Elizabeth with a transatlantic teaser for this question of the week: "I heard that people in the UK can't smell when it rains, but us Americans can. If I went to the United Kingdom, would I be able to smell the rain there? Would someone from the UK be able to smell rain here? What is going on?" James Tytko sought the answer with the help of Anne Ju…

Dr Chris answers a wide range of listener science questions. What is entropy and how does it reconcile with equilibrium? What happens when they put dogs to sleep? Why can I read words when the vowels are removed? How do hair implants work? How does a bird find worms? Can birds see their own tails? Why do I cry when I have a bad cold? Like this podc…

On the Naked Scientists news podcast, 'muscles on chips' provide microgravity researchers new opportunities to study ageing. Also in the show, the machine learning models overhauling weather forecasting, and scientists unpick how the placebo effect reduces pain by discovering the brain network responsible. Then, we speak to a doctor on how to prote…

In the latest Naked Neuroscience, James Tytko brings you two new pieces of research involving the use of AI. First, how machine learning has been deployed to map out the visual system of a fruit fly in all its complexity, and how feeding a neural network a diet of quips from popular TV shows has produced the most effective sarcasm detector yet. Plu…

In this episode of Naked Genetics: The risk factors between schizophrenia and substance use disorder have had a fresh genetic examination; I put Illumina to the test and ask, 'what difference does washing our hands really make?' And, the the extraordinary way in which dung beetles use the night sky to orientate themselves... Like this podcast? Plea…

Chris Berrow and Leigh Milner discuss Steams decision to stop people bequeathing their video games to friends or family. Plus reviews of Hades II, Dragon's Dogma II, No Rest For The Wicked, and the original Helldivers. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientistsעל ידי Chris Berrow

Was the Space Shuttle fundamentally flawed? Richard Hollingham talks to Adam Higginbotham, author of a new book on the Space Shuttle to discuss the design, the dream, and the wishful thinking that led to the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Sue Nelson visits London's Design Museum to visit a new Barbie exhibition and talk "Space Barbie". Also, di…

To mark the start of the Olympics, we're hosting our own science themed opening ceremony, centred on sporting extremes. We'll learn about potentially dangerously high temperatures at this year's Games and how athletes are reckoning with them. Then, we'll find out whether (really) cold therapy is the key to recovery, and what the mindset of a succes…

Why does your washing sometimes smell bad? What is the difference between forecast temperature and 'real feel'? Why can't other apes grow long head hair? What is the difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner? Why do Greenland sharks live so long? Can parrots see themselves in the mirror? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have all the answe…

Join James Tytko in the hunt for ancient DNA thanks to this question from listener Phil. Jack Lovegrove from the Natural History Museum was on hand to help with the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientistsעל ידי Dr Chris Smith

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Self-test kits to help doctors bear down on cervical cancer; the 'jelly' batteries that could be used in wearable tech devices; and why seagulls keep trying to steal your chips, and how to stop them: science has the solution! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists…

Today's Titans interview is with the key figure in one of science's modern triumphs. Susan Solomon and her team were the first to theorise and prove what was causing the hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic, and why it was growing: chlorofluorocarbon pollutants humans were emitting. What followed is a testament to what can be achieved in the…

Phil sent in this quantum conundrum which Will Tingle took on with the help of Ben Allanach, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientistsעל ידי Dr Chris Smith

Dr Chris answers listener submitted questions including: would it be possible to slingshot continuously around the Earth and Mars? When does our consciousness 'switch on?' How worried should we be if we're outside during a thunderstorm? Is 0 positive or negative? What maintains our body temperature? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting t…

On the Naked Scientists news pod: data released from the UK's Covid tracing app provides intriguing insights on how the virus spread. Then, we hear whether extreme weather is the new normal, and we profile Patrick Vallance, the UK's new science minister. Also, what does having AI assistance do to our creative writing skills? Like this podcast? Plea…

Was the Space Shuttle fundamentally flawed? Richard Hollingham talks to Adam Higginbotham, author of a new book on the Space Shuttle to discuss the design, the dream, and the wishful thinking that led to the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Sue Nelson visits London's Design Museum to visit a new Barbie exhibition and talk "Space Barbie". Also, di…

In this edition of Titans of Science, we hear from some of the biggest names in the business. Today, it's the turn of the British Formula One engineer Dan Fallows. He's currently technical director at Aston Martin and I went to meet him at their base in Silverstone to find out what makes a F1 car do what it does... Like this podcast? Please help us…