Why proteins matter

Get festive with the Naked Scientists at the Cambridge Science Festival! We sniff out the sizzling science of our food, explore the workings of a mobile phone and hear the songs of the Cavendish Society for the first time since the 1930s. Plus, insights into the neurological basis of dyslexia, toxic airborne copper dust and paint that heals its own scratches. Dr Ben Goldacre joins us to explain why abuse of statistics could make you a suspected terrorist or falsely suggest you have HIV. In Kitchen Science, Dave plugs a pickled gherkin into the national grid! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

15 Mar 200958min

We get to the point of cutting edge Naked Science this week, answering your science questions and exploring the science of sword swallowing. We find out how the Amazon rainforest could become a carbon criminal, learn how to predict the extent of an avalanche, and celebrate the passing of DD45 - an object that floated past the Earth within the orbit of the Moon. Plus, we find out if you can catch foot odour, if a bath full of vodka would get you drunk, and the delights of Liver A L'Orange! Meera Senthilingam takes a 'thinking walk' with Sir David Attenborough to learn about Charles Darwin,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

8 Mar 200957min

This week we're seeking the science of laughter and music. We're speaking to comedian Robin Ince about how geneticists and astronomers can inspire stand up comedy, listening to the music of the world's first online science music festival, and genetically profiling comedienne Kathryn Ryan. We also get the giggles to find out what happens in your brain to make laughter so addictive. Plus, we'll follow the footprints of human evolution, find out how Jupiter and Saturn acted as celestial bulldozers, and discover how a cheeky octopus left an aquarium knee deep in water! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

1 Mar 200957min

On this week's stellar Naked Scientists we're staring out into space. We find out how technology developed to see inside your body can give a whole new dimension to pictures of deep space, we celebrate the launch of the International Year of Astronomy and discover a new type of dwarf galaxy formed from ancient primordial gas clouds. Also in the mix, overcoming peanut allergies, fat dinosaurs and disguised meningitis bacteria. Plus, we answer Sir David Attenborough's Question of the Week and Ben and Dave build a telescope! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

22 Feb 20091h

Happy Valentines Day! We may not be sending you a card, flowers or chocolates, but we love all our listeners. This week's show is all about the science of love and bonding, we'll be exploring the molecules that mediate monogamy, finding out how women subconsciously advertise their fertility, and looking at the evolutionary basis for falling in love. Plus, in Kitchen Science, Ben and Dave make invisible ink for sending secret love letters... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

15 Feb 200956min

On this weeks snow-bound Naked Scientists, we're taking on your science questions! We discover the caterpillar that tricks it's ant hosts into treating it like royalty, find out why fish get lost in acidic seas and why the gravitational pull of tonnes of ice may lead to greater sea level rise than predicted. Plus, we find out what happens to salt after it's spread on roads to avoid ice, what processes make the sea salty and how scientists weight the moon. In Kitchen Science, it's 'on your marks' for a microwave race - will water boil before ice melts? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

8 Feb 200957min

This week, we're studying the science of the seriously small - nanotechnology. We'll find out how tiny, flexible electronics could be implanted under the skin to restore lost sensation, and how tiny protein covered silicon "diving boards" can show us how superbugs evade antibiotics. Also, how sheets of carbon just one atom thick can be used to read the entire human genome in just a couple of hours, and how nanotech "motherships" can deliver exactly the right amount of drug, directly to where it's needed. Plus, the plant genome that could solve the food crisis, how our fingerprints help us to... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

1 Feb 200955min

We get Smart on this week's Naked Scientists with the science of self-healing, self-sensing and self-cleaning materials. We hear how carbon fibre polymers could lead to self-healing spacecraft, why a titanium coating keeps windows clean and kills superbugs, and how helicopters can warn you when they're damaged. Also, how gut bugs tell the story of our ancestors' migration into Australia and beyond, how RNA housekeeping allows humans to function with fewer genes than a banana, and how molecular metal cages safely store hydrogen, or sieve out carbon dioxide. Plus, we mix borax and glue to... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Jan 200955min