http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/ Science Interviews from the Naked Scientists en Sun, 26 May 2013 01:51:02 +0000 http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/uploads/tx_naksciconfig/temp/NS_Interview_144.jpg http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/ 144 144 http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000240/ naksci_interview_1000240_d/m/Y Thu, 23 May 2013 09:59:21 +0000 Gavin Flematti discusses how a chemical in bushfire smoke helps plants to germinate. - Dr Gavin Flematti, University of Western Australia Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000239/ naksci_interview_1000239_d/m/Y Thu, 23 May 2013 09:48:14 +0000 Alex Webb tells us how plants have their own body clock, and how they don't like to be woken up too early in the morning. - Dr Alex Webb, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000238/ naksci_interview_1000238_d/m/Y Thu, 23 May 2013 09:46:53 +0000 Dr. Kamoun discusses how the pathogen behind the Great Irish Potato Famine was discovered. - Dr. Sophien Kamoun, The Sainsbury Laboratory Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000237/ naksci_interview_1000237_d/m/Y Thu, 23 May 2013 09:38:07 +0000 Scientists have created "super wheat" by crossing modern strains with the crop's ancestors. Phil Howell explains. - Dr Phil Howell, National Institute of Agricultural Botany Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000236/ naksci_interview_1000236_d/m/Y Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:18 +0000 How do bacteria and viruses which cause diseases in plants manipulate sapsucking insects for their own ends? - Dr Saskia Hogenhout, The John Innes Centre Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000233/ naksci_interview_1000233_d/m/Y Mon, 20 May 2013 08:38:13 +0000 James Harrison from the EPSRC explains how modern scanning techniques have allowed us to read parchment too delicate to unroll... - Dr Graham Davis, Queen Mary, University of London; Professor Tim Wess, Cardiff University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000231/ naksci_interview_1000231_d/m/Y Thu, 16 May 2013 10:50:58 +0000 Alison Ming discusses how hot air from the tropics pushes its way up through the atmosphere. - Alison Ming, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000230/ naksci_interview_1000230_d/m/Y Thu, 16 May 2013 10:39:16 +0000 What is the weather like on other planets? John Zarnecki explains. - John Zarnecki, Open University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000229/ naksci_interview_1000229_d/m/Y Thu, 16 May 2013 10:33:31 +0000 Nick Graham discusses how we can prepare for extreme weather... - Nick Graham, Met Office Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000228/ naksci_interview_1000228_d/m/Y Thu, 16 May 2013 10:17:57 +0000 Brian Golding takes us through how a weather forecast is put together, and how much we can trust it. - Brian Golding, Met Office Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000222/ naksci_interview_1000222_d/m/Y Thu, 9 May 2013 14:41:44 +0000 A new technique may dramatically reduce the CO2 emissions of the steel industry. - Prof Derek Fray, Department of Meterials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000221/ naksci_interview_1000221_d/m/Y Thu, 9 May 2013 11:31:55 +0000 We find out how medical mapping has helped track recent infectious outbreaks with the help of social media... - Dr Tom Koch, University of British Columbia; David Pigott, University of Oxford Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000220/ naksci_interview_1000220_d/m/Y Thu, 9 May 2013 11:19:24 +0000 We investigate the new wave of extensively drug-resistant TB, where did it come from and is it treatable? - Dr Sani Aliyu, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Professor Dean Felsher, Stanford School of Medicine Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000219/ naksci_interview_1000219_d/m/Y Thu, 9 May 2013 11:11:49 +0000 With a new outbreak of the H7N9 influenza virus in China, we find out how the virus evolved... - Dr Colin Russell, Deptartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000217/ naksci_interview_1000217_d/m/Y Thu, 2 May 2013 10:48:31 +0000 Professor Anders Hakansson discusses how a a naturally occurring protein in breast milk is being used to strike a blow against infection... - Professor Anders Hakansson, University at Buffalo Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000216/ naksci_interview_1000216_d/m/Y Thu, 2 May 2013 10:31:14 +0000 Sally Woodcock talks about the science behind preserving great works of art - Sally Woodcock, Fitzwilliam Museum Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000215/ naksci_interview_1000215_d/m/Y Thu, 2 May 2013 10:16:09 +0000 Plastic objects are older than we think, and need conserving, says Dr Anita Quye. - Dr Anita Quye, University of Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000214/ naksci_interview_1000214_d/m/Y Thu, 2 May 2013 10:02:19 +0000 Oliver Caroe of St Paul's Cathedral discusses how he looks after one of London's most famous landmarks. - Oliver Caroe, St Paul's Cathedral Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000210/ naksci_interview_1000210_d/m/Y Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:06:51 +0000 New biofuel from gut-bugs - Dr. Love discusses the potential of E. Coli as the next fuel generator. - Dr. John Love, University of Exeter Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000209/ naksci_interview_1000209_d/m/Y Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:22:19 +0000 Dr. Colin Davidson discusses what legal highs do to the pleasure and addiction zones in our brain... - Dr. Colin Davidson, St. George's University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000208/ naksci_interview_1000208_d/m/Y Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:08:15 +0000 Dr. John Ramsey discusses legal highs and how chemical analysis can be used to help decide their legality. - Dr. John Ramsey, St. George's University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000207/ naksci_interview_1000207_d/m/Y Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:34:02 +0000 Professor David Nutt talks about the legislation blocking research into magic mushrooms as a potential treatment for depression. - Prof. David Nutt, Imperial College London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000198/ naksci_interview_1000198_d/m/Y Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:59:52 +0000 Why is your hearing sometimes quieter after a loud concert? New research has revealed an automatic reaction... - Professor Gary Housley, University of New South Wales Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000197/ naksci_interview_1000197_d/m/Y Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:18:44 +0000 We discuss the future of stem cell therapy with a round table discussion from the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Conference... - Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000196/ naksci_interview_1000196_d/m/Y Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:13:27 +0000 We investigate how gene and virus therapy can be used to treat cancer... - Len Seymour, University of Oxford Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000194/ naksci_interview_1000194_d/m/Y Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:05:24 +0000 How can gene therapy be used to treat Cystic Fibrosis? We spoke to Dr Stephen Hart to find out more... - Stephen Hart, University College London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000193/ naksci_interview_1000193_d/m/Y Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:07:22 +0000 We investigate one of the most significant fossil finds in Britain, a woolly rhino skeleton found in a Staffordshire quarry 11 years ago... - Professor Danielle Schreve, Royal Holloway, University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000192/ naksci_interview_1000192_d/m/Y Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:47:58 +0000 We visit the Malpa site in South Africa where fossils from some of our earliest human ancestors are found... - Professor Lee Berger, University of the Witwatersrand Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000191/ naksci_interview_1000191_d/m/Y Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:28:45 +0000 Are our decisions the result of free will? If neurons are subject to cause and effect could free will be an illusion? - Professor Gabriel Kreiman, Harvard Medical School, Boston Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000179/ naksci_interview_1000179_d/m/Y Fri, 5 Apr 2013 15:49:50 +0000 Oceanographers have come up with the unusual idea of weighing the global ocean at a single point to assess how big it is. - Chris Hughes,National Oceanography Centre; Sue Nelson, Planet Earth Podcast Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000178/ naksci_interview_1000178_d/m/Y Thu, 4 Apr 2013 11:43:10 +0000 Kirsten Gottschalk and Dominic Ford investigate the science being undertaken with the SKA's precursor instruments... - Kirsten Gottschalk, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000177/ naksci_interview_1000177_d/m/Y Thu, 4 Apr 2013 11:35:56 +0000 Kirsten Gottschalk visits the future site of the Square Kilometer Array in the Australian outback... - Kirsten Gottschalk, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000176/ naksci_interview_1000176_d/m/Y Thu, 4 Apr 2013 10:55:22 +0000 New research investigates whether gut bacteria changes following gastric bypass surgery can be transplanted into other patients... - Dr Lee Kaplan, Massachussets General Hospital Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000175/ naksci_interview_1000175_d/m/Y Thu, 4 Apr 2013 10:44:58 +0000 PhD student Sarah Thompson discusses her work, researching the physics of radio telescope receivers... - Sarah Thompson, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000164/ naksci_interview_1000164_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:37:51 +0000 The UK has a potential wealth of tidal energy, as Richard Hollingham discovered at Liverpool's Albert Docks... - Judith Wolf and Nick Yates from the National Oceanography Centre Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000163/ naksci_interview_1000163_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:59:08 +0000 Glasses-free 3D screens normally have to be viewed from a specific angle. Now a team from HP Labs have overcome this problem for mobiles... - David Fattal, HP Labs Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000162/ naksci_interview_1000162_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:47:32 +0000 PhD student Christian Steinruecken discusses his work on data compression... - Christian Steinruecken, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000161/ naksci_interview_1000161_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:25:34 +0000 Store and ignore formats are hard to come by for digital data. Now a team at Harvard university have managed to store data within glass... - Eric Mazur, Harvard University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000160/ naksci_interview_1000160_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:18:19 +0000 Cinema lecturer Dr Leo Enticknap discusses whether we're entering a 'digital dark age' as we struggle to permanently archive digital film - Leo Enticknap, University of Leeds Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000158/ naksci_interview_1000158_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:23:04 +0000 Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and their numbers continue to decline. Now, new research shows a glimmer of hope... - Karl Phillips, University of East Anglia Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000157/ naksci_interview_1000157_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:55:05 +0000 PhD student Ankur Mutreja discusses his work; sequencing the genome of cholera bacteria in order to track the 7th pandemic of the disease. - Ankur Mutreja, Sanger Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000156/ naksci_interview_1000156_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:44:22 +0000 Medical Historian Richard Barnett tells the story of the epidemiologist John Snow and asks whether we've overestimated his legacy - Richard Barnett, Sick City Project Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000155/ naksci_interview_1000155_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:36:04 +0000 We ask Matt Waldon how we tackle Cholera in the modern world and find out how the disease could have reached Haiti through relief workers - Matthew Waldon, Harvard University Medical School Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000154/ naksci_interview_1000154_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:32:02 +0000 'Liking' things on Facebook may give away more than you realise. A new study used 'likes' to predict users gender, sexuality and personality - David Stillwell, The Psychometrics Centre, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000153/ naksci_interview_1000153_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:24:22 +0000 A new range of antibiotics are being developed to target the gene expression of bacteria... - Michael McArthur, ProCarta Biosystems Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000152/ naksci_interview_1000152_d/m/Y Fri, 8 Mar 2013 00:26:56 +0000 Planet Earth - polychaete worms - Laetitia Dunton, Natural History Museum, London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000150/ naksci_interview_1000150_d/m/Y Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:58:23 +0000 A new scientific theory suggests that a knock to the head, could cause not just trauma but an immune system response... - Dr Jeffrey Bazarian, University of Rochester Medical Centre Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000149/ naksci_interview_1000149_d/m/Y Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:23:14 +0000 We speak to 'enviromental entrepreneur' Jason Drew about his plan to close loops in the food chain by feeding flies blood... - Jason Drew; Steve Sugden, Water For People Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000148/ naksci_interview_1000148_d/m/Y Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:10:34 +0000 We speak to Tim Benton, the UK champion for food security, to find out why we should be hungry to secure our food supplies... - Professor Tim Benton, University of Leeds Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000147/ naksci_interview_1000147_d/m/Y Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:50:11 +0000 We find out how changing the way rice photosynthesises could lead to better crop yields... - Helen Woodfield, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000146/ naksci_interview_1000146_d/m/Y Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:37:32 +0000 We peer into the depths of the science of sinkholes to find out when and how they appear... - Nigel Woodcock, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000139/ naksci_interview_1000139_d/m/Y Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:57:07 +0000 Eighty million trees in Britain are at risk of dying from ash dieback - a fungal disease that's gradually spreading across the country... - Richard Buggs, Queen Mary University of London; Jo Clark, Forestry Research Manager; Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000138/ naksci_interview_1000138_d/m/Y Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:13:16 +0000 A new screening method for potential drugs to fight parasites has been developed using yeast to help identify effective compounds... - Dr Elizabeth Bilsland, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000137/ naksci_interview_1000137_d/m/Y Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:44:27 +0000 Antarctica is part of the world most affected by a changing climate. Atmospheric research there can help us understand global systems... - Tamsin Gray & Jonathan Shanklin, British Antarctic Survey Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000136/ naksci_interview_1000136_d/m/Y Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:41:15 +0000 The new Antarctic research station, Halley VI, was designed with scientists in mind. But what are the challenges of Antarctic engineering? - Karl Tuplin, British Antarctic Survey; Peter Ayres, Aecom Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000135/ naksci_interview_1000135_d/m/Y Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:12:14 +0000 Cambridge University researchers have tested a new way of sensing the atmosphere, using sensors mounted on a remote-controlled hexacopter... - Andrew Rice & Rod Jones, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000131/ naksci_interview_1000131_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:56:31 +0000 360 million years ago, the first four legged creatures moved onto land. Now researchers are rethinking what they might have looked like... - Jenny Clack, University of Cambridge, Stephanie Pierce, Royal Veterinary College Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000130/ naksci_interview_1000130_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:27:51 +0000 Which animal is the best listener? We ask Dr Matt Mason what the middle ear bones can tell us about the hearing of subterranean mammals... - Dr Matthew Mason, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000129/ naksci_interview_1000129_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:15:12 +0000 Can sharks really smell blood from a quarter of a mile away? We ask fish olfaction expert Jonathan Cox... - Dr Jonathan Cox, University of Bath Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000128/ naksci_interview_1000128_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:09:31 +0000 New research suggests bees can sense electric fields surrounding flowers. Professor Daniel Robert discusses the discovery... - Professor Daniel Robert, University of Bristol Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000127/ naksci_interview_1000127_d/m/Y Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:00:42 +0000 Recent research has shown bees can see iridescence on the surface of some flower petals. But how does this affect the way they feed? - Alison Reed, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000123/ naksci_interview_1000123_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:51:12 +0000 What happens in our brains during long term love and how do we react when heartbroken? - Dr Alex Kogan, Cambridge University, Dr Gert J ter Horst, University Medical Center Groningen Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000122/ naksci_interview_1000122_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:36:11 +0000 Is love just a chemical reaction? We find out what goes on in your brain when you fall in love - Dr Alex Kogan, Cambridge University, Dr Gert J ter Horst, University Medical Center Groningen Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000121/ naksci_interview_1000121_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:01:29 +0000 Wendy Barclay discusses the new evidence that Coronavirus can spread from person to person.. - Wendy Barclay, Imperial College London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000120/ naksci_interview_1000120_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:22:11 +0000 Some species of algae produce lipids which can be converted to biofuel. But how do we effectively extract them? - Simon Thomas, Plymouth Marine Laboratory Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000119/ naksci_interview_1000119_d/m/Y Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:52:22 +0000 How do male and female brains differ? Investigating fruit flies has given us an insight into the neural circuits that control courtship... - Jonny Kohl, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000118/ naksci_interview_1000118_d/m/Y Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:49:57 +0000 How did the solar system, from massive gas planets like Jupiter down to tiny asteroids, form? New computer modelling may have the answers... - Alan Jackson, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000117/ naksci_interview_1000117_d/m/Y Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:33:52 +0000 A number of enterprising individuals are developing ways to harvest and mine asteroids for the minerals that they may contain... - Chris Lewicki, President of Planetary Resources Inc; Rick Tumlinson Chairman of Deep Space Industries; Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000116/ naksci_interview_1000116_d/m/Y Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:21:23 +0000 This month Asteroid 2012 DA14 a 130.000 Ton lump of rock will pass just 24,000 km from Earth. That's closer than many satellites... - Dr Simon Green, Open University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000115/ naksci_interview_1000115_d/m/Y Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:03:00 +0000 Avian pox affects a number of bird species, but it was discovered in UK's population of great tits in 2006... - Shelley Lachlish & Ross Crates, Oxford University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000114/ naksci_interview_1000114_d/m/Y Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:48:44 +0000 A spinoff of that Wi-Fi is a Li-Fi. This is a system that uses visible light to send information into mobile devices and computers... - Jane Reck, EPSRC, Professor Harald Haas, University of Edinburgh, Professor Martin Dawson, University of Strathclyde Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000107/ naksci_interview_1000107_d/m/Y Fri, 1 Feb 2013 14:10:40 +0000 Understanding how the immune system sees cancer could help us find new ways to treat or prevent the disease... - Richard Wells, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000106/ naksci_interview_1000106_d/m/Y Fri, 1 Feb 2013 14:07:39 +0000 Devil Facial Tumour Disease is able to evade the immune system. New epigenetic studies show how... - Hannah Siddle, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000105/ naksci_interview_1000105_d/m/Y Fri, 1 Feb 2013 14:02:47 +0000 Tasmanian Devils are under threat from a unique contagious cancer. A new project is underway to save the species... - Dr Elizabeth Murchison, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000104/ naksci_interview_1000104_d/m/Y Fri, 1 Feb 2013 13:40:05 +0000 In winter the sea may look dull, grey and lifeless but the creatures that live there know that some areas have far more food than others... - Peter Miller and Kylie Scales, Plymouth Marine Laboratory Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000103/ naksci_interview_1000103_d/m/Y Fri, 1 Feb 2013 13:33:22 +0000 A "housekeeping" process inside cells, known as autophagy, could hold the key to blocking HIV and even preventingthe common cold... - Professor Beth Levine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000095/ naksci_interview_1000095_d/m/Y Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:47:11 +0000 Any type of wearable, portable electronic device is likely to need a way to generate power on the go, and systems embedded into packaging or everyday objects are rarely likely to be plugged in. But how should we power these devices? One option, being researched by PhD students at Cambridge university, is thin-film solar cells... - Robert Waddingham, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000094/ naksci_interview_1000094_d/m/Y Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:41:34 +0000 Around this time each year, for the past four years, an international group of scientists has put together a list of 15 key global conservation issues. Published in the journal 'Trends in Ecology and Evolution', the project highlights new technologies that could have an impact on the Earth's biodiversity... - William Sutherland, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000092/ naksci_interview_1000092_d/m/Y Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:44:21 +0000 What's the most efficient way to store data? You might think it's a microchip or a laser-disc, but instead the answer's inside your own cells. DNA may actually be the best option for archiving data... - Nick Goldman, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton. Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000091/ naksci_interview_1000091_d/m/Y Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:38:46 +0000 What if you could see your digital information - emails, maps, your diary - in front of your eyes all the time, overlaid on relevant bits of the real world? The Technology Partnership in Cambridge are working on just such a wearable augmented reality device... - Luis Diaz-Santana, The Technology Partership, Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000089/ naksci_interview_1000089_d/m/Y Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:32:11 +0000 Could a contact lens beam a map of the road ahead directly onto your retina? Dr Andrew Flewitt, from the Electronic Devices and Materials Group at Cambridge University, is working on materials that can make electronics invisible... - Andrew Flewitt, Cambridge University Dept. of Engineering Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000069/ naksci_interview_1000069_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:14:10 +0000 The Planet Earth team find out how the East Anglian Fen lands are helping to model climate change through peat...... - Heiko Balzter and Ross Morrison, University of Leicester Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000068/ naksci_interview_1000068_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:09 +0000 We've already heard about AM and FM, but now, there's also DAB - that's digital audio broadcast. The BBC first started broadcasting digital radio back in 1995 and now, most of their output can be found on a DAB radio. But, if FM was working, then why go digital? - John Adamson, BBC Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000067/ naksci_interview_1000067_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:10:59 +0000 We find out how microphones capture sound by asking Naked Scientist Dave Ansell if he could build one from scratch, and to do that, he looked back into the history books... - Dave Ansell Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000066/ naksci_interview_1000066_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:38:47 +0000 How can my voice reach you at home? We explore the science and the technology of radio broadcasting, to find out how a sound that originates in my throat gets captured, converted, and then beamed around the world... - John Adamson, BBC Production Editor, London and South East Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000065/ naksci_interview_1000065_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:04:26 +0000 This week, scientists have uncovered residues of 7,000-year-old cheese. Chemist Professor Richard Evershed from the University of Bristol is one of the authors of a paper in the journal Nature this week which describes how he and his team have made this rather milky discovery.... - Professor Richard Evershed, Bristol University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000059/ naksci_interview_1000059_d/m/Y Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:27:41 +0000 Research published just this week offers new solutions to a long-standing problem - What are ultra-luminous X-ray sources? - Dr Tim Roberts, Durham University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000056/ naksci_interview_1000056_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:15:39 +0000 Epigenetics may have ramifications for other areas of science, including stem cell research and treatments. Ryan Lister from Western Australia University explores this with Naked Scientist Chris Smith..... - Ryan Lister, Western Australia University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000055/ naksci_interview_1000055_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:12:57 +0000 Britain's continuing wet weather has highlighted a serious problem facing towns and cities - urban flooding. Rather than soaking through the soil, water in built up areas is blocked by concrete, tarmac and tile and can overwhelm the drains and flood. But there is an alternative, at least in some areas - SUDS or Sustainable Drainage Systems, with some neat ideas for urban planners... - Rachel Dearden, British Geological Survey Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000054/ naksci_interview_1000054_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:30:29 +0000 Apart from enabling us to understand how cells function and develop, epigenetics can also give us some new treatments for a range of diseases including cancers. Dr. Mark Dawson from Cambridge University tells us more.... - Mark Dawson, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000053/ naksci_interview_1000053_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:12:00 +0000 DNA functions a bit like a recipe book which tells you to cook up the chemicals that they need to function. But different sorts of cells need to use different genes, or recipes, to do their different jobs and how this is controlled is partly down to a process called epigenetics. We find out about this exciting field.... - Stefanie Seisenberger, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000051/ naksci_interview_1000051_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:35:39 +0000 This week, scientists in Italy have discovered a genetic trigger that can cause heart muscle cells to start dividing to produce new cells and to repair the damage done by a heart attack. Mauro Giacca is at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Trieste... - Mauro Giacca, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000050/ naksci_interview_1000050_d/m/Y Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:32:37 +0000 A new scientific journal is being launched this week in Cambridge. We hear how it differs to existing journals and why it is important. - Mark Patterson, eLife Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000037/ naksci_interview_1000037_d/m/Y Tue, 4 Dec 2012 16:34:11 +0000 A new system allows citizen scientists to help identify bat calls, allowing anyone to become a bat detective... - Professor Kate Jones, University College London & Charlotte Walters, Zoological Society of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000033/ naksci_interview_1000033_d/m/Y Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:46:30 +0000 Pitcairn is a British Overseas Territory in the south Pacific. It's 4500 km from New Zealand and is most famous for being where the mutineers of the Bounty set up home in the 18th century - It's made up of 4 islands, which together cover only 18 square miles, but now there are plans to transform nearly 300,000 square miles of surrounding sea into a large marine reserve - possibly the world's biggest. - Josh Reichert & Alistair Gammel, Pew environment group; Enric Sala, National Geographic; Pitcairn Islanders Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000032/ naksci_interview_1000032_d/m/Y Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:07:32 +0000 How do E. coli kill off their siblings in an overpopulated and underresourced world? ISIS shows us how... - Stephen Holt and Anton Le Brun, Bragg Institute; Dr Luke Clifton from ISIS Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000031/ naksci_interview_1000031_d/m/Y Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:45:32 +0000 A local election result was altered by neutron rain interacting with an e-voting computer. How can we design against damage done by neutron rain, to electronic systems like this, and others? - Dr. Chris Frost, ISIS Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000030/ naksci_interview_1000030_d/m/Y Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:24:42 +0000 The ISIS neutron source is used by a wide range of researchers to understand the properties of materials, and find out what's happening when they do things we don't expect... - Professor Martin Dove, Queen Mary University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000029/ naksci_interview_1000029_d/m/Y Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:32:16 +0000 What can neutrons tell us? And how can you study them? Martyn Bull takes Naked Scientist Ben Valsler on a tour of Target Station One at ISIS in Oxfordshire to find out........ - Dr Martyn Bull, ISIS Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000028/ naksci_interview_1000028_d/m/Y Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:43:54 +0000 DNA, life's genetic code, can be found tightly packaged inside chromosomes. And at the end of these chromosomes are specialised bits of DNA called telomeres - which are often associated with ageing. Now, by studying Australian zebra finches, researchers can examine the relationship between telomeres and longevity... - Professor Pat Monaghan, University of Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000027/ naksci_interview_1000027_d/m/Y Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:16:35 +0000 A novel printing technique can print replacement cartilage in 3d... - Dr. Anthony Atala, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000026/ naksci_interview_1000026_d/m/Y Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:15:22 +0000 Best known for Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Avon Gorge in Bristol, southwest England is also home to several unique species of plants. Some tree species here - varieties of sorbus - are found nowhere else in the world and have evolved through an unusual reproductive process. - Professor Simon Hiscock, University of Bristol & Mandy Leivers from the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000025/ naksci_interview_1000025_d/m/Y Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:57:07 +0000 We investigate the power of social media by attempting to create a global Mexican Wave across twitter... - Ben Valsler, The Naked Scientists Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000024/ naksci_interview_1000024_d/m/Y Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:38:19 +0000 New research from University College London this week shows that gene therapy can potentially cure epilepsy in rats. Epilepsy affects around 50 million people worldwide. It's a chronic disorder of the brain where patients can suffer seizures and loss of consciousness. These seizures are caused by out-of-control electrical activity in the brain... - Dr Stephanie Schorge, UCL Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000023/ naksci_interview_1000023_d/m/Y Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:08:40 +0000 This week, the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases included a rather unusual detective story - one where rapid DNA sequencing was used in a hospital to track an outbreak of MRSA down to one unsuspecting carrier. It bears all the hallmarks of good television forensic crime drama, but it actually took place right here in Cambridge, and the research paper they released is said to be the first example of using this technique to bring an infection to a close. - Professor Sharon Peacock, University of Cambridge Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000022/ naksci_interview_1000022_d/m/Y Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:15:11 +0000 cases of bed bug infestations we've heard are on the rise, but how do you know you've actually got them and what can you do if you have got them? - Clive Boase, the Pest Management Consultancy Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000021/ naksci_interview_1000021_d/m/Y Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:48:19 +0000 What happens to the hormone disrupting chemicals found in contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapies once they've passed through the body? Well, they end up in the sewage system and eventually as effluent into the rivers. But it seems many of these chemicals are still active and they've having an effect on fish. - Charles Tyler, University of Exeter Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000020/ naksci_interview_1000020_d/m/Y Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:21:31 +0000 A major news story in the UK this month has been the discovery of Ash dieback disease, a fungal infection that destroys ash trees. To find out more about this threat and whether or not we can control it before it spreads further, we're joined by Reading University Plant Pathologist Professor Michael Shaw and Cambridge University's Professor of Mathematical Biology, Chris Gilligan who's also chairing the government's task force looking at this... - Professor Michael Shaw, Reading University and Professor Chris Gilligan, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000019/ naksci_interview_1000019_d/m/Y Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:13:43 +0000 Bed bugs are one of a very small handful of species who demonstrate an unusual type of mating behaviour known as 'traumatic insemination'. This is where the male, rather than delivering sperm into a specially evolved organ actually pierces the abdomen of the female and delivers the sperm directly into her abdominal cavity. To survive this, female bed bugs have some interesting adaptations... - Dr Richard Naylor, Bed Bug Foundation Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000018/ naksci_interview_1000018_d/m/Y Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:10:51 +0000 Bed bug infestations are on the rise. Although UK has been relatively clear of them for the last 50 years, we are now seeing a rapid rise in the number of cases, but it's not entirely clear why. Now, scientists are turning to genetic techniques to help them uncover the cause of this bed bug comeback... - Toby Fountain, University of Sheffield Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000017/ naksci_interview_1000017_d/m/Y Tue, 6 Nov 2012 15:41:55 +0000 Current cancer therapies often involve using drugs that are toxic to rapidly growing cells and this inevitably means that some healthy tissues get hit too. But if we could trigger our own immune system to target a tumour, then we'd have a way to selectively combat the disease while simultaneously minimising the harm to other tissues... - Dr David Kirn, Jennerex Biotherapeutics, San Francisco Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000016/ naksci_interview_1000016_d/m/Y Tue, 6 Nov 2012 14:59:21 +0000 One of the key problems in the treatment of cancer is that tumours, having initially responded very nicely to a course of chemotherapy can often subsequently become resistant to that same treatment which makes the cancer much harder to manage. To explain how this happens and how we might be able to overcome the problem, Dr. Simon Cook from the Babraham Institute, Cambridge joins us.... - Dr Simon Cook, Babraham Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000015/ naksci_interview_1000015_d/m/Y Tue, 6 Nov 2012 14:57:18 +0000 Cancer spread causes 9 out of 10 cancer deaths. We're joined by Dr. Joan Masague who is trying to understand how cancers spread and how we can tackle it.... - Dr Joan Massagu, Sloan-Kettering Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000014/ naksci_interview_1000014_d/m/Y Tue, 6 Nov 2012 13:19:22 +0000 Cows milk is a remarkable food - not only for drinking, but for cheese and butter, yoghurt and cream. So when did we first decide to use cows as walking larders to fulfil our nutritional needs? - Julie Dunne, University of Bristol Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000013/ naksci_interview_1000013_d/m/Y Mon, 5 Nov 2012 16:34:21 +0000 Most deaths from cancer occur when the disease spreads - or metastasises - to other parts of the body. But we know very little about how this process physically happens. Now a team from the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands have developed a technique to allow them to peer into organs and watch metastasis taking place, giving us important clues as to how it happens and a way to test drugs designed to stop cancer spreading... - Dr Jacco van Rheenen, Hubrecht Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000012/ naksci_interview_1000012_d/m/Y Mon, 5 Nov 2012 16:14:16 +0000 Is breast cancer screening beneficial? A paper in the Lancet this week examines the pros and cons... - Professor David Cameron, The Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000005/ naksci_interview_1000005_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:03:40 +0000 Almost every species studied has its own unique species of parasite - so with every extinction we're losing at least one extra species that may have never been properly studied. Andres Gomez from the American Museum of Natural History in New York argues that parasites need to be pushed up the agenda, not just in scientific research, but also in the teaching of conservation... - Dr Andres Gomez, American Museum of Natural History Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000004/ naksci_interview_1000004_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:03:06 +0000 You could be forgiven for thinking that microbes are not, and should not be, a conservation priority. But that's not the case according to Aberystwyth University researcher Gareth Griffith who is calling for a global strategy on microbial conservation.... - Dr Gareth Griffith, Aberystwyth University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000003/ naksci_interview_1000003_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:56:23 +0000 Publicity and fundraising campaigns often focus on the cute, charismatic or cuddly animals, possibly leaving nature's less aesthetically pleasing species behind. Biologist Simon Watt is now taking a stand for these underdogs and has created the Ugly Animal Preservation Society... - Simon Watt Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000002/ naksci_interview_1000002_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:14:21 +0000 One of Britain's most unusual landscapes can be found along its coastline. Salt marshes are home to unique species of plants, provide breeding grounds for birds and act as natural flood defences. Over the years, many salt marshes have been lost to agriculture or reclaimed for development but now there are several major projects underway to restore areas of coastline back to their natural state... - Alastair Grant, University of East Anglia Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000001/ naksci_interview_1000001_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:09:23 +0000 When Shakespeare coined the phrase "the world is your oyster", he meant that everything was up for grabs - Oysters were so abundant that you could just take your pick. But overfishing, disease and invasive species now mean that oyster beds, which provide ecosystem services as well as tasty seafood, are under threat... - Dr Philine zu Ermgassen, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000000/ naksci_interview_1000000_d/m/Y Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:01:44 +0000 A cocktail of git bugs can successfully see off Clostridium difficile, the potentially fatal and often hospital acquired infection... - Prof. Brendan Wren, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2284/ naksci_interview_2284_d/m/Y Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:04:12 +0000 We put mathematician Matt to the test and ask him to predict the last digit of listeners shopping product barcodes! - Matt Parker, Queen Mary, University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2283/ naksci_interview_2283_d/m/Y Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:27:18 +0000 Headlines like "Palm trees grew on Antarctica" abounded when climate scientists recently found evidence that the southernmost continent was once a very different world to the one we know now... - Dr James Bendle, University of Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2282/ naksci_interview_2282_d/m/Y Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:47:43 +0000 Stand Up Maths and the Festival of the Spoken Nerd - Matt Parker, Festival of the Spoken Nerd Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2280/ naksci_interview_2280_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:20:49 +0000 Forests cover almost 1/3 of the Earth's landmass and play a key role in the health of our planet. They regulate climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing the carbon. Planet Earth podcast presenter Sue Nelson meets Dr. Karsten Schnrogge from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford. - Karsten Schnrogge, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2279/ naksci_interview_2279_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:06:30 +0000 Mobile phone data tracks malaria as it moves with humans; Spirals of dust help understand evolution of stars; A new technique keeps lungs alive outside the body for longer than ever before and Male Mice learn to mimic another's squeak... - Caroline Buckee, Harvard School of Public Health; Matthias Maercker, University of Bonn; Gregor Warnecke, Hanover Medical School; Erich Jarvis, Duke University Medical School; Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2278/ naksci_interview_2278_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:00:49 +0000 Tinnitus is the experience of sound in the absence of any real noise and it's estimated to affect 1 person in 5 and can have a devastating effect on some people's lives. We spoke to Peyman Adjamian, a tinnitus researcher, to find out more. - Peyman Adjamian, MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2277/ naksci_interview_2277_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:41:57 +0000 Big news for Cambridge University, as Embryologist Sir John Gurdon learned that he had won the Physiology and Medicine Nobel award in recognition of a discovery that eventually lead to the cloning of Dolly the sheep. - John Gurdon, Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2276/ naksci_interview_2276_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:21:00 +0000 What is a hearing aid and how does it work? What are the issues involved in designing them? We spoke to a hearing aid engineer to find out more. - Sren Laugesen, Oticon Research Centre, Eriksholm, Denmark Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2275/ naksci_interview_2275_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:50:59 +0000 How do we tell where a sound is coming from and what issues do hearing-impaired listeners have with finding the source of a sound? - Owen Brimijoin, MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2274/ naksci_interview_2274_d/m/Y Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:59:29 +0000 How do we hear? How does the ear convert sound waves into messages to be interpretted by the brain and what goes wrong with this system in hearing-impaired listeners? - Owen Brimijoin, MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2273/ naksci_interview_2273_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 16:55:07 +0000 Climate change could be altering the migration patterns of seabirds and a team, led by the University of Glasgow, is studying one seabird in particular. They're called prions- a type of petrel whose beaks filter food from the sea. They're especially fond of tiny crustaceans known as copepods. But how can we track their movements? - James Grecian, University of Glasgow Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2272/ naksci_interview_2272_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 15:18:02 +0000 How to rejuvenate the flavour of tired chewing gum, and how the food industry enhances taste. - Barry Smith, University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2271/ naksci_interview_2271_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 15:11:31 +0000 The placebo effect is a reported improvement in a patient's condition in response to their own expectation that a drug or treatment will make them better. Even giving a person a pill containing sugar and nothing else can still produce powerful painkilling effects if the person believes it's an analgesic. So, what's going on in the brain to make this happen? - Karen Jensen, Harvard University; John Forrester, Cambridge University; Shane Glacken, University of Exeter Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2270/ naksci_interview_2270_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 14:42:26 +0000 A new diagnostic tests for new-born babies has been developed. In under 50 hours, it can comb a newborn's entire genome for teh signatures of more than 3,500 genetic disorders. - Dr Stephen Kingsmore, Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2269/ naksci_interview_2269_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 14:38:09 +0000 How does synaesthesia work? What causes it? Is there any agreement on what colour 'A' and are the associations cultural? We put these questions and more to Duncan Carmichael, a synaesthesia researcher at the University of Edinburgh. - Duncan Carmichael, University of Edinburgh Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2268/ naksci_interview_2268_d/m/Y Tue, 9 Oct 2012 13:27:50 +0000 Most people regard taste as a very simple sense. You put something in your mouth and your tongue tells you the flavour, right? Well, not quite. How you perceive taste is a very intricate and complicated relationship that combines several different senses. Apart from just your tongue's taste buds, food texture, smell, sight, and even the sounds around you affect an eating experience... - Barry Smith, University of London Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2267/ naksci_interview_2267_d/m/Y Sun, 7 Oct 2012 15:25:04 +0000 In this week's NewsFLASH, we look at companion black holes, artificial bee brain design and hypo-allergenic cow's milk. - Jay Strader, Michigan State University, James Marshall, University of Sheffield, Alex Copley, University of Cambridge, Warren McNabb, AgResearch Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2262/ naksci_interview_2262_d/m/Y Tue, 2 Oct 2012 15:10:35 +0000 Understanding age and age related diseases involves research at every level - from populations through individuals, their organs and separate cells, and even down to the molecular domain. These approaches were brought together recently for conference on Ageing and Bioscience, hosted by the Babraham Institute just outside Cambridge. And despite their different scientific backgrounds, researchers of age and age-related diseases appreciate that it's not a purely academic problem they face. - Linda Partridge, Institute of Healthy Ageing at UCL, Tom Misteli, National Cancer Institute in Maryland, Jan van Deursen, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2261/ naksci_interview_2261_d/m/Y Tue, 2 Oct 2012 14:58:39 +0000 Over time, nerve cells or neurons can become damaged and either die or lose their connections to their neighbours. A protein that prevents nerve degradation in stroke or injury may also help to preserve nerve cells against the ravages of ageing... - Dr Michael Coleman, The Babraham Institute Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2260/ naksci_interview_2260_d/m/Y Tue, 2 Oct 2012 13:19:19 +0000 Even with normal healthy ageing, we expect to see a decline in our cognitive functions over time. The Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) was setup to try and understand how this happens and to find ways to extend our cognitive functions into old age... - Professor Lorraine Tyler, Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2259/ naksci_interview_2259_d/m/Y Tue, 2 Oct 2012 11:58:33 +0000 The Antarctic is associated with explorers, penguins and glaciers but the South Pole is also the perfect place for space research. The British Antarctic Survey is part of a collaboration that produces Spacecast - a space weather forecast that helps protect satellites by predicting particle radiation from the Sun... - Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert and Nigel Meredith; British Antarctic Survey Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2258/ naksci_interview_2258_d/m/Y Mon, 1 Oct 2012 16:15:07 +0000 Laundry detergent containing a special additive could convert clothes into pollution-busting air filters, according to research funded by the EPSRC... - Professor Tony Ryan, University of Sheffield Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2257/ naksci_interview_2257_d/m/Y Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:56:05 +0000 This week we present a bacteria-repelling catheter, the discovery of the element 113, medical electronics that harmlessly dissolve after use and improving snail memory with a chemical found in chocolate. All this in our NewsFLASH round-up. - Chris Loose, Semprus Biosciences, Phillip Broadwith, Royal Society of Chemistry, John Rogers, University of Illinois, Ken Lukowiak, University of Calgary Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2252/ naksci_interview_2252_d/m/Y Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:41:31 +0000 Different fish have different personalities - some are bold, while others are shy. New studies in sticklebacks to work out what mix of shy and bold animals makes the perfect society could actually help understand human social interaction... - Dr Andrew King, Royal Veterinary College Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2251/ naksci_interview_2251_d/m/Y Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:15:29 +0000 This year's IgNobel Prizes saw the physics award going to Ray Goldstein and colleagues, for understanding the physics of a human ponytail. Ray now calls this the science of "hairodynamics"... - Ray Goldstein, Cambridge University Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2249/ naksci_interview_2249_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:34:12 +0000 We asked what sort of robot you would like to have, and what it could do for you... - Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2248/ naksci_interview_2248_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:12:32 +0000 The word robot conjures images of shiny metal humanoids plucked from a rich history of science fiction. But until recently, real world robots were found doing heavy work on production lines, often fenced off to protect people from harm. But now, robots are increasingly coming out of those factories and into our houses, and to find out how they've made that transition, we spoke to Professor Alan Winfield from the University of the West of England, in Bristol... - Alan Winfield, University of the West of England Naked Science Interviews http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/2247/ naksci_interview_2247_d/m/Y Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:34:33 +0000 The 5th World Robotic Sailing Championships took place in Cardiff in September 2012. To find out more about the teams taking part, we spoke to Professor Paul Miller, from the US Naval Academy, and Mariano Alvira from Seascope... - Professor Paul Miller, US Naval Academy; Mariano Alvira from Seascope... Naked Science Interviews