The Naked Scientists Podcast

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