Naked Scientists

Why does running water make us want to go to the bathroom? What is IQ, and can you improve it? What is a Pica craving? Why isn't sperm damaged when it's frozen? Is there any evidence that links COVID vaccines to cancer rates? Is there a test to check whether honey is authentic or adulterated? What are hempcrete building materials? Why does it take so long to enrich uranium? What causes shingles? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... 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

Africa remains at the centre of the global malaria crisis. The continent accounts for around 95 percent of all malaria cases, placing immense strain on health systems and costing hundreds of thousands of lives each year. In 2023, there were an estimated 249 million cases globally, with the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa. So why does malaria persist so strongly here? 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

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