine? Harriet Dickinson looks at the pros and cons of this novel method of drug delivery and asks whether this technology will be turning up on the menu any time soon...

What is the Weirdest Experiment Ever?

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

What happens when a human child grows up with a chimpanzee brother? Does a dog think that a robot dog belongs to the same species? If three men meet who all think they are Jesus, how do they decide who is right? The answers to these questions you can find in by peer reviewed scientific research. Swiss science writer Reto U. Schneider collected them for years and published them in the "The Mad Science Book". Now he is wondering: which one is the weirdest of them all?

Turn on, Tune in, Drop out

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

In 1943 a chemist working in Basel became the first person to experience the effects of LSD, albeit by accident. But how did he made the drug, where did it originate and how does it work? Philip Strange explains...

What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy?

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:02:58 +0000

Physics is full of surprises, but none so great as the discovery that 95% of the mass of the Universe is invisible to us. This is the so-called "Dark Matter" and "Dark Energy", but what are they, and how can we find out...?

Putting the coke in Coke

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Surprising as it sounds, one of the world's top tipples a century ago was laced with cocaine. And although the manufacturers have changed the recipe in recent years, Coca Cola is still a market leader, but why was the cocaine there in the first place, and where does the drug come from?

The Ion Channel: Through the Keyhole

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Ion channels are miniature pores in the membranes of cells. They're the gatekeepers controlling which ions can move into and out of cells, meaning that they control almost every aspect of life itself. This also means they're important drug targets. But to develop effective and selective agents to hit just the right channel means that scientists need to understand the precise structure and workings of each of them. A daunting task, but now new technology has provided a way to do just that...

Flies are creatures of habit

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Flies are creatures of habit - at least that's what the latest research on the fruit fly Drosophila has found. In this article Bjoern Brembs explains how a marine snail started him on the road to uncover the brain basis of learning...

It Don't Necessarily Glow, Bro!

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:47:28 +0100

Simpsons fans will know only too well the opening sequence to the cartoon in which Homer discovers, during his commute, that he's taken some of his work home with him - in the form of a radioactive fuel rod from the nuclear power plant! Unsurprisingly, the lump of material he subsequently throws out of the car window is glowing an ethereal green colour. But therein lies multiple myths of atomic-powered proportions, because most radioactive substances don't really glow at all, let alone light up green!

The Plight of the Bumblebee

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The buzz of a bumblebee is one of the quintessential sounds of summer time. But this 'slender sound' and 'faint utterance' that was so admired by Wordsworth is under threat because bumblebees are in crisis: of the 25 species native to Britain, three have already been declared extinct. But why are they suffering and what can we do to stem the problem...?

RNA Interference Explained

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Since scientists discovered how DNA behaves like a giant genetic recipe book encoding the entire suite of proteins needed for a cell to function, they've also been looking for a simple way to selectively and simply switch off some of those genes to find out how they work. Now there is such a tool. It's called RNA interference or RNAi and it's recently won the discoverers a Nobel prize. But how does it work and could it also be the medical answer to a host of problem genetic diseases? Beth Ashbridge finds out...

The Immune System: Part 1

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Every day our bodies are assailed by microbes of all descriptions, but for the most part we successfully fend them off. In this article Helen Carter explores the basis of human immunity...

Towards a Manned Mars Mission

Sat, 24 May 2008 14:26:13 +0100

Recent Mars missions have produced compelling evidence for what was once a wet world, where life could well have flourished. Now scientists are about to embark on a mission with the best chances yet of finding it. Touching down near the Martian north pole, the Phoenix lander will begin looking for the chemical hallmarks of life past and present. But what do we already know about our near planetary neighbour? Frank Witte finds out...

Uplifting Insights into Aviation and Climate

Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The European Parliament voted recently to include CO2 emissions from the aviation industry in its carbon trading scheme from 2011, but did they get it wrong by also including the impact of contrail formation and emissions of nitrogen oxides? What would happen, for instance, if Parliament adopted the same methodology for shipping? Helen Rogers explains why it's not all "plane" sailing

What IQ Tests Can't Tell You

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

I.Q. scores have been rising steadily, by about 3 points per decade, ever since they were first administered. This is the Flynn Effect and it means that if we take the average teenager of today with an I.Q. of 100 and project the trend back to the 1900s, the average I.Q. was somewhere between 50 and 70 which usually marks a mental disability! Surely this cannot be correct...?

What Fossils Can Tell Us About Climate Change

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Do microscopic fossils hold the key to understanding climate change? Scientists studying tiny marine shellfish called ostracodes have found that they harbour in their shells is a geologic snapshot of the water conditions in which they grew, including chemical pointers to past climates...

Synthetic Biology: Making Life from Scratch

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Scientists have brought the world one step closer to the creation of the first artificial organism with the recent announcement of the creation of an artificial genome for the bacterium mycoplasma genitalium. The breakthrough is a major landmark in history, the switch "from reading the genetic code to writing it" but this new synthetic biology could be dangerous: is the world ready for this new technology and will it ever be?

Science in the Lap of Luxury

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:48:49 +0000

The feasibility of a female oestrus amongst humans had been dismissed by the masses. But now a study of tipping amongst lap-dancers has confirmed that oestrus appears to be alive and kicking...

The Biggest Solar Storm in History

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

When the clipper ship Southern Cross sailed into a living hell off Chile during the night of 2 September 1859, little did the sailors know that they were witnessing the aftermath of a gigantic solar explosion that had engulfed the Earth. Today, astronomers are still unpicking the consequences of this tremendous event.

A Whole New World

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Scientists recently spotted a planet being born. It's just formed and is still enshrouded within the disk of dust that formed it. So like a baby in the birth canal, the newborn, placenta and amniotic fluid of planetary formation are all still there for scientists to see. In terms of age, this was a teenage pregnancy, but what it can tell us about the planetary birth process makes this particular cosmic conception very exciting...

What do Snot and Wasabi have in Common?

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Just as winter follows summer, the chances are you'll catch a cold this winter - but what is the sticky stuff that pours from your nose and clogs up your sinuses? Becky Poole unwraps the handkerchief to find out...

Climate Change: Real Warmth or Cold Memories?

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

What's the evidence that the world's becoming a warmer place, or are claims of climate change quite literally just hot air? Atmospheric scientist Alex Thompson puts the greenhouse effect under the spotlight...

The Science of Linguistics

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

So what exactly is linguistics? Is it all about tape recorders, tongue twisters and dropped "aitches"? Or is it all adventure, exploration and the search for undiscovered languages among rainforest tribes? Well, it's both, and in this article Andrew Caines tells us more...

The Science of Parasites

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

We tend to think of parasites as evolutionary cheats, surreptitiously taking advantage of their hosts' hard work while they sit back and enjoy an easy life. But a closer look reveals that it's not all sun and sangria...

The Science of Snowflakes

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Snowflakes form when water vapour condenses directly into ice crystals, and for many years writers have used their delicate beauty as a metaphor for fragility and uniqueness. But now scientists are studying these same qualities to understand one of the most important molecules on Earth - water.

The Louisiana Wetlands: An Introduction

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Equivalent in land area to 14 Isle of Mans, or Rhode Island State twice over, the Louisiana Wetlands are one of the most important acquatic ecological sites in the world. But now they're disappearing, fast - an area the size of a tennis court slips into the sea every thirteen seconds. But what is this wilderness and what can be done to save it...?

International Polar Year 2007-9

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

International Polar Years commenced in 1882-3, as the inspiration of Austrian explorer and naval officer Lieutenant Karl Weyprecht. They act as a means of bringing together scientists from around the world in a concentrated effort to further studies of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The third such 'year' runs from 2007-9, but what are its aims this time?

The Oracle at Delphi - Not Just Hot Air

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The Pythia, the prophetess at the Oracle of Delphi, was said to be able to communicate with Apollo by going into a trance. But science has shown that these trances weren't down to divine intervention - instead they were the result of inhaling noxious gases from nearby geological fault lines...

How Does a Brain Cell Work

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

They are found in well-organised groups; they communicate constantly through long ranging connections; there are 100,000,000,000 of them, surrounded by at least 10 times that many supporters, and they are all inside your head - they're brain cells, but how do they work?

Vile-din? Certainly Not!

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Ask anyone who made the world's best violins and they'll inevitably answer "Stradivari". But science is undermining the reputation of this great instrument maker whom, it seems, owes his success as much to an attempt at pest control as his craftmanship...

Protein Origami: Pop-up Books & Nature's Polymers

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

What do pop-up books and some of the most fundamental molecules of life have in common? Charlotte Rusby enters a world 100 million times smaller than the bookshelf to find out...

The Immune System and Pregnancy

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Usually, when the immune system meets something foreign, the offending intruder is swiftly attacked and neutralised. Thankfully things are different during pregnancy. But how does a baby developing in the uterus slip under its mother's immunological radar...

How Climate Change is Choking Marine Ecosystems

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Climate change has been blamed with altering the environment - from animal migrations to sea level. Now it's also affecting nutrient cycling. Excess nitrogen discharged into estuaries used to be removed by a bacterial process in the sediments. But recent research shows a dramatic change...

Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Brain Damage?

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:41:54 +0100

Beating your head against a hard surface can be a sign of frustration, yet for a woodpecker it's a fact of life. So why don't nature's headbangers develop brain damage or a permanent migraine?

Biomimetics: Borrowing from Biology

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Why re-invent the wheel when Nature has already come up with the best solution? Becky Poole explores the field of biomimetics - quite literally how engineers are borrowing from biology...

Bio-plastics: Turning Wheat And Potatoes into Plastics

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Mention plastics and most people think of polythenes, perspex and other oil-based nasties that never break down. But now there's a new breed of plastics; they're biodegradable and based on potatoes and other starchy crops...

The Science of HIV & AIDS in the UK

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0100

There are five million new cases of HIV internationally every year, and the virus is second only to tobacco as the leading cause of death worldwide. But what is HIV, how does it cause disease, what is AIDS, how do anti-AIDS drugs work, and what does HIV mean for Britain?

A Crossword a Day keeps the Doctor at Bay:

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:29:53 +0100

Dementia-prone mice have shown researchers than an old mouse can learn new tricks, given the right environment...

What is Quicksand?

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 22:10:40 +0100

There was a time when almost every action movie seemed to involve the hero or villain becoming swamped in quicksand, sinking away until only their hat remains on the surface. But contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, although it's almost impossible to escape from quicksand, it's even more difficult to drown...

How do Thunderstorms Work?

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0100

What is a thunderstorm, how is lightning generated by clouds, how much energy is there in a lightning bolt, and could it be harnessed to power a town?

How The Lymphatic System Works

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The lymphatic system is your body's drainage system. It collects the excess fluid that surrounds cells and returns it to the bloodstream, picks up fats from the intestines and primes the immune system about pathogens...

Antibacterial Phage Therapy

Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Bacteriophages were big business before penicillin and other antimicrobials appeared on the scene. But now, with increasing bacterial resistance and the rise of the "superbug", phages are once more centre-stage in the war on microbes...

Lost your bottle?

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Whether you love or loath the white stuff, it is unavoidable on your TV and in your paper. What is milk, is it good for us, and what type should we drink?

A Blue Future For Global Warming

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:29:48 +0100

By now we're familiar with apocalyptic visions of a scorched and flooded world ravished by global warming. But this gloomy prognosis is now set to take a nosedive beneath the ocean waves.

The Cassini-Huygens Mission to Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:53:31 +0000

Imagine we had discovered another world, slightly smaller than our own, with rain clouds, rivers and lakes on gently hilly continents. Sounding a bit bland and Earth like? Okay then lets add some twists...

Nitrogen - The Bad Guy of Global Warming

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

As the world focuses on carbon dioxide, are more dangerous agents of global warming creeping up unnoticed? Lucy Sandbach investigates the dark world of nitrogen and how this common element is causing havoc with the environment.

A History of Superconductivity

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 13:02:26 +0100

How were superconductors discovered, what are they, how do they work, what can they do for us, and what's new in the field of superconductivity.

Superconductors

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:33:53 +0100

Superconductors are amazing materials whose resistance drops to zero when cooled. Chris looks at how they can be used to detect Pulsars, receive mobile messages, and make trains levitate.

The Rubik's Cube Unravelled...or is that unpieced ?

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:09:50 +0100

The Rubik's Cube is all about symmetry... How do you solve the rubiks cube - what is the maths behind the rubiks cube ? Rob Stanforth has the answer.