Podcast · Tech & Science

Naked Scientists, In Short Special Editions Podcast

by The Naked Scientists · English · Tech & Science

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.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 31 min
Latest: 16 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

16 Sep 2026 · 19 min

Could groundbreaking vaccine help eliminate malaria?

Malaria kills around 600,000 people every year. Nearly three-quarters of those deaths are children under five. For decades, scientists pursued one goal: a vaccine that could prevent the disease. One scientist dedicated his career to this challenge. Sir Adrian Hill of the University of Oxford set out to develop a vaccine that could save lives where it was needed most... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E990 · 8 Sep 2026 · 10 min
What does it take to power an autonomous vehicle?
In this special episode, created in partnership with the Royal Institute of Navigation, we hear from Alex Stewart. Alex is a founding engineer at Oxa, a leading autonomous vehicle (AV) technology company in Oxfordshire, England, and he has spent the past twenty years developing advanced autonomous systems. He recently told Chris Smith about Oxa's vision for transforming how goods move... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E989 · 27 Jul 2026 · 34 min
Gorilla sperm, and subversive gambling machines
This time, macho male gorillas trade stature for sperm count, how gambling machines use sound and light to take the sting out of losing, whether babies are born hard-wired to dance, the way bird eggs are adapted to altitude, and the effect of a fever on the stickiness of malaria-infected blood cells... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E988 · 14 Jul 2026 · 9 min
Sickle cell defeated malaria and opened up pastures new
Malaria has been killing humans for at least fifteen thousand years, and our DNA still carries the scars. Ninety percent of the world's malaria cases are in Africa. But this isn't just a modern health crisis. It's written into our evolutionary history. New research from the University of Cambridge reveals that early humans actively avoided malaria hotspots across Africa for tens of thousands of years. The archaeological record is striking: mosquitoes thrived where people didn't live. Until something changed. Around fifteen thousand years ago, a genetic mutation emerged in West Africa: the...…
E987 · 20 May 2026 · 10 min
Malaria in Africa
Africa remains at the centre of the global malaria crisis. The continent accounts for around 95 percent of all malaria cases, placing immense strain on health systems and costing hundreds of thousands of lives each year. In 2023, there were an estimated 249 million cases globally, with the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa. So why does malaria persist so strongly here? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E986 · 26 Apr 2026 · 9 min
Driven to End Malaria: World Malaria Day 2026
A child dies from malaria roughly every minute. A stark reminder of why urgent action is still needed. "Driven to end malaria, now we can, now we must" is the theme of World Malaria Day on the 25th of April. This year also marks 25 years of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, which has shaped modern malaria control strategies. In this episode, we hear from Ashley Birkett, Global Head of Bacterial and Parasitic Diseases at PATH Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E985 · 28 Feb 2026 · 38 min
Moths hear plants, and what fingerprints do for touch
In this episode, how kangaroos alter their postures to store more energy in their Achilles tendons and boost movement efficiency, the moths that make a beeline when they hear plants "talking" to them, tracking how people pick up diseases from their surroundings, the contribution fingerprints make to touch sensation, and some forgotten female scientists are recognised at the Eiffel Tower, in France. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E984 · 30 Nov 2025 · 40 min
Nocebos, and why the eyes of some species stay shut at birth
This month, compelling evidence for why some species keep their eyes closed for sometimes several weeks after birth, scientists prove that the "nocebo" effect is more potent than a placebo, researchers report what happens when fish eggs and mouse sperm mix, the signals that cells use to measure the lengths of their telomeres, and some clever physics reveals the workings of Darwin's "warm little pond"... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E983 · 3 Oct 2025 · 5 min
Aspirin vs Clopidogrel: The blood thinner battle
Clots in our blood vessels can be responsible for very serious health problems such as strokes and heart attacks. To combat this, some people at risk of said health problems turn towards blood thinners to prevent this clotting, with the most common household blood thinner being aspirin. The issue with preventing clotting is, should you start to bleed, that bleeding is a lot tougher to stop. Now however, a new drug - clopidogrel - is being touted as coming with the same benefits of aspirin, but few of the drawbacks. To talk us through this matchup, we put in a call to the British Heart...…
E982 · 23 Sep 2025 · 37 min
Public Success, Private Grief: remembering Peter Cowley
Peter Cowley was an entrepreneur, angel investor, and for many years was the Naked Scientists technology commentator, a role he fell into by accident when we met one evening at an investment meeting. He became a good friend. But his life, in many respects, despite being incredibly successful, was also touched by great sadness: he lost two sons and struggled with alcohol for a time. But he came through it all and lived his life with energy, curiosity, and generosity... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E981 · 10 Sep 2025 · 7 min
Keeping humans healthy in orbit
With only a few walls between an astronaut and a rapid death, what do we know about the various dangers to the human body during space travel? Chris Smith spoke with Mark Shelhamer, a professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at John Hopkins Medical School - about which space hazards are deemed most pressing for our up-and-coming astronauts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E980 · 8 Sep 2025 · 43 min
Ants doing gene therapy, and tadpole microbiomes
This month, as the eLife Podcast hits its century, we hear how getting frog dads to cross-foster tadpoles has revealed the way in which some frogs come by their microbiomes, the ants that do gene therapy, signs that disease causes a breakdown in nutrient exchange between the elements of the microbiome, how fungi reprogram immune cells to cause over-reactions in sepsis, and new insights into how tapeworm larvae in the brain cause seizures... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E979 · 9 Jul 2025 · 6 min
Synthetic sustainable spuds
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 supporting the Naked Scientists
E978 · 23 Jun 2025 · 5 min
Scientists say they've bent spacetime
"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 medical time control. But is it the real deal - or just a very flashy illusion? I sat down…
E977 · 19 Jun 2025 · 39 min
Finland's giant virus, and monkeys take care of their teeth
In the eLife podcast, a university compost heap has turned up Finland's first documented "giant virus". Also, why monkeys de-sand their supper, and how learning more languages actually makes brain tissue thinner. Then, the link between sugar and neonatal sepsis, and how a cancer controls its hydra host by bestowing it with extra tentacles... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E976 · 16 Jun 2025 · 4 min
Naked Scientists SOS
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 Scientists
E975 · 5 Jun 2025 · 37 min
Insect extinctions, and AI shot in the arm for drug design
In episode 10 of the Cambridge Prisms Podcast, the shocking finding that as many as 2 invertebrate species are going extinct each week in Australia: what can be done? Also, the shot in the arm that AI is administering to the drug discovery industry, how do you measure the microplastic problem, and why climate tipping points are a serious problem for the drinking water industry. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E974 · 23 May 2025 · 5 min
Storing data with "molecular firecrackers"
Your personal data could soon be stored not on a phone or server but locked inside a molecule so tiny it's invisible to the naked eye. Researchers have cracked the code on storing digital information in synthetic molecules called polymers - long chains of anything from plastic to protein made from building blocks known as monomers. Each monomer sends out a unique electrical signal that a special electrochemical technique can decode, turning these tiny sequences into passwords or secret messages. This game-changing technology could redefine data security without relying on traditional…
E973 · 19 May 2025 · 5 min
Brain-invading bacterium is making fruit flies extra frisky
What if a parasite could rewire your brain - not to harm you, but to make you... more romantic? This week on The Naked Scientists, we're exploring the bizarre world of Wolbachia - a bacterium that turns female fruit flies into mating machines. Marushka Soobben with the story... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E972 · 12 May 2025 · 6 min
Speedy, soft robot powered by air alone
Using only soft tubes and a continuous stream of air, a team of researchers at AMOLF in Amsterdam have created one of the fastest and simplest soft robots to date. Marushka Soobben with the story... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E971 · 24 Apr 2025 · 35 min
Frog toxicity, and what a year's schooling does to the brain
What is the impact of an extra year at school on the brain? Also, how poison dart frogs come by their toxins, using movies to track the developing infant nervous system, the insect-spread bacterial plant parasite that is a mastermind of matchmaking, and a new cancer tool to link disease with the best drugs. Chris Smith takes a look at some of the most powerful papers out this month in eLife... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E970 · 3 Apr 2025 · 32 min
What climate change does to kelp forests
In this episode, how climate change impacts kelp forests, selecting for less animal-friendly variants, refining AI models for better water infrastructure design, classifying extinct marine megafauna and when best to swim with them, the coast consequences of climate change, and why a better understanding of the planet's drylands is critical... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E969 · 26 Feb 2025 · 41 min
Hollywood helps brain scientists probe thoughts
This month, how films are helping neuroscientists link brain activity patterns to specific thought processes, a breakthrough in managing opiate overdose, a technique to study animal teamwork, extracting more information from brain scan data, and how childhood adversity blunts later fear responses... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E968 · 24 Dec 2024 · 31 min
Personalised medicine, droughts, and dryland research
Personalised medicine and gene screens for disease, why dinosaurs disappeared, planning for droughts, and new vistas in the drylands arena... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E967 · 20 Dec 2024 · 31 min
Evolving flu, and the desert decomposition conundrum
Predicting how influenza viruses will evolve, how deserts decompose matter despite the dry, what worms are revealing about a gene linked to autism, and what makes mice fearful of cat smells. Dr Chris Smith talks to the authors of the latest leading research in eLife... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E966 · 1 Nov 2024 · 33 min
Cancer mood control, and birth products blocking pain
This month, signs that cancers communicate with the brain to alter mood, why antibodies are unreliable in research, evidence that social training can cut stress and boost brain volume, and agents derived from birth products that suppress inflammation and kill pain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E965 · 25 Oct 2024 · 36 min
Future cancer care, and the cost of large animal extinction
In this episode, why approaches to cancer care need a pro-active approach in future, the opportunities arising for the cancer vaccine space, competency-based medical training, the environmental costs of losing large animals, and why water resilience needs careful planning now... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E964 · 10 Sep 2024 · 31 min
Vampire bacteria, "hangry" males, and ants using moonlight
This month, Chris Smith hears how blood-thirsty bacteria sniff out wounds to trigger infections, how ants navigate at night, how male and female brains respond differently to starvation, and inflammation linked to premature labour... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E963 · 31 Jul 2024 · 37 min
Microbiomes control blood pressure, and the cost of water
This month, evidence that the microbiome is controlling blood pressure - so will we treat hypertension with probiotics in future? Also, plastic is everywhere and an urgent environmental threat, but is the public aware, or do they care? We also consider the economics of animal extinction and species conservation, the price we pay for water, and the role of the "blue carbon" in keeping CO2 in check... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
E962 · 19 Apr 2024 · 38 min
Hibernation, Ketamine and Aphantasia
This month, how animals hibernate and evidence that muscle myosin makes its own heat in the cold, brain scans to reveal how ketamine relieves resistant depression, the way the brain changes when animals build a bond, the evolution of flu outbreaks, and how aphantasia affects autobiographical memory. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

About Naked Scientists, In Short Special Editions Podcast

Naked Scientists, In Short Special Editions Podcast is a English tech & science podcast from The Naked Scientists. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The Naked Scientists
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 31 min
Latest episode: 16 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id324688342
Rights: The Naked Scientists

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