PODCAST · science
Quick Fire Science
by Naked Scientists
Quick fire facts on hot science news stories...
Episodes
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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 a kidney transplant, and how the procedure is carried out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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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. With the Quick Fire Science on gene therapy, Phil Sansom... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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HPV: Human Papillomavirus
Human papilloma viruses 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 the agent. With the Quick Fire Science on HPV, Phil Sansom...HPV is a group of very common viruses, called human papilloma...
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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 immunodeficiency virus, and around one in 650 people have it in the UK. Often the only symptom is a short flu-like illness a few weeks after...
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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 STIs - sexually transmitted infections - in the UK.It's easy to be infected with it without realising, because many people with...
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Diverless 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 compete to host one of 3 trials. But the UK aren't the first to allow testing on public roads- California, Nevada and Florida have...
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Supermoon
Last weekend, many people will have noticed the moon looking especially bigand bright. This is because of a phenomenon known as the supermoon.
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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 is discovered and taken to join a captive breeding programme. Spix's Macaws are thought to be extinct in the wild, and less than...
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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 carried out its first lethal injections since the botched execution of convict Clayton Lockett in April, who died from a heart...
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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 Reading University to commemorate the 60th anniversary of death of the test's creator: Alan Turing. Here is your Quick Fire…
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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 in ecstasy, to psychologists in the 1970s, and also synthesised and tested over 200 psychoactive substances during his lifetime....
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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 Quick Fire Science on the find, with Kate Lamble and Dave Ansell...
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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 explosions such a risk when mining? Dave Ansell and Kate Lamble have your Quick Fire Science
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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 year there were more than 1000 deaths from the condition, one of the highest rates in Europe. Medical staff, the report says,...
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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- but just how amazing is his survival? Here are Kate Lamble and Dave Ansell with your Quick Fire Science about travelling as an...
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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 Critchlow and Kate Lamble
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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 recovering wreckage and piecing together what events might have lead to its crash. It's the aircraft's black box recorder which might...
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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 us every day it's essential that air traffic control keeps in contact with them all. Here's your Quick Fire Science on how we...
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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 the aurora borealis...
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Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics are finishing in Sochi, Russia this week. But it's not just the athletes who've spent the last four years training for the event. Engineers and designers have also been working to reduce times and grab golds on the slopes. In fact, when asked about her gold medal in the…
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Maurice the Giraffe
Last week a young, physically healthy giraffe called Marius in a zoo in Copenhagen was put down, amidst an uproar from animal lovers. The zoo argued that it had to be done to prevent inbreeding, and produce a healthier population of giraffes. Here's your Quick Fire Science on the subject....
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Medically Induced Comas
This week doctors are trying to bring Formula One Racing Star Michael Schumacher out of a coma which was medically induced following a skiing accident.To find out more about why medically induced comas are thought to help people with brain injuries Here's your Quickfire Science with Kate Lamble…
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Purple Tomatoes
Purple tomatoes might soon be making their way onto our dinner plates as the genetically modified fruit is currently being mass produced in Canada. The tomatoes which contain anthocyanin compounds normally found in deeply coloured berries are hoped to place the potential health benefits of...
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Keeling Curve Crowdfunding
Crowd funding programmes like Kick-starter have been used to raise money for music projects and Hollywood films, but now it could even be used to raise funding for long running scientific projects. The so-called Keeling Curve is the world's longest unbroken record of how much carbon dioxide is in...
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Polar Vortices
This week, Hell literally froze over, as the small Michigan town of Hell experienced temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius. And Hell wasn't alone temperatures across the United States have plummeted to record lows as cold air from the Arctic has reached much lower latitudes than is usual. To...
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Exploring Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars in August 2012, and it has spent that past 15 months exploring a region of the planet called Gale Crater. This week the team running the rover reported on what they've found so far, and so here's your Quick Fire Science about our planetary next door neighbour...
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Renewable energy generation
The UK government has this week announced changes to its subsidies for renewable energy generation. But how much energy does the UK generate using renewables? Here's your quickfire science on renewable energy with Dominic Ford and Dave Ansell.
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AIDS Awareness Week
This week is AIDS Awareness Week. It is thought that, worldwide, 35 million people carry the HIV vir…
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World Toilet Day
The 19th November was World Toilet Day. Established in 2001, the event seeks to draw attention to gl…
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What is opium
This week, reports suggest that the 2013 opium harvest in Central and South Asia was the largest on …
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Giant animals
This week archaeologists in Queensland, Australia, found part of a fossil from an ancient platypus t…
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Gunpowder and Fireworks
Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason, why gunpowde…
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Science of Baking
This week saw the final of the Great British Bake Off, a television programme in which 13 people spe…
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Invasive Species
It's official: the UK has a slug problem. This week, researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwi…
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The Nobel Prizes
This week, the Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics and chemistry were awarded. Here's your quickfire …
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Mind Boggling Bog Bodies
A mummified body known as the Cashel man was recently found to be the oldest so called 'bog body' wi…
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BRCA1: Angelina Jolie
It emerged this week that actress and director Angelina Jolie chose to have a double mastectomy, because she carries a gene called BRCA1, which greatly increases her chances of developing breast cancer. Here's your quickfire science about the story from Naked Scientists Elena Teh Pete Skidmore...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Quick fire facts on hot science news stories...
HOSTED BY
Naked Scientists
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Quick Fire Science have?
Quick Fire Science currently has 37 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Quick Fire Science about?
Quick fire facts on hot science news stories...
How often does Quick Fire Science release new episodes?
Quick Fire Science has 37 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts Quick Fire Science?
Quick Fire Science is created and hosted by Naked Scientists.
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