logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
27m 40s

Chickenpox, Champion Jockeys and Light S...

Bbc Radio 5 Live
About this episode

Will Tingle and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.

This week, the decision to give chickenpox vaccines to kids: what changed medics' minds? Also, spinal injuries, the building blocks of life and why the universe has a speed limit.

Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Up next
Jan 2025
Titans of Science: Marc Abrahams
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.Including the news that the US has recorded their first human death from bird flu, and should we be concerned? Plus a new drug to treat drug resistant prostate cancer, and new ... Show More
51m 30s
Jan 2025
Titans of Science: David Baker
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look at the year ahead, and asking leading experts from the world of science what we can expect to hear about in 2025.Plus, a conversation with the 2024 chemistry Nobel laureate David Baker, about his pioneering working on proteins. 
51m 17s
Dec 2024
Titans of Science: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look back at the year in science, and ask leading experts in the fields of health, AI, space, marine science, and archaeology for their standout moments that defined 2024.Plus, Titans of Science returns with a look at pioneering astrophysic ... Show More
51m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Chickenpox and weather bots
This week on the Naked Scientists; why, after many years, chickenpox vaccines for children finally look set to become the norm in the UK. Also, will artificial intelligence beat our weather forecasters? And can comets seed the biological building blocks of life to planets like Ea ... Show More
30m 5s
Sep 2024
Reinforced skin for amputees, and could E.T. be an AI?
In this edition of The Naked Scientists: Scientists uncover a way to help amputees toughen up their skin to make prostheses more comfortable; Covid mRNA jab pharmaceutical company Moderna turn their attention to vaccines for mpox; and the Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, on whether ... Show More
33m 42s
Oct 13
Nobel Prizes, COVID Vaccine Updates and Malnutrition in Gaza
This week on Science Quickly, we break down the 2025 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. We also unpack the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s shifting COVID vaccine guidance, a controversial call to split the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ... Show More
8m 40s
Apr 2025
Antibiotics affect babies' vaccinations, and space miso
In today's news podcast, a study shows a reduced effectiveness of vaccinations in babies who have antibiotics treatments early in life. Also, the world's smallest, light-powered pacemaker, and we learn the secrets of the broadclub cuttlefish's crab-catching colour display. Then, ... Show More
35m 1s
Oct 2024
All the news and science from the 2024 Nobel prizes
With awards for the discovery of microRNA and the creation of new proteins, plus recognition for artificial intelligence via the physics and chemistry prizes, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian science team – Nicola Davis, Ian Sample and Hannah Devlin – as they break down t ... Show More
23m 49s
Sep 8
Marsquakes, Vaccine Politics and Mammoth Microbiomes
This week’s roundup dives into Mars’s lumpy mantle, a nasal spray that may help prevent COVID and the growing confusion around vaccine access in the U.S. Plus, researchers link phone use while on the toilet to hemorrhoid risk, uncover ancient mammoth microbiomes and explain why s ... Show More
9m 45s
Jun 2025
Megalodon Diets, Teeth Sensitivity and a Bunch of Vaccine News
The measles outbreak in West Texas is slowing. Health officials think an increase in vaccination rates contributed to the slowdown, but Texas lawmakers have pushed a new bill to make it even quicker and easier for parents to exempt their children from vaccines. The Centers for Di ... Show More
8 m
May 2025
Special Episode: Dr. Adam Ratner & Booster Shots
For the past few months, measles has been in regular rotation in the news cycle here in the US, with outbreaks occurring across the country in regions with low vaccine uptake. These outbreaks represent a worrying trend in the rejection of scientific and medical expertise, with lo ... Show More
52m 32s
Oct 20
Global Superbugs Surge, Chikungunya Hits Long Island, and Satellites Leak Data
This week on Science Quickly, we cover the global rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a rare U.S. case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus and new research on anti-inflammatory supplements. Plus, scientists warn of satellite vulnerabilities—from Earth’s weakening magnetic ... Show More
8m 52s
Oct 20
Global Superbugs Surge, Chikungunya Hits Long Island, and Satellites Leak Data
This week on Science Quickly, we cover the global rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a rare U.S. case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus and new research on anti-inflammatory supplements. Plus, scientists warn of satellite vulnerabilities—from Earth’s weakening magnetic ... Show More
8m 52s