Fitter fat cells, and Earth spins slightly faster

The most distant object ever discovered as well as the events of National Pathology week feature in this week's show as we take on your science questions! We investigate whysocks go missing in the wash, whether light from the sun is a continuous beam and whether numerous vaccines can be given together in one dose. We also find out how higher heels make for a better runner and reveal the world's fastest camera. Plus, we find out why we get a better signal when holding an aerial and show you how to make a helicopter using card and pencils! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

1 Marras 20091h 5min

This week we're showcasing a new bimonthly programme strand which we're making in collaboration with the folks at Diamond, the UK's Synchrotron Light Source. In this episode, we dig deep into the world of archaeology to learn how scientists at Diamond are investigating our cultural heritage. We find out how scanning samples of the Dead Sea Scrolls can help decipher them, how probing timber from the Mary Rose can improve its conservation and how studying pigments in paintings could protect major pieces of art! Find out more at www.thenakedscientists.com/diamond. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

29 Loka 200926min

We explore the basis of brain diseases on this week's Naked Scientists. We find out what happens to the brain in Huntington's disease, discover the genes behind Alzheimers and a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or MS. Also, the nerve cells in the ear that make loud sounds painful, the extraordinary eyes of the Mantis Shrimp and the world's largest web spinning spider. Plus, how spiders make glue from silk and snot, and in Kitchen Science, we show you a way to fool your brain into making your body do something unexpected. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

24 Loka 20091h

We reach for the skies on this week's Naked Scientists, with High Altitude Adventures. We find out how the body reacts to the low oxygen at high altitudes, and join Laura Soul testing the theories on a trek up to Everest base camp. Plus, we find out how the continental collisions that made mountains may have plunged the Earth into an ice age. We also hear how the rate of mutation changes in lab-bench evolution, how looming sounds make our vision more sensitive, why poking a stem cell can change its fate and the chemistry behind the taste of fizz. In Kitchen Science, we make a mountain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

17 Loka 200958min

The Nobel prizes feature on the Naked Scientists this week alongside a bumper crop of your science questions! We find out why water expands when it freezes, whether animals have regional accents, and how many rockets you would need to crash into the moon to knock it off course. Plus, how the insects splattered on windscreens are helping scientists to study biodiversity, the virus linked to chronic fatigue syndrome and the prospect of a paper-thin digital camera. Also, We find out how India is coping with the IT boom, and show you how to make a spud gun from stationery! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

10 Loka 20091h 6min

This week, we catch up with the latest from the front line of cancer research. Kat Arney reports from the National Cancer Research Institute's annual conference, we find out how proton therapy is promising for targeting tumours and look at the hormones and stem cells involved in breast cancer. Also, the role of aspirin in the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, how recession could be healthy and tuning in to the Earth's vibrations. Plus, in Kitchen Science, we show you how to see using sound! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

3 Loka 200957min

We bring you the highlights from European Researchers Night 2009, which filled the Great North Museum with explosions, music and laughter. We meet Brainiac's Jon Tickle to discuss the physics of custard, find out why My Little Ponies belong in a museum and explore the murder mystery of the Lindow Man. Also, how embryology inspired fashion design and how Spanish rocks point to North Sea oil. Plus, we rock out with the Punk Scientists... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

26 Syys 20091h

Join us in a peek at the secret lives of birds. We find out just how a cuckoo convinces others to care for it's young, and the tragic outcome for the cuckoo chick when the rouse is discovered. We meet the clever corvids, capable of problem solving feats that may even outfox the great apes. Also, how green tea makes strong bones,the genes involved in prostate cancer and online robotic surgeons. Plus, in Kitchen Science we find out how Dave Ansell spent his schooldays - making stationery fly! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

19 Syys 200956min