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Naked Scientists, In Short Special Editions Podcast — Life Sciences
Naked Scientists, In Short Special Editions Podcast

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.

Copyright: © The Naked Scientists

Latest Episodes:

Machine makes people more empathic Dec 19, 2014

Show notes

There's the old saying that if you want to understand someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. But what if you could walk in their actual body? Thanks to virtual reality headsets, this is now - at least virtually - possible. And by fooling people into thinking they have a child's body, or one belonging to someone of a different skin colour, Mel Slater and his colleagues in Barcelona discovered, as he explained to Kat Arney, that this changes their behaviour too... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feeling old shortens your life Dec 19, 2014

Show notes

People often talk about feeling their age, but how old you say you feel is strongly linked to your life expectancy. A new study at UCL in London has shown that people who feel their age, or feel even older than their real chronological are almost 40% more likely to die than someone of the same age who - in their head at least - feels younger, as Andrew Steptoe explains to Chris Smith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Foraging for Fossils Dec 15, 2014

Show notes

How do we know about the ancient animals that used to roam the Earth? If all life got its start in the sea, then why do most animals now live on land?Sara Sjosten went behind the scenes at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science with Sarah Finney to find out more about where fossils come from and one special little creature from 360 million years ago... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

reCAPTCHA with Luis von Ahn Nov 30, 2014

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Luis von Ahn invented CAPTCHA - the system that uses a picture of a word to determine whether you are a human or a computer. But when von Ahn realised just how much time was being wasted by filling in CAPTCHAs, he wondered whether that man-power could be used for something good. Now the very same process is digitising millions of books, that are available for free, as von Ahn told Chris Smith. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does your dog understand you? Nov 27, 2014

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Does your dog pay attention to what you say? Thinking back to the last time it rolled in something stinky, or ran off with your socks, you may not be convinced. But new research from the University of Sussex shows that man's best friend is at least listening; and not only to what we say, but how we say it. Georgia Mills spoke to Victoria Ratcliffe, who tested over 200 willing canines... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The science behind fasting Nov 27, 2014

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What's the science behind the so-called 5:2 or intermittent fasting diet? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The fight against Ebola Nov 17, 2014

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Marie Blackman Northwood is a biomedical scientists normally based in Cambridge,who is currently in Sierra Leone, lending her hand to the fight against Ebola. She spoke to Chris Smith about her experiences. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shift Work Shafts Brains Nov 14, 2014

Show notes

Researchers say that doing anti-social shifts over many years can dent your brain power. In other words you can't think straight. The team collected data from three thousand workers in France, who underwent memory and other tests of brain function. Individuals who had worked shifts for over ten years had the same results as someone six and a half years older than them. But here's the good part. Luckily the effect may be reversible. Chris Smith spoke to study author Philip Tucker, from Swansea University, to find out more... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How wildcats became kitty cats Nov 14, 2014

Show notes

Just a handful of genetic changes are what turned wildcats into domestic pets, scientists have now shown. And many of these changes are linked with genes that affect how the brain processes rewards and pleasure. In other words, humans won over cats by appealing to their desire for kitty treats and stroking. Over time, those that responded best to this nurturing were more likely to be bred by humans, leading to increasingly docile, domesticated pets. Graihagh Jackson has been hearing from some cat lovers but first she spoke to one of the researchers - Bronwen Aken from the Wellcome Trust's... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Body Clocks Nov 14, 2014

Show notes

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Whichever you are, your daily rhythm is determined by your circadian clock - powered by a small group of cells in the brain - and it tells you when to get up and when to sleep. Now Professor Bill Wisden and his team at Imperial College have discovered a second biological clock in the brain, located in a little cluster of nerve cells that produce a chemical called histamine, which helps to wake us up. Kat spoke to him to find out more about this molecular alarm clock. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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