Quick Fire Science, from the Naked Scientists

Kidney Transplants

The waiting list for kidney transplants is one of the longest. Here's Phil Sansom with the QuickFire Science of kidney transplantation, including why a person would need

Gene Therapy

Advances in genetics and molecular biology mean that it is now possible to treat and even cure a raft of disorders for which there was previously little to offer patients

HPV: Human Papillomavirus

Human papillomaviruses are the cause of cervical and head and neck cancers in men and women. About half of the adult population have been exposed to high risk forms of th

HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Worldwide, nearly 40 million people are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Here's the Quick Fire Science, with Phil Sansom... HIV is the human immunodeficienc

Chlamydia

Up to 10% of young people are infected with chlamydia. Here's the Quick Fire Science, from Phil Sansom...Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. It's one of the most common S

Driverless Cars

It has been announced by the government that driverless cars will be trialled on the roads of the UK by January 2015. The Ministry for Transport has invited cities to com

Supermoon

Last weekend, many people will have noticed the moon looking especially bigand bright. This is because of a phenomenon known as the supermoon. Like this podcast? Please h

Smallpox

US government this week discovered vials of smallpox virus whilst cleaning out an old storeroom. This was shocking, as it was thought that the only 2 remaining samples we

Captive breeding

Last week, the 2nd to last to last wild born Spix's Macaw died. The 40 year old parrot, named Presley, was thought to have inspired the film Rio- about a pet parrot who i

The Lethal Injection

Capital punishment hasn't been used in the UK since 1964, however many countries, including the USA and China, still execute prisoners ever year. This week the USA has ca

The Turing Test

This week a computer program reportedly passed the 'Turing test' for the first time, tricking people into believing it is human. This was part of a competition run by Rea

Ecstasy

This week, Alexander Shulgin, the so called 'Godfather of ecstasy' died peacefully in his sleep. The 88 year old is best known for introducing MDMA, the active molecule i

World's Largest Dinosaur

This week, a farm worker in Argentina stumbled upon what has turned out to be a bone belonging to the largest known dinosaur to have ever walked the planet. Here's your Q

Coal Mining Dangers

This week news broke that Turkey had suffered its worst ever mining disaster after an explosion and fire in a mine in Soma claimed almost three hundred lives. But why are

Asthma

This week the Royal College of Physicians have issued a report looking at the standard of asthma care in the UK. There are over 5 million asthmatics in Britain, and last

Plane Stowaway

This week, a teenage boy survived the 5 hour flight from California to Hawaii, hidden in the wheel well of a plane. Experts are astonished that he seems to be unharmed- b

World Autism Awareness Day

Wednesday, the 2nd of April was World Autism Awareness Day so to help you get to grips with this often misunderstood condition here's your Quick Fire Science with Hannah

Black Box Recorders

Now that Malaysian Airways Flight MH370 has officially been acknowledged to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean with all lives lost, attentions have turned to recover

Air Traffic Communication

With the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 still missing after nearly two weeks, some people are asking how you can lose a plane? But with over 6000 aeroplanes flying above

Northern Lights

Last week much of the UK witnessed the spectacular displays of the Northern Lights, but what causes this phenomenal natural light show? Here's your quick fire science on