Chris Smith

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Founder and Managing Editor at The Naked Scientists

Host at The Naked Scientists Podcast

BBC radio presenter on the Naked Scientists, occasional TV pundit, consultant virologist and lecturer at Cambridge University

Articles

Can a person be cloned?

1 week ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

PodcastsAsk! The Naked ScientistsCan a person be cloned? Is Voyager 1 still in the Solar System? Presented by Chris Smith with Clarence Ford, 567 CapeTalk. TWINSDr Chris answers listener questions including, how effective is the flu shot? Is there anything doctors don't want their patients to know? Do our eyes stay the same size through our lives? Could working in a dusty cement environment lead to health problems? When someone has dementia, how long will they live?
UK invests in 'cyber army', and turning lead into gold

1 week ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

The new frontier of warfare... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadThe 21st-century battlefield isn't filled with tanks, aircrafts and submarines - but code, AI networks, and the quiet hum of a global cyber war.
Titans of Science: Simon Baron-Cohen

1 week ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

And how our definition of it is starting to change... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadIn this edition of The Naked Scientists, Titans of Science continues as Chris Smith chats with autism research pioneer, Simon Baron-Cohen... Chris - Simon Baron-Cohen was born in Hampstead in London in 1958. He read Human Sciences at the University of Oxford before studying Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Cognitive Development Unit at UCL.
When did life start evolving sex?

2 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

Dr Chris answers questions on CapeTalk, including: how often should we wash our clothes? Is there a relationship between the Earth's gravity and magnetic field? Are the magnetic poles moving? Is there a distinction between North and South? Why don't adult teeth grow back like children's teeth? Can we reconcile science and spirituality? Why does my sister's car attract insects? What is the quickest way to lose weight in a short period of time?
Curing mosquitoes' malaria, and the history of our units

2 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

I've had anopheles parasites... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadFor decades, insecticide-treated mosquito nets have served as a frontline defence against malaria. But their effectiveness is waning as mosquitoes develop resistance to those insecticides. What if, instead of targeting the mosquito - the disease’s carrier - we targeted the parasite itself?
The rising tide of fungal diseases

2 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

From athlete's foot, to far more nefarious infections... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadWhen we think of infections, viruses and bacteria usually come to mind first - not fungi. But as we heard in our previous recent foray into the world of fungi, fungal infections caused 2 million deaths in 2020.
What determines the speed of your internet?

3 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

PodcastsAsk! The Naked ScientistsWhat determines the speed of your internet? Also, why is February only 28 days long? And should we be wary of LLMs? Presented by Chris Smith with Clarence Ford, 567 CapeTalk. Why is February only 28 days long? Is there a link between red meat, testosterone, and male violence? Is there a 'best' LLM? Can macular degeneration cause you to go blind? What do we know about the big bang? What determines the speed of your internet?
DNA frees man after 38 years, and breast cancer breakthrough

3 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

And the world of commerical DNA databases... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadA British man who spent nearly four decades in prison for a murder he always said he didn’t commit has had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal. Peter Sullivan was jailed in 1987 for the killing of 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Merseyside. But now, new DNA evidence has cleared him - revealing someone else’s genetic material at the scene.
Titans of Science: Sarah Parcak

3 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

Sparked by a visit from the Tooth Fairy... PlayFull TranscriptDownloadSarah Parcak discusses the early influences which inspired her fascination with archaeology and the Ancient Egyptians... Sarah - I've been interested in archaeology and ancient Egypt ever since I was a small child, growing up in Bangor, Maine in the 1980s.
Should dogs sleep inside the house?

4 weeks ago | thenakedscientists.com | Chris Smith

PodcastsAsk! The Naked ScientistsShould dogs sleep inside the house? Presented by Chris Smith with Clarence Ford, 567 CapeTalk. BORED DOGAsk! The Naked Scientist covers questions including, are we humans the universe's consciousness? Is the presence of dimethyl sulphide on an exoplanet a sure sign of life? Have scientists been able to establish where the Garden of Eden is? If I decide not to breastfeed, what happens to the milk I produce? Can I benefit from the nutrients? Related Content