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PODCAST

Special Editions

Naked Scientists

Probing the weird, wacky and spectacular, the Naked Scientists Special Editions are special one-off scientific reports, investigations and interviews on cutting-edge topics by the Naked Scientists team.

science

All Episodes

7:31

Sleep and Alzheimer's

Special Editions ·

2022/01/24

Changing the way the brain controls how we sleep, as a new study suggests, might be a way to cut the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's is the commonest form of a group of conditions known as senile dementia. They occur when brain cells are lost, progressively robbing us of our mental faculties. In Alzheimer's Disease it's caused by a buildup of a toxic chemical called a-beta; also known as beta amyloid. This naturally accumulates during the day and gets flushed out during a restful night's

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4:44

Do Asteroids Pose a Real Threat?

Special Editions ·

2022/01/19

Katie King interviews Huw James, from the Royal Astronomical Society, about the reality of the chances planet-killing asteroids could collide with Earth. What these objects are, how they are found, and what methods are being trialled to prevent any potential collisions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:32

Listening vs hearing

Special Editions ·

2022/01/13

Hearing and listening... is there a difference? I am sure that we have all been guilty of letting our minds drift out of a conversation before realising and immediately trying to tune back in. New research published in Cell Reports describes how brain activity varies during listening and hearing and how this work sheds light on neural pathways linked to attention. Katie King spoke with author Tania Barkat to find out the difference between hearing and listening... Like this podcast? Please help us

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6:15

Language and the Brain

Special Editions ·

2022/01/12

Understanding the human brain and how it completes complex tasks, like processing other people's speech as well as producing its own, is a complex task in and of itself. As it stands, neuroscience isn't able to tell us the underlying computations that lead to human language. New research from the US has taken an interesting approach to working this out: instead of just studying how real, human intelligence deals with language, these researchers have been looking at how artificial intelligence does

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5:46

What is the impact of a black hole?

Special Editions ·

2022/01/10

Astronomers believe that nearly every galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its centre, this being true for our very own Milky Way. These objects exert such strong gravitational forces on the matter contained within them that it cannot escape the black hole's pull. Scientists using the LOFAR telescope in the Netherlands have been studying the impact that such black holes have on the Universe on a mind-bogglingly large scale. One of the scientists working on the project, Marisa Brienza from the

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5:00

IVF embryos are more successful than expected

Special Editions ·

2022/01/07

During IVF or in-vitro fertilisation, sperm and eggs are mixed together in a dish to produce fertilised embryos, one or two of which are placed in the uterus where the hope is they will trigger a successful pregnancy. Previously, embryologists would pick out and use only what they judged to be the most promising looking embryos. But now new research from the reproductive genetics company, Igenomix, has found that a large proportion of embryos that were previously being overlooked can in fact lead to

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5:18

Making antibiotics more effective

Special Editions ·

2022/01/04

While the coronavirus pandemic is at the forefront of our minds, it's not the only health crisis looming on the horizon. Antimicrobial resistance has been called the "hidden pandemic". One of the ways to counteract resistance is by developing drugs that make current antibiotics more effective, and new research published by the University of Oxford reveals some promising candidates. Tricia Smith spoke with John Tregoning, a researcher in infectious diseases, but not affiliated with this particular

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35:58

Omicron update: what's in store for Australia

Special Editions ·

2021/12/19

Dr Chris Smith joins Indira Naidoo on the ABC's Nightlife programme to discuss the latest developments in science and answer questions from listeners. This time they look at the difficult decisions confronting politicians and policymakers internationally and how they should react to the omicron new variant, which appears super transmissible but potentially a lot less lethal than other existing forms of SARS-CoV-2... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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5:37

The recent evolution of human beings

Special Editions ·

2021/12/16

Us humans are thought to have appeared on Earth around 300,000 years ago. But how much have we changed since then? New research from Shanghai Jiao Tong University has found many of our most complex traits have continued to be tweaked, even in the past two to three thousand years. Julia Ravey spoke to Guan Ning Lin about our ancestors and how alike we really are. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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6:26

100 years of insulin

Special Editions ·

2021/12/15

2021 marks 100 years since insulin was first discovered. The World Health Organisation estimates that 422 million people around the world have diabetes, a disease where the body either can't produce enough insulin or doesn't respond properly to insulin. In the UK, 1 in 15 people are affected, and that's only set to rise as more and more of us are overweight or obese. So what is insulin, how was it discovered, and how have we reached a place where millions of people can safely inject themselves with

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5:42

Cooling down rapidly warming cities

Special Editions ·

2021/12/14

More than 50% of the world's population now lives in urban areas and, in recent years, many major cities have been hit with extreme weather events due to the effects of climate change, like the flooding that hit the London underground - and Queen guitarist Brian May's basement - in the summer of 2021. A key reason for this might be that the urban environments themselves are exacerbating the heating effect, as Verner Viisainen heard from Iain Campbell, from the organisation RMI and the lead author of

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5:22

Tree growth extended in urban jungles

Special Editions ·

2021/12/13

Cities have been found to be warming at faster rates than the rest of the planet due to the materials used such as concrete absorbing heat more readily than organic materials. This is known as the "urban heat island" effect. One antidote, scientists have found, is to plant trees. But flipping the issue around for a moment, what do the trees make of these urban jungles? According to Lin Meng, at the University of California, Berkeley, tree growth in urban locations is different, as she explained to

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5:24

The science of hugs

Special Editions ·

2021/12/09

As we near Christmas, we will be subjected to a fair few more hugs than usual! Some of them can be great, and others... just downright awkward. But what makes a bad hug? What makes a good hug? New research has been published investigating the most pleasant hugging style. Katie King spoke to Anna-Lena Duren to find out why hugs are an important area to study. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:49

Sleep schedules & healthier hearts

Special Editions ·

2021/12/06

We know that sleep is critical for our physical and mental wellbeing, but as it turns out, the answer doesn't simply lie in the number of hours we spend unconscious each night. New research from digital healthcare company, Huma, suggests that a goldilocks bedtime between 10-11PM is linked with a lower risk of heart disease. Katie King spoke to Dr David Plans, Head of Research from Huma to find out why we all need a bedtime... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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20:05

Omicron, variant of concern. What do we know?

Special Editions ·

2021/12/04

Virologist Chris Smith talks with Radio New Zealand National's Kim Hill on Saturday 27th November as the world contemplates the discovery of the Covid-19 variant that the WHO has dubbed "Omicron" and labelled as a "variant of concern". How will scientists investigate this agent, and how are policymakers responding? Will the vaccines rolled out internationally continue to work, or do they need to be updated? Is the apparent benign nature of Omicron actually a blessing in disguise? Like this podcast

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5:12

Whales eat (and poop) more than we thought

Special Editions ·

2021/12/03

Earth's largest animals, whales, need a lot of food... that goes without saying. But, new research from a team at Stanford University have found that whales need 10-20 tonnes of food on a feeding day, which is up to three times more than initially thought. Of course that means three times more poop... and as whale poop drives nutrient recycling in the oceans, this could have a big impact on marine ecosystems. Katie King found out more from the lead author Matthew Savoca... Like this podcast? Please

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6:19

NASA's planetary defence test

Special Editions ·

2021/12/02

Now this might have flown under your radar, but last Wednesday NASA launched the DART mission, a spacecraft on a one-way collision course with an asteroid, in the world's first full-scale planetary defence test. Tricia Smith asked Space Author Colin Stuart, if life as we know it is in danger... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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7:35

Covid Surges in Europe

Special Editions ·

2021/11/29

Covid cases in many European countries are suddenly substantially up. But in a dramatic role reversal, the UK has gone from the standout Covid-19 bad boy of Europe to one of the better performers in terms of daily cases and hospitalisations. According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Lloyd Chapman, vaccination is the linchpin, and that's where the UK stands out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:34

How do we prevent space collisions?

Special Editions ·

2021/11/22

This week, Matt contacted us asking "With three space missions currently converging on Mars how do the nations avoid orbital collisions? Do they share data, do they have transponders or space traffic control etc?". Katie King spoke with Chris Bridges, academic at Surrey Space Centre in the University of Surrey to find out how we keep our spacecraft from colliding.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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25:23

Why does Covid-19 vaccine protection wane?

Special Editions ·

2021/11/20

Covid is surging across Europe, but what's causing it, and will the UK follow suit, or are Europe hot on our heels? Should vaccines be mandatory, and would vaccine passports work? Why does Covid-19 vaccine protection wane with time, and are we looking at a relentless cycle of boosters indefinitely, or will one be sufficient? Dr Chris Smith joins RNZ's Kim Hill for a catch-up all about the current state of Covid-19... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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