Fitter fat cells, and Earth spins slightly faster

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) goes under the microscope this week. We find out how the virus hijacks cells to construct new HIV particles and hear how close scientists are to developing a vaccine to block infection. In the news, we learn how bitter taste receptors in the lungs could lead to new asthma treatments, how our ancestors enjoyed some veg with their meat and how gene therapy could offer a way out of depression. Plus, how Lego is helping university students build a creative career in the world of engineering... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

23 Okt 201057min

It's a bumpy ride on this week's Naked Scientists, as we explore the science of turbulence. We'll find out what turbulence is and why it needs some of the most powerful computers in the world to study it. We'll discover how puffs of water can terminate turbulence in tubes, and how convection keeps the temperature just right in new buildings. In the news this week, we hear about a potential new super-vaccine for TB, the comet that turned into an asteroid and the prospect of new low-cost gold-free leads for your hi fi. Plus, in Question of the Week, we find out why some people prefer not to... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

16 Okt 20101h 3min

How do advertisers get inside your head? This week we explore the field of neuromarketing - how a knowledge of your brain and behaviour can help marketers to manipulate your buying habits. We'll find out how the brain choses what stimuli to pay attention to and the neurological basis of why celebrity sells. In the news, the first Census of Marine Life and how researchers have got wind of the fact that men really are sweatier than women. Plus, we hit the shops to investigate how retailers trick you into overfilling your basket! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

9 Okt 201057min

Why do you see flashes and patterns when you press your eyeballs? Would an antimatter magnet attract normal matter magnets? What is the hardest human bone to break? We take on your science questions this week, as well as explore the bed of Lake Windermere the gravity hills of Barbados and the first discovered habitable exoplanet. Plus, a flapless aircraft takes flight, how the brain decides which hands to use and why Raman spectroscopy offers a rum deal for anti-drug squads. In Kitchen Science, we find out why spit can form strings of beads... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

2 Okt 201056min

This week we delve deep into the secrets of the brain. We'll find out how MRIs could be used to read your mind, and how they could help unlock what is going on in the brain of a person suffering from delusions or hallucinations. In the news we'll hear that the process of nerve repair could offer clues to cancer spread, and how it was gorillas that originally gave us malaria. Plus in Naked Engineering, Dave and Meera explore the amazing world of superconductors... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Sep 201059min

We explore the history of Pi, examine rheumatoid arthritis and seek the science of sleep in this roundup of the British Science Festival. In the news, we hear how to read the history of the solar system on the surface of the moon, and discover a development in quantum computing. Plus, we launch Naked Engineering, stripping off the image of dirty overalls to discover how engineers solve real-world problems. Diana asks if olive oil is healthier than butter in our Question of the Week. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

18 Sep 20101h 4min

Why are there two high tides a day when there's only one moon? Would a planet made of glass be transparent? Does dreaming about exercise burn more calories? And what would happen to a tankful of fish launched into Earth's orbit? To find out, and to hear how the solar cells of the future can keep themselves clean, how researchers have uncovered a new way to combat cancer and how astronomers have spotted showers of meteors hitting Jupiter, join Drs Chris, Dominic and Dave as they blast off into a new series of the Naked Scientists in pursuit of the ultimate answers to your wildest and wackiest... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

11 Sep 201058min

This week, we go back down under to explore the latest science from the land of kangaroos, bandicoots and the world's largest radio telescope - the square kilometer array. Chris goes on a tour of the universe from the comfort of the SciTech Planetarium, meets Nobel Prize-winning scientist Barry Marshall and the fluffy marsupials under protection at Project Eden. We find out why Australia is the perfect place to look further in to space than ever before, witness the battles between bee sperm and examine how tempting sharks with the scent of food can change their behaviour. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

4 Sep 201057min