x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Naked Scientists

Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists are a media-savvy group of physicians and researchers from Cambridge University who use radio, live lectures, and the Internet to strip science down to its bare essentials, and promote it to the general public. Their award winning BBC weekly radio programme, The Naked Scientists, reaches a potential audience of 6 million listeners across the east of England, and also has an international following on the web.

All Episodes

7:50

Can a dog and a fox produce viable offspring?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/15

Girts sends a question about which animals can mate to produce viable offspring. How is it that different breeds of dogs can come together to produce puppies, but add a different animal into the equation and you don't get the same result? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

23:04

Why is it so important to finish a course of...

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/15

Dr Chris is back to answer listener questions. Why do cat's eyes reflect bright colours? What are the short, high pitched ringing noises that can sometimes be heard? What causes Bell's palsy? Will botox help keep my eyelid up? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

38:18

Decoding our inner voice, and hunting for life on Mars

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/15

In this edition of The Naked Scientists: the scientists who think they can decode the thoughts we hear in our heads. Also ahead: do ultra-processed foods make it much harder to lose weight? Plus, we hear from the PhD student who is aiding the search for life on Mars... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

28:38

'Three-parent babies' prevent inherited genetic...

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/12

James Tytko explores the science behind 'three-parent' embryos: the incredible medical procedure that prevents children from inheriting incurable mitochondrial diseases. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

31:26

Medicinal microbes for kidney stones, and musky mice

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/08

In the news, why a dose of bacteria might be the solution to combating kidney stones. What tooth enamel tells us about the lives and diets of dinosaurs. And what the world's most abundant insects can teach robots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

57:02

UK Astronaut, ESA DG and the Forge Awakens

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/06

Fresh from the UK Space Conference, Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson hear from UK astronaut Rosemary Coogan on life at the European Space Agency (ESA), and waiting for her first mission. ESA boss Josef Aschbacher talks about Europe's space game and NASA's budget squeeze. Plus, jet packs with the Smithsonian's Jennifer Lavasseur and a Sat Cave update from Space Forge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

5:31

How are our cells different at the genetic level?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/01

Jon wants to know, how do the cells in the human body, in all their variety, differ at the genetic level? James Tytko took his query on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

17:30

Do animals feel fear?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/01

Do animals feel fear the same way that we do? Do diet supplements boost your immune systems? Can using phones and headphones change the shape of your body? Why don't birds get electrocuted on pylons? Is the northern hemisphere more 'innovative' than the south? Dr Chris Smith and Relebogile Mabotja have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

30:08

The science of modern warfare

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/29

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, how is science helping to shape the future of warfare? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

40:07

Malaria bites back, and the lunar base race

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/25

In the news podcast, what's causing the uptick in malaria cases in Africa? Also, scientists show statistically that the sex of a baby at birth is not random, and South Korea joins the throng in the race for settling on the Moon. Then, we hear how computer scientists are programming ethical AI to explain its decision making, and, sticking with AI, what are some of the environmentally friendly projects seeking to offset machine learning's vast energy consumption? Like this podcast? Please help us by

en

30:10

Vivaldi: The data revolution coming to care homes

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/22

There are more than sixteen thousand care homes across the UK, housing around half a million people. Staggering numbers. They are meant to be places of safety, support, and quiet, relaxed companionship for the people who live and work in them. But when COVID-19 arrived, they became one of the pandemic's deadliest frontlines. In a bid to see what might be possible, the Vivaldi Study - a nationwide effort to gather data from inside care homes - was launched. Can better data improve the lives of people

en

6:39

Can nuclear reactors power Mars missions and our towns?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/18

Laurie writes in, wanting to know whether the nuclear reactions which power Mars rovers means small nuclear reactors could power our towns and cities. Diving into this atomic adventure, James Tytko sought help from research associate at the energy policy group at Cambridge University, Simon Taylor... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

19:20

Why do medicines get discontinued?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/11

In this episode of Ask! Dr Chris is asked: what is ivermectin? Are sodium ion batteries a rival to lithium? Is the Earth spinning slightly faster? Why do we warn against using phones around petrol stations? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

5:59

Synthetic sustainable spuds

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/09

As the global population heads toward 10 billion, the pressure on agriculture is mounting. With that in mind, the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has announced millions of pounds worth of funding for crops enhanced through synthetic biology by designing entirely new chromosomes and chloroplasts, starting with the potato, as Angie Burnett, the ARIA Programme Director and plant biologist leading this initiative explains to Marushka Soobben... Like this podcast? Please help us by

en

22:24

Is leukaemia genetic?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/04

Do we have another comet visiting from outside the solar system? What is Oumuamua? Is the Ring of Fire amping up in activity? Is leukaemia genetic? Does exposure to certain chemicals increase your risk of cancer? Why are early health screenings so important? How do you measure the risk of certain health treatments? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

3:48

Will green technology stop climate change?

Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/04

Simon wants to know, since we saw a dip in greenhouse gas emissions during the pandemic, why haven't we seen climate change slow down? Is green technology part of the problem? James Tytko took on his question with the help of Shaun Fitzgerald, Director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

1:14:42

NASA cuts, water mission and Skylab

Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/28

Will China now get to the Moon first? NASA's former head of science, Thomas Zurbuchen, joins Space Boffins to discuss the proposed cuts to NASA's science budget. Richard visits SSTL to see an innovative European Space Agency mission, HydroGNSS, that uses satellite navigation signals to measure water from space. And authors Bruce McCandless III and Emily Carney share stories and songs from their new book, Star Bound, and talk Gemini, Skylab and an angry NASA memo. Like this podcast? Please help us by

en

33:46

On thin ice: The race to save Antarctica

Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/24

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, we speak to the Cambridge scientists who have made it their mission to understand climate change in one of the world's most inhospitable regions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

en

5:48

Scientists say they've bent spacetime

Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/23

"Warp speed, Mr Sulu." It's the kind of command we've only heard in science fiction - until now. Did a team of scientists just bend spacetime using nothing but sparks in a lab? That's right - not black holes, not neutron stars - electrical sparks. A new experiment claims to have created tiny ripples in the very fabric of space and time, right here on Earth. If it holds up, it could be the first step toward technologies once thought possible only in science fiction: warp drives, fusion reactors, even

en

3:30

Naked Scientists SOS

Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/16

Cambridge University have informed us that, for cost cutting reasons, they intend to make Dr Chris Smith redundant. Naturally, this jeopardises the Naked Scientists programme, which is produced under his role. He will also lose his medical job. We regard this as a terrible decision and we intend to protest. Please listen to this short podcast to hear how you can help. Together we hope we can turn around this terrible decision... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked

en

361 results