The Naked Scientists Podcast

Taste is wonderful! Think of all those occasions where you and loved ones or firends are brought together by food! You may not realise, but our sense of smell, our 'fifth sense', is intertwined with taste; they are essential to our happiness and wellbeing. We're taking a deep dive into how your smell and taste work. We'll be hearing from someone who suffers from a condition called phantosmia, how we can normalise smell training and maybe we'll get a spoonful of scientific cooking work-arounds designed to help those suffering from smell and taste disorders. Also, in the news this week: an... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Jan 202259min

2022 has been heralded as the golden era of robotics. In this episode of The Naked Scientists you'll see how futuristic machines are already employed throughout industry to make our lives better. This isn't a tech review of Alexa, but instead a glimpse at pinpoint-accurate surgical arms completing tricky operations on human patients and tiny robots that allow food to swallow itself into your stomach. Gulp. In the news this week, the worst case of Avian Flu recorded in Europe, a Sea Dragon unearthed in Rutland UK and fish that no longer need their L plates to get on the road... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

18 Jan 202255min

We are looking into the science behind the headlines in the first week of 2022 - including a medical update on omicron and how this variant impacts disease severity, a review of some of the top games and gadgets to look out for in the year ahead, a celebration marking 100 years since the first use of insulin to manage diabetes, and a behind the scenes preview of the new Sir David Attenborough documentary, 'The Green Planet'. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

11 Jan 202257min

We're looking back on the year that's just been, and what a year 2021 was. Once again, Covid-19 dominated the headlines, alongside the climate crisis and extreme weather events. But fear not! Sally Le Page shares only the good news stories that we've covered here on the Naked Scientists, such as solving perennial train delays caused by leaves on the line, and even how we cracked the ultimate mystery: how wombats make their poos cube shaped... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

4 Jan 202257min

Ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at The Naked Scientists? Well, here's your chance! Grab yourself a nice warm mug of cocoa nestle down by the decorated tree and prepare for some festive, but of course, infromative fun. We'll be finding out how to make the perfect snowball, how drunk Santa is come the end of Christmas Eve and whether an artificial tree is better for the environment than its pine counterpart... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

21 Dec 202158min

We've seen them in movies, but how close are we to having nanorobots in reality? And what will we do with them? We'll be unpicking the tiny details of nanotechnology! Plus in the news this week: as Omicron cases continue to rise, what can we learn about it from South Africa? Researchers figure out why quitting smoking often leads to weight gain. And why we're bad judges of when we're over the drink-drive limit Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

14 Dec 202158min

It is time for a festive Q&A! In this episode, we are going to be answering your questions such as, does another planet Earth exist? Can robots be as creative as humans? And why do deep sea creatures glow? Our panel of scientific superstars taking on your queries this month are science song-writer Raven Baxter, deep-ocean diver Diva Amon, exoplanet explorer Hannah Wakeford and intelligence investigator Beth Singler. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

7 Dec 202157min

Surely a day doesn't go by without you using plastic. It's a marvel of material science. But hidden behind its convenience, plastic poses serious enviornmental challenges. Is this versatile and ubiquitous material contributing to the climate problem or helping us solve it? Plus, in the news this week: as Omicron spreads across the globe, we get the low-down on how the new variant differs from those we have already seen, one researcher thinks he might have fouind our solar system's missing 9th planet and printer-ink that 'lives'! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

30 Nov 202159min