Naked Genetics, from the Naked Scientists

By Phil Sansom

Natural Sciences Medicine

What's Naked Genetics, from the Naked Scientists about?

From plants to pathogens, fruit flies to fungi and hamsters to humans, Naked Genetics takes a look at the science of genes. With in-depth interviews, the latest news from the world of genetics, answers to your questions, and our gene of the month, tune in for a look inside your genes...

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

COVID In Your Genes: The Ri...

04.14.2021

Do our genes control how we respond to COVID? The question has been nagging at the world since the pandemic began. Now we have the answer - and it's yes. In this programme, geneticist Nathan Pearson uncovers the specific bits ...

Naked Genetics, from the Naked Scientists episodes:

04.14.2021 COVID In Your Genes: The Risk Factors Do our genes control how we respond to COVID? The question has been nagging at the world since the pandemic began. Now we have the answer - and it's yes. In this programme, geneticist Nathan Pearson uncovers the specific bits ...
03.17.2021 The Genes Who Came in for the Cold How do we cope at the extremes of low temperature? Across the world, groups of people have historically made their home in icy and inhospitable landscapes... and even today, groups of thrill seekers push their bodies to the limits by ...
02.24.2021 How To Tell Coronavirus Variants Apart We're looking at the most critical variants of the coronavirus, and finding out how to tell whether they're flummoxing COVID vaccines. Plus: the cost of catching a serial killer; DNA with four strands instead of two; and a mutant fish ...
01.15.2021 Identical Twins: Not Identical? Meet the small DNA differences that make their mark by existing in the magical period of early development. We'll hear how mutations in the very first stages of human embryos have bizarre consequences for identical twins; and how even earlier ...
12.17.2020 RNA vaccines, privacy, and penguins The first group of people in the world have received a 'genetic' vaccine against the coronavirus. What is it, and how does it work? Naked Scientist Chris Smith breaks it down and addresses your concerns. Plus, why some genes have ...
11.13.2020 Mink, Ivory, & a Disease Discovered Backwards It's a regular Noah's Ark: from the coronavirus strains that have been spreading through minks, to a new DNA test that can track poached elephant ivory, to the genetics of a very useful - and very inbred - cat. Plus: ...
10.16.2020 Slave Trade, Neanderthals, & COVID This week: a risk factor for severe COVID that comes from Neanderthals; using genes to track the millions transported as slaves across the Atlantic; a doctor runs through the list of what coronavirus mutations are worth watching out for; and ...
09.14.2020 How To Survive Poison This week, a message from Naked Scientists listener Loretta. "I'm curious if your show might cover some of the most interesting case studies of organisms developing tolerance to severe toxins, what genetic insight this gives us about adaptation and natural ...
08.19.2020 The Inner Lives of Birds Tweet tweet! We're talking birds, and the incredible things they can do. Today we're spotlighting five of the coolest recent stories in bird genetics: hummingbirds powering their lightning-fast flight; a gene that controls migration; why males have different colours to ...
07.15.2020 Female Mosaicism: The Stronger Sex? The same thing that makes the patchwork colours on a tortoiseshell cat, also - according to some - is why human females live longer, see colour better, and even more often survive the coronavirus. It's all thanks to having two ...
06.15.2020 Fermented foods: the real deal? We take a look at the trendy world of fermented foods. Are they actually good for you? And if so, why? Plus, the latest genetics news: from bacteria that live inside cancer cells, to gene sequencing the dead sea scrolls... ...
05.14.2020 ACE2: The Coronavirus Gateway Are you one of the many people who take ACE inhibitors or ARBs to treat high blood pressure? Or to help with heart issues or diabetes? In the UK, this is about one in seven people, making these are some ...
04.15.2020 The Coronavirus Mutation Situation In this episode we're taking apart the tiny creature behind this global pandemic. From how looking at the genes of the coronavirus can help figure out the animal it comes from; to the exact ways it's spreading around the world; ...
03.14.2020 Gene Genealogy & The Lost Family One of the biggest tech booms of the past half decade has been direct to consumer DNA tests. The results come in the post, and with them come both answers and new questions: questions that tens of thousands of people ...
02.20.2020 FOXG1 Syndrome: Fighting the Odds Listener Vivek got in touch with a question about a rare genetic disease his son has, called FOXG1 Syndrone. In fact, it's so rare - and so newly-discovered - that only about six hundred people in the world have been ...
01.14.2020 The Fly Infest-agation We got a Christmas present from listener Anna: a small plastic tube full of dead flies. They've recently been infesting the hospital where she works. She wants us to figure out what they are, and what caused the infestation. Can ...
12.14.2019 African genetics and ethics There are very few African studies in genetics. And on the whole, there is a big European bias in the field. In Europe there are resources of hundreds of thousands of individuals' data, like the UK Biobank, and so that's ...
11.14.2019 What's in the water? This month we're diving into the stuff that makes up two thirds of the Earth's surface. Can you use genetics to figure out what's in the water? We put the science to the test by making a geneticist guess our ...
10.14.2019 Quadrillions: Sequencing the UK Biobank Half a million genomes. That's how many the UK Biobank has, stored as blood samples in freezers up in Manchester. And in September 2019 they announced a project to sequence every single one of them. It's the obvious next step ...
09.14.2019 The Dog Show It's a doggy dog world... in this episode we're talking pugs, bulldogs, and French bulldogs. They've all been bred for flat faces, but their airways haven't shrunk alongside their skulls - meaning that they often struggle to breathe. How has ...
08.14.2019 Mendel's Trick Naked Genetics is back with new episodes every month! Today we're taking a step back. Where does genetics actually come from? How did we get to today's world of genome sequences and gene editing? It all started with a 19th-Century ...
03.24.2019 Decoding a Mammoth with George Church Join Harvard DNA pioneer George Church and Chris Smith in conversation as they discuss gene cloning, DNA sequencing, decoding the mammoth genome, the risks posed by fossil viruses lurking in extinct genomes, the prospects of xenotransplantation and safety of gene ...
12.21.2018 The CRISPR baby controversy In November, He Jiankui claimed that two genetically engineered children have been born. Did he really do it? And if so, what are the ramifications for the babies and for the field? Georgia Mills explores the controversy in a special ...
04.13.2018 The future of forensic genetics We're returning to the scene of the crime with another look at the latest techniques in the world of forensic genetics - can we really predict physical features or even ethnicity from your DNA, and what does this mean for ...
03.14.2018 A Festival of Genomics We're off to a festival - but before you worry about where your tent and wellies are, it's the Festival of Genomics, held at a clean and dry conference centre in London rather than a muddy field full of rock ...
02.14.2018 Crime scene genes It's CSI Naked Genetics, as we find out how genetic technology is used to solve crimes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
01.14.2018 Back to the womb We take a trip back to the womb and before, to find out about early development. Plus, the importance of placentas, why the age of your womb rather than your eggs matters, and a video game-inspired gene of the month. ...
12.14.2017 The future of genomic medicine This month we're finding out how genetic advances are shaping the future of healthcare at the Genetics Society autumn meeting. Plus, signposts for bees and an operatic gene of the month. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the ...
11.14.2017 Matchmaking at the zoo This month we're off to the zoo to meet some lovelorn laughing thrushes, endangered snails, and the Cilla Black of Sumatran Tigers. Plus, a sneak preview of this year's Genetics Society JBS Haldane lecture, and a gene of the month ...
10.13.2017 Evolution's luxury item You're a mammal. I'm a mammal. Your pet cat or dog is a mammal, as are whales, lemurs, pandas and polar bears. But what exactly is a mammal, and what can our genes tell us about our evolution? Plus, school ...
09.13.2017 Exposing the contents of your genes Would you ever consider donating your genome to research? We meet a man who has, and find out why. Plus, we get our hands dirty in the search for new antibiotics, take a look at the ethics of human gene ...
08.13.2017 Store, write, edit As scientists announce that they have used CRISPR technology to fix a faulty gene in a human embryo - not for the first time, but more accurately than ever before - we take a look at storing, writing and editing ...
07.13.2017 Genes and dementia This month we're taking a look at the role that genes play in dementia, and finding out how researchers are using this knowledge to develop urgently-needed treatments. Plus, a big release of big data from the UK Biobank, and our ...
06.13.2017 Bees, tress and 3-D genes This month we're literally getting inside our genes, as we explore chromosomes through a 3-dimensional virtual reality art, music and science project. Plus, researchers are turning to bees, trees and more in search of new genetic systems, and our gene ...
05.13.2017 Tackling tumours, curing cancer This month we're zooming in on cancer, finding out how researchers are tackling tumours in unprecedented detail. Plus, our gene of the month is the guardian of your genome, rather than the galaxy. Like this podcast? Please help us by ...
04.13.2017 Battle of the sexes We might joke about the battle of the sexes, but it turns out that this is actually true - at least for a hundred or so imprinted genes. Plus, what opossums can teach us about sex, reporting back from a ...
03.15.2017 Putting genomics to work The DNA sequencing revolution is providing ever more data about genomes from all kinds of species, from humans to bacteria. But how do we make sense of it all? Who gets their hands on it? And how do we use ...
02.14.2017 Science and the single cell Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells - but these aren't mere biological building blocks, as inert as bricks. They're constantly communicating and changing. So how do scientists measure this? Plus, you can now take part in an ...
01.14.2017 Genes, laws and Brexit We hear a lot about genetic modification and how it's being used to improve agriculture. But who decides whether modified crops can be grown? Do new gene editing techniques like CRISPR count as GM? And what happens to these regulations ...
12.14.2016 All human life is here The story of human evolution is long and complicated, but the simple truth is - you're only here because your ancestors got lucky. Plus, we wind the clock back to the very start of human life, and discover how new ...
11.14.2016 Searching for switches This month we're delving into the junk in the genome - or, to put it more correctly - our non-coding DNA. Less than 2 per cent of the human genome contains protein-coding genes, so what does all the rest do? ...
10.13.2016 Testing, testing We hear more than ever about the secrets hidden in our genes, from our risk of diseases to traits such as intelligence or even sporting ability. But can we really test for them? And just because we can, does that ...
09.13.2016 Hello Dolly This month we've got a special bonus-length podcast commemorating twenty years since the birth of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. Her birth changed the scientific world, and led to the development of other transformative ...
08.13.2016 40 years of selfishness 40 years ago Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene hit the shelves. We look back on how it changed the way many people think about genetics. Plus, linking nurture to nature, and a gigantic gene of the month. Like this podcast? ...
07.13.2016 Signal to noise Building a baby is a complicated business, with millions of cells needing to work together. So how does it happen? Plus, how big data is making big strides in big genes, and our gene of the month is going round ...
06.13.2016 Genes for all Genes, genomes and genetic technology are playing increasingly important parts in our lives, industries, food and healthcare, and at a point in the not-too-distant future we're probably going to have to grapple with at least some of the contents of ...
05.13.2016 Check your compatibility You may not realise it, but your health, immune system and even love-life are governed by the particular set of so-called compatibility genes that you inherit. There are thousands of different variations in these genes, but why do we have ...
04.13.2016 What's in your genes? As the costs of DNA analysis come down, we've seen the rise of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, allowing anyone to spit in a tube, pop it in the post and get a personalised readout direct to their inbox. But what do ...
03.14.2016 Designer genes The recent invention of powerful precision tools for editing the human genome - known as CRISPR, has opened up new worlds of possibilities for researchers seeking to understand how our genes work - and also those who want to permanently ...
02.14.2016 Crazy for CRISPR It's the hottest new biotechnology technique to hit the headlines since well, since ever. CRISPR is a precision set of genome editing tools enabling scientists to cut and paste together DNA in any organism, exactly how they want - and ...

Older episodes