Quick Fire Science, from the Naked Scientists

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

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

Human papillomaviruses 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... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 infection, which lasts for a week or two. However, long after this symptom disappears, HIV is infecting and damaging vital cells in your immune system. This can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.If you have AIDS, your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV. You become... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 chlamydia have no symptoms.For those that do have symptoms, they can become apparent a few weeks after you're infected. You might experience a discharge from the vagina or penis, or a burning sensation while urinating. For women there may also be bleeding after sex or between periods; for men, there... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 all approved tests of the vehicles, and in 2013, Nissan carried out Japan's first public road test of an autonomous vehicle on a highway. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last weekend, many people will have noticed the moon looking especially bigand bright. This is because of a phenomenon known as the supermoon. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

US government this week discovered vials of smallpox virus whilst cleaning out an old storeroom. This was shocking, as it was thought that the only 2 remaining samples were securely stored in Atlanta and Russia. It is not yet known if the samples found were alive, and so if they posed any health threat. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 100 remain in zoos around the world. Most of these birds are closely related, so Presley was important because he was genetically very different. Unfortunately, although it was attempted, he never bred successfully, so his death is a huge blow for the future of Spix's Macaws. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 attack nearly an hour after receiving his injection. The controversial technique has been used as a form of capital punishment in the states since the 70s, with over 1000 inmates being executed this way alone. Here is your Quick Fire Science on the lethal injection with Graihagh Jackson and Georgia... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 Science on the Turing test... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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. Here is your Quickfire Science on ecstasy with Ginny Smith and Georgia Mills Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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, need to be better trained to recognise the symptoms of the disease. Here's your Quick Fire Science on the condition with Kate Lamble and Hannah Critchlow Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 aeroplane stowaway. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 hold the most clues. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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 know where aeroplanes are with Harriet Johnson and Kate Lamble Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists