Listen Up! The Science of Hearing

This week - from genetics to geoscience, chemistry to komodo dragons, an explosive hour of science fun! Hear what went on at our live event recorded back on 11th March for the 2020 Cambridge Science Festival - one of the last events that went ahead before the rest of the festival was cancelled. Demos, anecdotes, questions, and booms with Giles Yeo, Ljiljana Fruk, Eleanor Drinkwater and David Rothery... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

31 Mar 202058min

Here are a few extra bits from our live show as part of the Cambridge Science Festival, recorded back on 11th March 2020 before the rest of the festival was cancelled, that we couldn't fit into this week's episode, but that we thought you might enjoy, nonetheless. To remind you of our panel - there's geneticist Giles Yeo, chemist Ljiljana Fruk, animal behaviour expert Eleanor Drinkwater and planetary geoscientist David Rothery, and former Naked Scientist Dave Ansell. Presenting the show were Adam Murphy and Chris Smith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

30 Mar 202021min

We take a detailed look at the coronavirus pandemic that's sweeping the globe. How does it affect the lungs? What can doctors do about it? And meet some of the teams working on solutions, from new rapid tests for the virus to vaccines to stop it. Plus, in other news, evidence that solar storms can cause whales to beach themselves - and meet the ancient bird they call Wonderchicken... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

24 Mar 202058min

With billions of people moving to cities in the next few decades we are looking at the secrets for making cities sustainable, from a virtual world to a World War 2 air raid shelter. Plus in the news, how the Amazon could disappear faster than we expect, what territorial gorillas can teach us about ourselves, and would you shop in a place that didn't have tills... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

17 Mar 202054min

What happens if you overwater a plant? How does gravity actually work? And should we be cancelling mass events to contain the coronavirus? It's Q&A time on the show, and this week Phil Sansom is joined by a brainy panel of experts: plant biologist Nadia Radzman, particle physicist Chris Rogers, bioarchaeologist Emma Pomeroy, and virologist and Naked Scientist Chris Smith. Prepare to have your curiosity satisfied... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

10 Mar 202059min

This week, we're talking electric cars: we get someone to drive one for a few days to find out how easy the switch to electric might be. And news of the brainy computer that's made a breakthrough against superbugs, and, on Mars, why the little green men are quaking in their boots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

3 Mar 202058min

For many, the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a phrase straight out of sci-fi, conjuring up visions of utopias or dystopias, from films ranging from the Terminator to I Robot. But what was previously sci-fi is now increasingly becoming reality. AI technology exists, and there's a brand new frontier where it's being applied to the world of healthcare. AI is helping to diagnose cancer, design new medicines, and even predict a person's medical future. In this programme, in partnership with Microsoft, we explore where AI technology is taking us... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

27 Feb 202028min

With the leap year upon us, and the rare appearance of Feb 29th, we're "marking time" to find out how time works: from why time seems to go faster when we're older, to the mind-bending warping of time around black holes. Plus, in the news, scientists develop a way to produce electricity from thin air, how old mattresses are feeding refugees, and why bringing back beavers might solve some of our flooding problems... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Feb 202058min