Do the newly released UFO files matter? Why do people tend to live longer in the 21st century? Why do women live longer than men on average? What impact does excess rainfall have? Why might you lose phone signal when you turn on a microwave? Should we open our windows in high winds? Is climate change causing more CO2 to be released from the sea? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... 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

Is time a physical thing? How do trees know what season it is? What causes different-sized tides? Can cannibalism cause brain disease? Do all watches stop working at the same time? How do we identify different virus cases? How is hantavirus contracted? Can animals contract viruses by sniffing around contaminated material? And do meerkats carry hantavirus? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... 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

Why are humans so sensitive to the smell of rain? Do statins cause dementia? What is the storage capacity of the human brain? How can I remember all the information I study? Do scientists believe in God? How do vultures find their prey? How can I stop or reverse grey hair? What does a cataract operation involve? What is diastolic blood pressure? Are MRI scans harmful to toddlers? And is Dr Chris worried that AI will replace him?! Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... 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

A child dies from malaria roughly every minute. A stark reminder of why urgent action is still needed. "Driven to end malaria, now we can, now we must" is the theme of this year's World Malaria Day marked on the 25th of April. But how realistic is that, and how will it be achived? Chris Smith talks to Ashley Burkett, Director at PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists