Titans of Science: Richard Thompson

In this week's not-to-be-sniffed-at infectious episode of the naked scientists, we find out the facts of flu, including how the virus hijacks your cells, how new strains of the virus emerge to trigger epidemics and pandemics, and how scientists can combat the threat with vaccines. Also under the microscope is a new technique to identify viruses within just 2 hours, providing patients with a fast track to the right treatment! Also, how bone marrow transplants can overcome organ rejection, how to stop a terrorist with a mobile phone, and the new material 30 times blacker than our current... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

27 Jan 200856min

On this week's Naked Scientists, We look at ways to tackle the problem of climate change - including capturing carbon at sea, trapping carbon dioxide in coal to release a useful fuel, and a way to turn co2 to stone, with the help of old lava floes! Also, we find out how silicon nano wires can be used to make super-batteries, why sneaky squirrels are faking what they do with their nuts, how the price tag on wine affects it's flavour and the parasite that makes it's ant-host resemble a piece of fruit. Plus, in Kitchen Science, we find out how a digital camera can see the signal from your TV... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

20 Jan 200857min

This week, we uncover an ideal anti-freeze for ice-cream, find out how scientists grew a new heart in a dish and hear how four simple lifestyle changes could make you live fourteen years longer. Also, we find out about the technology of the future, the tropical Paris of the past and the crystal secret behind the silvery sheen on fish scales. Plus, we asked for your questions and the floodgates opened! Why isn't your urine affected by coloured drinks and what does it mean if it's frothy? What happens when a lake is struck by lightning, and do you weigh less at the equator? Meanwhile, in... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

13 Jan 200856min

Hooked on the Naked Scientists? This week we're looking into the science of addiction, finding out how smoking alters the teenage brain, why a mixture of brain chemistry and psychological habits make drugs hard to kick, and how addiction re-wires the brain in a similar way to school. Also, how a good night's sleep could stave off diabetes, why traffic pollutes your IQ and why your next prescription could be a placebo! Plus we bring you the first in our series of Rising Stars, young researchers reporting from the coalface of science, and in Kitchen Science we show you how to levitate a squid! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

6 Jan 20081h

Happy New Year! We celebrate the arrival of 2008 with a second special edition of our new podcast, Ask The Naked Scientists, followed by a 25 minute round up of the top climate change stories featured on the Naked Scientists over the last 12 months. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

30 Dec 200745min

Happy Christmas! To keep you entertained while we're off tucking into Turkey, this week and next we've got special editions of a new series of programmes we're launching in 2008 called Ask The Naked Scientists, our new live interactive science radio phone-in, with Dave Ansell, Sue Marchant and Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

26 Dec 200724min

Ho Ho Ho! This week on the Naked Scientists we're celebrating the festive season in style, with a party right here in the studio. From Christmas crackers to Brussels sprouts, we'll be looking at some of the science behind Christmas. We'll be learning about snowflakes and how these sub-zero designs are created, we'll find out what your choice of Christmas card says about you, and we'll reveal the best way to cook your sprouts, ensuring your family get all the nutrition they can this Christmas. Also, in Kitchen science we'll be getting you to butter bread and throw it off your kitchen counter... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

16 Dec 200757min

This week, we take on your science questions, tackling the sticky subject of how glue works, the explosive potential of underground uranium and the problems with performance enhancing-football shirts. We look into gastroenteritis and find out how just one gram of vomit could infect one million people, and if that hasn't put you off your food, how acrylamide, found in toast and other tasty foods, may cause cancer. Plus, how the future of the paperback could be plastic, and in Kitchen Science we tell you the easy way to keep mirrors mist-free - using only soap! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

9 Dec 200757min