logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
29m 30s

Why proteins matter

THE NAKED SCIENTISTS
About this episode
This episode was produced and presented by Dr Marushka Soobben, a scientist from South Africa who's been taking part in an internship here at the Naked Scientists. And this week, a journey into the world of proteins. What are they? why do they matter? And why did predicting their shapes win a recent Nobel prize? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Up next
Yesterday
New ways to combat the Antibiotic Apocalypse
Today, synthetic bacteriophages, a breakthrough vaccine for TB, and how unpicking the pathways used to make antibiotics are helping scientists to combat rising rates of antimicrobial resistance around the world... Like this podcast? Please help us by <a href="https://www.thenaked ... Show More
32m 49s
Nov 21
Small modular reactors for Wales, and moss survives in space
In the news, why the UK appears to be betting big on small modular nuclear reactors. Also, Iran seeds the skies in bid to end its worst drought in decades. And moss grows fat on a rolling stone - but a new study claims it can survive in space. We'll explore the significance. Like ... Show More
30m 56s
Nov 18
A climate COP out?
Today, we're analysing the COP30 conference in Brazil, asking whether the will to tackle climate change is drying up. Like this podcast? Please help us by <a href="https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate">supporting the Naked Scientists</a> 
31m 43s
Recommended Episodes
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
Feb 2025
The War on Science
U.S. science is in turmoil. Amid agency firings and confusion over federal funding, researchers are freaking out. Many can’t do their work, and they have no idea what the future holds. Plus, we’re hearing that all of this could jeopardize medical treatments for people in the U.S. ... Show More
34m 43s
Aug 5
Summer picks: what is ‘mirror life’ and why are scientists sounding the alarm?
Recently, a group of world-leading scientists called for a halt on research to create ‘mirror life’ microbes amid concerns that the synthetic organisms would present an ‘unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about why this work initially seemed e ... Show More
17m 33s
Apr 2025
Dementia: Your questions answered and lion's mane mushrooms in the lab
You sent in your questions on dementia and now we're tackling them. Professor Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, joins James Gallagher to go through the insidehealth@bbc.co.uk mailbag.James also visits mushroom g ... Show More
28m 16s
Jun 2025
The Psychology of Curiosity at Cheltenham Science Festival
Is curiosity good for us, or should we learn a lesson from what curiosity did to the cat? And why does curiosity drive some people to explore the ends of the earth and beyond, while others just really aren’t very curious at all? As a journalist and author, Claudia Hammond has tur ... Show More
29m 17s
Apr 2025
Tackling bias in health
Bias in the way medical research is carried out means that new medicines for diseases such as cancer – as well as the tools used to diagnose patients with some conditions – are disproportionally tested on people of European heritage. This can lead to those not represented in the ... Show More
23m 18s
Jan 2025
Protein, weights and the best way to keep fit: your exercise questions answered
In the second episode of our listener questions special, Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what he has uncovered about who the exercise guidelines were created for and whether they apply to all of us, which exercises are best for keeping us strong, whether we should be eating par ... Show More
22m 33s
Sep 15
Kissing Bugs, Koalas and Clues to Life on Mars
A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that Chagas disease is now endemic in the U.S. Koalas may finally be spared from a deadly epidemic. Meanwhile NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered tantalizing clues about potential ancient microbia ... Show More
9m 37s
Sep 17
The Role Our Microbiome Plays In Our ‘Gut Feelings’
Scientists are tuning in to a surprising conversation happening inside us—between our gut and our brain. Host Rachel Feltman chats with Maya Kaelberer, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s department of physiology, to explore how intestinal cells and microbiomes ... Show More
13m 26s
Oct 1
A Time for Celebration: Adam Smith reveals what really gets our laureates celebrating
In this special bonus episode of Nobel Prize Conversations, we shine a light on the many ways achievements in science are celebrated — from quiet late-night breakthroughs in the lab to the glittering applause of the Nobel Prize award ceremony. Host Karin Svensson speaks with Adam ... Show More
47m 39s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami