The Naked Scientists Podcast

A 28-year-old Russian researcher has reportedly died after contracting pneumonic plague. What do we know about this medieval-era disease? Plus, we unpack the 2026 Nobel Prizes, the world's first self-setting nuclear clock begins ticking in Vienna, and why scientists are simulating microgravity on cells in a dish. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this special episode, in partnership with Frontiers Science House, we launch our new Why? series by asking one of the biggest questions of our time: Why AI? Why has artificial intelligence advanced so rapidly, why does it work the way it does, and why could it fundamentally change how we think, work, and live? To explore the answers, we hear from four remarkable voices at the heart of the AI conversation: Geoffrey Hinton, Mike Wooldridge, Cristina Criddle, and Wendy Hall. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

New CRISPR technology tool uncovers genes that have become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. We speak with the scientist behind the cancer discovery. Plus, how butterflies use their wing patterns to confuse and evade predators; why Fiji has declared HIV a national emergency; and how SpaceX's Starship rocket launch is fuelling the race back to the Moon. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, in partnership with British Heart Foundation (BHF), we take on the world's biggest killer: heart disease. This episode features BHF's Ruth Goss on why this disease kills so many people; Will Watson at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge on what arterial disease looks like under a microscope; Cathy Shanahan at King's College London on attempts to stop blood vessels from becoming hard and stiff; and BHF's Sonya Babu-Narayan on risk management and heart disease treatment. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, scientists discover why the UK's recent men B outbreak was so severe. How did they do it? Also ahead: an international study suggests that bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago; how a tiny single-celled organism can survive at high temperatures; and the search for the resting place of Egypt's heretic queen, Nefertiti. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, we forage for mushrooms to unearth fascinating alternative uses for fungi, from cleaning up pollution and making building materials to treating mental health. This episode, produced by Laura Verdina at Queens' College, Cambridge, features Laura and Nathan Smith at Grantchester Meadows; Joni Wildman from the University of Bath on mycelium-based materials; Magnus Ivarsson at MycoMine; and David Nutt on psilocybin, a compound being studied to treat depression. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up: lawmakers scramble to stop AI from being used to develop bioweapons. What has spooked the experts? Plus, we look at how childhood chemotherapy can leave genetic scars on organs, raising disease risk; why ultra-strong ice could soon be used as a construction material; and how researchers are tracking weather patterns on distant planets. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

El Niño 2026 is predicted to be the strongest on record, and today we consider how the climate pattern can affect the weather, the economy, and our health. This episode features forecasting supremos Aidan McGivern and Peter Gibbs; leading economist Vicky Pryce on the impact on our wallets; and Rachel Tolhurst at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Teresa Zakaria at the WHO on public health. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, we hear from the scientists behind a world-first treatment to reshape the skull of a one-year-old boy. How did they do it? Also ahead, an Anthropic researcher warns that AI is advancing so quickly that it may, with a slight chance, "kill all humans" within the next decade; how narwhals are helping scientists collect data in Greenland's fjords; and a German startup launches the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We've partnered with the Royal Institute of Navigation to explore driverless vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles, or AVs. The Naked Scientists ride on a self-driving bus in Cambridge to see what makes them tick. We hear from 'driver' Nick Bailey, as well as Daniel Clarke from Greater Cambridge Partnership, Jamie Wilson from Alexander Dennis, Jim Hutchinson from Fusion Processing, Ramsey Faragher at the Royal Institute of Navigation, and Edward Cameron at Whippet Bus. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up: El Niño weather phenomenon will be 'exceptional' and last months, say forecasters. What should we know about it? We also hear from the team behind a successful at-home bladder cancer test, learn about the science behind the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, and meet a Harvard researcher who has created an app to help visually impaired people get around. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up: how chemistry is transforming 21st-century healthcare. Jeremy Nicholson from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology talks about phenomics. Gemma Sharp shares how the world's largest menstrual fluid biobank was created. David Nutt from Imperial College explains drug mechanisms, and Nobel Prize winner David Baker discusses the role of AI in treating diseases. Leilani Arrow-Smith, a chemistry student at the University of Cambridge, produced this episode. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, groundbreaking research suggests the shingles vaccine can greatly reduce the risk of heart attacks. What's the science behind it? Also ahead: the New Space Race between the US and China goes up a gear as Beijing unexpectedly delays the launch of its Chang'e 7 mission. Plus, the frozen 'poo pills' that scientists hope can help keep allergies at bay. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we are exploring the lives of insects, and some of the incredible abilities they've evolved to enable them to thrive. Coming up, the fly larvae that can withstand huge pressures in some of the world's deepest lakes; the butterfly caterpillar that pretends it's an ant to blag free board, lodgings and even ant grubs to eat inside ant nests, and the remarkable visual systems of wasps that enables them to home-in unerringly on picnics. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, health agencies grapple with a Salmonella outbreak across Europe. What's behind it? Also, astronomers spot the fastest-moving star in the Milky Way, hurtling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy; regulators in the United States have followed Europe's lead by approving an influenza vaccine that relies on mRNA technology; and we explore the remnants of Neapolitan wine on a 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Italy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We have partnered with UK Research and Innovation to study wounds and their impact on healthcare. What challenges do wounds create, and how can we treat them? This episode features Mat Hardman at the Wound Innovation Institute; Ketan Dhatariya at the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists; and Holly Wilkinson at the University of Hull. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, Australian researchers have found a new way to help prevent malaria. How have they done it? Also, the UK is "leading the world" in efforts to eliminate hepatitis C, a designer vest that could protect our astronauts from space radiation, and how a new aerogel-based toothpaste can tackle tooth sensitivity. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On August 12th, 2026, nearly one billion people could see a partial solar eclipse, and 15 million will see totality, when the Moon completely obscures the disc of the Sun. In this episode, Becky Smethurst explains solar eclipses; Stephen Price, from Bristol Astronomical Society, explains how best to observe one; astrophysicist Megan Argo documents what mankind made of eclipses in years gone by, and NASA's Nicki Rayl explains what eclipses can reveal about the workings of our closest star. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, a team of doctors successfully conducts surgery on a baby still inside the womb. How did they do it? Also, what does SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket collision with the Moon mean for future space missions; how the bright lights and loud sounds of gambling machines promote higher risk-taking; and the deadly cyclosporiasis parasite that's causing bouts of explosive diarrhoea across the globe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we explore how the food industry uses science to develop new foods that are better for the environment, healthier, and still taste good. The show is produced by Petra Merzan, a student of the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership, which is funded by UKRI-BBSRC. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this week's show, wildfires have now spread to Italy, Canada, and the wine-producing region of France, Bordeaux. These fires produce a peculiar cloud phenomenon called pyrocumulonimbus and scientists plan to fly a jet over these clouds to determine how they operate. Also, we hear how drug-packed nanoparticles can aid brain cancer treatment, the genetic evidence of smallpox in Incan mummies, and how the smell of dad affects infant brain activity... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, our Titan of Science is cell biologist Sara Wickstrom. Her work focuses on how cells communicate with one another to coordinate growth, development, and movement. These insights have just won Sara the Koerber European Science Prize, and, in this episode, she tells us how she will spend her million Euro winnings, and how her discoveries will inform future treatments for diseases like cancer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this week's show, wildfires continue to race across the world in Canada, Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Why are they happening, and what can we do to prevent them? Plus, scientists track neighbourhood food consumption from DNA in sewage, the first evidence of an "exomoon" orbiting a planet outside our solar system, and how tiny "algebots" can deliver cancer chemotherapy in the bladder. What makes these critters remote-controlled? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, our Titans of Science series continues with neuropsychologist and author Adrian Owen. Adrian's work has focused on determining how different parts of the brain contribute to functions such as cognition and memory, and famously led to him being being able to communicate with a patient in a long-term vegetative state using a brain scanner. Here he retells the story, and explains the basis of what we call consciousness... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A new drug called Trontinemab, which could stop Alzheimer's disease, is about to start clinical trials. How does it work? Also, scientists at the University of Oxford have created a vaccine to fight Ebola; researchers have documented three different types of severe pneumonia; and why the discovery of sugars in space matters. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Titans of Science continues with plant biologist Enrico Coen, a professor at the John Innes Centre in Norfolk. His work investigates how genes move and interact to create tissue shapes during plant development, and how this process varies to produce such a wide range of plant forms. In this episode, we find out how Enrico's early work on fruit flies paved his path to plants, and his work on 'jumping' genes and their effect on plant variation. He's been speaking with Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, Wegovy weight loss pills are now available in pharmacies and online in the UK. Will they help tackle obesity? Plus, how scientists are trying to restore sensation in the feet; the legacy of Dolly the sheep 30 years on; and space rovers and the solar eclipse with the astronomer Megan Argo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Titans of Science returns with Tara Spires-Jones, a world-leading neurobiology researcher and Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She studies the mechanisms and reversibility of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain diseases. We explore Tara's path to neuroscience, the history and biology of Alzheimer's, and treatments developed to overcome it. Tara has been speaking with Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up: England's mental health services are reportedly in "crisis", with over 1 million children referred. What is driving the uptick? Plus, new research suggests that antibodies protect against norovirus, strategies to improve plastic recycling rates, and insights into the bilingual brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, Rachael Ralph explores the role of science in music. At Trinity College, Cambridge, engineer Hugh Hunt demonstrates how sounds are made; Ian Cross discusses turning experimentation into music and instruments; Trinh Nguyen examines music and development in babies; and Jacopo de Berardinis explains AI's role in the 21st-century music revolution. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This episode explores diverse scientific and environmental topics, beginning with the impact of a 'heat dome' causing record-breaking temperatures in Europe and the role of the jet stream. The discussion then shifts to public health, examining the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer alongside the concerning decline in vaccination rates following the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the episode delves into the history of malaria control through DDT and its ecological consequences. Finally, the conversation explores the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, considering Lord Martin Rees's theories on post-human evolution and the possibility of detecting advanced electronic or robotic life via energy signatures in the Milky Way.

This episode explores groundbreaking archaeological and evolutionary discoveries, beginning with the ritualistic burial practices of Homo naledi in South Africa and the identification of Britain's oldest prehistoric art in Bacon Hole Cave. The discussion also examines the evolutionary impact of malaria on human migration in Africa and the historical use of plant-based medicines. Finally, the episode investigates the archaeological evidence of medicinal and mind-altering substances in ancient burials and the theory of zoopharmacology, which suggests humans may have learned medicinal practices by observing animal behavior.

Coming up, the UK follows Australia's lead in introducing age-related restrictions on social media. But do they work? Plus, how biologists are fighting infection from inside cells; researchers trace the origins of cotton to Mexico; and Elon Musk becomes the world's first trillionaire. How might he spend his fortune? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, we explore the summer solstice and its enduring connection with Stonehenge. Larissa Palethorpe at the University of Bristol explains the astronomical significance of the summer solstice; Jennifer Wexler at English Heritage on the origins of Stonehenge; Richard Bevins at the University of Aberystwyth on the geology of the famous stones; and Vincent Gaffney at the University of Bradford on whether Stonehenge is part of a much broader landscape. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, Danish footballer Christian Eriksen is reportedly "doing well" after collapsing for a second time during an international match. Did a tiny device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator save his life? Plus, whether magnetic immune cells in the liver can drive a pigeon's homing instincts; how astronauts repaired air leaks on the International Space Station; and we ask whether maths can help us decide what to have for dinner. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The FIFA World Cup is taking place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It's often called the beautiful game, but is it really more science than art? This episode features Rachael Ralph, Hugh Hunt, and Alex Grantham on the physics of football; Tom Brownlee on elite player performance; Gill Cook on the psychology of fans; and Jan Wendt on whether AI can assemble a top squad. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this episode, we hear about a breakthrough drug called mirvetuximab, which has been dubbed a "biological missile" in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Plus, astronomers suggest some black holes may have formed before the stars in their host galaxies; a 'killer fungus' that could help habitats damaged by invasive moss; and Blue Origin officials assess the damage caused by the New Glenn rocket's dramatic explosion in Florida. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this episode, we explore the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda - including the origins of Ebola and how it is transmitted; how an outbreak is modelled; how we treat and manage Ebola with drugs and vaccines; and what happens if international medical teams become infected. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In today's episode, the rising rates of melanoma skin cancer in the UK - why is this happening? Also, evidence that pregnancy induces epigenetic changes to brain gene expression, researchers produce the world's first artificial bird egg to bring back the Dodo, and an electrical technique to discover the composition of the best coffee... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we unpack artificial intelligence. What does it do well? And how is it advancing science? This episode features the BBC's Zoe Kleinman, Oxford University's Mike Wooldridge, Raj Jena, the UK's first clinical professor of AI in radiation oncology, and Google's Annalisa Pawlosky... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, we explore an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda. How is it being managed? Plus, NASA announces preparations for Artemis III, whether nuclear power plants are susceptible to attacks from rogue actors and natural disasters, and whether ice vests and cold showers could help people lose weight... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, the basis of depression and how science is helping in its management. Neuroscientist Trevor Robbins defines this condition; GP Munro Stewart tells us how it might be diagnosed and managed through medication; Jackie Rogers at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy examines the role of talking therapy; and Imperial College London's David Nutt looks at how ECT, deep brain stimulation and psychedelic drugs can play their part... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Coming up, a virological voyage through what is known about the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. Plus, scientists create the first detailed map of the smell receptors in the nose; how footballers can cope with extreme temperatures at the FIFA World Cup; and the Trump administration releases a tranche of UFO files... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we explore an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius. Cambridge virologist Colin Crump explains how the outbreak of this viral disease may have occurred; Emory University's Boghuma Titanji explores the clinical impact of hantavirus infection; Amesh Adalja at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security explains how the disease passes into humans; and the World Health Organization's Maria van Kerkhove on the international response... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, we discuss the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. What are we beginning to learn? Plus, how potatoes were the driving force for advantageous gene selection in the Indigenous Andean population, the salmon being exposed to cocaine in polluted rivers, and what newly discovered molecules are teaching us about ancient life on Mars... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we put meningitis under the microscope. Robin May at the UK Health Security Agency explains this group of conditions and how his team might respond to an incident; Kat Sharrocks at Addenbrooke's Hospital details a range of symptoms associated with meningitis; and the Oxford Vaccine Group's Andrew Pollard on the protection that inoculation offers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Forty years on from the Chernobyl disaster, we discuss radioactive fallout and our relationship with nuclear risk. In sport, researchers suggest repeated head impacts may disrupt the blood-brain barrier, potentially increasing dementia risk in retired athletes. And a new approach offers hope for speeding up recovery from ash dieback in affected woodlands... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Today, we are taking a journey through the evolution of space telescopes and observatories. They are continuing to drive our understanding of the Universe, and the latest iterations - the Vera Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope - are hoping to go even further. But what are these ambitious eyes on the sky revealing? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week scientists confirm the link between changes to the microbiome and later development of Parkinson's Disease, a super speedy microfluidic way to diagnose infection and probe antibiotic susceptibility, how many infections does daycare cause in your toddler, and the breakthrough capable of boosting laser power by orders of magnitude... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We dive into the science and impact of flooding and coastal change. In partnership with UK Research and Innovation, this podcast explores what flooding is, how we measure tides, the dangers flooding presents to people and places, and how computing and AI are helping us predict, manage, and reduce its impact... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists