Naked Scientists NewsFLASH
186 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 11 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsEach week we take a look at what's hot in the world of Science.
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Episodes
Optimism in the Face of Reality - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 10.10.11
October 09, 2011 23:00 - 22 minutes - 10.1 MBWe explore the neurological basis of boundless optimism in this Naked Scientists NewsFlash, so fill your glasses to the top! We'll also hear how Earth got its water, how a bacteria-busting chemical keeps injured arteries open, and get a run down of this year's Nobel prizes!
Tweeting the Mood of the World - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 03.10.11
October 03, 2011 15:00 - 25 minutes - 11.5 MBThis week, how analysing tweets can gauge the mood of people around the world, a new way to predict someone's risk of a heart attack, the new field of 'designer plastics' and how Mercury is providing a window into our early Solar system. Plus, the launch of a Chinese Space Station, using glowing bacteria to encode secret messages and the results of this year's Ig Nobel awards including dizzy discus throwers, beetles mating with beer bottles and a drastic way to stop illegal parking...
Hunting the Hunter and Looking into our minds - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 26.09.11
September 26, 2011 14:58 - 22 minutes - 10.2 MBThis week, the hunter becomes the hunted in a new discovery with beetle larvae and we find out how computer simulation can be used to image what someone is seeing. Plus, how T cells can be taught to tolerate friendly bacteria, using water to produce limitless supplies of hydrogen, neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light and the benefits of promiscuity!
Solving Scientific Problems with Computer Games - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 19.09.11
September 18, 2011 23:00 - 19 minutes - 9.13 MBIn this NewsFlash, we hear how computer gamers can help to solve scientific puzzles, why you not be as good as you think you are, and how the brain takes control of the immune system. Plus, how a new CT scanning facillity offers super-fast 3D x-ray vision!
The Bling from Outer Space - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 12.09.11
September 11, 2011 23:00 - 20 minutes - 9.24 MBThis week, how computer design helps surgeons reconstruct breasts, why mammalian cells modified to contain a single set of chromosomes can help us understand the roll of individual genes, and the Bling from Outer Space - why our Earthly gold has less terrestrial origins. Plus, infra-red camoflague that can hide a tank, and Australopithecus sediba - why an incredible fossil find may be the missing link in human ancestry.
Model Hearts and Mood Altering Microbes - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 05.09.11
September 04, 2011 23:00 - 20 minutes - 9.59 MBThis week, a computer model of the heart that could test new cardiac drugs, ancient evidence of antibiotic resistance and the tiny gold rods that may give us control over light. We find out how friendly bacteria, probiotics, can alter brain chemistry and calm anxiety, and Meera Senthilingam joins us for a quick flash of other science news.
Finding Diamonds in Flames - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 22.08.11
August 21, 2011 23:00 - 21 minutes - 9.81 MBWe discover diamonds in candle flames in this week's Naked Scientists NewsFlash, but sadly, only a few atoms across! In other news we hear about a new technique for discovering which old drugs will treat existing diseases, how artificial chromosomes may help to treat a type of muscular dystrophy, and why solar seismology can forecast sunspots.
Nature's Stock Exchange - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 15.08.11
August 15, 2011 11:49 - 18 minutes - 8.41 MBIn this NewsFlash, we meet the deep-sea microbes that feed on the hydrogen from hydrothermal vents, and discover a cheap new catalyst that can generate hydrogen ten times faster than methods found in nature. Plus, how reprogrammed immune system cells can kill cancer, and nature's stock exchange - how plants and fungi develop a free-market economy for shared resources.
How do Vampires Go for the Jugular? - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 08.08.11
August 07, 2011 23:00 - 20 minutes - 9.29 MBWe'll find out how vampire bats home in on hot blood in this week's NewsFlash! Also, we explore the idea that Earth once had two moons, find out how researchers are making functioning brain cells from adult skin cells, and celebrate the first men to visit Jupiter, as NASA launches the Juno mission with its crew of three Lego men...
Cluster-Flock Fatigues Pigeons - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 27.06.11
June 26, 2011 23:00 - 20 minutes - 9.43 MBIn this week's Naked Scientists NewsFlash, a new TB vaccination that stands out on it's own, how babies make sense of broken toys, and why flying in a flock may be exhausting for pigeons. Plus, how a nap in a hammock leads to deeper sleep.
Dinosaur Inspired Aircraft - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 20.06.11
June 19, 2011 23:00 - 19 minutes - 8.81 MBIn this NewsFlash, scientists spot a black hole tearing a star apart, the confusion caused by Comet Hartley 2, and how ancient flying lizards could inspire new aircraft. Plus, we hear about the Square Kilometre Array, planned to be the world's largest radio telescope, and the bid to house it in South Africa.
Heart Cells and Hearing Aids - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 13.06.11
June 13, 2011 16:56 - 20 minutes - 9.18 MBThis week a new source of cells to repair damaged hearts as well as a way to tailor make hearing aids according to an individual's needs. Plus, new insight into how nicotine causes weight loss and more evidence for the theory that life originated from outer space.
Homeless Fish and Warming up Sunspots - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 06.06.11
June 06, 2011 10:12 - 24 minutes - 11 MBThis week, how increasing CO2 levels could stop fish from finding a home and new insight into how sunspots keep warm. We also discuss the recent E.Coli outbreak in Europe as well as discover the world's largest DNA computer!
Finding ourselves with echolocation - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 31.05.11
May 31, 2011 12:59 - 19 minutes - 9.06 MBThis week, how humans locate themselves using echolocation, an attractive new prospect for magnetic materials and a new method of unclogging arteries. Plus new insight into the shape of an electron and how a bit of culture could bring a lot of happiness!
Geometry and Gossip - How we see the World - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 23.05.11
May 22, 2011 23:00 - 18 minutes - 8.45 MBIn this NewsFlash - how we learn geometry without ever entering a classroom, how gossip changes the way we look at the world and a sweet solution to water purification. Plus, regulating the immune system to avoid transplant rejection!
Computer Designed Proteins May Fight 'Flu - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 16.05.11
May 16, 2011 11:06 - 16 minutes - 7.39 MBIn this NewsFlash, tailor made proteins that bind to 'flu viruses, the largest gathering of whale sharks in the world, and how induced stem cells may be rejected, even by genetically identical animals. Plus, how a laser technique has shed new light on a common process that leads to cancer.
Crop Yields Falling in the Heat - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 09.05.11
May 09, 2011 14:57 - 20 minutes - 9.39 MBIn this NewsFlash, how box jellyfish navigate by seeing the shape of the objects above them, why researchers have trapped anti-hydrogen for an extended stay and how a changing climate has reduced global corn and wheat crops. Plus, how the very first exposure to nicotine causes changes in the brain's reward system, potentially strengthening future addictions.
The Ums and Ahs of Learning - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 18.04.11
April 18, 2011 11:52 - 19 minutes - 8.85 MBIn NewsFlash this week, how ums and ahs can boost a baby's learning power, how mankind talked his way out of Africa, and how life on land evolved earlier than we thought. Plus, how scientists are viewing schizophrenia in a Petri dish and an insight into how a rider-less bicycle remains upright.
Growing a New Retina in a Dish - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 11.04.11
April 10, 2011 23:00 - 19 minutes - 8.89 MBIn this NewsFlash, how gut bugs alter your risk of heart disease, increasing efficiency by adding flaps to wind turbines, and how clutter causes prejudice. Plus, how a population of stem cells that spontaneously organise themselves into the right shape for the retina could be used to restore sight after injury or illness...
Why Biased Worms Turn Voters - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 04.04.11
April 03, 2011 23:00 - 18 minutes - 8.51 MBIn this NewsFlash, why the Pioneer anomaly is not so anomalous, how a dose of cortisol can cut fear of heights, and how a common dye used to colour cells in the lab may increase lifespan. Plus, in televised debates, how a biased "worm" can seriously skew the results.
Successfully Synthesising Sperm - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 28.03.11
March 27, 2011 23:00 - 18 minutes - 8.37 MBIn this NewsFlash, how wind speeds over the oceans are changing, successful synthesis of sperm cells and getting under the skin of melanoma. Plus, the science of the blooming lily and how reprogrammed stem cells could restore sight for macular degeneration patients.
How Progesterone Stimulates Sperm - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 21.03.11
March 21, 2011 00:00 - 16 minutes - 7.55 MBIn this NewsFlash, we discover the role quartz plays in making mountain ranges, celebrate MESSENGER going successfully into orbit around Mercury, and explore the reasons why birds fly into obvious objects. Plus, how progesterone excites sperm - we explore the role of a sperm-specific protein that could lead the way to a new contraceptive!
Diamonds Deal Death to Tumours - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 14.03.11
March 14, 2011 00:00 - 21 minutes - 10 MBThis week, how nano-diamonds can help fight cancers, co-operating elephants and tiny digital cameras. We bring you up to speed on the recent earthquake in Japan, and explore the genetic changes that make us who we are!
Graphene Lithography - Etching with Atomic Precision - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 07.03.11
March 07, 2011 00:00 - 17 minutes - 7.84 MBThis week, a new discovery suggesting that the chemistry of life could have come to Earth in a meteorite, how foetal immunity protects the expectant mother, and why we need to be careful with stem cells - a new study has found that they have an above average chance of carrying cancer-causing genetic changes. Plus, a new technique to etch graphene sheets with single-atom precision.
Self Healing Tumours and Self-Healing Hearts - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 28.02.11
February 28, 2011 00:00 - 16 minutes - 7.63 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out what a rare, self-healing skin tumour can tell us about more common cancers, explore the capacity for self repair in the mammalian heart, and discover the new laser based tool for diagnosing melanoma. Plus, how the bones of people who died up to a hundred years ago are being used in the development of new treatments for chronic back pain...
Pioneering Prosthetics - Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Surgery Hands Back Control - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 21.02.11
February 21, 2011 00:00 - 18 minutes - 8.41 MBIn this NewsFlash, we'll find out how an isolated population of people in Ecuador may hold the genetic key to a disease free life, and how hibernating bears slow their metabolic rate far more than expected, and may one day help us to reach for the stars! Plus, they mysterious Death Valley rocks that seem to move around on their own, and how re-routing nerves can allow amputees to move a prosthetic limb more naturally than ever before.
Keeping Your Eyes Healthy with Fish - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 14.02.11
February 14, 2011 00:00 - 21 minutes - 9.82 MBIn this NewsFlash, the fossil evidence that the famous human ancestor Lucy - Australopithecus afarensis - had arched feet, a new method for seeing inside the body and how smartphones are being used to remotely track cardiac rehabilitation. Plus, how omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, help to stave off some of the most common forms of blindness.
Put your thinking cap on... - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 07.02.11
February 07, 2011 00:00 - 18 minutes - 8.64 MBIn this NewsFlash, we meet the new species of malaria-carrying mosquito, explore new artificial arteries and find out why the amazon rainforest may be a source of carbon emissions in dry years. Plus, how Australian researchers have developed a thinking cap - a simple and safe process could switch off your preconceptions and help you to think outside the box!
Better Biofuel? Ask a cow... - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 31.01.11
January 31, 2011 00:00 - 16 minutes - 7.71 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out why our model of the circadian clock might be wrong, how the bacteria that live inside a cow's gut could help make better biofuels, and why groups of animals make better decisions. Plus, how some bacteria make rapid changes to their genome - avoiding the immune system as well as preventing us from making effective vaccines.
Where Does the Time Go? - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 24.01.11
January 24, 2011 00:00 - 17 minutes - 7.84 MBIn this NewsFlash from the Naked Scientists, news of a novel way to neutralise HIV, researchers uncover how brains gauge the passage of time, and agriculture on the microscale: scientists have found the world's smallest farmers, they're just one cell wide. Plus, how a contagious tumor repairs itself by stealing genetic material from it's host.
Feeding the World in 2050 - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 17.01.11
January 17, 2011 00:00 - 21 minutes - 9.9 MBIn this NewsFlash, we discover a faster and cheaper way to make bespoke computer chips, find out how stem cells can help understand Long QT Syndrome and explore the problem of feeding a growing global population. Plus, how new live performance beat-tracking software puts the drummer back in the driving seat!
Going Topless Harms your Hearing - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 11.01.11
January 11, 2011 00:00 - 17 minutes - 8.06 MBIn this week's NewsFlash, we find out how an IVF study could lead to a test to predict the treatment's outcome, how a woman's tears can manipulate men's moods, the perfect melody to send shivers up your spine and the headphones which can cancel out the sound of the dentist's drill. Plus we find out how leaving the top down on your car could damage your hearing....
Can you get Drunk through your Feet? - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 20.12.10
December 20, 2010 00:00 - 17 minutes - 8.24 MBIn this week's NewsFlash we find out about ice volcanoes on Titan, get a new insight into the Sun's cycle and reveal why burgers with oregano sprinkled on top could be the safer option for your Christmas dinner. We also discuss the best drink options to avoid indigestion when eating fondue and investigate whether lightweight bikes made of carbon fibre really do cut down your commute. Plus, we hear about a new way to get merry with all those festive drinks this Christmas, and it's through your...
Sending Cheese into Space - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 13.12.10
December 13, 2010 00:00 - 20 minutes - 9.33 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out how graphene has been used to build a new high density ultracapacitor which could allow electric cars to charge in minutes. We also discover how bees' see the world, how slow clearence of a protein in the brain may lead to Alzheimer's disease and why glider pilots should be paying more attention to falcons. Plus, we learn about a new exoplanet that has led astronomers to question theories of planetary formation and we celebrate the first chunk of cheese to mak...
Rethinking the Chemistry of Life - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 06.12.10
December 06, 2010 00:00 - 21 minutes - 10.1 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out why pandemic 'flu seems to kill the least vulnerable, how parasitic worms treat bowel disease and why summer babies have more regular body clocks. Plus, we find out how the discovery of bacteria that can thrive on toxic arsenic may force us to reconsider the chemistry of life on Earth, and elsewhere...
Jetlag, HIV and a Moon with an Oxygen Atmosphere - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 29.11.10
November 29, 2010 00:00 - 19 minutes - 9.07 MBIn this NewsFlash we explore the link between jetlag and forgetfulness, discover a moon with an oxygen atmosphere, and a new technique to tell someones age from their blood. Plus, in time for World AIDS Day, we find out how HIV infection lays waste to non-infected, or "bystander" cells, leading to the destruction of the immune system.
Clearing Cataracts with Lasers - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 22.11.10
November 22, 2010 00:00 - 18 minutes - 8.42 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out how lasers can cut complications in cataract surgery, why some people are allergic to wine and discover how scientists have solved a long-standing mystery relating the structure of the placenta. Plus, we get a rundown of the highlights from the world's biggest neuroscience meeting, Neuroscience 2010 in San Diego.
How Fast do Lap Cats Lap? - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 15.11.10
November 15, 2010 15:38 - 15 minutes - 6.98 MBIn this NewsFlash, we discover that happiness is in the here and now, as thinking about something other than the task at hand seems to lead to low mood. We find out why children tire so quickly when walking, and explore evidence in Scottish rocks that Earth became oxygenated 400,000 years earlier than we thought. Plus, the elegant physics of a lapping cat!
Why the Immune System Ignores Cancer - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 08.11.10
November 08, 2010 00:00 - 15 minutes - 5.32 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out how tumours suppress the immune system, to allow their growth to go un-checked. Plus, how brain zapping could improve mathematical ability, a trick to block the damage done by a stroke, and the bacterial immune system - how bacteria keep themselves safe from harm!
Super-Waterproof Coats and Thoughts of Marylin Monroe - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 01.11.10
November 01, 2010 00:00 - 19 minutes - 6.74 MBIn this week's NewsFlash, we find out how a new technique can make waterproof coatings that survive the wash, why pancreatic cancer is hard to spot and how one in five Sun-like stars may have Earth like planets. Plus, a new graphene based transistor amplifier, and how thinking of Marylin Monroe can give us insights into the brain.
The Most Distant Object Yet Confirmed - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 26.10.10
October 25, 2010 23:00 - 14 minutes - 5.09 MBIn this NewsFlash, we find out how bitter taste receptors in the lungs could lead to new asthma treatments, how our ancestors enjoyed some veg with their meat and how gene therapy could offer a way out of depression. Plus, we discover the most distant object yet confirmed, light from which has travelled for over 13 billion years to reach us!
The Comet that Never Was - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 18.10.10
October 17, 2010 23:00 - 20 minutes - 7.17 MBIn this NewsFlash, we discover the new potential vaccine against TB, hear the story of the comet that never was and a way to replace the gold in electrical contacts. Plus, we celebrate with the winner of this year's Rolls Royce Science Prize!
Not all fat cells are created equal - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 11.10.10
October 10, 2010 23:00 - 16 minutes - 5.69 MBIn this week's NewsFlash, we'll hear how the Census of Marine Life found that the oceans are much more diverse than we thought and how fat cells behave differently in different parts of the body. Plus the smelly stories of the lily that smells like rotting fruit to attract flies, and how men really are sweatier than women!
The First Habitable Exoplanet - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 04.10.10
October 03, 2010 23:00 - 16 minutes - 5.69 MBIt's a bumper crop of "firsts" in this NewsFlash, as we discover the first habitable exoplanet and the first flapless aeroplane! We'll also find out how mental competition helps to chose which hand to use, and how Raman spectroscopy can help to identify smuggled cocaine...
Nerves in Cancer, MS and Pain - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 27.09.10
September 27, 2010 15:23 - 17 minutes - 5.88 MBIn this NewsFlash, we'll hear how the process of nerve repair could help some cancers to spread, how Multiple Sclerosis does more damage to nerve cells than we thought, and what mechanism might be behind phantom limb pain. Plus we'll discover that it was gorillas that first gave us Malaria!
Bringing Quantum Computing Closer - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 20.09.10
September 19, 2010 23:00 - 20 minutes - 7.06 MBBringing Quantum Computing Closer
Self-cleaning solar panels and suicidal cancer cells - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 13.09.10
September 12, 2010 23:00 - 20 minutes - 7.15 MBIn this NewsFlash, we hear how scientists have created self cleaning solar panels using Mars Lander technology, how modified yeast could be used to make bioethanol more efficient, and how a new model of climate change suggests it may not be too late to reverse current trends. Plus what it is about particular pieces of music that can make you laugh or cry.
Spores on Smoke Rings and Pain Free Vaccines - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 26.07.10
July 26, 2010 17:05 - 20 minutes - 7.16 MBIn this NewsFlash, we hear how Sphagnum moss spores travel on smoke rings, explore a new way to capture carbon, discover pain free vaccine patches and better solid batteries. Plus, the microbicidal gel that could block HIV.
Malaria-free Mosquitoes - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 20.07.10
July 20, 2010 12:42 - 10 minutes - 3.52 MBIn this NewsFlash, we hear how scientists have created Malaria-free mosquitoes, how hostile bacteria in the Arctic can be tamed to create vaccines and how Gobies can fight their way through slime in our oceans. Plus, we discover why a transfer from high-heeled shoes to flat ones is so uncomfortable!
The Proton is Shrinking! - Naked Scientists NewsFLASH - 12.07.10
July 11, 2010 23:00 - 19 minutes - 6.72 MBIn this NewsFlash, we hear how the proton appears to be smaller than we thought, prompting a reevaluation of some trusted laws of physics, how antidepressants in seawater can make shrimps swim towards danger and why some male fireflies flash together. Plus, a novel mechanism for natural selection - beneficial bacteria!