BBC Radio 5 Live

5 Live Science Podcast

Science EN ↓ 1112 episodes

5 Live's science podcast, featuring Dr Chris and Naked Scientists with the hottest science news stories and analysis.

Author

BBC Radio 5 Live

Category

Science

Podcast website

www.bbc.co.uk

Latest episode

Jan 12, 2025

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Episodes

The Father of Viagra, and a man with an asteroid named after him! 27.02.2022

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists answer your science questions. This week the Nobel prizewinner who made Viagra possible, a space science writer with his own asteroid, how fungi have evolved to give us beer and bread, and where AI will take us in the future. Plus a mystery sound to identify (we don't think you'll get it), and a fun quiz to test your mettle.

Xenotransplantation 20.02.2022

In today’s podcast: We look at the Lassa Fever outbreak in the UK. How constant is time? Scientists are developing incredibly accurate atomic clocks that can measure tiny distortions. And, we hear about the amazing case of a man who received a pig’s heart… as we look at the science of what's called "xenotransplantation" Put on some safety goggles as Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team pres...

The Origins of Covid 19 13.02.2022

The latest science news with Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team. This week: A breakthrough in the treatment of people paralysed by spinal injuries, and what colours not to wear, if you want to fly beneath a mosquito’s radar. We also look at what we know about the origins of Covid 19 … was it a leaked lab experiment, or a spillover from nature?

Would Saturn Float? 06.02.2022

Solving the science questions you've been sending in, Naked Scientist Julia Ravey talk astrophysics, black holes, shrinking squid and ways to bust anxiety.

Why do we lose our sense of smell? 30.01.2022

The week's science news with Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team. This week: How close are we to being able to grow complete new arms and legs? New research looks very promising in this direction. And a breakthrough in sight restoration: we take a look at the patient who’s received a bionic eye Plus, in the wake of Covid-19, millions of people have suffered smell and taste loss; for some i...

5 live science 23.01.2022

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look at why the government thinks now is the right time to ditch Covid Plan B? Also, how can your brain tell the difference between noises it can ignore, and ones that should be alarming when you are asleep? We’re exploring the world of robotics, what does it involve and how can we use the technology to improve our lives?

The Sword of Damascus, cutting covid isolation 16.01.2022

We look at the science behind cutting covid isolation to 5 days Vets declare the largest ever outbreak of bird flu across Europe, but why now and how should we respond… We’re looking into the microscopic world of nanotechnology: the science of the very small, including the incredible story of the sword of Damascus; it turns out that the blacksmiths of centuries ago knew a thing or two about carbon...

A century of insulin, hedgehogs and MRSA 09.01.2022

This week Dr Chris delves into the science behind the headlines, including an update on Omicron, top tech and the latest in the gaming world, a century since insulin, how hedgehogs gave us MRSA, and David Attenborough's new documentary.

Good News Science Stories from 2021 02.01.2022

Sally Le Page from the Naked Scientists presents some of the best good news science stories from 2021. Including how we may have solved train delays caused by leaves on the line, and the mystery of how wombats make their poos cubed shaped. Plus how scientists have made breakthroughs in wiping out malaria this year.

A Christmas Quandary 19.12.2021

Something mysterious is a foot at The Naked Scientists office... It would seem that Dr. Chris has been playing the part of a very naughty Santa. Join the gang as they attempt to solve some of our biggest festive questions ever! Working together perhaps they'll be able to bring about some Christmas cheer and save the day.

Life in plastic, is it fantastic? 12.12.2021

As the UK government moves to Plan B, introducing new restrictions, what actually happens when people catch the new Covid variant? Can wearables like watches predict if you’re incubating a coronavirus infection? Plus, plastic is used in many different contexts… but should we be looking to replace it with a new material? Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Festive Q&A: Rubies, Robots and Christmas 'Rapping' 05.12.2021

This week, your Christmas science questions and a sprinkling of festive fun as Julia Ravey hears about a planet where it rains rubies, robots that feel pain, a crab with a hairy chest, and how to make a top science rap hit! Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Covid, NASA, and Wood! 28.11.2021

Put on some safety goggles as Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team ignite your bunsen burners with the hottest science news stories, analysis and breakthroughs. We investigate the rising number of Covid cases across Europe, why’s it happening, and where does the UK stand? Plus, why is NASA on a collision course with an asteroid? And as we strive for better sustainability, we investigate the...

Climate Change and Covid 21.11.2021

As pressure on the NHS intensifies, are covid vaccine passports on the cards? Plus, the scientists using nanotechnology to make silk shirts that cool you down when the sun shines on them! And We look back on what was and wasn’t said at the COP-26 climate change summit, and ask how is climate change already taking its toll on all of us.

Malaria, Mars, and Monstrous Ducks! 14.11.2021

This week, it's Q&A time and we find out if there's an end in sight for malaria, how female vultures can have chicks without any males, what it's like to live on Mars for two weeks, and the flesh-eating ducks in Antarctica.

Climate Change, Dating and Spiders 07.11.2021

In this week's 5 Live Science, we go behind the scenes at the Glasgow COP-26 climate summit, hear about a new discovery into what makes two people click, and explore the science of spiders, including the world's most venomous ones.

To Plan B, Or Not To Plan B 31.10.2021

Scientists turn antibiotics into double edged swords that also activate the immune system to fight superbugs, and should the government turn to Covid Plan B now? And as the World Health Organisation convenes a new team to investigate the origins of COVID-19, and whether it in fact did come from a lab, we look at why scientists would want to engineer deadly viruses in the first place.

How Much Did The World's Largest Pumpkin Weigh? 24.10.2021

Harry Lewis and the panel tackle the science questions you've been sending in, including whether William Shatner is strictly now an astronaut?

All The Small Things 17.10.2021

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team with the latest science news stories. In today’s programme: Alarming numbers of unvaccinated pregnant women are ending up in ITU with Covid, but why? And we look into the court case over who owns cells taken from a cancer victim over half a century ago... Plus we delve into the particles that make up the Universe around us to find out what makes them tic...

Supply Chain Reaction 10.10.2021

We assess the covid vaccine situation around the world, why are some countries lagging behind? We’ll find out who and what has won Nobel prizes this year in Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. Plus... we look at global supply chains, and how they are disrupted… from fuel… to bananas!

Menopause for thought 03.10.2021

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team with the latest science news stories, analysis and breakthroughs. In today’s programme: Are we destined to catch the “worst cold ever” this winter? Scientists peer into the past and read previously hidden parts of Marie Antoinette’s love letters... Plus, what is the menopause, why does it happen and what can we do to help women through it? Get the podcas...

Off-limits bits of the Universe, and a lack of CO2 26.09.2021

It's Q&A time this week and a climate scientist, an astronomer, an economist and a medicinal botanist join us to talk about why we're heading back to the Moon, what's causing the CO2 shortage, how nature might hold the key to the next blockbuster drug, and why there are some parts of the Universe that we'll never get to see.

Off-limits bits of the Universe, and a lack of CO2 26.09.2021

It's Q&A time this week and a climate scientist, an astronomer, an economist and a medicinal botanist join us to talk about why we're heading back to the Moon, what's causing the CO2 shortage, how nature might hold the key to the next blockbuster drug, and why there are some parts of the Universe that we'll never get to see.

AI vs Sepsis 19.09.2021

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team with the latest science news stories, analysis and breakthroughs. In today’s programme: Covid jabs are confirmed for 12 to 15 year olds, are we making too much of the possible side effect myocarditis? Find out who won the Ignobel prizes this year, for unusual and often hilarious scientific studies. Plus... it’s sepsis awareness month, but what is this co...

What is covid immunity? 12.09.2021

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team with the latest science news stories, analysis and breakthroughs. This week: Could we send hydrogen to houses through the gas network? Why rats that eat late at night, are more likely to have problems with their weight! Plus... We’re delving into what immunity to Covid-19 really means.

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